Prayer Song: “Fear Not the Pain”

Sheet Music

Audio

Songs for Pentecost and Summer 2017

Hello songleaders and hello everyone! Here is the music we’ll be singing from Pentecost (June 4) through to the fall. We’ll switch some songs up from time to time, so check the date spans on the list below to make sure you learn the relevant music for the service you’re leading. Click the linked song titles to hear the recording.

Good to remember: no matter the date or season, these are the songs you will need for the service: 1) Gathering Song, 2) Candle Lighting Song, 3) Table Acclamation, 4) Prayer Song, 5) Offering Song, 6) Final Hymn.

1) Gathering Song

June 4 – June 19

Come Holy Spirit

June 25 – Sept 4

Come All You People

-or-

Sing God’s Praises Glory Hallelu

-or-

Jesus, We Are Gathered

2) Candle Lighting Song

June 4 – July 17

Come Light of Lights

July 23 – Sept 4

Christ is Our Guiding Light

3) Table Acclamation

Summer Table Acclamation

4) Prayer Song

Song Leader’s Choice

5) Offering Song

June 4 – July 17

Caribbean Alleluia

July 23 – Sept 4

Know That God Is Good (sheet music)

6) Final Hymn

June 4 – 19

Come Down O Love Divine

June 25 – July 17

Spirit I Have Heard You Calling

July 23 – Aug 14

Day is Done

Aug 20 – Sept 4

All Who Hunger Gather Gladly (sheet music)

Songs for Easter Season, 2017

This is a place for our Song Leaders, as well as congregants, to learn the songs we sing at St. Lydia’s. 

Song Leaders and singers, here’s the place to find and practice ALL the music we’ll be singing during the season of Easter in 2017!  Bookmark this page so that you can check in often to listen to the pieces and practice.

Gathering Song: “Kiev Alleluia”

Candle Lighting Song: “The Lord is My Light,” Lillian Bouknight

Eucharistic Prayer Setting: “Festive Table Acclamation,” Paul Vasile

Prayer Song: Song Leader’s Choice.  A selection of songs may be found here.

Gathering Song at the Offering: “Mxadana Alleluia”

Closing Hymn: “Now the Green Blade Rises,” French Carol or “Jesus Christ is Risen Today”

Songs For Lent, 2017

It is Lent! The time when we wander in the wilderness together, and find still quiet spaces to listen for the voice of God. Everything gets a little more spare, our music included.

Gathering Song

A Kyrie Eleison, which means, “Lord, Have Mercy.” This Kyrie is from the Iona Community in Scotland.

John Bell Kyrie

Procession to the Table Song

This juicy tune, “Here is Bread for the Hungry Soul,” which reminds us we are forgiven and also that we’re going to eat soon! The harmonies are recorded for you, but folks will mostly improvise off the melody!

Note: I usually flip the words to, “here is bread for the hungry heart, here is wine for the thirsty soul, because I think the alliteration sounds better and makes the song easier to remember!

“Here is Bread for the Hungry Soul,” words: Mary Kay Beall; music: John Carter

Sheet Music

Table Acclamation

We’ll use the very simple Lent Table Acclamation

Prayer Song

What We Need Is Here, written by the students of the Episcopal Student Group at MIT. A lovely setting of the first line of the poem by Wendall Berry.

Offering Song

Love and Faithfulness Shall Lead

Closing Hymn

What Wondrous Love is This

*Please note, the harmonies on this recording are not the harmonies from our current sheet music.

Songs for Epiphany, 2016

Learn the music we’ll be singing in the season of Epiphany, which takes us from just after Christmas to the beginning of Lent on March 1 and is a season about God’s light found in all the ordinary places. 

Jyothi Dho Prabhu (Give Us Light)

This beautiful tune from India may be sung in both Hindi and English.

You can listen to a simple recording by John Bell and Alison Adam. This version is quite slow, and has a higher part in the middle that we will not sing at St. Lydia’s.

Sheet music of the tune with the text may be found here.

Text you can use:

Jyothi Dho, jyothi dho, jyothi dho prabhu. (Be sure to tell people that these words are Hindi and mean “give us light.”

Give us light, give us light, give us light O Lord.

Give us peace, give us peace, give us peace O Lord.

Save us now, save us now, save us now O Lord.

Give us life, give us life, give us life O Lord.

Music for Advent 2016

Dear Song Leaders,

Saint Lydia’s celebrates a lengthened Advent season that begins on Sunday, November 6.  Here is the music we’ll be singing during that time.

Gathering hymn: “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”

Lamp Lighting hymn: “Creator of the Stars of Night”

Table Acclamation: “Vasile Advent Table Acclamation”

Prayer Songs: (The usual choices)

Post-Cleanup Gathering song: “Amen Siakudumisa/Amen, We Praise Your Name, O God”

Final Hymn:

“Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus” (November 6-21)

“For the Beauty of the Earth” (November 27-28)

“In the Bleak Midwinter” (December 4 – 19)

As always, listening and practicing at home is a great way to feel more at home with the material.  Even if you are not currently scheduled to lead song during Advent, familiarizing yourself with the material helps you prepare for the moment when someone has to cancel at the last minute and you volunteer to step in.  And, of course, even when you are not song leading, being able to sing these confidently will help the congregation find its way.  You’ll get an appreciative smile from the song leader.

Enjoy these.  Enjoy Advent.  And thank you for taking up this wonderful piece of hospitality — song leading.

Songs We Sing — “In the Bleak Midwinter”

Most excellent Song Leaders,

Here’s a gentle final hymn for Advent, “In the Bleak Midwinter.”

The sheet music is here:  In-the-bleak-midwinter.

And here’s a lovely online recording that gives you the sense of tempo and mood.

If it’s within your power to make it snow outside as we sing, by all means, do.  🙂

Songs We Sing — “For the Beauty of the Earth”

Hello, Song Leaders!

Here’s a lovely hymn of thanks and praise, “For the Beauty of the Earth.”

Here’s the sheet music.  For the Beauty of the Earth

And here’s a video of it performed by organ and choir.

Remember that it helps those who are less familiar with the hymn to sing the first verse on melody only before breaking into parts.

Enjoy this beautiful hymn, and thanks for your leadership!

Songs We Sing — “Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus”

Hello, Song Leaders!

Here’s a final hymn for Advent, “Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus.”

We’ve set the words to a to a tune you might have sung with the text “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling . . . ”

Here’s the sheet music.  Come Thou Long Expected Jesus.

And here’s a practice recording — Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus — with a piano playing all four parts.  Because it’s so short, only two verses, we might break our usual custom of waiting until verse 2 to add harmony.  Depending on your sense of the group’s ability to find their way through it, you can invite people to break into parts right away.  If you do that, make sure that you or some other strong singers are going to hold down the melody to guide less familiar people through the hymn.

Thank you for leading!