Songs, Hymns & Music for Easter 4C (8 May 2022)

Acts 9:36-43
Peter raises Tabitha / Dorcas from death. A faithful woman.

• Online Resource / Resounding Voices Dorcas lived her life in Joppa (Rae E Whitney / Elizabeth Goman) A story-telling song, with a fairly straightforward tune. Usually I'm not a big fan of storytelling songs, but this one has a particularly good final verse about loving our neighbours in practical ways. Free book download here.
  
• Online Resource / Tune In Making things new (Sheree Anderson) A groovy one about God doing miraculous things. Great for kids, and lots of fun. Free downloadable songbook, sound samples & lyrics. Good for kids.
• TiS 728 Jesucristo reina reina ya! (Puerto Rican) An energetic song. It's particularly fun if someone is brave enough to yell out a "call" at the start of each verse. I quite like this translation; as the verses say "In my life...", "In your life..." "In my house..." etc. Sound sample (it's a bit tacky, but fun). Good for kids.
• TiS 638 / NCH175 / CH717 / A&M518 / GtG793 / PH380 / UMH265 / LBW380 / ELW675 / PH380 / CP291 / CP(E) 346 / W&R638 / Cha503 / Lau430 / StF653 O Christ the healer we have come (Fred Pratt Green) Beautiful words and simple to sing. Good for intercessions. I like the tune INVERCARRY best, followed by DISTRESS, but it can also be sung to TALLIS' CANON if your congregation needs a more familiar tune. Lyrics and sheet music (of an alternate tune). New words to old tunes.
• Online Resource / Tune In You in all our worries / All will finish well (Dave Brown) “In this world where injustice reigns, you are in the midst of pain”. Excellent words of reassurance in a difficult world.Free downloadable songbook, sound samples & lyrics.
• TiS 647 / AoV2-012 / ATN 25 Comfort, comfort all my people (Robin Mann) Easy to sing, beautiful lyrics. Chorus is “Comfort, comfort all my people, with the comfort of my word. Speak ye tender to my people, all your sins are taken away”. Note that most sources only list 2 verses, but there are two additional (more challenging) verses you may wish to consider using written for the Christmas Bowl in 1988; thanks to Simon for alerting me to them. Lyrics (including additional verses), mp3 sample.
• NCH581 /  HPP310 / G(II)523 / GC(II)718 / G(3)827 Lead us from death to life / World Peace Prayer (Marty Haugen) A different take on Christ's power over the forces of death. Quite simple to sing. Sheet music sample. Slow keyboard sample.
• GA173 / G(II)577 / GC803 Awake O sleeper arise from death (Marty Haugen) Bright and joyful. Simple to sing, and brings the idea of waking up to live as God's people. Lyrics. Sound sample.

Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd

• TiS 10 / AHB 16 / AoV1-144 / NCH479 / Iona (Common Ground) / CH14/16 / UMH136 / VU747/8 / StS099 / LBW451 / ELW778 / GA473 / HPP55 / GtG801 / PH170 / CP519 / CP(E) 594 / W&R86 / Cha078 / Srce662 / Lau806 / StF480 / MP660 The Lord's my Shepherd I'll not want / God is my shepherd (Scottish Psalter) It's not inclusive, but I think it's more than a sentimental favourite. NCH, VU and Chalice all have an inclusive language version. Traditional lyrics and sound sample. Oldy-but-a-goody.
• MV126 Are you a shepherd? (Ruth Duck) Good and joyous. Lots of images of God: shepherd, teacher, mother, father. We sung this once last year, and it would be good to do it again. A catchy chorus, but it does need to be taught. Lyrics. Good for kids.
• ELW438 / HPP52 / GtG803 / PH172 / Cha080 / PfAS023A / 82Hml-664 My Shepherd Will Supply My Need / My Shepherd You Supply My Need (Isaac Watts) I quite like this version of the 23rd Psalm, although hymnals vary widely in how inclusive their lyrics are; I prefer the Chalice version. The tune (RESIGNATION) is from Southern Harmony. Chalice also has a nice responsive reading (Cha081) that fits with this version. Lyrics & sheet music. Oldy-but-a-goody.
• Cha734 (I) / URW244 My shepherd you supply my need and holy is your name (Isaac Watts) Responsive psalm with sung refrain to the tune of the first line of BROTHER JAMES' AIR. Lyrics to the old hymn on which this is based.  Oldy-but-a-goody.
• Online Resource / Tune In Like the sun upon my skin / God’s Mercy (Sheree Anderson) A beautiful ballad about identifying God's mercy in the beauty of creation. Free downloadable songbook, sound samples and lyrics.
• NCYC'07 Lead me on (Paul Gioia) A pretty cool gospel rock song. Sound sample.
  
