Church Music

This is an odd one.  I’m back in the mysterious miscellaneous folder of Church songs and this is an ancient song that appears to have been part of a musical drama for children, but I think we used it as a sort of mantra. It has not been spotted for a very long time. It is by Harry D. Clark and was originally published in the 1920s. You can download the sheet music from the publisher here. This is a solo vocal version.

Into my heart, into my heart.

Come into my heart, Lord Jesus.

Come in today, come in to stay.

Come into my heart, Lord Jesus.

© Hope Publishing Co.

Tina wanted this song that we’ve never used locally but I noticed it in the liturgy Chris put up in the comments here a couple of weeks ago. It is by Dan Feiten and you can hear a sample at the publisher here and I found the sheet music in Gather Australia. It is also available to buy from Ekklesia. It is a serene Eucharist song drawing on beautiful images from the Didache, 1 Cor 10 and Mark 4.

My copy of Gather Australia has no chords so BIAB had to work them out for me.

Refrain:
Seed, scattered and sown,
wheat, gathered and grown,
bread, broken and shared as one,
the living Bread of God.
Vine, fruit of the land,
wine, work of our hands,
one cup that is shared by all,
the living Cup, the living Bread of God.

1.
Is not the bread we break, a sharing in our Lord?
Is not the cup we bless, the blood of Christ outpoured?

Refrain

2.
The seed which falls on rock will wither and will die.
The seed within good ground will flower and have life.

Refrain

3.
As wheat upon the hills was gathered and was grown,
So may the church of God be gathered into one.

Refrain

© Ekklesia Music 1987.

The liturgy team (including me) for this week have selected these songs:

Entrance: Gather As One (McKenna) AOV NG48

Psalm: This Blessing Cup (Frank Andersen)

Gifts: Something Wonderful (Kerr) AOV NG 115

Communion:

Table Song (Haas)

Come to the Table (Burland) AOV NG 33

Recessional: Anthem (Conroy)

A Eucharist song from Monica Brown that we don’t seemed to have played for a while.  Is the tune too subtle, because it is rather gorgeous?    If you go here and scroll down to “A Special Collection” you can hear a sample of this song and buy the sheet music.

 Verse 1

Before His death Jesus gathered His friends

Longing to share His life with them,

Longing to make them one,

And at the table of God’s love.

He took the bread, He said the blessing,

He broke the bread saying, “Take this and eat.

This is my body given for you”.

Chorus

It is as You have asked, O God,

That we do the same in memory of You,

As You have asked, O God, in memory of You.

Verse 2

Before His death Jesus surrendered Himself,

Pouring out His life for all

Giving hope to a broken world,

And at the table of God’s love,

He took the wine, He said the blessing,

He shared the cup saying, “Take this and drink

This is my lifeblood given for you”.

Chorus

© Monica Brown 1991.

I wasn’t at all sure about this song when a fellow musician at church brought it along but it has grown on me. It is a Eucharist song and so always welcome, written by Jimmy Owens. I gather it is from a musical he wrote called “The Witness.” There is a sample to listen to here.

This is a normal church group singing the song.

You may need to contact the author (jimmyowens@adelphia.net) to get the music, unless you can get an old copy of Scripture in Song Book 2.

This is my body, broken for you,
Bringing you wholeness, making you free.
Take it and eat it.
And as you do, do it in love for Me.

This is my blood poured out for you,
Bringing forgiveness, making you free.
Take it and drink it,
And as you do, do it in love for Me.

I found these extra lyrics on the net that aren’t used in the musical:

Back to my Father soon I shall go
Do not forget me, then you will see
I am still with you, and you will know
you’re very close to me.

Filled with my Spirit, how you will grow
You are my branches, I am the tree
If you are faithful, others will know
you are alive in me.

Love one another, I have loved you
and I have shown you how to be free
serve one another, and when you do
do it in love for me.

© Lexicon Music 1978.

A simple chant by Michael Herry fms with obvious liturgical uses. You can hear a sample at Amazon. I can’t find a collection to purchase with this song in it, so you may have to contact the author.

I am the vine, you are the branches

Make your home in me.

I am the vine, you are the branches

Make your home in me.

© Michael Herry 1995.

*The Marists have the made the sheet music available here.

Another excellent Vene Sancte genre song, this time from Michael Mangan.  We also have used this frequently for confirmations, and as with a lot of Michael’s songs, this should not be considered only a children’s song.

You can hear a sample and buy the sheet music in the “Setting Hearts on Fire” collection, here.

I have always needed to watch the tempo to avoid going to fast on this one.

 Verse 1

Holy Spirit of Fire, open up our hearts set us ablaze.

Holy Spirit of Fire, help us know the mystery of God’s ways.

Chorus

Keep us blazing, keep us burning,

Open up our hearts to fan your flames of love,

Holy Spirit of Fire.

Verse 2

Holy Spirit of Fire, fill us with a passion for your life.

Holy Spirit of fire, help us show the world your shining light.

Chorus

Verse 3

Holy Spirit of Fire, fan the flames of courage in our hearts.

Holy Spirit of Fire, help us live the Good News where we are.

Chorus

Verse 4

Holy Spirit of Fire, breathe your fire of love into our lives.

Holy Spirit of Fire, keep the embers glowing through the night.

Chorus

© Litmus Productions 2001.

We use this beautiful Monica Brown song for confirmations etc and it is very effective. The verses are sung over the second half of the chant. You can hear Monica sing it here. It’s hard to do it as slowly as that but probably worth the effort. It is available in the “Holy Ground” collection here.

If you aren’t using this song then you really should learn it and use it the next opportunity.

Mantra:

Holy sacred Spirit, breathe Your breathe on us.

Holy sacred Spirit, breathe Your life in us.

Verse 1

Create a new heart in me, oh God,

Enflame my heart with Your love, Your Spirit of love.

Verse 2

Send forth Your Spirit and renew the earth,

The longing earth, the waiting earth, the fragile earth.

© Monica Brown 1991.

An adaptation of The Magnificat by David Haas set to a traditional tune “Wild Mountain Thyme.” It’s the sort of song that people can sing easily because the tune is already somewhere in the back of their mind even if they don’t remember were they’ve heard it.

The text is at spiritandsong. It can be purchased at GIA.

You can hear some well dressed young men sing it here. There is a nice solo version here.

My version is another old MIDI file tarted up in ProTools.

This another of Monica Brown’s beautiful songs. She has a sample on her website and you can buy the sheet music there as well. It is to be done as simply as possible and repeated as a mantra.

My backing is twice through for learning purposes.

You are here, so this is holy ground.

In all that is, You are here.

This is holy ground,

The ground of my being now.

My spirit bows to you upon this holy ground.

© Monica Brown and Emmaus Productions 1999.