This expressive prayer song from the Iona Community is especially effective for Advent and can be taught through call and echo patterns. It has been used as a Gathering Song, for lighting Advent Candles, Prayers of the People, and Passing of the Peace. It's a zipper/pocket song and you can easily insert themes of the Advent season (hope, joy, and love).
The piece is effective as a simple melody but a beautiful choral harmonization and descant can also be added once the congregation part is secure. Listen to a setting from the Iona Community here.
"Come, O Lord, and set us free.
Give your people peace.
Come, O Lord, and set us free.
Come, Lord Jesus, come."
Alternative text:
Give your people hope...
Give your people joy...
Give your people love...
Copyright for the piece is held by GIA Publications, Inc. so you'll need a OneLicense membership to print the text or music.
The song was composed by John Bell and published in We Walk His Way from Wild Goose Publications.
Here's a video of AnnaMarie Hoos sharing the song at the Bishop's Ranch in January of 2015:
Here is a teaching track from St. Lydia's in Brooklyn, which uses it as a candle lighting during the Advent season.
Come, Light of Lights is layered song composed by Ruth Cunningham that can also be sung as a 2, 3 or 4-part canon/round.
The song is useful as an invocation or introit, a call to prayer, or a sung Prayer for Illumination. Many communities also sing it during Advent.
"Come, light of lights into my heart.
Come, wisdom of Spirit into my heart."
Ruth has given faith communities permission to sing and share the song without copyright restrictions.
Sheet music can be found in Singing In Community, our latest songbook published by Augsburg Fortress, and in Music By Heart.
Here's video of Emily Scott leading the song at a Music that Makes Community workshop in Atlanta:
Here's a step-by-step teaching video made by Paul Vasile:
This call and echo song by John Bell is an invocation of Spirit including the Aramaic phrase Maranatha (Our Lord-come!), which appears in early Christian prayers and liturgy. The piece could be effective during Advent or Pentecost, or as an invitation to gathering or prayer.
One key to leading the piece is a gesture that invites the group to sustain the final note of each phrase, while the leader sings the next phrase over it. Some leaders make a circular motion or move their hand outward to invite a continued sound.
"Come, Holy Spirit. (Come, Holy Spirit.)
Come, Holy Spirit. (Come, Holy Spirit.)
*Maranatha! (Maranatha!)
Come, Lord, come! (Come, Lord, come!)"
*Some song leaders in the MMC community substitute 'Come among us" or 'Dwell among us' in place of the Aramaic word.
Copyright for the piece is held by GIA Publications, Inc. so you'll need a OneLicense membership to print the music or text.
Find sheet music for Come, Holy Spirit here.
Here is a video of Scott Weidler teaching the song at a workshop in Baldwinsville, NY:
This short, affirming song by John Bell references passages from 2 Corinthians 5:17 and Revelation 21:5. It is a wonderful song of commitment and could be effective as a song of praise, sung Assurance of Pardon, sermon response, or sending song.
"Behold, behold I make all things new,
beginning with you and starting from today.
Behold, behold I make all things new,
my promise is true for I am Christ the way."
Copyright for the piece is held by GIA Publications, Inc. so you'll need a OneLicense membership to print the text or music.
The song was originally published in the collection Come All You People, published by the Iona Community in Scotland. A short sample recording is available on their website.
Here is a video of Paul Vasile modeling how you might teach the song to a group.
This call and response song setting was composed by Mark Howe and has a haunting, challenging, and beautiful shape. The tender, reverent language of this 5th century Syrian Eucharistic prayer is also striking.
Teach the response first and let the community become comfortable with the intervals through repetition. Once learned, the community might slowly walk or dance their way to the table while singing, pausing to listen to the verses.
The piece is most effective when accompanied by a drone instrument (a shruti box or a soft unison or open fifth on the organ).
"Come all, draw near and eat.
Your heavens are too high for us to reach, (Refrain)
But here in your house you come close. (Refrain)
Your throne is a fire none can touch, (Refrain)
But here you live and dwell in bread and wine. (Refrain)
You come to us so we can touch you. (Refrain)
You draw us to you with cords of love. (Refrain)
You dwell tenderly with us. (Refrain)"
Mark has given faith communities permission to sing and share the song without copyright restrictions.
Sheet music can be found in Singing In Community, our latest songbook published by Augsburg Fortress, or in Music By Heart.
Here's a downloadable audio recording of Emily Scott teaching this song and giving suggestions for how to lead it paperlessly (scroll down on the page to "February 9-March 3" to find the song).
Here is a video of the song made by Paul Vasile using Acapella, an iPhone/iPad music collaboration app.
Christ Is Our Guiding Light was composed by Rev. Eric Law of the Kaleidoscope Institute and works well as a canon or round in 2, 3 or 4 parts. There is also a lovely descant line for a cantor to sing once the group is confident. It could be used as a candle lighting song, for the Passing of Peace, and even in protests and marches.
"Christ is our guiding light:
Come, let us walk in the way of peace."
Sheet music can be found in Singing In Community, our latest songbook published by Augsburg Fortress, or in Music By Heart.
Here's a video of Ruth Williamson leading Christ is Our Guiding Light at Music that Makes Community in Los Angeles in October of 2008.
Arise, Shine is a two-part layered song composed by Ruth Cunningham. It's been shared at many MMC workshops and is a wonderful way to introduce your community to paperless singing.
While the text from Isaiah 60 makes it useful for the Feast of the Epiphany (January 6), it could also be used as a sung refrain for the Third Song of Isaiah in the Book of Common Prayer.
"Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the *glory of the Lord has dawned upon you."
*Some leaders in the MMC community substitute 'glory of God'
Ruth has given faith communities permission to sing and share the song without copyright restrictions.
Sheet music can be found in Singing In Community, our latest songbook published by Augsburg Fortress, or in Music By Heart.
Here's a video of Emily Scott leading Arise, Shine at one of our first Music that Makes Community workshops at St. Gregory of Nyssa Church in January 2008.
Here's a video of Patrick Evans and Paul Vasile leading an improvised setting of Isaiah 60 from our Music That Makes Community workshop in Ottawa, Canada in August 2011.
Canadian song leader Debbie Lou Ludolph brought this rhythmic, layered Alleluia to the MMC community. Transcribed from a Palestinian source and arranged by John Bell, it can easily be taught without paper.
The structure of the song means you only need to teach two phrases, which can be done through call and echo. It can help to use hand gestures to offer guidance as you thread the parts together. Once the higher part is learned, teach the lower. A stomp or clap on the downbeat of the second, ascending phrase helps keep the tempo steady and keeps the group in their bodies. When both parts feel confident, bring them together.
The piece is useful as a song of praise, a gospel acclamation, or even as a warm up for a choir or singing circle.
Copyright for the piece is held by GIA Publications, Inc. so you'll need a OneLicense membership to print the music.
Sheet music can be found in Singing In Community, our latest songbook published by Augsburg Fortress. It is also published in Sing With the World, a collection edited by John Bell and Alison Adam of the Iona Community in Scotland and published by GIA Publications, Inc.
Here's a video of Debbie Lou leading the song at The Bishop's Ranch:
And here is a recording from GIA's Sing With the World collection mentioned above: