Come thou fount of every blessing, from Sufjan Stevens Songs for Christmas
Don't forget tomorrow's book discussion of Good Fences: Boundaries of Hospitality by Caroline Westerhoff. It will be led by our very own Songbird. For tomorrow, I have a challenge -- even if you haven't read the book, drop by and say hi -- delurk, won't you? I'll even go out on a personal limb and do a drawing of a randomly generated number at the end of the day and the number post picked --- will get an upcoming RGBP book from the books discussed in the upcoming months! (Soon to be announced!) How's that for getting comments!
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Last week, I asked you all what you all sang in church and the responses were wonderful. One of the beauties of the church is the diversity of its music -- just imagine all that praying in song going on all at one time with voices in unison (or harmony).
So again, I ask you, what did you sing this Sunday at church???? Any favorites?
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OK...It's Sunday night now, so our Harvest Festival is well and truly done...We sang all the Anglican standards "Come, ye thankful people come" "We plough the fields and scatter" and Ps 65 to the "right" chant (ie, the one that I remember learning when I was about 12, in the church choir at home). We also sang a wonderful harvest hymn that I found, which is set to the Ode to Joy. I like it so much I think I'll post it over at mine
ReplyDeleteWe sang, "Come to my heart, Lord Jesus," "Borning Cry" (a baptism), and "On Christ the solid rock I stand." Oh, and something for the Offertory which I can't remember (duh, I picked it...but then at the Offertory I'm washing my hands and preparing to Preside at the Eucharist so I'm not as focused on that hymn...). "We sang Come thou font" last week also....
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this, I love "Come Thou Fount." We sang it at my ordination, and I can rarely get through it without a few tears. There is a version by Claire Holley on her CD "Sanctuary" that I am very fond of. We are kicking off the 150th anniversary of our Diocese and the theme is "Our Hope in Years to Come" so we samg "Oh God Our Help in Ages Past" as our processional this morning, another favorite.
ReplyDelete"Come Thou Fount" is one of my truly all-time favorites--thanks so much! I'm wondering if I dare post this after reading mompriest's, but this is a diverse group...
ReplyDeleteWe sang:
Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart; Son of God, Eternal Savior and Be Thou My Vision.
All very standards, but as it turned out, the music this morning was bloggable, nonetheless, and you can read about it if you're interested:
this morning's church music plus
I'm half-way through the book (after finding it where evidently I'd put it down a few weeks ago) and I gotta say, it's absolutely wonderful. I'm looking forward to everyone else's opinions. Blessings!
I was not at my own church. I was a guest at a former church--not speaking, just visiting. This was not a song we sang, actually, but someone played a beautiful version of it on the piano, and the words were projected on the wall. It was never one of my favorite hymns, and I have not heard it sung in a very long time. But as I sat in the pew feeling confused, fearful of the future and tumultuous, these words began to sink into my heart.
ReplyDeleteJesus, Savior, pilot me
over life's tempestuous sea;
unknown waves before me roll,
hiding rock and treacherous shoal.
Chart and compass come from thee;
Jesus, Savior, pilot me.
As a mother stills her child,
thou canst hush the ocean wild;
boisterous waves obey thy will,
when thou sayest to them, "Be sill!"
Wondrous sovreign of the sea,
Jesus, Savior, pilot me.
When at last I near the shore,
and the fearful breakers roar
'twixt me and the peaceful rest,
then, while leaning on thy breast,
may I hear thee say to me,
"Fear not, I will pilot thee."
I must rely on the one who sees the hidden dangers, but he has promised never to leave or forsake me, no matter how I feel.
First, I adore Come, O Fount, and we sang it last week.
ReplyDeleteThis week I introduced the congregation to "Won't You Let Me Be Your Servant," and it was strengthened by a really beautiful job on the organ accompaniment. We also sang "All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name" and "I Love to Tell the Story." It was a good day of singing.
We sang "God is Here" to a new tune and "For the Healing of the Nations."
ReplyDeleteWe also sang the 5th verse of Amazing Grace ("When we've been there/Ten thousand years...") for a Communion response.
I love "Come Thou Font."
at contemporary worship: seek ye first the kingdom of God, at traditional, the choir sang "let justice flow like a river" and we sang When Peace Like a River (It is Well with my soul)"
ReplyDeleteby the way "come thou fount" is one of my favorite songs too, right up there with "how firm a foundation" and "Lord whose love in humble service"
ReplyDeleteWow --- I came back from our book group at church (we read A Thousand Splendid Suns) and all of these comments -- I love to hear what folks have sung.
ReplyDeleteWe sang for the Eucharistic hymns, Let us Break Bread Together, and Seek Ye First.
Be Thou My Vision, Christ is the World's True Light, and I can't remember the entrance hymn, can only remember the tune!
Kathryn, I really love those Thanksgiving hymns, especially "We plough the fields and scatter".
I was at a Zen workshop this weekend and the liturgy was in "zen mode", sparse in setting, sparse in words and no music. When I went past the chapel on the grounds this morning and heard the soprano sing a glorious Eucharistic hymn, I felt like the starving orphan at the door of the candy shop!
ReplyDeleteSo thank you Cathy for the gift of a hymn tonight..
And Songbird, I love "Won't You Let Me Be Your Servant" which my parish sings...
