Jesus, you loved us first

Jesus, you loved us first, and love us still; 

Lead us to live within your holy will. 

Guide us to live with care, and yet with hope to dare,

In all things everywhere, your love fulfill.

 

Teach us to live within your wisdom true,

Not choosing foolishly in what we do.

Making the most of time, led by your grace sublime, 

May we in all things rhyme our lives to you.

 

Let songs of praise resound, our voices ring;

Let melodies abound in everything.

Lead us in holy psalm, loud praise or healing balm;

In conflict or in calm, lead us to sing.

 

Place in us grateful hearts; teach us to say

All of our gratitude in every way.

To You our Lord on high our praises multiply;

Let thanks be our reply here, now, today.

 

 

 

TEXT: Charles Spence Freeman, August 2021 (after Ephesians 5:15-20)

MUSIC: Tune SOMETHING FOR JESUS, 6.4.6.4.6.6.6.4., Robert Lowry, 1871.

 

 

One thing I’ve adopted when nothing works for an extended time is to take up a tune from my past (one that doesn’t appear much in the hymnals most present in my experience nowadays) and create a text for it. This quiet Robert Lowry tune somehow cooperated with the Ephesians reading for the twelfth Sunday after Pentecost of this year, though this text is far from a close paraphrase. 

Live in the love of Jesus

Live in the love of Jesus; be rooted in his love! 

Take strength in your whole being with power from above. 

With riches of God’s glory, with Holy Spirit’s power,

Live out the love of Jesus in this and every hour.

 

Live in the love of Jesus; be grounded in his love!

Know Christ in your whole being with power from above.

Let Christ’s own holy presence through yearning faith draw near,

And fill you with his deep love, the love that casts out fear.

 

Live in the love of Jesus; live ready for his love!

Know deep in your own being this power from above. 

This love beyond all knowing, God’s fullness holding sway;

Live out the love of Jesus in this and every day.

 

 

Text: Charles Spence Freeman, July 2021 (after Ephesians 3:14-21)

Music: Tune WEBB, George J. Webb, 1837.

 

 

I have sometimes compared my writing process to cooking in a crock pot, one that involves getting all the ingredients together and giving them plenty of time to cook into the desired result. In this case, the cooking period more resembled that of a barbecue pit (where “low and slow” is key) than a crock pot. As with my cooking experiences with slow smoking, this text only came together after I had largely given up.

Live lives worthy of your calling

Lead lives worthy of your calling; 

            Live in humble gentleness.

Live with love for one another,

            Slow to anger, swift to bless.

Strive for unity in Spirit,

            Joined in bonds of sacred peace.

Know the one hope of your calling,

            Hope that will not ever cease.

 

For we live in grace first given

            In the gifts of God alone,

Gifts Christ gave to build the body – 

            Gifts of grace we do not own.

Gifts of teaching and proclaiming,

            Gifts of challenge and of care;

All these gifts our Christ has given

            To his people everywhere.

 

So we live in sacred body,

            Speaking truth in holy love,

Growing always in our Savior,

            Into Christ our Head above.

Let us all praise our Creator;

            Let us praise our Savior true;

Let us praise the Holy Spirit

            In all things we say and do.

 

 

TEXT: Charles Spence Freeman, June 2021, after Ephesians 4:1-16.

MUSIC: Suggested tune EBENEZER, Thomas John Williams, 1890.

Other possible tune: BEACH SPRING (but watch out for copyrights on different harmonizations).

 

So I took a liturgy writing workshop at the same Music & Worship conference that set off “The reign of Christ compels us” and "So Jesus came to Bethany," and got moved to write a hymn based on the noted scripture (epistle reading for Ordinary 18B, coming up August 1). What can I say? Hymns are liturgy, as far as I’m concerned.

So Jesus came to Bethany

So Jesus came to Bethany when his dear friend had died,

And Martha, Mary, all their friends, and even Jesus cried.

So those who watched his sorrow flow knew how he loved the man,

But when the tears had shed their last, the miracles began.

 

Then Jesus told those standing there, “Now roll the stone away.”

Poor Martha’s fears he brushed aside; such doubt could not betray. 

Then, lifting up a prayer above that all could see and hear,

Jesus called out to his dear friend, “Oh, Lazarus, come out here!”

 

Now Lazarus heard the Lord’s command and from his bier did rise.

His body once bound to the earth now stretched out toward the skies.

But still his hands and feet were bound; he could not walk away. 

