Christ the King / Reign of Christ suggestions:
- **URW093 Christ is the Truth the Way
(Ruth Duck) Excellent words of the leadership of Christ, sung to the
majestic tune DIADEMATA. This is just excellent for this Sunday! New words for old tunes.
- *NCH302 / VU212 Eternal Christ you rule
(Dan Damon) Challenging words about how the
rule of Christ is so vastly different from the rulership of popular
earthly leaders. Simple hymnlike tune. Sheet music and lyrics.
- TiS 728 Jesu christo reina reina ya! (Unknown,
Argentina) A fun Latin American song. It's particularly fun if someone
is brave enough to yell out a "call" at the start of each verse. Sound sample.
- NCH575 / VU697 / GtG372 / PH386 / Cha683 O for a world where everyone respects
(Miriam Therese Winter) A song with good words sung to a well known hymn tune (AZMON).
The words are a prayer for a world of peace and the reign of Christ. Lyrics. New words for old tunes.
- TiS 721 / Iona (LFB) / URW431 / Lau124 He became poor that we may be rich (John Bell)
A simple chant. Timing is a little bit tricky, so you will need to take
a little time to teach it initially. This has gorgeous parts if you
have some singers. "He became poor, that we may
be rich, loving the world and leaving his throne; King of all kings,
and Lord of all Lords, flesh of our flesh and bone of our bone". Sound sample.
- VU167 Christ is risen From the dead (Anonymous) Great simple round with three sets of words for each of Easter, Pentecost and Reign of Christ.
- G(II)249 / GC319 / GC(II)325 Close as tomorrow the sun shall appear / Walk in the Reign
(Rory Cooney). I really like this one. “Close as tomorrow the sun shall
appear. Freedom is coming and healing is near. And I shall be with you
in laughter and pain to stand in the wind and walk in the reign”. Nice
little lyrics twist there! The 4th verse mentions specific locations
(Soweto, Gdansk, Tiannemen Square, The Bronx), which you could retain or
change, as you feel appropriate. This sound sample gives it a bit of a gospel feel. Sheet music and lyrics.
- ELW610 O Christ What Can It Mean for us (Delores Dufner) Excellent questioning lyrics. Sung to an older hymn tune, that's not familiar to me, but you could use these lyrics to a wide range of tunes if you like them. New words for old tunes. Lyrics and sheet music.
- *TiS 185 Alleluia / We praise you God Creator Lord
(John McIntyre) A chanted Alleluia based on Pachelbel's canon, coupled with
some nice affirmations of faith from a 2nd part of the congregation, or
cantor. This is quite lovely.
- *CH289 / GC(II)341 Lift up your heads eternal gates (Weissel
/ Bell) I like how this reworking of the old standard turns the violent
battle kingly God image on its head and points to Christ instead.
"God's catchless and majestic strength in all its height, depth,
breadth, and length, now is revealed its power to prove, by Christ
protesting "God is love!". The tune is a
lovely old medieval-style tune, which should not be difficult. The
chorus has been written in 4 parts which would be great if you can get
some singers to sing the parts, or teach your congregation the chorus
before the service starts. The parts for the chorus are very simple.
Sound sample. Lyrics and lead sheet.
Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24
God
gathers the sheep and will feed them with justice, and then separates
them out. David will be the shepherd. Note that songs generally don’t
pick up the theme of getting separated…!
- AoV1-071 / GA530 / GC(II)742 / G(3)837 / Lau462 Gather Your People (Bob Hurd) Excellent eucharistic theology. Sound sample. Lyric and sheet music sample.
- Online Resource / Tune In: Shepherd of the night
(Elaine Loukes) "Have you ever felt the velvet night wrap you in her warmth". A
lovely song with a theme of God’s protection. This is tricky for a
congregation, so you might want to ask the musicians to play this. Free Lyrics, sound sample and free downloadable songbook.
- TiS474 / AoV1-012
/ ATAR595 / CH623 / SFFS 2236 / HPP553 / A&M363 / GtG401 / G(II)539 / GC839 / GC(II)743 / G(3)848 /
CP465 / W&R649 / Cha284 / SP175 / URW054 / Lau475 Here in this place new light is streaming / Gather us in (Marty Haugen)
Excellent words, very well known. “Nourish us well and teach us to
fashion lives that are holy and hearts that are true”. Lyrics, sound samples, sheet music.
- *AoV2-139 / GA525 / SP&P045 Gather us O God Body spirit soul and mind
(Monica Brown) Very simple song. Would work well as a gathering chant "Gather
us O God, Body, spirit, soul and mind. Gather us, O God, One in union
now with you".