Our hymn of the day was "Let justice flow like streams." The entrance humn was "Praise to the Lord, the almighty," and sending was "For the fruit of all creation" (since we are in harvest here). Hymns during eucharist (they have to be old standards or no one will sing) were "Just as I am," "Amazing Grace," and "Jesus loves me."
ReplyDeleteThanks for the beautiful visuals with "Come thou fount." It made my evening!
An occaisional lurker here...
ReplyDeleteSufjan Stevens is amazing! I've sang some of his other works in my church (he's got a beautiful one about the Transfiguration and another about Resurrection from his album, "Seven Swans"). "Songs for Christmas" is also amazing, with familiar Christmas hymns, and fun songs of his own (like "That was the worst Christmas ever!")--not all are related to Christmas.
As for what I sang this week. Well, I attend a church that changes this up constantly (we are an "emerging church"), and depart from the Lectionary once a month...this was that week. Anyway, one of the songs was of Taize, "The Kingdom of God is Justice and peace"
We sang some great stuff this morning, much of which was unfamiliar to me, so I'll have to grab the bulletin at work tomorrow and share.
ReplyDeleteAs far as "Come Thou Fount..." I love the hymn, but whenever we get to the line that says "here I raise my Ebenezer", my inner 13 year old gets visions of trying to hold Ebenezer Scrooge up over my head and I get a case of the giggles.
See, I'm giggling now...dang it...
I LOVE Sufjan Stevens and his Christmas album rocks. Thanks for reminding me of this little treasure.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of giggling --- today husband's 9 year old daughter and I sung "What a friend we have in Jesus" for the offertory. This was her first experience singing a "solo" --- before the service, I told her if she got really really nervous, she could always think about singing to everyone in their underwear. Well, that set her to giggling. (probaly silly of me to suggest that). Anyway, we did make it through our little duet and we had fun singing it. Now she wants to be a layreader!
ReplyDeleteI love Come Thou Fount -- so much so that my decidedly unchurchy husband seriously thinks that it's in every service I have anything to do with.
ReplyDeleteWe sand "Praise ye the Lord" for the small snippet of service I got to attend.
(general question: is it common to have church school during the only morning service? because I'm finding it quite disorienting to come in when the service is 80% done...)
I actually blog over here now
If you have not heard the rest of Sufjan's 3 CD collection of Christmas music I HIGHLY recommend it. Wow - I get really tired of Christmas music around November 28th, but I could listen to this CD collection all year round. Beautiful stuff. So are his other cds: Seven Swans; Illinois; and Michigan. You can hear more of his music here
ReplyDeleteAnyway, this morning we sang Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah, Blessed Assurance and God You Spin the Whirling Planets. The choir sang The Lord's Prayer - but not the Mallotte version. This one is written by a local Oklahoma musician, Mary Sallee. A choir sang this version at my wedding, and since our 3 year anniversary is on Tuesday, the choir director decided to do it today in honor of our big day :)
We sang "God of Abraham and Sarah" by James Gertmenian, "Lord I Want to Be a Christian," and "Great Is your Faithfulness". Also a Taizé chant for introit (with the choir) and another at the prayers (by the choir). Anthem was "There Is a Balm in Gilead" which I love and is much more accessible than the usual anthems at Big Taupe Church.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, "Come Thou Fount" is also the favorite of my daughter the seminarian, and my husband has written words to it for an Earth Day hymn (or any time you need an environmentally-conscious one). Contact me if you are interested, he is always thrilled to have one of his hymns used.
ReplyDeleteMompriest, I used to be a church secretary in a Lutheran church. At one point we had baptisms about 4 weeks in a row and each family picked Ylvisaker as their baptismal hymn. After several weeks of this I typed "Boring Cry" by mistake and the pastor *almost* let me keep it in! Still, it always brings a tear to me eye. Sounds like everyone sang some great hymns, it's too bad we can't be in more than one church at a time!
I'm feeling all left out - never heard "Come to the Fount" and it's not in the books I have either.
ReplyDeleteBut I forgot to say hooray for Sufjan - whom I only discovered this year :-)
I love this video! My hubby and I sang this in college. I had never heard it before then, but now I love it! It really get to the gritty part of life and then salvation. Does that sentence make any sense? I know what I mean.
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid I was at home sick with the kids, so I didn't get to sing. :(
I love Come Thou Font and am sorry we didn't sing it.
ReplyDeleteI was NOT sorry we were traveling so I missed singing one of the Chichester Psalms. No. 131, to be exact. In HEBREW to be more exact. Not my fav. At all.
We sang "Not here for high and holy things," oh joy!
ReplyDeletehow did your duet go?
QG - Chichester Psalms is a booger! However, I do like it. I would only want to sing it with a jam up good choir.
ReplyDeleteMB - the duet went well - we sang as one voice -- and she is quite the card!!
We did a simple house mass in memory of baby Julian, and besides our usual service music I sang the English translation of the "In Paradisum" that we did at Rachel's funeral.
ReplyDeleteMay the angels lead you into paradise,
May the martyrs come to welcome you,
And take you to the holy city,
The new and eternal Jerusalem.
May the choirs of angels welcome you,
Where Lazarus is poor no longer.
May you have eternal rest;
May you have eternal rest.
And as I sang Nicholas and Katie simultaneously got up and began to dance...