Singing from the Lectionary

If your congregation makes use of All Saints' Day as a time of remembering those known to members of your congregation who have passed away, you may also find the suggestions for funerals helpful.

VT078 O for a thousand tongues to sing (Charles Wesley, England) Voices Together have removed the healing the blind and lame verses and reintroduced the original first verse of this hymn, which is delightful! "Glory to God and praise and love, be ever ever given by saints below and saints above, the church in earth and Heaven". So good for All Saints Day, and any Sunday, in fact! Lyrics and sheet music. Oldy-but-a-goody.
GWA133 / Online Resource Thank God for saints of seasoned age (Ruth Duck, USA) An excellent song for All Saints Day, particularly including those of the older generation as they age. Sung to a new, but quite straightforward hymn tune. Lyrics and sheet music.
TLUS154 Since we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses (William Kervin, Canada) A simple song of encouragement that can be sung as a round (which is kind of tricky, actually). Example of how to teach it. Sound sample.
GWA134 Called to be saints (Alan Luff, England) Joyful words that call us to be saints in many different ways. Sung to the banger of a tune WOODLANDS (Tell out my soul). This would be good for the final hymn of your service. New words to old tunes.
Online Resource / FFS57 Song of faith that sings forever (Shirley Murray, Aotearoa / New Zealand) Simple tune and beautiful image of people throughout generations, alive and dead, taking up a song together; I think this would be particularly good for congregations and communities facing difficult times "And when life would overwhelm us, when there seems no song to sing, hear the constant voice of courage out of fear and suffering". Can also be sung to ABBOTS LEIGH if you want New words to old tunes. Lyrics and links to sheet music.
Iona (Love From Below) / A&M297 / SFFS 2283 / GC(II)786 / G(3)885 / SP114 / StF746/ Lau387 For all the saints who’ve shown your love (John Bell, Scotland) These beautiful lyrics are some of the best words about All Saints' Day that I've come across, and would work for this reading too. There are two tunes, and two slightly different sets of lyrics. Love From Below uses the tune "ALL SAINTS" which is a John Bell original. A nice tune, but not familiar, although not hard to learn at all. The Gather hymnals publish a slightly different version of the lyrics, sung to the tune O WALY WALY which is the tune for "The water is wide", so much more familiar. Lyrics New words to old tunes.
AA120 Sing of the saints who were loved and made beautiful (Marnie Barrell Aotearoa / New Zealand) AA has these lovely words to a tune by Colin Gibson, but it could also be sung to a modified version of the tune MYRRH-BEARING MARY (see comments below).
Tune In / Online Resource Hail the fisherfolk (Dave Brown, Australia) A bluesy song that remembers the saints of history and today. Lyrics, sound sample, free downloadable songbook.
CH172 / URW062 / StF116 Sing for God’s glory that colours the dawn of creation (Kathy Galloway, Scotland) Beautiful poetic words of creation (first verse), release (2nd verse), justice (3rd verse) and saints (4th verse). Would be a good song to open worship. Sung to a very familiar hymn tune, LOBE DEN HERREN (TiS 111). Lyrics (downloads a PDF). Video. New words to old tunes.
Online Resource Heaven and Earth are Filled (Christopher Grundy, USA) A beautiful, meditative chant about the great cloud of witnesses; very simple. The sheet music includes the string part. Lead sheet sample. Sheet music for purchase. Sound sample.
NCH376 God we thank you for our people (Ruth Duck, USA) Good words to the tune HOLY MANNA. Some really nice phrases "hardy spirits, rich in loving", and "thank you God for gentle pleasure". An excellent forward-looking final verse, too. Lyrics. New words to old tunes.
TiS 470 / CH742 / UMH708 / WoV689 / LBW26 / ELW264 / A&M308 / GtG732 / CP(E) 227 / W&R531 / Cha476 / SP116 Rejoice in God’s saints today and all days! (Fred Pratt Green, USA) Great words about all the different saints and the importance of remembering them. The 2nd verse which mentions "some carry the gospel through fire and through flood" may be particularly appealing. Works well to the tune PADERBORN, but would be even simpler sung to LAUDATE DOMINUM which would be more familiar. Lyrics and some tune samples.New words to old tunes.
AHB 551 / NCH295 / UMH712 / HPP506 / GtG730 / PH364 / 82Hml-293 I sing a song of the saints of God (Lesbia Scott, England) A bit twee and quite old fashioned, but I loved this song as a kid, especially the idea that even I (a girl!) had potential. I think the "And I mean to be one too" part is just great and no other songs seem to pick up that sentiment about All Saints Day. It's mostly only good for older kids because it's a bit wordy. Lyrics. New words to old tunes. There is also a new set of words, a slightly adapted version by David MacGregor which you may like to check out.
