Be strong in the Lord

 Refrain:

Be strong in the Lord, in the strength of God’s power; 

Put on the whole armor of God

So then you’ll be able, all firm and stable,

To stand and withstand.

 

Wrap holy truth now around you;

Wrap yourself sure – make it fast.

Put on the breastplate of righteousness

That your defense may last.

Refrain

 

Choose holy shoes now to take you

Good news of peace to proclaim.

Shield yourself with the faith God gives you

To live in Jesus’ name.

Refrain

 

Salvation’s helmet protect you; 

Sword of the Spirit, God’s Word,

That you may ward off the flames of fear

And all the lies you’ve heard.

Refrain

 

 

Text and tune: Charles Spence Freeman, August 2021 (after Ephesians 6:10-20)

This is really not how I normally work, but in this case text and sort-tune arrived largely together about three years ago. I'm not gifted enough to create an accompaniment for the tune (someone else is working on one but can't be sure to have it usable in time, since I didn't give her much heads-up) but for those who are, here's a text for the epistle reading for Sunday, August 25. I could easily see this being sung with a leader for the verses and all on the chorus.

Jesus, you loved us first (4-part score)

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, 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 with care and live with wisdom

Live with care and live with wisdom;

Do not live life foolishly.

Evil days are now upon us;

Live with true integrity.

 

Filled with wisdom from the Spirit,

Know the Lord's will faithfully, 

Singing psalms and hymns together,

Praising God in melody.

 

Give your thanks to God Almighty

For all time in every place.

Give thanks in the name of Jesus,

He who saves us by his grace. 

 

 

TEXT: Charles Spence Freeman, July 2024, after Ephesians 5:15-20.

MUSIC: Tune STUTTGART, Witt's Psalmodia Sacra, 1715. alt. 

 

 

The journey through Ephesians continues. As the epistle gets, frankly, more preachy, finding a lyrical opening can be a challenge. But with instruction about singing psalms and hymns included in the scripture itself there had to be a way to make it work as a hymn, right? 

 

Speak the truth to one another

Speak the truth to one another; let no falsehood be called true,

For we all in Christ our brother are one family made anew. 

Alleluia, Alleluia; Show this love in all you do.

 

Let your words speak not of evil; let them build up and make whole;

Speak for grace and not upheaval, bringing comfort to the soul.

Alleluia, Alleluia; Let this be your only goal.

 

Live in love, as Christ did love us, gave himself that we might live.

Imitate what he has shown us; like God's children let us give.

Alleluia, Alleluia; As God's children, we forgive.

 

 

TEXT: Charles Spence Freeman, July 2024, after Ephesians 4:25-5:2.

MUSIC: Suggested tune UNION SEMINARY, Harold Friedell, 1957. 

       Copyright 1957, ren. H.W. Gray (admin. Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.)

 

 

I don't typically do this (in fact I try to avoid it), but the creative impulse (which is what I have instead of a creative process) seized on this copyrighted tune and spun out not just one, but three beginnings of verses. Hopefully the tune, which is a gorgeous tune, will be familiar enough for at least some churches. (Yes, the tune is copyrighted; proceed accordingly with your streaming licenses and such. I hope this small snippet might refresh some folks's memories of this tune and yet not violate anybody's copyright stuff.)

Lead 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: Tune HOLY MANNA, William Moore's Columbian Harmony, 1825

 

 

Born of a liturgy writing workshop at the 2021 Montreat Music & Worship conference on the epistle reading for Ordinary 18B. What can I say? Hymns are liturgy, as far as I’m concerned. Now (three years later), it has a nice stable tune as well.

 

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 grace,

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

 

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 together. 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.

 

Remember who you were

Remember who you were before Christ came

to set you in his new eternal frame; 

and how you live in Jesus without blame:

Alleluia!

 

Remember how you lived before that day, 

with only futile deeds to make your way; 

then Jesus made for you a whole new day!

Alleluia!

 

Remember how you lived in enmity

with those who saw our God, but differently;

now reconciled for all eternity!

Alleluia!

 

Now we are reconciled in God's good plan,

God's doing since before the world began; 

now let this unity the whole world span.

Amen!

 

 

TEXT: Charles Spence Freeman, July 2024, loosely after Ephesians 2:11-22.

MUSIC: Tune ENGELBERG, Charles Villiers Stanford, 1904; alt.

 

 

Ephesians can present some challenges for hymn adaption; some passages can get a little dense (as is certainly true in Paul's epistles), but without the Pauline vividness or excitedness. Still, there are threads that can be pulled or traced through the passage and brought out for hymnic emphasis.