• 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 downloadable songbook, sound samples and lyrics.
• PfAS023I My shepherd is the Lord / El Señor es mi pastor (Ricardo Villarreal) I like this tune, and the paraphrase is good. It's particularly good for Spanish-speaking (or bilingual) congregations; it's fine in English too. Could also use the verses with a cantor. Sheet music.
  
• CH716 / VU374 / FFS10 / SFFS 2128 / W&R477 / Cha575 Come and find the quiet centre (Shirley Murray) A good song for the beginning of worship. We usually sing it to BEACH SPRING (TiS 493). Lyrics and sound sample. New words to old tunes. 
• Online Resource / AoV1-033 / WoV690 / ELW423 / SFFS 2058 / GtG473 / G(II)29 / GC31 / GC(II)23 / G(3)035 / PfAS023H / Lau951Shepherd 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”. Lyrics and sheet music sample. Sound sample and paid download options. Or you could use Cha734(ii) / PfAS023G which use only the chorus, as a Psalm refrain.
• ACS954 / 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. Lyrics and sound samples. New words to old tunes.
• Online Resource Surely Goodness and Mercy (Richard Bruxvoort-Colligan) A gentle psalm refrain with a read psalm. Breathy sound sample, lyrics; sheet music available for purchase.
• W&R655 / URW202 Come Away from Rush and Hurry (Marva Dawn) Excellent words of resting in a sacred space to the familiar tune BEACH SPRING (TiS 493). Lyrics. New words to old tunes
• TiS 011 / AHB 98 / UMH137 / GA025 / G(3)034 My shepherd is the Lord (Joseph Gelineau) Of the two listed here, I prefer Response 1. A good alternative if you would like to use a cantored Psalm. Sound sample.
  
• Online Resource Breathe in the morning air (Helen Wiltshire) Lovely words for a soloist to sing at the start of a morning service to welcome the congregation. Sung to LOVE UNKNOWN, or could be sung to DARWALL'S 148th. Free sheet music (downloads a whole book!). New words to old tunes.
• G(II)458 / GC654 / GC(II)628 / G(3)725 With a Shepherd's Care (James Chepponis) Very nice words with feminine and masculine images for God. Would be very straightforward to sing. Sound sample of a fairly formal version.
• URW444 Go in peace walk in love (Trilby Jordan) A lovely blessing song that can be sung as a round. Sound sample (go to the very end of the video - 1:01:27).
  
• Taizé / GtG814 / CP563 / PfAS062DIn God alone my soul can find rest and peace / Mon ame se repose (Jacques Berthier) A beautiful healing chant from Taize. Words and music and sound samples for learning the parts Good for kids.
• FFS39 It all depends on where I'm going (Colin Gibson) Good words of God's constant presence through all of life's travels, sung to a simple Celtic-style tune (TE HORO). Lyrics.
• Recorded Music 23rd Psalm (Bobby McFerrin) A beautiful feminine rendering of the Psalm. From the album Medicine Man. Listen to it here on Youtube. If you'd like to sing it, it's also in the Unitarian Universalist book "Singing the Journey" and "Music for Liturgy" from St. Gregory of Nyssa.
• Online Resource All of my days (Richard Bruxvoort-Colligan) A gentle song with the chorus "All of my days, God's mercy follows". Would be simple to have the congregation join in on the chorus. Breathy sound sample, lyrics; sheet music available for purchase.

Revelation 7:9-17

• TiS 647 / AoV2-012 / ATN 25 Comfort, comfort all my people (Robin Mann) Easy to sing, beautiful lyrics. Chorus is “Comfort, comfort all my people, with the comfort of my word. Speak ye tender to my people, all your sins are taken away”. Lyrics, mp3 sample.
• CH683 / VU420 / A&M491 / GC(II)469 / G(3)546 / GtG295 / CP598 / W&R553 / SP156 / URW132 / Lau426 / StF402 Go to the world Go into all the earth (Sylvia Dunstan) Great words of sending out. Can be sung to a couple of different tunes. SINE NOMINE is the easiest and best known. Sound sample. Sheet music sample. New words to old tunes
• VU128 / W&R269 / SP054 / World Council of Churches Assembly 1991 Canberra Sanna sannanina (South African) An excellent processional. Great for drumming and dancing as the Bible is brought forward; that would be pretty cool to do with any song really, especially if it's adults dancing, not just the kids! Sound sample. Good for kids
• ATE 212 Hush now for I am your God (Carol Littlemore) Lyrics (in a Powerpoint presentation). 
  
