Praise the One Who Calls and Names Us

This hymn is the one I wrote this week.   I'm using Marcia McFee's Worship Design Studio to plan my worship, at least periodically (I'm a solo pastor of a rural charge, without a lot of layfolks interested in worship, so I sometimes have limited time.)  This week I'm riffing on her Who Are You?? Epiphany Plus series, as it were, but her music suggestions are mostly contemporary.  I can do ONE contemporary song in a service, but I can't do 3 or 4 (and I typically use congregational song 3 to 5 different times in a service.)  Unable to find just the right hymn, I wrote one. 

I have to say that this is the quickest I've ever had a hymn go from inspiration to bulletin.  I wrote it in one day.  The first line, and title is a bit of a homage to a song I wish I'd used last week, Marty Haugen's Up from the Water.  It's about God naming us, Us naming/defining ourselves, and the reminder not to try to name/define others.   Thanks to Suzan Broadbent from Australia, who gave me some ideas when I was stuck on one line.


This hymn is distributed via a Creative Commons 4.0 Attribution Non Commercial license. You are free to use, adapt, and reproduce this as long as you attribute me and do not sell it or the derivative work.

Sheltering Wings

Verne Arens was my pastor for 23 years, and he nurtured my growing call to deep involvement in the church, right up till when he retired.  As Pastor of Little River United Church of Christ in Annandale, VA, Verne weekly provided wonderful sermons.

In February 2010 he did a sermon that centered on the image of God as a hen, protecting her chicks, which Jesus uses as he gazes on Jerusalem.   He followed it up with a hymn that played on the many names of God, but did NOT include the image.   As I left the sanctuary that day, I said to Verne, "You need a hen hymn."  But the hymn did not come easy, and the idea was shelved for the time.  Finally, about a year later I presented Verne with Sheltering Wings.  The theme of the hymn is inspired by his sermon that day (and attributed in the hymn.)

In February 2013, when the same scripture reading came up, now as pastor of my own churches, I brought out "Sheltering Wings." and had my congregation sing it.   That was a great deal of fun.

I have always felt that inclusiveness is better achieved when we bring in the various biblical visions of God - Sheltering Wings, like We Celebrate You, God of All Creation, has a mother God image, this time deeply biblical.  Enjoy.
This hymn is distributed via a Creative Commons 4.0 Attribution Non Commercial license. You are free to use, adapt, and reproduce this as long as you attribute me and do not sell it or the derivative work.

We Celebrate You God of All Creation

My first hymn ever was written in 2009 for the Central Atlantic Conference of the United Church of Christ.  Their annual meeting was themed around creation care, and they had a hymn contest. The winners of the contest were to have their hymns sung during the weekend.  This was the closing hymn of the opening  worship, and has a theme of penitence for our misuse of our world, along with hope for healing of that damage.

I have always loved Sibelius' tune Finlandia, to which this is set.   I think it is one of the most beautiful hymn tunes that exists, and evokes the grandeur of creation.  

This is still my most popular, most sung, and most distributed hymn.   It is free to use and copy by all nonprofit organizations.   Connect with me if you are commercial.  This hymn is distributed via a Creative Commons 4.0 Attribution Non Commercial license.  You are free to use, adapt, and reproduce this as long as you attribute me and do not sell it or the derivative work. 

Why I'm here!!!!!

 As a fairly new UCC pastor (ordained April 2012) I have often struggled with New vs. Old music.   My primarily older congregations (I pastor a rural charge) prefer some stability, but the hymnals are not always helpful (especially the congregation using the 1941 E&R Hymnal.)  Plus there are themes specific to my congregation or to the message I am giving that sometimes don't have a good option for hymns.

Add to that the seminary prof, who I will forever be grateful to, who encouraged us to respond to biblical studies with creative endeavor. 

So I write hymns.  But just the words.  Unfortunately, I am not a music writer, and I need the music to write the words, to get them to come.  So I write new hymns to old melodies.   So my congregation can engage in new theology with some feeling of comfort (yeah, I love new music as well, but use that in moderation.)

Join me on the journey.   I'll periodically post hymns I've written, generally both lyrics, and pdfs of the lyrics in their musical setting. I may also post pieces of liturgy I've written, or ideas for multi level worship. 

I'm publishing online under a creative commons 4.0 Attribution/Non Commercial license.   More on that later today.