Church Music

This is a praise and worship song from Lenny Smith and Ralph Palladino. It is interesting in that the verses are in Eb but they modulate to C in the chorus.

The sheet music is available from various sites in the internet including sheetmusicdirect.

My backing goes into a gentle funk style.

1 You are the light that shines within,

And you took away the sin of the world, O my Lord.

You are the love I feel inside,

And your love won’t be denied, O my Lord, O my Lord, my Lord.

Chorus

All the earth worships You!

You are worthy to be praised!

Holy, holy, holy Lord.

Who was and is and is to come.

2 You are the hope I keep inside,

And this hope won’t be denied, O my Lord, O my Lord.

You are the joy within my heart,

And You’ve been there from the start, O my Lord, O my Lord, my Lord.

Chorus

Who was and is and and is to come.

Who was and is and and is to come.

© 2002 New Jerusalem Music

This is an interesting song from Lenny Smith set in future past tense if you like. The text has us looking back at life from the perspective of new life in heaven.

I’ve always thought the symbolism of baptism was that having died already (drowned if you like) we can live without fear of death – dying and rising. Singing a song like this now helpfully takes us out of Chronos time into Kairos. I am attracted to the idea that we create our own heaven and hell now through our life and relationships, whatever else there might be to it.

The sheet music can be purchased here.

1 This is the end. Now is the end.

Welcome the end of the world.

Time has run out. Now it’s all over.

What’s past is gone at last.

Chorus 1

No more fear, no more separation, no more me without you.

No more shame, no more blame, no more sorrow and sighing.

2 The past is gone. It’s just a dream.

There’s nothing real there of me.

Nothing to wait for, no-one to look for.

Nothing to hope for, that’s not here.

Chorus 2

The earth is full, the earth is full, the earth is full of your glory.

The earth is full, the earth is full, the earth is full of your glory.

3 This is the beginning of the new earth.

Now we are living in heaven.

No past to rob us, nothing to fear.

All we have need of is right here.

Chorus 2

Verse 1

Chorus 1

© 2008 New Jerusalem Music

There’s something about the chorus of this song that reminds me of John Lennon’s “God”.

Leonard E (“Lenny”) Smith has been in touch over the years and has kindly sent me some of his sheet music. He has led a long and fascinating life (at least according Wikipedia!) and has written a bona fide hit hymn “Our God Reigns” which I have blogged a couple of times including here.

I told him I mainly do Australian music these days, but I since I do look at OCP and GIA releases at times, I’ll make him an honorary Australian for the duration and look at a few of his titles. I’m not sure if they fit liturgies as such, but we shall see.

I’ll start with this one that seems like a long poem of affirmation set to music.

He has provided a link to the sheet music.

I made a reasonably reflective BIAB backing for this one.

1 I am the apple of my Father’s eye.
I am the object of His love.
I am the city set upon a hill.
I am a moonbeam from above.
I am enjoying my inheritance.
I am the head and not the tail.
I am alive with Christ yet crucified.
I am alive beyond the veil.

Chorus
I am a well-watered garden.
I am the Bride of Christ.
I am the salt of the whole earth.
I am the King’s delight.

2 I am the healthy vine that’s bearing fruit.
I am the temple where you dwell.
I am complete in you and reconciled.
I am like water from the well.
I am a child of God, beloved of God.
I am a steward of great wealth.
I am forgiven all my trespassers.
I am endowed with peace and health.

Chorus

3 I am empowered to succeed in life.
I am securely in his hand.
I am fulfilling all my destiny.
I am essential to his plan.
I am protected by angelic hosts.
I am attuned to hear his voice.
I am in favour with both God and Man.
I am so blessed to be his choice.

© 2006 New Jerusalem Music

This is the last psalm in Paul Mason’s collection, Psalms For All Time Vol 2. All three volumes are available to purchase at Liturgical Song. I have the third and will get to it at some stage. All three will costs you~$A120, which is not a lot each for your parish musicians, to have a psalm for everything and lots of songs that work as general hymns as well.

This is the psalm for the Fourth Sunday of Lent Year B, and incorporates the line “By the rivers of Babylon” so he has the task to make sure your brain doesn’t slip into another tune, which he handles with his usual inventiveness.

Response: Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!

Verses: Psalm 137: 1-2, 3, 4-5, 6.

He has put a version of this one on his site, which sounds great – as if Nick Cave was involved. It makes you wish there were more samples to listen to there. I didn’t listen to that before I made my rather bland version:

We arrive at Psalm 126 in Paul Mason’s Psalms For All Time Vol 2, which is for the Second Sunday in Advent Year C, the Fifth Sunday in Lent Year C and the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B. It is also used for Christian Initiation Outside the Easter Vigil and a Mass After the Harvest.

Response: The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy. We are filled with joy.

Verses: Psalm 126: 1-2ab, 2cd-3, 4-5, 6.

Just a few to go in the book, Psalms For All Time Vol 2 by Paul Mason.

This is Psalm 116 for the Second Sunday of Lent Year B.

Response: I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.

Verses: Psalm 166: 10 and 15, 16-17, 18-19.

There is in fact an audio file of this one to listen to at Liturgical Song, or you can sing along with my backing.

This is Paul Mason’s setting for Psalm 103 for the Third Sunday in Lent Year C from Psalms For All Time Vol 2. It was also in his original volume, which I bogged here, but I did it again anyway.

Response: The Lord is kind and merciful. The Lord is kind and merciful.

Verses: Psalm 103: 1-2,3-4,6-7,8 and 11.

We are up to Psalm 98 from Psalms For All Time Vol 2 by Paul Mason, which is the psalm for the Sixth Week of Easter Year B and the Twenty-Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time Year C. Paul Mason also notes it’s use for the Admission to the Candidacy for Ordination.

Response: The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving pow’r, his saving pow’r.

Verses: Psalm 98: 1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4, (5-6)

This is a bit of fun. This is Paul Mason’s setting for Psalm 96, which is for Midnight Mass at Christmas. It is from Psalms For All Time Vol 2.

The third verse goes off with an almighty crescendo.

Response: Today! Today is born our Saviour, Christ the Lord, Christ the Lord.

Verses: Psalm 96: 1-2a, 2b-3, 11-13b, 13cd.

My backing is BIAB fake organ with trumpets:

I have been looking through Paul Mason’s marvellous Psalms For All Time Vol 2. He has composed psalms for use as psalms if you have cantors, but are fine a hymns for use at any time. There is so much investion in each one, it’s fun to make a backing and see what he got up to next.

This one is Psalm 90 for the Eighteenth and Twenty-third Sundays in Ordinary Time Year C.

Response: In ev’ry age, O Lord, O Lord, you have been our refuge, in ev’ry age.

Verses: Psalm 90: 3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14 and 17.

He specifies a joyful response and a reflective verse, so I tried that in BIAB.