This is a selection from the (not revised) Grail text of Psalm 51 set by Jennifer O’Brien. Her music is always reliable and singable and this is no exception, although you will need a cantor for the verses.
The text is in this post, where verse 1 is 3/4; verse 2 is 12/13 and verse 3 is 14/15.
I struggle with these triumphant texts but I suppose they have a place. This one is written by James E Seddon and the lyrics are here.
It is often set to LUX EOI and ABBOT’S LEIGH, but CWB II uses HYFRYDOL.
This anonymous text based on Matt 11:28 is set to an old Irish tune MISNEACH. I believe it is pronounced MISH-NOCK.
I’m a sucker for slow Irish lament and if you are looking for an alternative to the song by Greg Norbet you could do worse. How can you go past the understatement of “life without you would be lonely”?
1. “Come to me all your who labour; come, and I will give you rest.”
So we hear your invitation to each soul to be your guest;
and we answer with deep longing, while our sinfulness we see,
“Jesus, Lord, I am not worthy, yet in mercy come to me.”
2. Here, among your pilgrim people is the home of your true love,
Where we praise you, Lord and Master, reigning from your throne above;
Life without your would be lonely, so our prayer must ever be:
“Jesus, Lord, I am not worthy, yet in mercy come to me.”
3. All is joy when you are with us, earth can never joy impart
like the peace and holy splendour of your visit to each heart;
All forgotten grief and sorrow, as with trust we make our plea,
“Jesus, Lord, I am not worthy, yet in mercy come to me.”
This is what I wanted CWB II to be – lots of new songs by Australian songwriters. It isn’t.
This song, written by Peter Grant, is at least from this millennium and has an uplifting tune to carry his hopeful text. You can purchase this song at As One Voice.
Since this song is not well known I have put up Peter’s text so you can sing along with my backing to learn the piece.
Refrain
Christ Light, shining in the darkness.
Christ Light, drive away our fears.
Christ Light, lead us to our home, safe harbour.
Christ Light, shine on us we pray.
1. Let the light of the Lord blaze out in the night:
let the love of the Lord be our guide.
With the Word of the Lord as our beacon light,
We’ll go forth with the Lord at our side.
2. Let the Word of the Lord be light for our way
and we’ll walk in the darkness no more.
With the light of the Lord turning night into day,
We will live in this light evermore!
3. Let us carry the light of Christ to the world;
Shine his light where there’s darkness and pain.
Let the banner of love be held high and unfurled;
Tell the Good News again and again.
copyright Peter Grant 2005
Readings:
Acts 1:1-11
Hebrews 9:24-28; 19:19-23
Luke 24:46-53
Luke’s Gospel is full of hospitality and meals and this is where it was all heading. The Lucan community experienced the presence of Christ, and hence his Resurrection, in their meals together, which became their recapitulation of Jesus’ life and mission. The Emmaus story emphasises this with the resurrected Christ only being recognised when they broke bread (Luke 24:31). Until then the apostles thought that story the women brought back was nonsense. (24:11) He next appears at a gathering where he is given a meal. (24:42) The readings from Luke and Acts today tell much the same story with incompatible time management, so we know we are in Kairos time here, with the more obviously liturgical reading in Acts once again siting his appearance to tell them to wait in Jerusalem for the arrival of the Spirit “at table”. (1:4) Whatever timing or cosmology you give to the Ascension stories they tell of a community that fully understands Jesus’s absence after his sacrificial death, and the Hebrews reading connects that story to Eucharist in today’s scripture, but also that they clearly felt the real presence of Christ in the breaking, blessing and giving meals that brought them together and fueled with that their mission began.
Entrance: Lift Up Your Hearts (O’Connor) AOV 1/156
Psalm 46 (McKenna)
God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
Gifts: The Fullness of God (Andersen) AOV 2/62
Communion: In the Breaking of the Bread (Hurd) AOV 1/58
Thanksgiving: Lord, the Light of Your Love (Kendrick) AOV 2/59
Recessional: Go Make a Difference (Angrisano/Tomaszek) AOV NG 52
A simple, direct hymn of praise suitable for many purposes: trinity, entrance, etc. It was written by Fred Pratt Green and the text can be found here.
It is set to CHRISTE SANCTORUM.
It works well as a solo.
…or in a cathedral with an organ.
… or even with the Notre Dame Folk Choir:
This is a rather lovely text emphasising unity in the Eucharist by Timothy Rees. It would work as a communion and entrance hymn.
The tune is a C17 Viennese melody called SOLL’S SEIN that I hadn’t heard of and, for a traditional style tune, is quite wonderful too.
1 Christ is the heav’nly food that gives
to every famished soul
new life and strength, new joy and hope,
and faith to make them whole.
We all are made for God alone,
without whom we are dead;
no food suffices for the soul
but Christ, the living bread.
2 Christ is the unity that binds
in one the near and far;
for we who share his life divine,
his living body are:
On earth, and in the realms beyond,
one fellowship are we;
and at his table we are knit
in mystic unity.
This is a translation of a C7 Latin text Urbs beata Hierusalem by John Chandler. I’ve used the variant translation found in CWB II. It is set to Samuel Sebastian Wesley’s HAREWOOD.
1 Christ is our corner-stone,
on whom alone we build;
with his true saints alone
the courts of heav’n are filled:
on his great love
our hopes we place
of present grace
and joys above.2 With psalms and hymns of praise
this holy place shall ring;
our voices we will raise
the Three in One to sing;
and thus proclaim
in joyful song,
both loud and long,
that glorious name.3 Here, gracious God, draw near
and move among us now;
receive each fervent prayer,
accept each faithful vow;
and more and more
on all who pray
each holy day
thy blessings pour.4 Here may we gain from heav’n
the grace which we implore;
and may that grace, once giv’n,
be with us evermore,
until that day
when all the blest
to endless rest
are called away.
This simple succinct Eucharistic text by Reginald Heber is set to RENDEZ A DIEU in CWB II.
Bread of the world in mercy broken,
wine of the soul in mercy shed,
by whom the words of life were spoken,
and in whose death our sins are dead.
Look on the heart by sorrow broken,
look on the tears by sinners shed;
and make your feast to us the token
that by thy grace our souls are fed.
This song in Latin is by Marty Haugen and based on the antiphon from the Good Friday liturgy:
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
The text is at Hymnary. Haugen’s setting is very like a Taize chant with a repeated refrain and verses sung over them. The refrain is meant for a 3 part canon, which will be 4 parts while the cantor is doing the verses.
I can only find the handbells arrangement at GIA.
