Notes on the Notes – June 29, 2025

This week’s music:

“Teach Me, God, to Wonder” (Voices United #299, Song for a Gospel People #36)

“Teach me, God, to wonder, teach me, God, to see;
Let your world of beauty capture me.
Praise to you be given, love for you be lived,
Life be celebrated, joy you give.

Let me, God, be open, let me loving be;
Let your world of people speak to me.
Praise to you be given, love for you be lived,
Life be celebrated, joy you give.

Let me, God, be ready, let me be awake,
In your world of loving my place take.
Praise to you be given, love for you be lived,
Life be celebrated, joy you give.

Teach me, God, to know you, hear you when you speak,
See you in my neighbour when we meet.
Praise to you be given, love for you be lived,
Life be celebrated, joy you give.”

Through the words of this hymn, we ask to be made open to God’s presence in the beauty of Creation as well as God’s presence in the people we meet.  We celebrate God’s love by living in love with others. This song was a collaboration between Walter Farquharson (lyrics – 1973) and Ron Klusmeier (music – 1974).  The hymn first appeared in United Church hymn books in the hymn book supplement Songs for a Gospel People.

Hear the hymn sung by St. John’s United Church at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A00i9ThXdxI

“Spirit of Life” (VU #381)

“Spirit of Life, come unto me.
Sing in my heart all the stirrings of compassion.
Blow in the wind, rise in the sea; move in the hand, giving life the shape of justice.
Roots hold me close; wings set me free;
Spirit of Life, come to me, come to me.”

We respond to the words of assurance by praying that God’s Spirit will be with us.  The hymn was written by Carolyn McDade in 1981 and arranged by Grace Lewis-McLaren and published in 1993.

Hear the song, recorded by the Harmony Singers at: Spirit of Life

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

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

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

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 creatures in God’s world, it is only right and proper that we join with all of creation in praise of the Lord.

“Spirit of the Living God” (VU #376, SGP #91)

“Spirit of the living God,  fall afresh on me.
Spirit of the living God,  fall afresh on me.
Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me.
Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.

Spirit of the living God, move among us all,
Make us one in heart and mind, make us one in love;
Humble, caring, selfless, sharing
Spirit of the living God, fill our lives with love!”

This is one of the most long-lasting and widely used choruses in Christian worship. Every aspect of the song embodies a simple sincerity.   The melody encompasses only five notes.  The harmonies can be played by a very modestly skilled pianist, and three of the four lines repeat the same nine words.  Yet for many, the straightforward petitions of this song draw the singer into an attitude of prayer.

The first verse of the hymn was written by Daniel Iverson (1890-1977), a native of Brunswick, Ga.  The second verse of the hymn was written by Michael Baughen for Hymns for Today’s Church (1982).  The arrangement in Voices United is the one written by Darryl Nixon for Songs for a Gospel People (1987), the first United Church hymn book where the hymn appeared.

“For the Life That You Have Given”

“For the life that you have given,
for the love in Christ made known,
with these fruits of time and labour,
with these gifts that are your own:
Here we offer, Lord, our praises,
heart and mind and strength we bring;
Give us grace to love and serve you, living what we pray and sing.” 

The words for our offering response were written by Carl P. Daw (1990).  The tune we will be using this week is NETTLETON.

“God Says” (MV #172)

God says, “Be still so you may hear the words I whisper in your ear.
If you will listen, you will know I’m with you always where you go.”

God says, “Look up and see the prize I’ve placed here right before your eyes.
Find beauty in the things of earth, a cause for wonder and rebirth.”

God says, “Come here!  I need your voice.  Please teach my people to rejoice.
In who you are, in what you do, your life will show my love for you.”

God says, “Reach out!  The world’s in need and wants a word, a song, a deed.
I send you forth to speak, to sing, to act for Christ in everything.”

The words and music for this hymn were written by Mary Bittner in 1993.  The lyrics have God speaking directly to us.  First, we must be still, in order to hear the Word of God.  Then we must open our eyes to see the glory of God’s Creation.  God then asks us to share the love of God through our love for other’s and to reach out to act for Christ in everything we do.

“With a Vision of Hope”

“With a vision of hope we move along.
Empowered by faith we carry on.
Reaching out far and wide, moving forward reaching high.
Filled with hope, filled with dreams, we journey on.”

As we continue to celebrate the centennial of the United Church of Canada and look to our future as a church, we go into the world singing the words of Mary-Ellen Kish (2008), encouraging each other to move forward in faith with God.