His yearn to flee the yawning tomb the graveclothes did betray.

 

So Jesus told those standing there to tear those bonds aside.

They loosed the graveclothes, freed the man, his life now open wide.

So when you find the bonds of sin are all you feel and see,

Remember risen Lazarus; remember you are free.

 

 

TEXT: Charles Spence Freeman, July 2021, after John 11.

MUSIC: Tune SALVATION, Kentucky Harmony, 1816.

 

 

Another hymn provoked by another worship service (same preacher) at the Presbyterian Association of Musicians Worship & Music Conference. I don’t know if it’s the mountain air or what, but things are coming forth this week. The scripture is part of the gospel for Lent 5A, I think, which might be helpful in the future. 

The reign of Christ compels us

The reign of Christ compels us to bear a witness true

To glorify our Savior in all we say and do.

The Lord, who in our living is sovereign above all, 

Compels and draws us always to live into this call.

 

As Christ first bore good witness to God’s almighty power, 

So we are charged to sound forth in this and every hour.

With calls to truth and justice, with words of peace and love,

We give our testimony to our good God above.

 

By Spirit’s power unyielding we bear that witness true,

Not just with words but actions that we are called to do.

In work that lifts up God’s own that this world calls “the least,” 

We call the world to gather at God’s own holy feast.

 

For God our king and ruler, all that we have, we give. 

Our witness is embodied in every way we live.

So let us join our living to words of love and grace,

That Christ’s own holy justice may reign in every place.

 

 

TEXT: Charles Spence Freeman, June 2021.

MUSIC: Tune LLANGLOFFAN, Welsh folk melody; Llwybrau Moliant, 1872.

 

 

This text was provoked by a sermon by Rev. Cecilia Armstrong and service given at the Presbyterian Association of Musicians Worship and Music Conference at Montreat Conference Center in North Carolina on June 29, 2021. The scripture from Revelation 1:4b-8, in particular the reference to Christ as “the faithful witness” in verse 5, provided the starting point for the sermon (at least as I understood it) and this hymn as well.

God of the psalmists

God of the psalmists, who calls our hearts to sing, 

We lift our praises to you in everything.

In days of joy and times of mirth and even in sorrow’s shade,

We sing our songs of gratitude for all of the world that you have made.

 

Yes, God, we praise you with voices and with more; 

Horn, flute, and trumpet your praises will outpour.

With resonating of the bells and clashing cymbals high

We lift to you, our living Lord, all praise from the land and sea and sky.

 

Pipes of the organ and bright piano strings,

Loud stirring drums, too, and quiet, softer things,

All strings now plucked and strummed and bowed resound in praise to you,

Our God, the source of all good gifts and giver of songs both old and new.

 

Music we offer in praises and in prayer,

Even as we yearn for the time that you prepare,

When all our song and all our praise we offer face to face

In time unending that you give in all of your mercy, love, and grace.

 

 

TEXT: Charles Spence Freeman, June 2021.

MUSIC: Suggested tune SYMPHONY, Johannes Brahms, 1877; arr. Fred Bock, 1976. Arrangement copyright 1976 Fred Bock Music Co. All rights reserved. (Therefore, not reprinted here.)

 

The text came forth after the happy accident of hearing the Brahms Symphony No. 1 finale (from which this tune is adapted) on the radio.

 

There are no walls around this table

There are no walls around this table,

No fence to climb, no gate to bar.

The One who calls us all is able

To welcome all from near and far. 

See how Christ calls us all together

To take the bread and share one cup!

He draws us in the Spirit’s tether

To hold us fast and lift us up.

 

As Jesus shared at that first table

With those he called and then called friends,

So now he leads us to enable

All folk to share this meal that mends.

There is no guard or sentry posted,

No keeper there to block the way; 

There’s just one table that is hosted

By One who bids us come and stay.

 

And there’s no border ‘round this table; 

All whom the Spirit calls may come. 

Whatever color, love, or label,

Our Lord calls all and not just some.

There are no walls around this table,

No fence to climb, no gate to bar. 

The One who calls us all is able

To welcome all from near and far.

 

 

TEXT: Charles Spence Freeman, June 2021.

MUSIC: Tune WAYFARING STRANGER, American folk melody. 

A week of listening to headlines about religious authorities of differing-yet-similar types working as hard as they can to exclude some people – even from the table – produced this admittedly radical statement about who exactly is welcome at the table, and who I as pastor have the authority to turn away.