This song was written for the 2021 online UCC General Synod, and draws from the imagery of Psalm 1:
“The truly happy person
doesn’t follow wicked advice,
doesn’t stand on the road of sinners,
and doesn’t sit with the disrespectful.
Instead of doing those things,
these persons love the Lord’s Instruction,
and they recite God’s Instruction day and night!
They are like a tree replanted by streams of water,
which bears fruit at just the right time
and whose leaves don’t fade.
Whatever they do succeeds.” (Psalm 1:1-3 CEB)
I think of it as an invitation to resilience, drawn from being connected to God, to our history and to our story as a people of faith.
A Mighty Fortress is Our God
The hymn by Martin Luther, with the usual translation amended and updated. Set to Down in the Willow Garden.
Be Still My Soul
The beautiful hymn about trust in God, even in the most difficult times, set to a new tune.
Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
The traditional hymn, arranged for guitar.
Guide Me, My Great Redeemer
A new tune for the Isaac Watts hymn Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah, which calls on imagery from Exodus and the people of Israel in the wilderness. The tune is modified from All the Good Times are Lost and Gone.
I Lift Up My Eyes
Inspired by Psalm 121, this song is about seeking out God’s help in hard times. It also pulls from Julian of Norwich – “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.” Set to a modified version of the tune for Jesse James.
Love Divine, All Loves Excelling
The Charles Wesley classic, set to Holy Manna by William Moore, 1825. Arranged for guitar.
Nothing Can Separate Us
A new tune and lyrics drawing inspiration from Paul’s great hymn of faith – there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God in Christ. Romans 8:31-38
O God Our Help in Ages Past
A new tune, Wenck, inspired by a fellow minister in the Chesapeake Association of the United Church of Christ, Ed Wenck, and one of the songs sung at his funeral. This tune gives the Isaac Watts hymn O God Our Help in Ages Past a sweeping feel and an Irish lilt, and is simpler to play on guitar than the usual tune.