You can find a YouTube playlist here with many of the songs suggested below.
Gathering
Today’s psalm opens with the theme of God’s steadfast love which is always a good gathering theme and you could consider classic hymns such as Great is thy faithfulness (CH 153 / MP 200) and Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation (CH 124) or a couple of more recent songs from Scottish songwriters, Give thanks to God (CCLI) with it’s refrain of “His never ending love is steadfast and sure” and Let his praise be on our lips (Satellite). Both the Psalm and the Epistle also explore the theme of gathering from all corners of the earth which could suggest well-known songs such as In Christ there is no east or west (CH 624 / MP 329), Jesus calls us here to meet him (CH 510) and Let us build a house (CH 198), while it’s also worth considering All are welcome (OCP) which is a great alternative to the latter with a catchy chorus.
Word
There are a range of fairly traditional paraphrases for the psalm this week which are worth considering including Give thanks unto the Lord our God (CH 71), Give thanks to God who hears our cries (PFAS 107A) and Give thanks to God, for He is good (Grace). For something a bit more imaginative Oh give thanks (Kimbrough) is a great option while Through the valley (CCLI) and Forever (MP 1046 / CCLI) aren’t based specifically on this psalm but have strong thematic links.
Response
You can respond to the Gospel with songs which focus on giving our whole lives to Jesus - including our possessions - with Take my life, Lord, let it be (CH 502 / MP 624), Will you come and follow me (CH 533) and Lord, you have come to the seashore (CH 532) all well known options while Simple living (MP 1251 / CCLI / Townend) could be an alternative which also highlights other passages on a similar theme.
The right hand of God (CH 709) is a wonderful Caribbean song which would be a great response to the Epistle- drawing from v1 where Christ is seated at God’s right then the verses capturing many of the themes from this passage. Other songs which link strongly to this passage include If we are raised to life with Christ (Jubilate) sung to Walton (Fulda) and Christ, you are the fullness (Hymnary), which was suggested for a previous passage from Colossians and also paraphrases some of today’s passage as well. For linking to the final verses you could also consider some of the gathering songs which were suggested such as In Christ there is no east or west (CH 624 / MP 329), Let us build a house (CH 198) and All are welcome (OCP).
As we spend a few weeks looking at some of the minor prophets then Song of the prophets (CCLI) could be a useful song, which can be sung to Kingsfold, using the first and last verse and the appropriate middle verse for each prophet, while God has spoken by his prophets (Hymnary) could also be used as a general song for this period. Come, let us to the Lord our God (CH 482), Come back to me with all your heart (Hymnary / link) and Let us return to the Lord (GIA) are some of the few songs based on passages from Hosea while you could also focus on the love shown by God for us with God is love: let heaven adore him (CH 123) or As a mother loves her children (GIA), the latter specifically focusing on the parenting imagery in vv3-4.
Sending
There is a general theme from the readings today of living a new life focused on God and As a fire is meant for burning (CH 252) would link to this while also picking up the theme of “joining hands across the nations” while Be thou my vision (CH 465 / MP 51) would link to the Gospel call to live simply. Some more general songs you could consider include Send out the gospel! Let it sound (CH 681), Build my life (CCLI), I will follow (CCLI) and Build your kingdom here (CCLI).
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