TiS 455 / AHB 384 / NCH299 / CH740 / UMH711 / VU705 / LBW174 / ELW422 / A&M296 / GA551 / HPP500 / GtG326 / PH526 / GC793 / GC(II)791 / G(3)884 / CP276 / CP(E) 232 / W&R529 / Cha637 / Srce2-125 / 82Hml-287 / Lau371 / StF745 / MP148 For all the saints who from their labors rest (William Walsham How, England) A classic, but sources vary widely in terms of how ancient and/or inclusive the language and which verses are included. NCH, VU and Gather hymnals are pretty good. Be aware that some versions are really quite militaristic and warlike, which may not be helpful to some congregations. Oldy-but-a-mostly-goody. Old-school lyrics. As an alternative, you may like to use: Online Source For all the saints who from their labors rest (Cotter) A good adaptation of the traditional lyrics. Lyrics (downloads a pdf). New words to old tunes.
Online Resource / NCH297 / CH736 / VU706 / StJ / AA45 HPSS528 / W&R518 / Cha649 / URW131 Give thanks for life the measure of our days (Shirley Murray, Aotearoa / New Zealand) Good and joyful words of remembrance. Can be sung to the familiar tune SINE NOMINE "Give thanks for those whose lives shone with a light caught from the Christ flame, gleaming through the night, who touched the truth, who burned for what is right: Alleluia! Alleluia!". Sheet music and lyrics. New words to old tunes.
ACS950 / HPP475 / Traditional Oh when the saints go marching in (Traditional) This could be a lot of fun. Here's Louis Armstrong's recording.
ATN 77 / G(II)542 / GC749 O Welcome All You Noble Saints of Old / In Christ There Is a Table Set for All (Robert Stamps, USA) Radical hospitality. A song about God with us. Gather hymnals use "In Christ there is a table set for all" which is much more inclusive than the old "God and man at table are sat down". Good for celebration of communion, but is fine without it, too. Lyrics (scroll down).
Online Resource I am full of the Spirit (Heather Price, Australia) A joyful song that celebrates that death is not the end, and that we can carry the stories of those who have gone before us. A great song to use for All Saints' Day particularly if you use it as a time of remembrance. Good for kids. Sound sample and music for purchase.
Online Resource Fount of all goodness and womb of new birth (David Bjorlin, USA) A song originally written to farewell a beloved pastor, the text thanks God for those who work for advocacy for marginalized people, to empower people for ministry, and who have a prophetic vision for the future of the church. This is good for All Saints Day too! Set to the familiar tune SLANE. Book available for purchase. New words to old tunes.
Online Resource O God we give thanks for the saints gone before us (Carolyn Winfrey Gillette, USA) Sung to the tune ASH GROVE this provides many images of the lives of the saints before us, beside us, and of the life of Christ. Don't play it too quickly as there are a lot of words and it could be challenging to sing. Lyrics. New words to old tunes.
UMH702 / StS092 / WoV691 / ELW426 / GC442 / GC(II)442 / G(3)539 / Lau451 Sing with All the Saints in Glory (William Irons, England) Sung to the well known tune, ODE TO JOY, these words focus on the joy of heaven. Lyrics. Recording. New words to old tunes.
Online Resource / ACS979 / G(3)845 Making Their Way down through the ages (Delores Dufner, USA) A good song if you are celebrating communion on All Saints' Day. Sound sample. Lyrics, sheet music sample and purchasing options.
Online Resource / A&M311 / CP(E) 614 We sing for all the unsung saints (Carl P Daw Jr, USA) A great song about all the unsung saints. The set tune is not familiar, and a little bit tricky. Could work with ELLACOMBE or KINGSFOLD instead. Lyrics and sheet music sample.
Online Resource For all who craft their words with skill (David Bjorlin, USA) A song originally written to farewell a beloved pastor, but I think it would also work well to celebrate the saints among us. Set to the familiar tune RESIGNATION. Sheet music sample and purchasing options. New words to old tunes.
CH748 As stars adorn the night-veiled sky (Carl P Daw Jr, USA) A simple hymn which talks about the value of recognising saints. Language is fairly formal, but not archaic. Sung to the familiar hymn tune WAREHAM (TiS 124) Lyrics and sheet music.
Online Resource God make us agents of joyful rebellion (David Bjorlin, USA / Benjamin Brody, USA) Joy as a tool of rebellion, and our role as modern-day prophets. Set to a new tune, which is lovely to sing. Sheet music sample and purchasing options. New words to old tunes.
Online Resource A cloud of witnesses around us (Brian Wren, USA) Powerful words about the thousand alleluias being proclaimed through the generations. Lyrics and sheet music.
Online Resource Even death now will have no power (Richard Bruxvoort Colligan, USA) A very simple refrain; this will need to be taught to a congregation, but it will be quite lovely if you choose to pursue this theme. Sound sample, lyrics and purchasing options.
ACS977 / GtG506 Look who gathers at Christ's table (Thomas Troeger, USA / Michael Corzine, USA) A strong hymn about how we join with generations who have gone before us, when we come together to celebrate communion. A good song if you are celebrating communion on All Saints' Day. Lyrics.

