Music

We gather and open our worship with Psalm 23, written by Stuart Townend in the late 1990s, is a contemporary setting of the biblical psalm that pairs a gentle folk‑influenced melody with a deeply personal expression of trust. Its meaning emphasizes God’s steadfast guidance, protection, and comforting presence, inviting believers to sing the psalm’s promises as their own lived confession of faith. During the procession we will sing The King of Love My Shepherd Is, written in 1

It’s the Third Sunday after Easter.  We will gather with Take My Life that I May Be, a well-loved Christian hymn of surrender and commitment. Frances Ridley Havergal wrote the lyrics in 1874 following a spiritual experience, with each stanza designed as a prayer for total dedication. 

EASTER SUNDAY is a celebration of great music.  We will gather with In Christ Alone, a contemporary Christian hymn composed in 2001 by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend.  Its four verses recount the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

We celebrate Palm Sunday with its triumphal procession of Jesus into Jerusalem, singing All Glory Laud and Honor as we also process into church, a 9th‑century Latin hymn written by Theodulf of Orléans for Palm Sunday processions.

Back to this Sunday.  Our sequence hymn comes from the Taizé community.  Wait for the Lord is a well-known meditative chant composed by Jacques Berthie.  “Waiting for the Lord” is a central theme in many spiritual traditions, typically representing a period of active trust, preparation, and patience rather than passive inactivity.

Our musical worship this Sunday begins with the Sequence song, “Be Thou My Vision”, which began as a 6th‑century Irish monastic prayer attributed to St. Dallán Forgaill; later translated into English and paired with the traditional Irish folk tune Slane.

This Sunday we will continue our Lenten tradition of beginning the worship service in silence.  Although very appropriate, I am not a fan of this tradition.   Our sequence hymn, Down to the River to Pray is a traditional American folk song with roots that date back to the 19th century. While its exact origins are unknown, it is often described as an African American spiritual, an Appalachian song, and a Southern gospel hymn.  The song sets the tone for the Gospel.   During c

Respecting the subdued theme of Lent, we will not have gathering or processional hymns this Sunday but will begin the musical portion of our worship with the Kyrie, the roots of which reach back to the Greek-speaking Jewish Scriptures

 As we have entered the period of Lent, our music for this Sunday will reflect a more contemplative mode, combined with songs that pay tribute to our Cub Scouts and the scouting program.

This Sunday’s music is very familiar, and they are all contemporary songs.  We will gather with "They'll Know We Are Christians by Our Love", a popular Christian hymn written in the 1960s by Father Peter Scholtes. His inspiration comes from John 13:35: "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another". 

This Sunday’s music is very familiar, and they are all contemporary songs.