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 light.

 

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 man enslaved

A man enslaved, called "Useful,"

In bondage toiled for naught.

He might have been called "Useless"

If his work went all wrong.

But Paul called out his master

And in Christ's love he taught

To call this slave his brother,

Invite him to belong.

 

Our world still sees enslavement

For cruel profit's gain,

Inhuman treatment practiced

For products sold dirt cheap.

Have we no moral center,

To profit from such pain? 

Can we not call out evil? 

Can we not make that leap?

 

In other ways we mangle

Those God has called God's own;

We call them dirty, vagrants,

Or even "useless" too. 

Do we speak such debasement

To those whose hope is gone?

Good God, rebuke us ever

When we such damage do.

 

Dehumanizing others

Who do not look like us,

And yet Christ calls his family;

Have we so lost our way?

Now we must do Christ's bidding,

With nothing to discuss; 

To welcome all around us

Both now and every day.

 

 

TEXT: Charles Spence Freeman, September 2025.

MUSIC: Tune LLANFYLLIN, Welsh melody.

Apparently that lectionary reading from Philemon stayed with me beyond the hymn written for it about a month ago. Here Onesimus ("Useful") becomes the starting point for facing the ways such dehumanization is still part of our world today and how the church has not faced up to that.

I give thanks to my God

Refrain:

I give thanks to my God

Every time that I remember

All your love for the saints

And your faith in our Redeemer

I give thanks to my God.

 

Verses:

Let the sharing of your faith

Be effective for our Savior

When you see how that faith

Works for good in all endeavor

 

Refrain

 

Now in love you know to do

For the "useless" ones among you

How to love and accept

As a sibling, not a stranger

 

Refrain

When we welcome those who come

With no status, power, or favor

Then our faith shows that love

Is the way of Christ our Savior

 

 

TEXT: Charles Spence Freeman, August 2025

MUSIC: Tune WILD MOUNTAIN THYME, Irish melody

       (Note: The tune is public domain but harmonizations or arrangements may vary 

        and may be under copyright.)

Yep, it's a hymn on the book of Philemon. Not an exact paraphrase, by any means (I mean, I hope you don't have people in your pews who have to be told to set their slaves free), but hopefully drawing a lesson from it. The word in quotation marks refers to Paul's play on the name Onesimus in verse 11. 

Holy and beloved

Holy and beloved, chosen ones of God:

Kindness and compassion and humility,

Also patience, meekness; so to serve your God,

Clothe yourselves in these things for the world to see.

 

Bear with one another; take this call to heart:

As our Lord forgives you, so you must forgive.

So now clothe yourselves in love and do your part

That in joyful harmony we all might live.

 

Let the word of Christ dwell in you heart and soul, 

As his peace lives in you, showing grace to all. 

So you teach other, striving towards the goal, 

Living in God's wisdom as our Lord does call.

 

Singing psalms and hymns and spirit-songs as well, 

All with gratitude and praise for every day,

In the name of Jesus let our lives now tell

In word and in deed how we will seek God's way.

 

 

TEXT: Charles Spence Freeman, June 2025, after Colossians 3:12-17.

MUSIC: Tune KING'S WESTON, Ralph Vaughan Williams, 2025.

 

 

First of all, I've wanted to set this passage (with its "psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs" hook having been in my head for many years). This week being at the Worship & Music Conference at Montreat, with this larger passage as the "theme scripture," provided extra emphasis. I don't know what brought this tune to my mind, but it was the key that unlocked things. I'll probably need to do some fixing up (and definitely learn some better notation software), but at least it's here and ready to be fixed. (Oh, and this passage really does show up in the RCL ... for the first Sunday after Christmas, year C.) 

If Christ has not been raised

If Christ has not been raised, 

Your faith has been in vain; 

You still are in your sins with no more hope to gain.

Refrain:

But Christ is raised up from the dead!

The firstfruits of those who have died.

 

If Christ has not been raised,

Our word has been in vain;

Our proclamation brings no more than grief and pain.

Refrain

 

If Christ has not been raised,

False witness is our shame;

That God has raised up Christ has been our word and claim.

Refrain

 

If only for this life

Our hope in Christ is placed,

We of all people should be pitied and disgraced.

Refrain

 

 

TEXT: Charles Spence Freeman, February 2025, after 1 Corinthians 15:12-20.

MUSIC: Tune LOVE UNKNOWN, John Ireland, 1918. Copyright 1924 Trustees of the John Ireland Charitable Trust. 

 

 

Iti is my firm belief that 1 Corinthians 15:19 would be the most heart-wrenching, soul-breaking verse in scripture ... if it were not for 1 Corinthians 15:20. (Tune not reproduced due to copyright.)

Christ died for our sins

Christ died for our sins, as scripture has said,

Was buried but then was raised from the dead. 

Appeared to disciples, then five hundred more;

And so came this witness now and evermore.

 

Now siblings in Christ, keep this news at hand,

Good news you received in which you now stand. 

Hold fast to this message that you now believe, 

Which through God's own messengers you did receive.

 

 

TEXT: Charles Spence Freeman, January 2025, after 1 Corinthians 15:1-11.

