Songs, Hymns & Music for Epiphany 2B (January 14th, 2024)

1 Samuel 3:1-10, (11-20) 
Samuel is called by God

• Online Resource / Tune In Tune in (Natalie Sims) A simple kid’s song. “Tune in, tune in, there’s a message coming in.” Encourages kids to look and listen for signs of God’s love. Good for kids. Free downloadable songbook.
• Online Resource / TiS 749 / AoV1-154 / AoVK-131 / ATE 305 / NCH360 / Iona (SBL, Freedom is coming) / CH800 / UMH497 / VU572 / WoV773 / ELW469 / ELW809 / GA493 / A&M481 / HPP340 / GtG746 / G(II)484 / GC677 / GC(II)674 / G(3)776 / W&R713 / Cha447 / SP234 / StF782 Send me Jesus / Thuma mina (South African) You all know this one, right? If you don't - it's great - simple, repetitive, and meaningful. Good for kids. Sound sample, sheet music sample and purchasing options. Youtube.
• Online Resource / TiS 658 / AoV1-090 / ATE 296 / CH251 / UMH593 / VU509 / WoV752 / ELW574 / GA496 / A&M494 / HPP541 / GtG069 / PH525 / G(II)492 / GC(II)671 / G(3)777 / CP(E) 470 / W&R559 / Cha452 / Srce328 / Lau865 / StF663 / MP857 I the Lord of sea and sky / Here I am Lord (Dan Schutte) Song of God searching for us and our response. Very slow sound sample. Lyrics and sample sheet music. Purchasing options.
  
• Online Resource / W&R584 / Cha454 Come Celebrate the Call of God (Brian Wren) Good words to a lilting intuitive tune. This song is written to recognise a commissioning or the gift of a particular person's call, but it can also be sung with "our" instead of "her" to make it a song for a whole congregation to recognise their own call. Lyrics and sheet music.
• Online Resource / NCH604 / MV167 Hush hush somebody's calling my name (Traditional African-American) I really like this song. I'm not sure how it would work as a congregational song, though, since I've never been in a congregation that has sung it. I know some musicians who would love to sing it though - especially that deep "Hush" bit. Youtube version from a Ry Cooder album. Sheet music for purchase with sample.
  
• Online Resource / MV161 I have called you by your name (Dan Damon) This is a great song for confirmations, ordinations, commissionings, but also ordinary Sundays. Easy, natural tune and good words about having courage to follow where God leads. Sheet music & lyrics.
• NCH495 / HPP443 / GtG761 / PH343 / W&R581 / Cha453 Called as partners in Christ's service (Jane Parker Huber) A good song of commitment - particularly good if you are commisioning people to new roles this week, and good for any other service too. Sung to a standard tune (BEECHER). New words to old tunes. Lyrics.
• ATAR672 Hey Hey Samuel (Jonathan Rundman) A very simple song, which is good for kids. Probably better for Sunday School than for a worship service. Sound sample. Good for kids.

Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18
God knows us better than we know ourselves. We cannot hide.

• Online Resource / AoV2-031 / ATW 424 / CH97 / A&M747 / GtG029 / GC(II)509 / SP301 / StF728 / Lau779 O God, you search me and you know me (Bernadette Farrell). My favourite version of Psalm 139, which fits this reading too. The tune flows effortlessly and it has a nice little hook at the end of each verse. Sound sample and music for purchase. Lyrics.
• TiS 87 / CH096 / VU862 / GtG028 / PH248 / PfAS139D You are before me, Lord, you are behind (Ian Pitt-Watson) Excellent words, set either to the chant-like tune SURSUM CORDA or the Scottish tune HIGHLAND CATHEDRAL. The words are directly from the Psalm and are very beautiful. Sound sample. New words to old tunes.
• CH145 God made me as I am (Bernadette Farrell) A lovely little song.  "God made me as I am, part of creation's plan. No-one else can ever be the part of God's plan that's me". Good for kids. Youtube with gestures (maybe American sign language?).
• PfAS139C Lord you have searched me and you know (Hal Hopson) A very simple refrain for a responsive reading or chanted reading of this Psalm. 
• NCH Psalter 139 (Jane Marshall) is a very simple refrain for this Psalm which is worth a look.
• ATOK 320 / NCH351 / VU645 / StJ / WoV770 / ELW740 / SFFS 2051 / GtG488 / HPP516 / W&R680 / Cha075 I Was There to Hear Your Borning Cry (John Ylvisaker) A song of God’s presence in all stages of life. Very simple tune to sing. Lyrics, and a nice (slow) sound sample. 
• SP&P084 You know my words before they’re said / All My Days (Laurie Zelman) A good contemporary version of this Psalm. It would be good sung by a soloist at first.  Youtube recording.  
• Worldmaking.net God of My Breathing (Richard Bruxvoort-Colligan). Excellent words to a well-known hymn tune. Sample and lyrics.  New words to old tunes.
• ATW 487 Make your home in me (Fay White) A simple beautiful invitation by 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. Sound sample.
• Taizé / TiS 725 / ATE 275 / AoV2-167 / ATE 275 / StJ / GA538 / GtG678 / G(II)553 / GC763 / URW391 In our darkness there is no darkness in your sight, the deepest night is clear as the daylight (La tenebre) (Jacques Berthier) Also translated as "Our darkness is never darkness". Sample music and lyrics.
• ACS948 / NCH274 / CH118 / SFFS 2046 / GtG003 / CP390 / Cha014 Womb of Life and source of being (Ruth Duck) Feminine trinitarian imagery. An easier tune, listed in some hymnals is IN BABILONE. Others have LADUE CHAPEL which is a little less intuitive. Lyrics. New words to old tunes.
• STB008 Come Lord Jesus Christ / Esho hae Probhu (Bangladesh) (Bart Shaha) A good chant to sing in times of darkness. It has words in English and Bengali. The tune will need to be taught. Midi sample (very quick!) (search for Shaha).
• URW349 Search me O God (Jane Marshall) A good and simple Psalm refrain. Great if you can add some additional parts
• Online Resource / ATOK 394 Search me O God (Leigh Newton) Set to Beethoven's Sonata Pathetique, this is really beautiful, and has wonderful words. Thank you Tanya for this suggestion! Free music and sound sample.
  
