Favorite UU hymns

[lilithu]

In no particular order. Just a place to share hymns that have touched us recently.

I really like this one, especially as the harvest celebrations of Fall are approaching.

Gather the Spirit; Harvest the Power
Our separate fires will kindle one flame
Witness the mystery of this hour
Our trials in this light appear all the same

Gather in peace, gather in thanks
Gather in sympathy now and then
Gather in hope, compassion and strength
Gather to celebrate once again

Gather the Spirit of heart and mind
Seeds for the sowing are laid in store
Nurtured in love, and conscience refined
With body and spirit united once more

Gather in peace, gather in thanks
Gather in sympathy now and then
Gather in hope, compassion and strength
Gather to celebrate once again

Gather the Spirit growing in all
Drawn by the moon, and fed by the sun
Winter to Spring, and Summer to Fall
The chorus of life resounding as one

Gather in peace, gather in thanks
Gather in sympathy now and then
Gather in hope, compassion and strength
Gather to celebrate once again


And if you don't have a hymn to share at this moment, how about an answer to a question: what makes a good hymn for you?

 

[Green Gaia]

I don't have the lyrics handy, but ones I can think of off the top of my head that I enjoy are:
Morning Has Broken
Come, Sing a Song with Me -(my daughter dances around the house singing this song)
Enter, Rejoice, and Come In
Now Let Us Sing
Dona Nobis Pacem

Come, Come Whoever You Are (this one I remember all the words to):[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
Come, Come whoever you are;
Wanderer, worshipper, lover of leaving;
Ours is no caravan of despair;
Come yet again come.[/FONT]

 

[uu_sage]

All of those you just listed, Maize, are also favorites of mine. My other top UU hymns are.....
Spirit of Life/Funete de Amor
There is more love somewhere
We're Gonna Sit at the Welcome Table
Meditation on Breathing (from GA/Singing the Journey)
When the Spirit Says Do (from Singing the Journey)
Follow the Drinking Gourd
De Colores
We are a Gentle, Angry People
Love will Guide us
For all that is our Life
We'll Build a Land
Touch the Earth, Reach the Sky

I don't have the lyrics handy, but ones I can think of off the top of my head that I enjoy are:
Morning Has Broken
Come, Sing a Song with Me -(my daughter dances around the house singing this song)
Enter, Rejoice, and Come In
Now Let Us Sing
Dona Nobis Pacem

Come, Come Whoever You Are (this one I remember all the words to):[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
Come, Come whoever you are;
Wanderer, worshipper, lover of leaving;
Ours is no caravan of despair;
Come yet again come.[/FONT]

 

[hartlandcat]

Forward through the ages, in unbroken line,
Move the faithful spirits, at the call divine;
Gifts in different measure, hearts of one accord,
Manifold the service, one the sure reward.

Forward through the ages, in unbroken line,
Move the faithful spirits, at the call divine.

Wider grows the kingdom, reign of love and light;
For it we must labor, till our faith is sight.
Prophets have proclaimed it, martyrs testified.
Poets sung its glory, heroes for it died.

Forward through the ages, in unbroken line,
Move the faithful spirits, at the call divine.

Not alone we conquer, not alone we fall;
In each loss or triumph lose or triumph all.
Bound by God’s far purpose in one living whole,
Move we on together to the shining goal.

Forward through the ages, in unbroken line,
Move the faithful spirits, at the call divine.

 

[lilithu]

Come, Come Whoever You Are (this one I remember all the words to):[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
Come, Come whoever you are;
Wanderer, worshipper, lover of leaving;
Ours is no caravan of despair;
Come yet again come.[/FONT]

That's Rumi! well, a hymn based on words by Rumi.

I also love half the hymns you guys have listed, and don't even recognize the other half. It would be interesting to see how we differ in music from congregation to congregation.

hartlandcat, that's a beautiful hymn. I've never head it sung in a UU congregation, even tho it's in our hymnal (#114 for those of us on this side of the pond), and wonder if it might not sound "too Christian" for our tastes.

We sang Welcome Table as our closing hymn today. (The sermon was on 'Hospitality and Grace.) And I love this hymn too, mainly because the words are so hopeful and the tune is so lively that I always find myself boppin around when we sing it.

We're gonna sit at the welcome table.
We're gonna sit at the welcome table one of these days halleluja.
We're gonna sit at the welcome table.
Gonna sit at the welcome table one of these days.

