On Monday, March 4, three members of Music that Makes Community's Board of Trustees, Rev. Breen Marie Sipes, Rev. Nancy Willbanks, and Adam Michael Wood, gathered on Zoom for an open 90 minute Drop-in jam of songs for Holy Week and Easter.  Here's the list they came up with!  It includes many well-known songs and some new tunes you may not have heard before.  May these songs be fodder for your preparations. And when you have a moment, whenever that is, let us know what you're doing in the comments.  We love to hear about new songs you've created and about experiments you've tried!  Everything is a lesson here.

General Resources

- https://www.musicthatmakescommunity.org/tags/lent 
- https://www.musicthatmakescommunity.org/tags/easter 
- https://anahernandez.org/sheet-music/ - search for paperless 

You can find additional songs on the MMC website or in our song resources, Singing in Community and Music By Heart. If you can’t locate a video or sheet music for a song, please reach out and we’ll help.

Lastly, take note of the copyright suggestions at the bottom of the page.  The songs listed here come from a various of sources with some covered by OneLicense and others you'll need to contact the originator directly.  

Jump to General Resources | Palm Sunday | Maundy Thursday | Good Friday | Vigil of Easter/Sunrise | Easter Sunday | Suggested Hymnals

Palm Sunday:  

Blessed is the One - Nate Houge
from All Creation Sings #929  

Pave the Way with Branches - Bret Hesla 
from All Creation Sings #928
See also Hymnary

The King of Glory Comes, the Nation Rejoices - Words: Willard Jabusch; Tune:  KING OF GLORY
usually Advent, could be great for Palm Sunday
See also Hymnary

Hosanna, Blessed One - Jay Beech 

Freedom (Jesus) is Coming - South African
See also Hymnary 

Ride on, King Jesus - spiritual

Maundy Thursday: 

Service for Maundy Thursday (or Good Friday)

from Nancy Willbanks: Here is a Maundy Thursday/Good Friday service - readings interspersed with 8 verses of Were You There, finishing with John L. Bell’s Lo, I am with you. Room in the service for traditional pieces of music or other paperless music. (This outline is from a PowerPoint with music embedded – we did this as a zoom service during the pandemic and did it “in person” pre-pandemic). 
Download from Dropbox

Individual forgiveness: 

Come, Bring Your Burdens to God - South African 
from All Creation Sings #1009 
See also Hymnary

Foot washing/Service: 

Ubi Caritas et Amor - Jacques Berthier
See also Hymnary 

God Welcomes All - words: John Bell; music: South African
from All Creation Sings #978 

Jesu, Jesu - words:  Tom Colvin; music: traditional Ghanaian love song 
See also Hymnary 

Holy Communion: 

Eat this Bread, Drink this Cup - Words: Taize; Music: Jacques Berthier
from Evangelical Lutheran Worship #472
See also Hymnary 

What We Need is Here - Amy McCreath

Here is Bread - Graham Kendrick 
from Evangelical Lutheran Worship #483 
See also Hymnary 

New Commandment/Love: 

The Greatest Commandment - Breen Sipes
Download the Score

Stripping of the Altar (Psalm 22): 

My God, My God, Why - a beautiful recording to play during the stripping of the altar (not paperless) 

Jump to General Resources | Palm Sunday | Maundy Thursday | Good Friday | Vigil of Easter/Sunrise | Easter Sunday | Suggested Hymnals

Good Friday: 

Stay with Me - Words: Taize; Music: Jacques Berthier
See also Hymnary 

Within Our Darkest Night - Words: Taize; Music: Jacques Berthier
See also Hymnary

Seven Last Words: 

Jesus, Remember Me - Words: Taize; Music: Jacques Berthier
Suggestion: Add second verse at end with single voice:  Truly I tell you/today you’ll be with me in paradise. 
from Evangelical Lutheran Worship #616 
See also Hymnary 

Bidding Prayer Intercessions: 

O Lord, Hear My Prayer - Words: Taize; Music: Jacques Berthier
from Evangelical Lutheran Worship #751  
See also Hymnary 