- G(II)458 / GC654 / GC(II)628 / G(3)725 / Online Resource With a Shepherd's Care (James Chepponis)
Very nice words with feminine and masculine images for God. Would be
very straightforward to sing, but maybe better for a soloist for the first verse. Sound sample. Lyrics. Choral sheet music.
- Online Resource / Tune In / ATAR596 He comes with his arms open wide / The God that I know (Sheree Anderson) A ballad drawing on God’s strength and comfort; not easy if unfamiliar. Free Lyrics, sound sample and free downloadable songbook.
- MV007 Gather us in ground us in you (David Hann) A simple chant which would be great for a quieter invitation to worship. Good for kids
- *MV126 Are you a shepherd?
(Ruth Duck) Good and joyous. Lots of images of God: shepherd, teacher,
mother, father. A catchy chorus. Good for kids.
- AoV1-033 / WoV690 / ELW423 / SFFS 2058 / GtG473 / G(II)29 / GC31 / GC(II)23 / G(3)035 / PfAS023H / Lau951 Shepherd Me O God (Marty Haugen)
A nice reworking of the 23rd Psalm. The verses are a little challenging, so I would use the chant on its
own: “Shepherd me O God beyond my wants, beyond my fears, from death
into life”. Sheet music, lyrics and a fairly unhelpful sound sample here.
- NCH306 / UMH589 /
VU601 / LBW433 / ELW729 / GtG320 / PH421 / GC(II)665 / G(3)765 /
CP584 / W&R623 / Cha475 / StF415 / Lau896 The church of Christ in every age
(Fred Pratt Green) These lyrics are well-rounded and would be great to
sing. A couple of possible tunes including WALY WALY and CHURCH
TRIUMPHANT, WAREHAM. New words to old tunes. Lyrics.
Psalm 100
- TiS
720 / AHB 295 / AoVK-85 / AoV2-046 / ATOK 319 / NCH236 / Iona (Many
& Great, There is one among us) / CH345 / VU958 / StJ / A&M836 / SFFS 2026 /
HPP571 / GtG591 / GC(II)261 / G(3)329 / W&R005
/ Cha041 / ZSS76 / SP324 / PfAS150G / URW370 / Lau178 Halle halle hallelujah (Traditional
Caribbean) A good Alleluia would work well for this passage, and I
think this one is particularly excellent – simple, great for kids, good
rhythm. Good for kids. Sound sample (with some extra verses! hymnals only have the chorus).
- VU242 / LBW557 / ELW881 / GtG037 / PH554 / GC567 / GC(II)551 / G(3)635 / CP403 / W&R22 / Cha717 / VF107 Let All Things Now Living (Katherine Davis) Lovely lyrics to the well known and quite jolly Welsh folk tune ASH GROVE. Not all sources are inclusive. Lyrics (older version). New words to old tunes
- Taizé / TiS 731 / SFFS 2017 / GtG155 / G(II)377 / GC557 / GC(II)535 / G(3)618 / W&R212 / PfAS100G Raise a song of gladness / Jubilate Servite (Jacques Berthier) Glorious, fun round. If your congregation balks at singing in
Latin, it can be sung in English as "Raise a song of gladness, all the
earth, Christ has come, bringing peace, joy to every heart, Alleluia
Alleluia, Joy to every heart (x2)". Youtube.
- *AoVK-24 / Iona (T1AU) / CH756 Bless the Lord / My sisters
(Kenyan) Simple and fun Kenyan call and response. "Bless the Lord there
is no other God" Kids would really enjoy this, and with some African
drumming, it would really be excellent. The tune is identical to Reamo Leboga, so may be familiar to your congregation already. Sound sample of Reamo leboga Good for kids.
- CP351 / URW300 Rejoice in God all earthly lands
(Ruth Duck) Really good words for this Psalm, sung to the familiar
tune OLD HUNDREDTH. Good to sing after or during the offering.
New words to old tunes
- Taizé / ATA 107 / VU247 / GC555 / CP308 / W&R303 / Lau691 Jubilate Deo (Michael Praetorius) A simpler fun round from the community at Taize. Sound sample and practice parts.
- CH141 / A&M548 / SP250 / URW077 / StF114 Oh the life of the world is a joy and a treasure
(Kathy Galloway) Good inclusive words about God's presence in "the life of
the world" (nature, seasons, childbirth, justice). The tune is a simple
Celtic-style melody.
