Hymns, songs & music

Related to the Bible readings

Click here for an article on choosing the opening hymn or song for worship.

Suggestions from Adult & All Ages

(Songs in italics are suitable for all ages.)

From heaven you came
How lovely on the mountains
I danced in the morning
Immortal, invisible, God only wise
Into a world of darkness since the fall (LAU)
I, the Lord of sea and sky
Just as I am, without one plea
Lord of glory, in our darkness (SG)
O happy day that fixed my choice
O Peter, you were named by Christ (LAU)
Open our eyes, Lord
The strangest of saints (HSN, WGWG)
We sing the glorious conquest (AMNS, CP, NEH)
Will you come and follow me

A song for this issue

'Christ, be our light' – Easter version

Bernadette Farrell is a Roman Catholic liturgical musician whose songs are based in Scripture and worship, and come right from the heart. The 'everyday' version of this song begins 'Longing for light, we wait in darkness', a prayer for Christ to change our lives: to make us a holy people, a building to shelter the homeless, bread broken for others. This version is for Easter, as we keep vigil in the dark for the light of resurrection. The words are a recognition of this special time in the year: 'This is the night of new beginnings... now will the fire kindled in darkness... sing of the pow'r stronger than death...' and the refrain is strong and joyful with a simple but very effective descant. The original version, written in 1994, appears in many modern hymn books; you can find the Easter version in Resurrexit, published by Decani.

Short song suggestion

For many people familiar with the music of Taizé, this may well be something new. It comes from a 2007 collection Christus lux mundi (Christ, light of the world), published by GIA, where it appears under the title ‘Kristus, din Ande’. (It can also be found in Cantate, published by Decani.) It is a very simple chant, easily picked up if led by a confident group, and may be used as a prayerful meditation, or to accompany some sort of symbolic action, for example, walking in procession to a bowl of water, perhaps in remembrance of baptism. When it becomes familiar, there are verses set from Psalm 63.

Suggestions from Children & Young People

All that I am (CHY, RSJ)
Come on, let’s get up and go (CHY, JP,RSJ)
From heaven you came
God forgave my sin
How lovely on the mountains
I danced in the morning
Jesus is greater (CHY, KS, RSJ)
Jesus went out of his way (KS, RSJ)
I the Lord of sea and sky
Lord the light of your love is shining
Love will never come to an end (CP, RSJ)
Out to the great wide world we go (CHY, RSJ)
The Bible is full of adventures of faith (SB)
Travel on

Listen

’Open the eyes of my heart‘, Paul Baloche

‘I see you’, Leona Lewis, Soundtrack from Avatar [12], download via YouTube. ‘I see you’ in the film was about really seeing: seeing the truth of the world in the film, seeing the life and the heart of the people and the place – learning to see properly. (You could play just the song, or show a clip from the film, if your group is a suitable age.)

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