Lord, Listen to Your Children Praying - Ken Medema 
Suggestion:  maybe the whole thing at the beginning and end, with “Send us love, send us power, send us grace” in between each bid
from Evangelical Lutheran Worship #752 
See also Hymnary 

Solemn Reproaches: 

Contemporary Reproaches from Enemy of Apathy - Iona Community 

Stations of the Cross

Women of the Passion, A Journey to the Cross - Reflections: Katie Sherrod (Amazon); Music: Ana Hernández (website)

Jump to General Resources | Palm Sunday | Maundy Thursday | Good Friday | Vigil of Easter/Sunrise | Easter Sunday | Suggested Hymnals

Vigil of Easter/Easter Sunrise: 

Light of Christ: 

Christ Be Our Light - Breen and Patrick Sipes 

Songs to Greet Easter: 

Were You There - spiritual
Suggestion:  Sing one adapted verse “Were You There When God Raised Him from the Tomb”
See also Hymnary 

Easter Morn - text: Nancy Willbanks; tune:  Wexford Carol
Not a paperless song, but a gift from Nancy to our community!
Download from Dropbox 

Ecumenical Easter Sunrise: 

Nancy Willbanks has used some new hymns, some traditional, some less traditionally Christian, ie more humanist. What would you use from the MMC paperless repertoire at 6 a.m.? 🙂 
- 2022 Service in Dropbox 
- 2020 Service in Dropbox 

Easter Sunday: 

Christ Has Arisen, Alleluia! - Tanzanian
from Evangelical Lutheran Worship #364 

Alleluias

Halle, Halle, Hallelujah - Caribbean
from Evangelical Lutheran Worship #172 
See also Hymnary 

Hallelujah! Pelo tsa roma (We Sing Your Praises) - South African
See also Hymnary 

Mode VI Alleluia from the Graduale Simplex (Score)

Alleluia - Norah Duncan’s: 
Not the best recording, but it does have the music imbedded
See also Hymnary 

Alleluia - Ana Hernandez, from 31 Paperless Tunes to Open Your Heart on Ana’s website

Alleluia - Nancy Willbanks 
Download from Dropbox 

Prayer Responses during the season of Easter: 

O God, We Call - Linnea Good
See also Hymnary 

Meditation on Breathing - Sarah Dan Jones
(first layer: When I breathe in, I breathe in peace; when I breathe out, I breathe out love) 
From Singing the Journey, UU supplemental hymnal, available from the UUA Bookstore

What We Need Is Here - Amy McCreath

When You Call for Me - Linnea Good, from The Good Book II on Composer’s website

We Walk His Way (Ewe Thina) - John Bell
Included in songbook of same title, available from GIA

Hopeful Kyrie - Breen Sipes
Download the Score

Behold I Am With You - Adam Michael Wood
More resources available in the Notes detail of YouTube including a score 

Lo, I am with you - John L. Bell
From There is One Among Us, available from GIA
See also Hymnary 

Jump to General Resources | Palm Sunday | Maundy Thursday | Good Friday | Vigil of Easter/Sunrise | Easter Sunday | Suggested Hymnals

Suggested Hymn Books: 

Voices Together (Mennonite) 

All Creation Sings, abbreviated below as ACS (ELCA Lutheran) 

Music for Liturgy, compiled by St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal, San Francisco, CA

We Walk His Way: Shorter Songs for Worship, compiled by John Bell

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If you plan to use copyrighted musical material in worship, even paperlessly, make sure you abide by copyright law. Most pieces from hymnals and supplemental worship books are covered by Onelicense. Report your use of the piece (even if words or music are not printed) to make sure royalties are paid.

For new music or tunes shared by individuals within the MMC community, seek permission to use a song whenever possible and share the name of the composer. Purchase songs from composers’ websites (if they have one), send the song creator a “tip'' through Paypal/Venmo, or email them to ask how you can honor their creative efforts. This is one way we help support a sustainable ecosystem of song sharing.