- AoVK-124 Shout to the Lord for joy all the earth (Nathaniel Ford) Fun three part song. Sound sample. Good for kids.
- URW299 O many people of all lands
(Natty Barranda) A good song supporting multicultural harmony at home, at
work, and in church. Tune is a little tricky.
- AoVK-30
/ ATW 419 / Iona (Common Ground, CAYP) / CH757 / MV002 / WoV717 /
ELW819 / GtG388 / A&M361 / SFFS 2274 / HPP551 / GC(II)744 / G(3)849 / PfAS066B / SP&P022 / SP179 / StF022 Come all you people (Uyai mose) (Alexander Gondo) Joyful and pretty easy really for the congregation. If
you have WoV or SP&P, they each have a nice Trinitarian version of
this. Come and praise the "Most high" / "Saviour" / "Spirit". Sheet music. Good for kids.
- PfAS100C Let every voice on earth resound
(Michael Morgan) A better version of Old Hundred. It is set to a
different tune, but I would sing it to Old Hundredth.
Alternative Psalm:
Psalm 95:1-7a
- ATE 216 / Iona (SBL) / CH126 / StJ / ELW555 / PH472 / G(II)365 / GC527 / RS 671 / CP417 / W&R15 / StF042 O sing to the Lord / Cantai ao Senhor / Cantad
al Señor (Traditional Brazilian) A good, fun and simple song that is
easy to learn in Portuguese or Spanish too; note that not all versions
are inclusive. Sheet music samples.
Good for kids
- *Online Resource Let us shout for joy (Richard Bruxvoort-Colligan) A fun, joyous, pop song. Good lyrics and easy tune. Lots of fun. Sound sample, lyrics and downloadable songbook
- *MV092 / SP&P099 Like a Rock (Keri Wehlander / Linnea Good) A lovely simple song (with actions!) from Linnea Good. Youtube sound sample. Great for kids.
- AoVK-47 / HPP51 / A&M656 / W&R80 / Lau973 He's Got the Whole World in His Hands (Traditional) It’s possible to make this inclusive. I’ve seen “God’s got the whole world in
safe hands”, which is a little clumsy. AoVK has "The whole world is in
God's hands" which works really well, or you could sing "You've got the whole world in your hands"! Good for kids. Oldy-but-a-goody.
- Taizé / AoV2-109 / CH772 / GA429 / GtG654 / A&M334 / SFFS 2195 / G(II)396 /
GC566 / GC(II)546 / G(3)639 / SP128 / URW381 / Lau944 / W&R448 / StF776 / MP865 In the Lord I'll Be Ever Thankful / El Senyor (Jacques Berthier) A joyful and bouncy short song. Works well in English, German and Spanish at least. Good for kids. Sheet music, translations into many other languages, sound samples.
- PfAS095E / Lau52a O that today you would listen (Susan Sayers) A nice Psalm response.
- PH215 / URW292 Come Sing with Joy to God (Arlo Duba) Good lyrics to the well known tune DARWALL'S 148th.
- Iona (SBL) / CH140 / MV181 / WoV727 / ELW554 / G(II)341 / GC495 / StB178 Lord Your Hands Have Formed This World / The Earth is the Lord's (Ramon and Sario Oliano) Good words of creation to a lovely, and not too difficult, Phillippino melody. Lyrics (first verse only)
- Emergent Psalter Come let us sing (Isaac Everett) Very simple refrain. Sheet music (refrain only).
- NCH036 PH219 To God compose a song of joy
(Duck) Beautiful words of praise to the standard hymn tune RICHMOND.
New words to old tunes
- Taizé / MV009 O Come and let us sing to God our hope (Taize Community) Joyful gathering chant. Sound samples, sheet music.
- AoVK-123
/ NCH3 / Iona (M&G) / UMH148 / VU308 / WoV794 / ELW837 /
GtG021 / PH271 / G(II)338 / GC499 / G(3)911 / CP407 / W&R26 / Cha58 /
URW232 / 82Hml-385 Many and Great O God are your works / Wakantanka Taku Nitawa (Joseph Renville) Good words. Simple tune. Sounds great accompanied by a
good Native American-style drum beat, which is a great way to get people
involved in music-making. Lyrics here.
- Cha747 Come into God's presence with a joyful song (Larry Sivis) Joyful sung response, and responsively read passage.