All kinds of people around that table.
All kinds of people around that table one of these days halleluja.
All kinds of people around that table.
Gonna sit at the welcome table one of these days.

No fancy style at the welcome table.
No fancy style at the welcome table one of these days halleluja.
No fancy style at the welcome table.
Gonna sit at the welcome table one of these days.

But as I was singing, I couldn't help but think that man, we are fluffy , and be reminded of a criticism that I read of us online yesterday:

The question was "what makes a good hymn?"

One of the responses:
I'll weigh in as a (not "for") the UU's. I like a good rousing anthem with readily available harmonies. Cheers for Cwm Rhondda and a lot of the old tunes. I've developed my own theory on the too-frequently execrable UU hymnal (the ******** took out The Battle Hymn Of The Republic which is part of our history and put in the ANC's marching song, which is just about unsingable), including the generally reliable rule that anything written by a lyricist still alive when the damn thing was published is unlikely to please. Such modern hymns are usually treacly and feature forced rhymes and overuse of tricks like triplets which congregations find difficult. UU's generally get all melty and emotional over a piece called "Spirit Of Life", which I think is abhorrent both musically and philosophically...

(http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=93597&messages=117&page=1)

Granted that the posted was more than likely not a UU, probably a more conservative Christian. Still I was a little shocked by the bile directed at us. (I don't dislike them; so why do they dislike us?)

I'll admit that I do get all melty about Spirit of Life. Don't know what I think of it musically but philosophically it speaks to everything I believe in, both in terms of our role in the world and our relationship with the Divine. Clearly this poster and I have different criterion on what makes a good hymn.

So what does make a good hymn?

 

[Green Gaia]

I like Spirit of Life as well, we sing it quite often. And I love Welcome Table. Anything that has that gospel, rejoicing feel to it, I just love it.

That's why I'm going to post this next song. It wasn't until today while I was doing some work for my English class that mentioned a song called The Negro National Anthem (no other title was given, frubals to the first person who can tell me what I was reading), and I read the lyrics for it and thought, "hmm, that sounds familar, wonder if I've heard this song before." So I looked up the lyrics and lo and behold it's the song we know as Lift Every Voice and Sing. I probably should have made the connection sooner than I did, given the author would be listed in our hymnal.

Lift Every Voice and Sing
by James Weldon Johnson

Lift ev'ry voice and sing,
Till earth and heaven ring,
Ring with the harmonies of Liberty;
Let our rejoicing rise
High as the list'ning skies,
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.
Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,
Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us;
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,
Let us march on till victory is won.

Stony the road we trod,
Bitter the chast'ning rod,
Felt in the days when hope unborn had died;
Yet with a steady beat,
Have not our weary feet
Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?
We have come over a way that with tears has been watered.
We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered,
Out from the gloomy past,
Till now we stand at last
Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.

God of our weary years,
God of our silent tears,
Thou who hast brought us thus far on the way;
Thou who hast by Thy might,
Led us into the light,
Keep us forever in the path, we pray.
Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee,
Lest our hearts, drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee;
Shadowed beneath Thy hand,
May we forever stand,
True to our God,
True to our native land.

BTW, I found a wonderful mp3 of this song http://creativefolk.com/mp3/calabashlift.mp3 If you need a pick-me-up listen to this.

 

[BrandonE]

I love the oft mentioned "Spirit of Life". We sing that every Sunday (with American Sign Language by the choir) right around the time of Joys and Concerns. That song was one of the first things that grabbed my attention that first Sunday visiting. I think the song is great philosophically and musically, though maybe we only sing one verse and I'm missing something that the complainer mentioned.

I find a lot of the hymns hard to sing, at least at first, but they're slowly growing on me. We sang one this week that I really liked a lot, but I can't remember the name. I'll have to dig up our order of service.

I also personally love "Simple Gifts". It's got great lyrics and music.
'Tis the gift to be simple,
'tis the gift to be free,
'tis the gift to come down where you ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
It will be in the valley of love and delight.

 

[Green Gaia]

I love the oft mentioned "Spirit of Life". We sing that every Sunday (with American Sign Language by the choir)

We don't use ASL, but someone in the congregation came up with hand and body motions for the song, (or they may have gotten it from someone else, I don't know for sure). We don't always use them, but they're fun to do from time to time, especially if we're outside.

