The bizarreness of pandemic life is something many of us continue to struggle with, particularly when we have devoted our working life to lifting up congregational song, and for the past year that collective voice has been silenced. As we prepare to return to our buildings, when public health guidelines allow us to do so safely, here’s a song from our catalogue which may find new meaning for you. Originally written for Epiphany worship, “Returning Home a Different Way” captures some of the hope we feel as we will, in time, find our song to sing together again. Here’s a revised piano/vocal score and our original recording for you to share with your community. Note the language change at the end of the chorus in the score – “we are sister, brother” misses the many expressions of gender identity we experience today, so we have changed the language to “Through loving one another” to address the issue. Blessings, everyone!
A song for July 5
I wrote “Come to Me” for Cheryl and her mother when Dad died in 1994. As I see the Matthew text come around in the lectionary again I am reminded of what a comfort this song has been to us over the years. And the recording is 25 years old now! Enjoy, and share with your community.
Click to access come_to_me.pdf
A psalm refrain for Trinity Sunday, June 7
We just realized a psalm refrain which we’ve been using for years isn’t up on the site! So here it is, O God, Our God, How Glorious is Your Name, a refrain for Psalm 8, which appears again in the lectionary readings for Trinity Sunday. Enjoy!
Now is the Moment
We’re leading music these days for Living Interfaith Sanctuary, a contemplative community in Vancouver, BC, which meets every two weeks and lives the seasons by celebrating a faith festival close to the meeting date. This coming Saturday is a combined celebration of the Christian festival of Ascension along with an exploration of the Unity Consciousness tradition, presenting a challenge to us to provide songs which can support and feed both perspectives. Now is the Moment is an attempt to meet both needs, evoking the waiting for the presence of the Holy Spirit in the Ascension texts and the celebration of Now, the desire for true presence in the current moment which is one of the hallmarks of Unity Consciousness. Enjoy and share!
A revised psalm refrain for Ascension, May 21
Psalm 47 is the lectionary psalm for the Day of Ascension, May 21, celebrated by many congregations on May 24 as Ascension Sunday. Here’s a revised score for our psalm refrain, God Has Gone Up With a Shout, with an instrumental interlude to accompany spoken reading of the psalm in between sung refrains. Enjoy!