- TiS 119 / AHB
40 / NCH012 / UMH152 / VU231 / HPP39 / GtG032 / PH288 /
W&R31 / Cha064 / 82Hml-398 / Lau684 / StF107 / MP293 I sing the almighty power of God
/ We sing the mighty power of God (Isaac Watts) I really like this old hymn, especially sung to ELLACOMBE, but it can also be sung to FOREST GREEN. VU,
NCH and Chalice have inclusive language, but other hymnals (like TiS and
AHB, are not). Lyrics and sheet music. Oldy-but-a-goody.
Ephesians 1:15-23
Prayer for wisdom; Christ the king; See also suggestions at the bottom of the list.
- TiS 182 / AoV2-010 / NCH11 / CH134 / VU268 / GtG760 / SFFS 2047 / HPP13 / CP395 / VF106 Bring many names beautiful and good (Brian Wren)
This is a beautiful song, but it's very long (especially if sung too
slowly). Try singing one verse unison, then one women, one men, then
all together again, to keep people interested in what they are singing. Lyrics and sheet music samples.
- NCH510 Grant us wisdom to perceive you (Rae E Whitney)
A hymn with great words seeking wisdom in perception, faithfulness in
prayer, diligence in action, courage in evangelism. Sung to an old
German carol tune which is not too hard. Could also be sung to other
tunes if you like.
- NCH553 / UMH375 / VU612 / WoV737 / ELW614 / HPP379 / GtG792 / PH394 /
G(II)460 / GC648 / GC(II)617 / G(3)640 / W&R631 / Cha501 / ZSS114 /
SgTJ1045 / 82Hml-676 There is a balm in Gilead
(Traditional African-American) This beautiful song, while not steeped in
layers of meaning for non-Americans is worth singing wherever
you live. Choral arrangement sound sample.Oldy-but-a-goody.
- CH355 / VU210 / HPP81 / GtG274 / GC(II)525 / G(3)628 / CP630 / W&R99 / URW098 You Lord Are Both Lamb and Shepherd
(Sylvia Dunstan) Beautiful words. Can be sung to many tunes. I like it to
PICARDY or WESTMINSTER ABBEY. Sound sample, lyrics and sheet music
sample here. New words for old tunes.
- NCH387 / GtG361 / PH443 / GC(II)646 / RS782 / CP524 / Lau829 O Christ the great foundation
(Timothy Ting Fang Lew) Excellent words of salvation and justice, sung to the tune of "The church's one foundation" (AURELIA). Lyrics and sound sample. There
is a
second possible tune (ABREU), which is more challenging. Note that the
lyrics in the NCH are slightly different, and more inclusive. New words for old tunes.
- Taizé / AoVNG125 / MV146 / GC(II)637 / G(3)740 / PfAS024D The Kingdom of God is justice and peace and joy in the holy spirit (Taize community) "Come, Lord and open in us the gates of your kingdom". A nice joyful Taize chant. Sheet music and sound samples of parts for practice. Good for kids
- TiS 164 / AHB 105 / CH358 The great love of God (D. T. Niles) A simple creed song from the Christian Conference of Asia. The tune is really beautiful.
- *TiS 653 / NCH417 / CH526 / UMH383 / GC(II)453 / G(3)522 / W&R355 / Cha518 This is a day of new beginnings (Brian Wren)
"This is a day of new beginnings, time to remember and move on, time to
believe what love is bringing, laying to rest the pain that's gone." Excellent
words of reconciliation. There are two
possible tunes. I prefer the more simple hymn-like tune by Carlton Young which is in most resources (including TiS). There is an optional final verse that can be used for Communion. Lyrics.
Matthew 25:31-46
Jesus on the throne separating the sheep from the goats.
I would wear my special socks, but I have lost them!
- MV114 Behold the face of Christ
(Bernadette Farrell) A gentle, chant-like refrain with read scripture verses over
instrumental backing. This could be very powerful. Highly recommended.
- TiS 697 All the sleepy should have a place to sleep
(Rusty Edwards) Great chorus "Make love happen by God's grace and by
God's power. Let God move you on this day and in this hour. New
creations will then blossom like a flower for together we can be the
hands of God".
- MV064 / HiOS010 / StF420 Because you came
(Shirley Murray) Powerful words of confession and
forgiveness, sung to a lovely tune that will need to be taught, but will
not be hard to teach. It has 5 verses, so maybe invite the congregation
to join in as they hear it.
- MV177 This is my body naked before you
(Dan Damon) Excellent words about Christ's body being both the broken
people, and we who can help the broken. The tune is not easy. Maybe best
sung by a soloist at first.