Join the conversation below! What will you be singing? Do you have any other ideas, or know of songs that others may like that are not listed here?

Updated in the air over New South Wales, and then 3 and 4 years later under lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic, then a couple of years later at LAX, then in Melbourne.

In 2022, The Uniting Church in Australia began yearly observance of "Older Persons Sunday". Read more here (and download the worship resource pack!).

Here are a few song suggestions that are particularly appropriate, and could be useful for other situations where you might want to sing about growing older and facing death. Of course, you should also have a chat to the older people in your congregation about songs they love - sing some favourites!

Online Resource / MV083 / FFS41 Let my spirit always sing (Shirley Murray, New Zealand) Good words about getting old. May be sung to a number of different tunes. A song for those who are aged or infirm. A good song to play in nursing homes, or in congregations with a large proportion of elderly who are wrestling with what it means to live in a body that doesn't do what it used to manage! Lyrics & sheet music.
TLUS034 When aging takes its toll (Delores Dufner, USA) Excellent words about the process of ageing, our frailty as we age, and God's steadfast love through all of it. Sung to a new, easy to sing tune by Larry Visser.
ACS1014 / TLUS093 When we must bear persistent pain (Ruth Duck, USA) Excellent words about suffering and becoming frail. It would be particularly appropriate for a congregation or community who are older (e.g. in an aged care centre). Although the tune is familiar, you may like to invite them to join in only on the final verse - so that they can simply listen to the other verses. Sung to the familiar tune PROSPECT. Lead sheet and lyrics. Lyric video. New words to old tunes.
Online Resource / TLUS094 In the twilight in the midnight (Barbara Hamm, USA) A song of trust in God even when death is approaching. Sheet music sample, lyrics and purchasing options.

Singing from the Lectionary

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Song suggestions for coming Sundays...

Songs, Hymns & Music for All Saints' Day (November 1 2026)

Older Person's Sunday (October)

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