Holy Cross Music Notes for Sunday 5-24-2026

Music during the Pentecost season centers on themes of the Holy Spirit, the birth of the Church, fire, wind, and the mission of spreading the Gospel. To me, that means being on fire for the Lord and spreading His love.

My favorite Pentecost song is Light the Fire by Bill and JoAnn Maxwell, written in 1986. Our Holy Cross worship service will close with this song. The lyrics act as an honest confession from a believer who has grown weary, distracted, struggling, or spiritually cold due to the pressures of daily life:

“I stand to praise You, but I fall down on my knees;my spirit is willing, but my flesh is so weak.”

We can all relate to this. In the chorus, the believer reaches out to Christ and asks Him to “light the fire” and “fan the flame.” We can also do this for each other — lifting one another up and sharing Christ’s love. Let’s light the fire under each other. You can fan the flame for someone in need. This is what Holy Cross is all about.

So don’t leave church early — stay for our closing song. I’ll be showing off my 12-string guitar, with the sole purpose of making sure you leave strong and smiling as we close the service.

We will gather appropriately with Gather Us Lord, written by Scott Goudeau. The song is a prayer for unity, spiritual refinement, and the coming of God’s kingdom.

Our processional hymn comes right from the Episcopal Hymnal: Hail Thee, Festival Day. We will sing the Pentecost verses, which detail the arrival of the Holy Spirit descending swiftly “in the likeness of fire” to bless the apostles. Us Episcopalians have been singing this song all our lives.

Our sequence hymn comes from the Taizé community. Veni Sancte Spiritus is Latin for “Come, Holy Spirit.” Written around the 13th century, it is officially prescribed in the Roman Rite to be sung or recited during Mass on Pentecost Sunday.

The offertory hymn is the familiar Transfigure Us, O Lord, a contemporary liturgical hymn composed by Bob Hurd in 2002.

During Communion, we will sing O Breathe on Me, O Breath of God, an English Christian hymn written by vicar and classics professor Edwin Hatch. First printed privately in 1878 under the Latin title Spiritus Dei (“Spirit of God”), it serves as a deeply personal prayer for spiritual renewal, purity, and alignment with the divine will. The imagery draws from foundational biblical moments where God breathes life into creation (Genesis 2:7) and Jesus breathes the Holy Spirit onto His disciples (John 20:22).

Hopefully there will also be time to break into a Holy Cross favorite, I Am the Bread of Life.

And don’t forget our closing song, Light the Fire. Take a listen:

Light the Fire on YouTube