- *ATW 487 Make your home in me (Fay White) A
simple beautiful invitation. Written by a Melbourne songwriter and
teacher. “If you fly to the point of the day’s sunrise or
westward across the sea, if you travel to the uttermost ends of the
earth, there I will be; Make your home in me as I make my home in you. I
am everywhere that you can be. Make your home in me”. This is quite
different to the Vineyard / Josh Young version you can find all over the
internet. I can't find a sample of this one, unfortunately.
- ATFG582 / NCYC'97 Like a candle burning wildly
(Craig Mitchell) "We are called to live the passion". Good song.
Particularly nice on guitar. Note that the NCYC version has good notes
on how to play it on guitar. Sheet music and lyrics
- CH195 / StS053 / AA061 Here to the house of God we come
(Shirley Murray) Good honest and challenging words and a simple, but
unusual tune.
- NCH332 / VU457 / ELW522 / SFFS 2268 / HPP528 / GC(II)738 / G(3)839 / CP061 / W&R695 As We Gather at Your Table (Carl P Daw)Beautiful, honest, encouraging words. Could be sung to HOLY
MANNA, BEACH SPRING or NETTLETON, all very popular hymn tunes (did I
mention that two of them are Sacred Harp tunes?), particularly good if
you are celebrating communion this week. Lyrics. New words for old tunes.
- Online Resource / Tune In Our God who weeps
(Kate Scull) Very simple folk-like tune and challenging and hopeful
lyrics. Free Lyrics, sound sample and free downloadable songbook.
- NCYC'07 Behold the son of man / Face of the humbled poor
(Paul Gioia) Beautiful reflective song of seeing God's face in the poor
"When did we see you a broken man?…. The saviour's face in the humble
poor". It confuses me that sometimes it's "humbled poor" rather than
"humble poor".
- TiS 778 / UMH666 / Cha436 Shalom to you (SOMOS DEL SEÑOR)
(Elise Eslinger) Sung to a familiar tune to Spanish-speaking congregations
- MV194 Bread of life feed my soul (Stephen Spencer) A simple communion prayer for healing and guidance.
- *FFS60 Stranger standing at my door
(Shirley Murray) Amazing words, but a tricky tune. Would be good if you have a good
soloist in your congregation who would sing this and the congregation
listen to the very meaningful words. Last verse is "I am fearful of your
claim, yet I cannot turn away. Stranger with a foreign name, are you
angel here to stay? You are messenger and guest, you the Christ I can't
ignore, you my own compassion's test, stranger standing at my door; you
the Christ I can't ignore." Lyrics and sheet music.
- AoV1-056 / CH217 / GA541 / G(II)551 / GC761 / GC(II)750 / G(3)859 / URW201 / Lau881 God of Day and God of Darkness
(Marty Haugen) This song is specific for evening services, but lovely words
and set to a familiar tune (BEACH SPRING). I often think this is only
good for
an evening service, but the image of darkness and night doesn't have to
be taken literally, particularly at the Transfiguration! And the call to
rest at the end of the last verse
would be good for those who take the celebration of Sabbath as a call to
rest. Lyrics. New words for old tunes.
- VU592 / GtG186 / StF695 Come now you blessed
(Ruth Duck) Good words, based on Matthew 25:34-39, sung to a lovely
6/8 tune. It will need to be taught, or at least played through, the
first time.
- ATW 499 /
The tide has turned songbook
It was me when you came that extra mile (Digby Hannah) Simple tune and good simple words. Good for older kids.
- TiS 689 / ATE 286 / GtB Lord hear my praying, listen to me / Sorrowing song (Robin Mann) Powerful words of lamentation to a simple tune. Words are straightforward about asking difficult questions of God. Lyrics.
- ATFG561 / Online Resource / Tune In: Part of a fam'ly interconnected / Community (Dave Brown) A song about being welcomed and how to work together as part of a community. "Part
of a family interconnected, this is community; Welcoming strangers,
visiting neighbours, this gives us dignity". Very singable song about
building community. A big favourite at Brunswick Uniting. Free Lyrics, sound sample and free downloadable songbook.
- TiS 629 / AHB 558 / AoV2-136 / ATA 197 / CH544 / VU600 / A&M575 / Lau888 When I needed a neighbor were you there
(Sydney Carter) A classic folk church song. Well known and fits well with this
theme. "And the creed and the colour and the name won't matter"... Lyrics. Good for kids. Oldy-but-a-goody.
- NCH104 We hail you God's anointed (James Montgomery) Joyous song of Christ enthroned and bringing justice and love. Oldy but a goody.
What ideas do you have? Please share them in a comment below...
Updated on the last day of the 2nd Coronavirus lockdown in Melbourne.
