What are your “Amazing Graces?"

Planning music for liturgy is enjoyable, but it can also be a challenge.  Some weeks, it seems like everything just falls into place…we have the perfect song for everything!  Other weeks, we might read the readings and think, “Um…ok…I got nothin’.”

The goal of this post is NOT to get into the details of ‘how to plan music for liturgy.’  There are a lot of things to consider when doing so. Instead, for this post, I want to focus on those times when we might be at a loss for a song, or just need to add something the assembly knows well.  Most of us, I’m sure, have certain songs we consider our ‘go-to’ choices when we’re trying to fill a specific need in a liturgy. I think those songs share a few characteristics:

- They are highly accessible (fairly simple to learn/perform/sing) for most, if not ANY music group.

- The assembly sings these songs well and consistently embraces them wholeheartedly!

- The text fulfills a particularly common theme, or seems appropriate for most Sundays.

- They are songs that have stood the test of time, whether that be a few months for a newer song, or even years for songs we've known longer.

- They are songs we just simply couldn’t do without. Any music ministry would find them effective.

For example, when it comes to a Dismissal Song, what are some good ‘go-to’ choices if you can’t think of something specific?  I know, for us, we always have songs like As It Is in Heaven (Cash/Maher),  Blessed be Your Name (Redman), Everlasting God (Brown), For the Beauty of the Earth (Bolduc), I Send You Out (Angotti), or Your Grace Is Enough (Maher) in our ‘back pocket,’ ready to go.

For Gathering Songs, if nothing seems to jump out of the readings, we can always turn to Be Still for the Presence of the Lord (Evans), Come to Jesus (Blakesley), How Great Is Our God (Tomlin), Our God (Tomlin), Shout to the North (Smith), or At the Name of Jesus (Bolduc). 

For Offertory we can always rely on Christ in Me Arise (Thomson), Offering (Baloche), Prosper the Work of Our Hands (Booth/Jansen/Tomaszek), or We Bring Our Gifts to Your Altar (Flynn).

For Communion, some of our favorites are Blessed Are You, Lord (Francois), I Am the Bread of Life (Kaczmarek),  O Saving Lamb (Booth), and We Come to You (Blakesley).

For Second Communion or Songs of Praise we might consider All Praise and Honor (Baloche), Behold the Lamb of God (Maher), Revelation Song (Jobe), or We Fall Down (Tomlin).

For Lent, some of our stand-by’s are Journey for Home (Bolduc), Return to God (Angotti), and Take Up Our Cross (Hart/Stephan/Byrd).

For Advent, Awake to the Day (Bolduc), Come, Emmanuel (Light/Tate),  Find Us Ready (Booth), Prepare the Way (Hall), and Ready the Way (Stephan) are always good choices.

For Marian feast days we seem to always turn to Blessed One (Thompson).

Maybe, after looking at this list we should really be asking: Why are these songs listed here? What makes them so accessible?

 
Here's a sample of our music ministry leading Trevor Thomson's "Christ in Me Arise" this past Sunday at our 6pm liturgy.

 

These are not exhaustive lists by any means, but these are some of our ‘go-to’ choices...our 'Amazing Graces'...when we need a song for some particular part of the liturgy.  They are, simply, songs that work well.

These are my ideas. What are yours?

March 17, 2013 – 5th Sunday of Lent

(These songs are off of my planning notes for this particular Sunday, which means I am strongly considering using them on these days. After each title I’ve added some thoughts to consider.)

(Click on titles for links to their respective pages.)

Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone) by John Newton, Chris Tomlin, and Louie Giglio (worshiptogether.com) - the classic, traditional song with some new text and an added powerful chorus. Be careful to choose a key that's not too high.
Suggested use: Offertory, Second Communion

Be Merciful, O Lord by Steve Angrisano (spiritandsong.com) - a great setting...be careful not to take this too fast. Just relax and play it...pray it... nice and easy. Great, singable refrain your assembly can sing. The verses allow for some solo singing.
Suggested use: Psalm, Second Communion/Meditation

Beautiful Things by Michael Gungor (worshiptogether.com) - a powerful song for a communion meditation..."you make beautiful things...you make beautiful things out of us." Find the key that's right for your singer(s). (From the CD Beautiful Things).
Suggested use: Second Communion/Meditation

From the Inside Out by Joel Houston (Hillsong) – "A thousand times I've failed, still your mercy remains..." Check out this song.
Suggested use: Entrance/Song of Gathering, Offertory, Communion

Homeward Bound by Ken Macek (WLP) - Cliff Petty sings a powerful interpretation of this song on the Voices As One vol. 1 CD Father, We Thank Thee. Also found in the Voices As One vol. 1 collection.
Suggested Use: Psalm, Offertory, Second Communion/Meditation

Hosea by Gregory Norbet (OCP) – I love this song. We've done it 'as-written' as well as with a dotted-eighth, dotted-eighth, eighth rhythm on the first three notes in the verse. (each phrase)
Suggested use: Entrance/Song of Gathering, Offertory, Communion

Journey for Home by Ed Bolduc (WLP) – "we live and journey...journey for home." Easy to play, easy to sing. (From the CD The Face of God.)
Suggested use: Entrance/Song of Gathering, Offertory, Communion

Return to God by John Angotti (WLP) - another great song from John's Joy Beyond Our Dreams. This song also works well at many places in the liturgy.(From the CD Joy Beyond Our Dreams) This song is also a part of the More Voices As One vol. 1 collection. (see the link on the sidebar)
Suggested use: Entrance/Song of Gathering, Offertory, Communion

Your Grace Is Enough by Matt Maher (spiritandsong.com) - driving, singable, powerful... (From the CD Empty and Beautiful).
Suggested use: Song of Thanksgiving/Dismissal