• StF109 In the darkness of the still night (Margaret Rizza) Good words connecting God's creative love with our own lives and concerns. The tune is gentle, but not simple. I suggest encouraging the congregation to join in on the line "Creator God you are there" during the verses for the first time it is used (but let them know that the tune is a little bit different in the middle of the verse, compared to the end of the verse). Lyrics. 
• URW416 Listen to the song of the wind (Thomas Turner) This is quite lovely, and you could choose whichever verses are most appropriate for any service. Lyrics. Good for kids.
• VU623 Dear weaver of our lives' design (Nancy Dorian) Beautiful imagery of God as the Weaver. Sung to the familiar tune REPTON. New words to old tunes. Lyrics.
• VU384 / SFFS 2052 / HPP229 / PH320 The Lone Wild Bird in lofty flight (Marty Haugen) Familiar tune and excellent words. First 3 verses and tune sample. New words to old tunes.
• Online Resource / Resounding Voices / VT044 We long to know her the maker of heaven (Jacque Jones) Rich feminine imagery of God as creator, wisdom and bringer of justice. Sung to a tune that may be familiar (STAR OF THE EAST). Free book download here. New words to old tunes.
• Online Resource / AoV2-079 / GA081 How Rich Are The Depths (Christopher Willcock) A good Cantor and refrain version of the Psalm. Sound sample, sheet music sample and purchasing options.
  
• Music by Heart 15 Darkness is not dark (Eric Law) A simple round, with optional cantor part. Good to teach to your congregation without lyric sheets or projections. Would be appreciated by kids, as it is simple. Good for kids.
  
• Worldmaking.net Open unto me light for my darkness (Richard Bruxvoort-Colligan). This is really lovely and meditative. Sample here.
• MV131 You, Creator God, have searched me (George Mulrain) Get out the maracas for this one! This joyous calypso chorus for this Psalm is so refreshing. I think it’s really good fun, and very catchy! Good fun for kids. Lyrics.   Good for kids.
• Online Resource / ATE 224 Lord you've searched me / Where could I run from you? (Paul Gioia) So here's a funny story. The first time I looked at this song the lyrics gave me a bit of a creepy stalker vibe, but a member of our congregation (Hi Ruth Sandy!) mentioned how much fun it is and how much she loves it. So I'm listing it now because really, it is a lot of fun and very catchy, and it's not really creepy, it's just based on the Psalm; a good reminder that everyone responds differently! Lyrics and purchasing options.
  
• ATW 423 Examine my heart, explore my mind (Robin Mann) This is a bit tricky, but if familiar to your congregation would be great to sing. Lyrics
• Online Resource Search me O God (David MacGregor) A simple devotional song. It works well with the verses, or just use the chorus as a reflective refrain on its own. Sheet music. 

