You can find a YouTube playlist here with many of the songs suggested below.
Gathering
The Epistle speaks about building ourselves as a spiritual house and you could begin with songs about gathering as the church to worship. Let us build a house (CH 198) and In Christ we live (WGRG), House of the Lord (CCLI) are all upbeat opening songs while Christ is made the sure foundation (CH 200 / MP 73) is a classic hymn which also references Christ as cornerstone. Days of Elijah (MP 1012 / CCLI) has a reference to “David rebuilding a temple of praise” while Waymaker (CCLI) and Jesus calls us here to meet him (CH 510) help us acknowledge God’s presence as we gather to worship.
As suggested throughout the Easter season, if you used any of the more contemporary hymns on Easter Sunday such as Christ is alive, and the universe must celebrate (CH 422), Away with gloom, away with doubt (CH 418), Earth, earth, awake; your praises sing (CH 420) or Christ was raised (Resound) it could also be worth repeating them to help them become part of your congregation’s repertoire.
Word
Be gracious to me, O my Lord (Grace) sung to Llangloffan and You are my refuge, faithful God (GIA) sung to Detroit are two options for a metrical version of the psalm while You are my hiding place (MP 793 / PFAS 32B / CCLI) is a song which could also link well. There are various options for singing it responsorially including In you, O Lord, I found refuge (WGRG) and the two part chorus My times are in your hands (PFAS 31C).
Response
Come, my Way, my Truth, my Life (CH 579) is a well known song inspired by the famous words in v.6 of the Gospel while other songs which pick up these words include Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire (CH 546 / MP 567), I am the way, the truth and the life (JP 89), All my days / Beautiful Saviour (CH 467 / MP 1024 / Townend) and Abide (CCLI). You can also consider songs such as Jesus lead us to the Father (Resound) and Seek ye first the kingdom of God (CH 641 / MP 590) which would link to the broader themes of the passage.
The Epistle speaks of Christ as the living stone or cornerstone and so you could us My hope is built on nothing less (MP 473 / Hymnary) or the two great reworkings of it - the Kenyan song Kwake yesu nasimama (GSW 34 / GIA) and the popular worship song Cornerstone (MP 1334 / CCLI). You could also consider songs focusing more on the building up of the church such as The Church’s one foundation (CH 739 / MP 640), God of the Bible (Fresh as the morning) (MV 28 / GIA / Hope) or We are one in the Father’s love (CCLI).
The passage from Acts would link to similar songs as last week as Stephen is martyred but offers a prayer of forgiveness for his attackers with his final words. Pray for the church, afflicted and oppressed (Hope) is sung to Song 1 while The Kingdom is yours (CCLI)
would be a good option for bands and God of freedom, God of justice (CH 263) relates our suffering to Christ’s own experience. For something really challenging you could use We turn to God when we are sorely pressed (CH 393) which is based on a poem written by Bonhoeffer when he was in prison.
Sending
Songs celebrating the faithfulness of God would be appropriate to close with classic hymns such as All my hope on God is founded (CH 192 / MP 16), How great thou art (CH 154 / MP 506), To God be the glory (CH 512 / MP 708) or worship songs such as Your grace is enough (MP 1383 / CCLI), Goodness of God (CCLI) and There's nothing that our God can't do (CCLI).
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