• 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) 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.  
• TiS 210 / AHB 141 / NCH42 / CH352 / UMH57 / VU326 / LBW42 / ELW295 / HPP74 / PH466 / CP306 / CP(E) 534 / W&R96 / Cha005 / Srce506 / 82Hml-493 O for a thousand tongues to sing (Charles Wesley) A classic. I particularly love NATIVITY / LYNGHAM for these words, and it's such a fun tune. My son, who is 8, loves it. Be careful with the words "ye dumb". Voices United has "Hear him you deaf, you voiceless ones, your tongues again employ" which is more inclusive. Sound sample (with slightly updated lyrics). Oldy-but-a-goody.
• Taizé / MV075 / StS079 / SFFS 2118 / GtG284 / GC(II)479 / G(3)547 / SP99 / URW395 Holy Spirit Come to Us / Veni sancte spiritus tui amoris (Jacques Berthier) Gobsmackingly beautiful if you have a cantor, but it works well if you don't, too. Sheet music, translations, sound samples.
• TiS 706 / Taizé / AoV2-142 / A&M600 / SFFS 2013 / GtG544 / PH224 / GC(II)576 / G(3)620 / CP360 / PfAS103C / SP194 / Src79 / URW377 / Lau813 Bless the Lord my soul (Jacques Berthier) A beautiful and very well known Taize chant. Sound samples, sheet music. Good for kids.
• ATE 247 / WoV791 / G(II)371 / GC542 / Cha029 Alabare / John saw the number (Manual José Alonso) Catchy refrain and verse about John seeing thousands in the air. Good for kids. Lyrics. Sound sample. 

John 10:22-30
Messianic words from Jesus. I and the Father are one. My sheep hear my voice and they follow me.
See suggestions above for Psalm 23, as many pick up the same theme.

• TiS 420 Holy Spirit go before us every mind and heart prepare (Elizabeth Smith) Great words of evangelism and justice to a simple lilting melody. If you think your congregation can't cope with a new tune this week, it can be sung to AUSTRIA (TiS 93). Lyrics (downloads PDF).
• ATOK 413 / Iona (HSNW) / CH533 / VU567 / StS039 / A&M510 / ELW798 / GA502 / SFFS 2130 / HPP317 / GtG726 / G(II)510 / GC700 / GC(II)687 / G(3)790 / CP430 / CP(E) 622 / W&R350 / URW060 / Lau877 / StF673 Will you come and follow me / The Summons (John Bell / Graham Maule) A classic. Don't sing it too slowly or it really drags and takes forever! Sound sample.
• TiS 253 / AoV2-119 / AoVK-103 / GA419 O Lord Jesus Marrkapmirr (Garrawarra family of Milingimbi) This simple song is easy to sing and talks of the timelessness of God’s love. “O Lord Jesus Marrkapmirr, all the power belongs to you”. Lyrics. Sound sample.
• TiS 589 / AHB 505 / NCH171 / CH509 / UMH398 / VU562 / LBW494 / ELW696 / A&M324 / HPP314 / GtG720 / CP432 / CP(E) 233 / W&R345 / Cha337 / 82Hml-550 / StF250 / LUYH121 / MP359 / VF128 / VF129 Jesus calls us; o'er the tumult (Cecil Frances Alexander) Great words. TiS sets it to ST CATHERINE, but I prefer it to other tunes (like STUTTGART or RESTORATION); you might like to try them if this is not familiar to your congregation. Lyrics and sheet music samples. Fun fact: Cecil Frances Alexander was a woman. Cecil! I know! New words to old tunes. 
• TiS 542 / STB082  Far beyond our mind's grasp / Kay Laking Hiwaga (Francisco Feliciano) These beautiful devotional words are sung to a traditional Filipino tune. The tune is not easy, but is very haunting once you get to know it. If it is new to your congregation, it would be good to ask a soloist to sing it. Lyrics.
  
• AoVK-47 / HPP51 / W&R80 / Lau973 He's Got the Whole World in His Hand / God's Got the whole world in safe hands (Traditional) It’s hard to make this inclusive. I’ve seen “God’s got the whole world in safe hands”, which is a little clumsy but alright. AoVK has "The whole world is in God's hands" which works OK. This video makes me smile. Good for kids. 

What songs would you suggest? Add a comment below - I'd love to hear your ideas!