MUSIC: Tune LYONS, Joseph Martin Kraus, 1784; alt.

 

 

In the case of this text a bit of slimming down and focusing seemed necessary to keep the text from becoming unwieldy and unworkable. The tune has its own pretty fascinating story to it, about how long its composer took to be recognized and credited for it. 

Now without love

Now without love, my words are nothing

But clanging cymbal, noisy gong.

If, with no love, I speak great mysteries

And teach of faith, my words are wrong.

If without love I give up all things,

Nothing I gain here or above;

Faith, hope, and love, these three abiding - 

But still the greatest one is love.

 

Now love lives patiently and kindly,

Not envious, arrogant or rude. 

In truth all love is found rejoicing,

But doing wrong is sore eschewed.

Love bears, believes, and hopes through all times,

Endures with grace given from above;

Faith, hope, and love, these three abiding - 

But still the greatest one is love.

 

Prophetic words are not forever,

And tongues also will one day cease.

Now even knowledge is but passing.

Love never ends and will increase.

For now we see, but only dimly;

We will see fully from above.

Faith, hope, and love, these three abiding - 

But still the greatest one is love.

 

I was a child, my thoughts were childlike;

As I grew up that fell away. 

Our sight is dim, as in a mirror;

We will see face-to-face one day.

When that day come, we will see fully

As we are known by God above.

Faith, hope, and love, these three abiding - 

But still the greatest one is love.

 

 

TEXT: Charles Spence Freeman, January 2025, after 1 Corinthians 13.

MUSIC: Tune WAYFARING STRANGER, US folk melody.

A continuation of the set of hymns for the 1 Corinthians readings in the RCL for this season.

One body, one Spirit, united in love

One body, one Spirit, united in love,

And joined for the service of our God above;

But many and varied the parts that are found

All joined in one body, by one Spirit bound.

 

Each part of this body is given in God's name;

Each gift is distinctive, no two are the same.

No part is enough if it functions alone,

But all joined together, God's purpose is shown.

 

This body of Christ, by the Spirit alive,

Needs all of these parts for God's mission to thrive.

No parts are alike, no two gifts are the same, 

But all work together in God's holy name.

 

 

TEXT: Charles Spence Freeman, January 2025, after 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 (Epiphany 3C)

MUSIC: Tune ST. DENIO, Welsh folk melody; arr. Caniadau y Cyssegr, 1839.

Continuing with the post-Epiphany cycle of lectionary readings from 1 Corinthians. Also very much continuing with the theme of "Gifts of the Spirit," the previous hymn in this developing set.

Gifts of the Spirit

Gifts of the Spirit God gives all around,

So that God's witness may sound and resound.

Many and varied the gifts God will give;

All are from God for the lives that we live.

 

One receives wisdom for our souls to heed;

One receives knowledge for our minds to read.

Some faith, some healing, some gift to discern;

All gifts God-given to each one in turn.

 

All gifts are given for our common good,

So we bear witness the way that we should. 

So many gifts, from one Spirit the same; 

Praise to the Spirit who moves in God's name.

 

 

TEXT: Charles Spence Freeman, January 2025, after 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 (Epiphany 2C)
MUSIC: Tune SLANE, Irish ballad.

 

 

Hopefully the beginning of a series of hymns on the epistle readings from 1 Corinthians that follow Epiphany in year C. 

The grace of God appeared

The grace of God appeared: 

Salvation to us all!

It calls us to live in this age

With godly self-control.

 

The grace of God appeared,

And trains us now to live 

Against the passions of this world,

This grace that God does give.

 

The grace of God appeared; 

In blessed hope we wait

To see the coming of the Christ

Whose glory is so great.

 

The grace of God appeared,

Who gave himself for all; 

He calls us all to God's own work,

To claim God's holy call.

 

 

TEXT: Charles Spence Freeman, November 2024, after Titus 2:11-14.

MUSIC: Tune FESTAL SONG, William H. Walter, 1872.

 

 

This might be even more futile than "Come, you faithful ones, rejoicing" for Christmas Eve; here is a text based on a reading from the RCL. Specifically, it's from the Christmas Eve *epistle reading,*, possibly the loneliest text in the RCL. Nonetheless, here it is.

How will I show my faith to you?

How will I show my faith to you?

How will you know who rules my heart?

I pray my deeds will show me true

And thus show my faith's better part.

 

How will I show my faith to you?

How will you know my faith is real?

My words alone, they cannot do

What this world needs to grow and heal.

 

How will I show my faith to you?

How will you know whose child I am?

I pray my God will give me tasks 

That show my faith is not a sham.

 

How will the world know faith is real,

Not mere belief, self-righteous claim?

When church acts out its works of love

To high and lowly all the same.

 

 

TEXT: Charles Spence Freeman, August 2024, after James 2:18.

MUSIC: Tune GERMANY, Gardiner's Sacred Melodies, 1815.

 

 

For this verse-right-after-a-lectionary-reading text, the best approach seemed to be to bring some humility to the author's brash claim ("I will show you my faith by my works"), humility that had better be present when we make such a claim (as well as a lot of prayer). 

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?