LIve as children of light

Refrain:

 

Live as children of light -

Live no longer in the darkness.

Turn away from the night;

Be no longer cold and heartless.

Live as children of night.

 

Seek to find out how to live

As is pleasing to our Savior;

Seek your whole life to give,

Both in word and in behavior.

 

Refrain

 

Shine a light on shameful deeds,

Things too dark to say or to do.

Sleeper, wake from the dead,

And our Christ will shine upon you.

 

Refrain

 

 

 

TEXT: Charles Spence Freeman, March 2026, after Ephesians 5:18-24

MUSIC: Tune WILD MOUNTAIN THYME, Irish melody

 

 

I floundered badly trying to develop a hymn text on the gospel reading for Lent 4A, from John 9. The epistle reading was far kinder to me, as epistle readings often are. The choice of an Irish melody so close to St. Patrick's Day (which is a two-week holiday for someone who grew up in Dublin, GA) was not intentional; it's just a really good tune.

 

A woman who came to the well

A woman who came to the well for some water

found someone she did not know;

a man sitting there all alone with no pail, and

wondered why he sat there so.

As she drew out water and then turned to go,

he said to her "Give me a drink."

The Samaritan woman was thrown for a loss

and she no longer knew what to think.

 

"How do you, a Jewish man, speak to me here,

much less ask me now for a drink?"

"If you knew who I was,!" you surely would ask me

for living water, I think."

"Sir, give me this water, I ask you, so I

would never need come here again!"

But he told her, "Go, call your husband" as if

he did not know her history with men.

 

She knew that he must be a prophet, at least,

yet questioned him more, nonetheless.

He answered her more and with prophetic vision,

and still she continued to press:

"I know the Messiah will come to us all,

and proclaim all things that will be."

And he said, "Do you see I am here talking to you?

Yes, I am the one; I am he."

 

She ran to her village to tell all the people

"There is a man you must see!

He told me of everything that I have done!

Could he the Anointed One be?"

They came and they heard and believed every word,

and asked him to stay two more days.

And so, this one Samaritan town knew the wonder

of Jesus and his saving ways.

 

 

TEXT: Charles Spence Freeman, March 2026, after John 4:1-45.

MUSIC: Tune SAMANTHRA (MAJOR), American folk melody, alt.

 

 

A hymn on the "woman at the well" story, tightened up just a little bit (the disciples get left out). Those who pay attention to the tunes chosen for these texts will note that this American folk tune, found in Glory to God at #77, is here flipped to major instead of the minor tune as it appears in the hymnal. Will probably need some polishing in the future, but it does fit to Lent 3A, so here it is just in case.

 

 

  

 

You are the salt

You are the salt of God's earth,

to flavor and preserve.

But if the salt is tasteless,

what purpose does it serve?

  

You are the light of God's world

that cannot be concealed; 

A light that shines to all, so

God's glory is revealed.

 

The law is not abolished,

but Christ comes to fulfill; 

Not one word will be stricken

from God's own holy will.

 

Be salt and light in God's world,

show Christ for all to see;

The work of holy witness

is up to you and me.

 

 

TEXT: Charles Spence Freeman, February 2026, after Matthew 5:13-20.

MUSIC: Tune CHRISTUS, DER IST MEIN LEBEN, Melchior Vulpius, 1609.

 

 

A hymn for the fifth Sunday after Epiphany, also picking back up after an unplanned hiatus. 

Then Jesus came from Galilee

Then Jesus came from Galilee to be baptized by John,

Who in the Jordan's rolling flow did baptize those who came.

But John did question whether this request he should act on;

"You should baptize me here instead, in your own holy name."

 

But Jesus answered "Let this be, for this is right to do

To fulfill this one righteous call for all the world to see."

Then John consented to this task, in trust that Jesus knew

That he should carry out this work and what his role should be.

 

And then once Jesus was baptized and then raised up again,

He saw the heavens opened up and down the Spirit came.

