O love your God

O love your God with all your heart,

            With all your power to love;

Now show that love to all around

            As to your Lord above.

O love your God with all your soul,

            With all your power to feel; 

Give to the world your greatest gifts

            To show your Lord is real.

O love your God with all your strength,

            With all your power to do;

Show deeds of holy service now

            To serve your Savior true.

O love your God with all your mind,

            With all your power to know;

In word and thought be full of grace,

            The power of God to show.

With mind and strength and soul and heart

            The love of God proclaim,

That all the world may know that love

            And call on Jesus’ name.

TEXT: CSF, June 2019, Gainesville, FL

MUSIC: Suggested tune AZMON, Carl Gotthel Glaser, 1828;

            arr. Lowell Mason, 1839 (many other tunes are possible)

CREDO hymn

Who we are in God’s great service, who we all are called to be,

What our lives are still becoming in our call to ministry:

This we seek to learn and follow, as our Lord would have us see

What we value, what we cherish: what is our identity?

How do we come to this knowledge? How do we know what to say?

Which the path that truly shows us our call for God’s new-born day?

In our search for God’s vocation let us watch and learn and pray;

So we always seek discernment, so we always find our way.

How then shall we claim our calling? How shall we find what to do?

What the work that finally helps us come to our vocation true?

Not mere flash of inspiration, nor lone bolt out of the blue;

Only through devoted practice shall we truly be made new.

This our quest to live God’s service, yearning still to be made whole,

Always learning to give over; yielding life to God’s control;

Living shaped in God’s true image; always drawn toward God’s true goal,

That our God might bring upon us transformation, mind and soul.

TEXT: CSF, June 2019, CREDO, Solomon Episcopal Conference Center

MUSIC: Suggested tune BEECHER, John Zundel, 1870

With our earthly bodies broken

Note: if you actually go to a hymn-writing workshop and show your hymns, you're going to get some edits. This recent hymn has a couple, probably to the better, though there are still a couple of things I'm not satisfied with yet. (Original here.) And yes, the event that provoked the writing of this hymn is two weeks from Monday.

Note 2, 18 August 2019: Another revision, very slight, and a different screen shot of a rearranged score, hopefully more readable.

With our earthly bodies broken,

            While our hopes fade into fear,

Bodies failing or cut open,

            Fates we never want to hear:

Where is Christ, the Great Physician?

            Where is Jesus’ healing touch?

Dare we question why this torment,

            Why we suffer pain so much?

Have we sinned somehow, unwitting?

            Have we failed to honor you?

Is there some great deed of service

            That we somehow failed to do?

Though your words refute such wond’ring,

            Make it clear that’s not your way,

Still we cannot help but question,

            Yet there’s nothing left to say.

Still you promise not to leave us,

            Though our doubting is not stayed.

You have claimed us in your kingdom,

            Though our fears are strong arrayed.

Should we fail yet to recover,

            If our wounds can never heal,

Let us not despair of knowing

            That your care for us is real.

Text: CSF, 2019.

Music: Suggested tune BEACH SPRING, The Sacred Harp, 1844.

God is not lifted up far away

God is not lifted up far away;

God is not hid in deeps far below;

Take this word on your heart and your tongue:

God is with you wherever you go.

Refrain:

May the Lord speak through you;

May you be God’s messenger on the way.

May the Lord shine through you,

How you live, how you work, what you say.

Who will offer the word of the Lord

To the ones who have not heard his name?

So how lovely the feet of the ones

Who will take the good news to proclaim!

Refrain

TEXT: CSF, 2014, 2019, after Romans 10:6-8, 15

MUSIC: Tune SWEET BY AND BY, Joseph P. Webster, 1868

This has previously existed with just the one verse as a charge and blessing; it felt as though Romans 10 had more to offer. And yes, this reaches back to an "oldie goldie" tune, along the lines of this hymn. 

For those who hold us up

For those who hold us up when we are weak and fall:

Give thanks to God for those who give their strength to one and all.

For those who hold our needs in earnest, faithful prayer:

Give thanks to God for those who will not judge us our despair.

For those who show us love we don’t deserve by far:

Give thanks to God for those who love us wholly as we are.

For those who hold our lives in love and care and grace:

Give thanks to God for people such as these here in this place.

TEXT: CSF, 2019

MUSIC: Tune JULIA, CSF, 2019

Note: yes, an original tune. It really needs to be harmonized for good four-part congregational singing. I am extremely poor at such things.

Hint.

HINT. 

BLATANT HINT.

New note: Blatant hinting works! See below a harmonization by Caleb Mutch, with thanks to Sarah Godbehere for sharing the original with him.

Lord, when surrounded

Lord, when surrounded by calls to fear and hatred,

And idols false are thrust before our way,            

Then teach us hope and peace as your path for us,

And be alone our comfort every day.

When those who lead us make for our adoration

Idols of nation and security,

Call us, as Micah did, to yearn for justice,

And you alone our mighty fortress be.

Help us remember you are a God of nations,

And nations all your life and Passion share.

So, when we claim that you are only our God,

We place ourselves outside your guiding care.

Teach us surrender to your salvation only,

Turning aside from prophets false of war,

‘Til we abide with you in perfect fullness,

Singing in praise and joy forevermore.

TEXT: CSF, 2013

MUSIC: Tune: DONNE SECOURS (altered), Scottish Psalter, 1635

With our physical lives broken

With our physical lives broken,

            With hope fading into fear,

Bodies failing or cut open,

            Fates we never want to hear:

Where is Christ, the Great Physician?

            Where is Jesus’ healing touch?

Dare we question why this torment,

            Why we suffer pain so much?

Have we sinned somehow, unwitting?

            Have we failed to honor you?

Is there some great deed of service

            That we somehow failed to do?

Though your words refute such wond’ring,

            Make it clear that’s not your way,

Still we cannot help but question

            When there’s nothing left to say.

Still you promise not to leave us,

            Though our doubting is not stayed.

You have claimed us in your kingdom,

            Ev’n amidst our fears arrayed.

Let us not despair of knowing

            That your care for us is real,

Even if we don’t recover

            Or our wounds can never heal.

Text: CSF, 2019.

Music: Suggested tune BEACH SPRING, The Sacred Harp, 1844.