 

[uumckk16]

I haven't been a UU long enough (and have missed too much church this summer, unfortunately *tear*) to remember any off the top of my head. But all the hymns we've sang since I've been attending my church (since January) I've liked, except for one that I found a tad obnoxious.

And if you don't have a hymn to share at this moment, how about an answer to a question: what makes a good hymn for you?

For me a good hymn is beautiful and inspiring, in both tune and words. It is uplifting and speaks of hope, love, community, etc. and when I sing it I can feel really connected to the people who are singing it with me, and thus to the Divine as well.

I also personally love "Simple Gifts". It's got great lyrics and music.
'Tis the gift to be simple,
'tis the gift to be free,
'tis the gift to come down where you ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
It will be in the valley of love and delight.

I've always loved that song! I've also always loved "Amazing Grace". I know it's pretty...Christian...but I've always found it to be a beautiful song.

 

[uu_sage]

Spirit of Life at least in my congregation is sung in Spanish and Sign Language.

We don't use ASL, but someone in the congregation came up with hand and body motions for the song, (or they may have gotten it from someone else, I don't know for sure). We don't always use them, but they're fun to do from time to time, especially if we're outside.

 

[hartlandcat]

hartlandcat, that's a beautiful hymn. I've never head it sung in a UU congregation, even tho it's in our hymnal (#114 for those of us on this side of the pond), and wonder if it might not sound "too Christian" for our tastes.

Oouh, Forward Through the Ages is almost like our unofficial anthem here! In my congregation, we sing it perhaps about once a month, and I've often visited other congregations and sung it there as well. When I went to GA this year, we opened the welcome service with it, complete with a brass band -- hundreds of us there, and it was clear from the way people were singing that everyone knew that hymn really well -- it was amazing!

Here's another of my favourite Unitarian hymns -- it was written by a Unitarian, but it's sung in many denominations:

Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!
E’en though it be a cross that raiseth me,
Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee.


Nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer to Thee!

Though like the wanderer, the sun gone down,
Darkness be over me, my rest a stone.
Yet in my dreams I’d be nearer, my God to Thee.

Nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer to Thee!

There let the way appear, steps unto Heav’n;
All that Thou sendest me, in mercy given;
Angels to beckon me nearer, my God, to Thee.

Nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer to Thee!

Then, with my waking thoughts bright with Thy praise,
Out of my stony griefs Bethel I’ll raise;
So by my woes to be nearer, my God, to Thee.

Nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer to Thee!

Or, if on joyful wing cleaving the sky,
Sun, moon, and stars forgot, upward I’ll fly,
Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee.

Nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer to Thee!

There in my Father’s home, safe and at rest,
There in my Savior’s love, perfectly blest;
Age after age to be, nearer my God to Thee.


Nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer to Thee!

 

[hartlandcat]

And here is my absolute favourite hymn -- not specificially Unitarian, but we sing it in my church quite often. I find that if I'm sad, I just sing this hymn and then I'm suddenly better again. So to answer the question of what makes a good hymn, I'd say that it's a hymn which gives you what I'd call a 'religious experience' whenver you sing it -- as this one certainly does for me. It has many tunes, but I sing this one:
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/mid/s/t/b/st_bees.mid
(Fantastic site, btw).

Take my life, and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days;
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Take my hands, and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet, and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my voice, and let me sing
Always, only, for my King.
Take my lips, and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee.

Take my silver and my gold;
Not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect, and use
Every power as Thou shalt choose.

Take my will, and make it Thine;
It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own;
It shall be Thy royal throne.

Take my love, my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee.

 

[lilithu]

And here is my absolute favourite hymn -- not specificially Unitarian, but we sing it in my church quite often. I find that if I'm sad, I just sing this hymn and then I'm suddenly better again. So to answer the question of what makes a good hymn, I'd say that it's a hymn which gives you what I'd call a 'religious experience' whenver you sing it -- as this one certainly does for me. It has many tunes, but I sing this one:
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/mid/s/t/b/st_bees.mid
(Fantastic site, btw).

Take my life, and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days;
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Take my hands, and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet, and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my voice, and let me sing
Always, only, for my King.
Take my lips, and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee.

Take my silver and my gold;
Not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect, and use
Every power as Thou shalt choose.

Take my will, and make it Thine;
It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own;
It shall be Thy royal throne.

Take my love, my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee.