Alighting like a dove, the Spirit cried out through the din,

"This is my Son, Beloved One, who goes forth in my name."

 

 

TEXT: Charles Spence Freeman, December 2025; after Matthew 3:13-17

MUSIC: Tune KINGSFOLD, English Country Songs, 1893; harmonization Ralph Vaughan Williams, 1906.

 

 

A reworking of a hymn from almost two years ago, written to suit the account of Jesus's baptism in the gospel of Mark. Matthew's account goes into rather more detail than Mark's but the basic structure still worked. 

The road of resurrection

The road of resurrection, we walk it every day

As we set out to follow on Jesus's steady way.

From childhood we are learning, with sure and steady stride,

To keep on moving forward and stay at Jesus's side.

 

We walk the road in living a witness as we go,

With words and deeds that honor the One who loves us so.

Our steps may be uncertain, but still our guide is sure

And holds us close for always, to teach us to endure.

 

We walk the road in standing with those the world lays low,

The widow, poor, and orphan, the "least of these" also.

Unflinchingly for justice, with mercy as our call, 

We walk the road in witness to Christ, our all in all. 

 

We walk the road in living in God's community,

With Christ our sole salvation, who gives us eyes to see.

Held in this full communion, rejoicing on the way, 

We walk this road together until our dying day.

 

And yet, though laid to rest wrapped in God's encircling earth,

This is no termination - no ending, but rebirth!

For when this life is over and we no longer roam,

The road of resurrection at last will lead us home. 

 

 

TEXT: Charles Spence Freeman, December 2025

MUSIC: Tune AURELIA, Samuel Sebastian Wesley, 1864.

 

 

I have no clue why this hymn happened as it did, when it did. I'ts not exactly Advent-ish, you know? But I think maybe a conference theme got in my head, and then ever-trustworthy AURELIA came along to provide a tune home for all the words that started coming forth. I'm just getting this committed to print (so to speak) before it goes away.

The disciples saw the Temple

The disciples saw the Temple, beautiful, with massive stone.

But their Master spoke of ruin; broken, shattered, razed and gone.

So they questioned Jesus sorely, wondering when such times might be;

And he gave them this in answer, teaching them that they might see:

 

"You see wars and insurrections; these will come, this is for sure;

See these earthquakes, plagues and famines, such disasters to endure.

You will all see persecution, prisons, trial by would-be kings;

I will give you words of answer when you undergo these things."

 

We may read these things and wonder how such times sound like our own;

Scorned by families, friends, and neighbors, feeling lost and all alone.

Still our call is to endurance, pressing on the upward way, 

So that we may still be standing, true and faithful on that day. 

 

 

TEXT: Charles Spence Freeman, November 2025, after Luke 21:5-19.

MUSIC: Tune BEACH SPRING, The Sacred Harp, 1884

 

 

Preliminary reading on a forthcoming lectionary reading led to this hymn. It wasn't my intention to observe parallels to our current time, but some such things may have slipped out. And yes, a snippet of the old gospel hymn "Higher Ground" did sneak into the final stanza. 

 

 

Come, holy God, and write your law

Come, holy God, and write your law upon our failing hearts;

Come be our God, yea, you alone,

And let us be your very own,

Down to our inmost parts.

 

Come, living Lord, and to our souls make your true presence known;

No longer bound to teach or call,

For we will know you all in all,

Our distance from you gone.

 

Come, God of covenantal grace, and in your grace forgive;

Wash out our sin forevermore,

To fester in our souls no more.

In hope now let us live.

 

 

TEXT: Charles Spence Freeman, October 2025, after Jeremiah 31:33-34.

MUSIC: Tune REST, Frederick Charles Maker, 1887.

 

 

Unlike usual dry spells, between the new church and piecemeal relocation my brain has been overstuffed with hymn ideas that haven't had room to materialize. Finally a bit of time opened up and (as happens only rarely) a scripture from which I am not preaching pulled itself together into a text I could set. Sometimes the hymn-writing impulse has to be pushed just a little bit.