Notes on the Notes – June 10, 2018

It’s picnic Sunday!

Join us for worship at 10:30 a.m. as we learn about God’s covenant with us through the rainbow and the 10 Commandments!

Then, stay for the picnic following worship!

We’ll be learning about:

Exodus 19: 1-6, 20: 1-2         Matthew 22: 34-40

We’ll be singing:

“We are the Church”

“I am the church!
You are the church!
We are the church together!
All who follow Jesus all around the world –We are the church
Yes! We’re the church together!

The church is not a building,
The church is not a steeple,
The church is not a resting place,
The church is a people!

We’re many kinds of people with many kinds of faces,
All colours and all ages, too,
From all times and places.

And when the people gather, there’s singing and there’s praying,
There’s laughing and there’s crying sometimes,
All of it saying…

I count if I am ninety,
Or nine, or just a baby;
There’s one thing I am sure about
And I don’t mean maybe…”

This week’s gathering song was written by Richard Avery and Donald Marsh in 1972.  The lyrics are based on the scripture readings from 1 Peter 2:5 and Acts 2:1-4, 17:24.

“It’s a Song of Praise to the Maker” (MV #30)

“It’s a song of praise to the Maker, the thrush sings high in the tree.
It’s a song of praise to the Maker, the gray whale sings in the sea,

And by the Spirit you and I can join our voice to the holy cry
And sing, sing, sing to the Maker too.

It’s a call of life to the Giver when waves and waterfalls roar.
It’s a call of life to the Giver when high tides break on the shore,
And by the Spirit…

It’s a hymn of love to the Lover; the bumblebees hum along.
It’s a hymn of love to the Lover, the summer breeze joins the song,
And by the Spirit…

It’s the chorus of all creation; it’s sung by all living things.
It’s the chorus of all creation; a song the universe sings,
And by the spirit…”

Praise

Ruth Duck and Ron Klusmeier collaborated on this song, which is based on Psalm 148. Ruth uses the Psalm as inspiration for this hymn, which encourages us to join with all creation to “sing, sing, sing to the Maker too.” It is a psalm which resounds with praise to the Lord God Almighty – the Creator of Heaven and the Earth. As the work of His hands, it is only right and proper that all of heaven and earth praise the Lord.

(Ron Klusmeier –  leading this hymn – music starts at 1:38)

“Open Your Ears” (VU #472)

“Open your ears, O faithful people,
Open your ears and hear God’s word.
Open your hearts, O faithful people,
God now speaks to you.

They who have ears to hear the message,ten-commandments-on-stone-tablets-260nw-39066736-3818416797-1528551928995.jpg
They who have ears, now let them hear.
They who would learn the way of wisdom,
Let them hear God’s word.

God has spoken to the people,
Hallelujah!
And those words are words of wisdom,
Hallelujah!”

Willard F. Jabusch is a faculty member at St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in Illinois.  He wrote this song,  based on the Talmud, for the traditional Hasidic melody (1966). The arrangement is by Richard Proulx (1984).

“We are Called”

“Come! Live in the light!
Shine with the joy and the love of the Lord!
We are called to be light for the kingdom,
To live in the freedom of the city of God.

Come! Open your heart!
Show your mercy to all those in fear!
We are called to be hope for the hopeless
So hatred and blindness will be no more.

Sing! Sing a new song!Micah 8
Sing of that great day when all will be one!
God will reign, and we’ll walk with each other
As sisters and brothers united in love.

We are called to act with justice,
We are called to love tenderly;
We are called to serve one another,
To walk humbly with God.”

This song, based on the book of Micah, was written by David Haas in 1988.  Each of the three stanzas exhorts the singer with an imperative verb: “Come! Live in the light!” “Come! Open your heart!” “Sing! Sing a new song!”  The song urges us to action. The action here is inspired by Micah 6:8: “. . . what the Lord really wants from you: He wants you to promote justice, to be faithful, and to live obediently before your God” (NET).

The first stanza invites us to “Live in the light” of God’s grace and freedom and to reflect that light with “joy and . . . love.” Stanza two, following naturally in the spirit of the first stanza, invites us to “Open our hearts” to “mercy” for all who live in “fear,” “hatred,” and “blindness.” The final stanza invites us to an eschatological vision of the future when “all will be one!” (Source:  Discipleship Ministries – The United Methodist Church)

“This is My Commandment”

“This is my commandment – that you love one another,
That your joy may be full.”

A LOVE ONE ANOTHER sign.jpgThe composer for this song is not known, but the words are inspired by today’s reading from the book of Matthew.

https://youtu.be/AAkMhF3SdRA

“This Little Light of Mine”

“This little light of mine,
I’m gonna let it shine,
Every day, every day, every day.

On a Monday,resources_songs_this-little-light-of-mine_001-400x400.jpg
He gave the gift of love.
On Tuesday,
Peace came from above.
On Wednesday,
Told me to have more faith.
On Thursday,
Gave me just a little more grace.
On Friday,
Told me to watch and pray.
On Saturday,
Told me just what to say.
On Sunday,
Gave me the power divine just to let me little light shine!”

This week’s Worship Choir anthem is an arrangement of the traditional song “This Little Light of Mine: by Neil A. Johnson. (1979)

“Ten Commandments”

“Moses climbed the mountain high,
God spoke to Moses from the cloud of smoke.
Lightning flashed and the mountain shook and thundered when God spoke.
Ten commandments God did give,
To you and me to help us live
That we may learn to love our God,
And live together in peace.

Number one says WORSHIP GOD
Number two says MAKE NO OTHER GODS
Number three, RESPECT GOD’S NAME – DON’T USE IT CARELESSLY!
Number four says TAKE ONE DAY TO REST, AND HONOR ALL GOD MADE.
So every week we work and play and worship on the Sabbath day.

Number five says LOVE YOUR MOM AND DAD.
Number six says DON’T KILL ANYONE.
Seven says BE FAITHFUL TO EACH OTHER WHEN YOU’RE A PARTNER FOR LIFE.
Number eight says DO NOT STEAL
Nine says DON’T TELL LIES ABOUT EACH OTHER,
Number ten says DO NOT WANT TO TAKE WHAT BELONGS TO ANOTHER.”

Our closing song comes from the collection of songs selected for the Sunday School curriculum “The Whole People of God.”

Categories: Notes on the Notes