1 Corinthians 6:12-20
Glorify God with your body. Self-discipline.

• SFFS 2228 / GtG027 / StF618 / Online Resource Sacred the Body God has created (Ruth Duck) This is just the song I was seeking for this passage! Excellent words. The tune is new, but very simple and beautiful. It will be picked up quickly by most congregations. "Sacred the body God has created, temple of Spirit that dwells deep inside. Cherish each person; nurture relation. Treat flesh as holy, that love may abide." Tune and lyrics from Baylor University Christian Ethics Hymns Library (an excellent resource!).
• ATA 169 Doin' it all to the glory of God (Rod Boucher) A fun song for kids. It probably has too many verses for a mixed ages congregation - at least, it has too many verses for me! Good for kids.
• TiS 599 / AHB 520 / NCH448 / CH502 / UMH399 / VU506 / LBW406 / ELW685 / A&M787 / HPP349 / GtG697 / PH391 / CP435 / CP(E) 581 / W&R466 / Cha609 / Srce633 / 82Hml-707 / Lau874 / StF566 / MP624 / VF133 Take my life and let it be (Frances Havergal) An oldy but a goody. Lyrics and context  Oldy-but-a-goody.
• W&R543 Come Build a Church (Ken Medema) Excellent words ("Come build a church of human frailty, come build a church of flesh and blood"). Not great for congregational singing, but excellent for a choir or musicians. Lyrics. Sound sample and sheet music.
• TiS 398 / AHB 310 / AoV1-118 / NCH289 / CH489 / UMH475 / VU367 / GA375 / A&M238 / LBW508 / ELW804 / GtG282 / PH313 / GC465 / GC(II)471 / G(3)556 / RS617 / CP645 / CP(E) 175 / W&R330 / Cha582 / Srce100 / Lau303 / StF372 / MP089 Come down O Love divine (Bianco of Siena) Old fashioned, but still inclusive and very well known. Words and sheet music. Hymnals vary a lot in the lyrics with respect to thees and thys and words like "vesture". Oldy-but-a-goody.

John 1:43-51
Jesus calls Philip and Nathaniel. See also the 1 Samuel passage above

• Online Resource I come to you (Hannah Brown) Thoughtful and repetitive words about leaving all to follow. Sung to the traditional American folk tune WAYFARING STRANGER, which may be familiar. Sheet music sample, lyrics, and purchasing options. New words to old tunes.
• Online Resource / Tune In / NCYC'09 / ATAR598 God has laid a feasting table / Invitation (Shawn Whelan). Feminine imagery of God gathering her guests to a feasting table. Fun Cuban rhythm. Free downloadable songbook.
• Online Resource / TiS 749 / AoV1-154 / AoVK-131 / ATE 305 / NCH360 / Iona (SBL, Freedom is coming) / CH800 / UMH497 / VU572 / WoV773 / ELW469 / ELW809 / GA493 / A&M481 / HPP340 / GtG746 / G(II)484 / GC677 / GC(II)674 / G(3)776 / W&R713 / Cha447 / SP234 / StF782 Send me Jesus / Thuma mina (South African) You all know this one, right? If you don't - it's great - simple, repetitive, and meaningful. Good for kids. Sound sample, sheet music sample and purchasing options. Youtube.
• Online Resource / Tune in We are the dream that's longing / Jesus is waiting (Dave Brown) An honest catchy rock song about our hesitation to follow and Jesus not only waiting, but continuing to work and change the world. A good sending-out song. Come, be our liberator, bless and make us free. Come be the light upon the shore. Come be the freedom for the prison of our time. Come now and open up the door”. Free downloadable songbook, sound samples, lyrics.
• TiS 477 / Iona (LFB, Common Ground) / CH510 / StJ / GA529 / A&M450 / CP059 / SP218 / URW056 / StF028 Jesus calls us here to meet him as through word and song and prayer (John Bell / Graham Maule) Good words and a rollicking or gentle Celtic tune (depending on how you play it!). Don't get too gentle though, or it is very hard to sing - there should not need to be a breath after EVERY line! Lyrics (downloads PDF) 4th verse (not in TiS, but in Iona sources) leads to communion. “Jesus calls us to confess him Word of life and Lord of all, sharer of our flesh and frailness saving all who fail or fall”. Be aware that it uses exclusively masculine language for God.
• 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.  New words to old tunes.
• SFFS 2129 / HPP322 / W&R344 / Cha344 / Srce2-244 / MP272 I Have Decided to Follow Jesus / Jisuni jaman anga jarigken (Nokseng / Simon Kama Marak) Good simple chorus, based on the words of an indigenous Garo martyr in the Assam region of India. My reflection on the origins of this song. You could sing it in its original language (Garo). Lyric video here. Oldy-but-a-goody.
• 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 (Iona) A classic. Don't sing it too slowly or it really drags and takes forever!
• ATOK 348 / Iona (HSNW) / G(II)496 / GC692 / GC(II)697 / StF462 Come with me / Sing hey for the carpenter (Iona) Excellent. I love this one. Very joyous, and a big favourite in our congregation. Sound sample. Lyrics. Good for kids.
• ATAR618 Just like Jesus (Robin Mann) A fun song for kids, pointing out the things Jesus did that were not really very acceptable! Verse 4 will need to either be explained or omitted - the song works just fine without it. For this week the song comments on being raised in Nazareth. Good for kids.

Do you have some ideas you'd like to share? Please add them in a comment below.