Hey, I know that song! We used to sing it in Lutheran school. Funny that I didn't recognize it when you first posted it and am only recognizing it now upon second glance. Yes, it is beautiful.


Anyway, I dug up this old thread to share another UU hymn. Something that I said in another thread made me think of this song. I was saying that for those of us UUs who are theists, we tend to see God as working thru and in cooperation with us (not separate), changing and growing with us as we are changing and growing. It's amazing how much UU theology is revealed in our hymns.

Bring Many Names

Bring many names, beautiful and good;
celebrate in parable and story,
holiness in glory, living, loving God:
Hail and hosanna, bring many names.

Strong mother God, working night and day,
planning all the wonders of creation,
setting each equation, genius at play:
Hail and hosanna, strong mother God

Warm father God, hugging ev'ry child,
feeling all the strains of human living,
caring and forgiving, till we're reconciled:
Hail and hosanna, warm father God

Old, aching God, grey with endless care,
calmly piercing evil's new disguises,
glad of new surprises, wiser than despair:
Hail and hosanna, old, aching God

Young, growing God, eager still to know,
willing to be changed by what you've started,
quick to be delighted, singing as you go:
Hail and hosanna, young, growing God

Great, living God, never fully known,
joyful darkness far beyond our seeing,
closer yet than breathing, everlasting home:
Hail and hosanna, great, living God!

 

[uumckk16]

Hey, I know that song! We used to sing it in Lutheran school. Funny that I didn't recognize it when you first posted it and am only recognizing it now upon second glance. Yes, it is beautiful.


Anyway, I dug up this old thread to share another UU hymn. Something that I said in another thread made me think of this song. I was saying that for those of us UUs who are theists, we tend to see God as working thru and in cooperation with us (not separate), changing and growing with us as we are changing and growing. It's amazing how much UU theology is revealed in our hymns.

Bring Many Names

Bring many names, beautiful and good;
celebrate in parable and story,
holiness in glory, living, loving God:
Hail and hosanna, bring many names.

Strong mother God, working night and day,
planning all the wonders of creation,
setting each equation, genius at play:
Hail and hosanna, strong mother God

Warm father God, hugging ev'ry child,
feeling all the strains of human living,
caring and forgiving, till we're reconciled:
Hail and hosanna, warm father God

Old, aching God, grey with endless care,
calmly piercing evil's new disguises,
glad of new surprises, wiser than despair:
Hail and hosanna, old, aching God

Young, growing God, eager still to know,
willing to be changed by what you've started,
quick to be delighted, singing as you go:
Hail and hosanna, young, growing God

Great, living God, never fully known,
joyful darkness far beyond our seeing,
closer yet than breathing, everlasting home:
Hail and hosanna, great, living God!

I love it!

What does "hail and hosanna" mean?

 

[lilithu]

I love it!

What does "hail and hosanna" mean?

lol, in some ways we're so not Christian, like the idea of a strong mother God or young growing God. But in other ways we are still so very Christian. Hail and Hosanna are exclamations from the Christian tradition that you would say in response to the pressence of God. Hail, as in "Hail to the King!" And Hosanna is an expression of joy or exultation. There was a song we used to sing in Lutheran school that went "Sing hosanna, sing hosanna, sing hosanna to the king of kings..." I guess it's sort of like "hallelujah."

 

[jacquie4000]

They all are pretty neat. I can't wait to attend my first UU service this Sunday. I will let everyone know how it went.

 

[des]

Hey we sing that one! I like that one. I really like the twist around. We also sing some of the other ones.

--des

Bring Many Names

Bring many names, beautiful and good;
celebrate in parable and story,
holiness in glory, living, loving God:
Hail and hosanna, bring many names.

Strong mother God, working night and day,
planning all the wonders of creation,
setting each equation, genius at play:
Hail and hosanna, strong mother God

Warm father God, hugging ev'ry child,
feeling all the strains of human living,
caring and forgiving, till we're reconciled:
Hail and hosanna, warm father God

Old, aching God, grey with endless care,
calmly piercing evil's new disguises,
glad of new surprises, wiser than despair:
Hail and hosanna, old, aching God

Young, growing God, eager still to know,
willing to be changed by what you've started,
quick to be delighted, singing as you go:
Hail and hosanna, young, growing God

Great, living God, never fully known,
joyful darkness far beyond our seeing,
closer yet than breathing, everlasting home:
Hail and hosanna, great, living God!

 

[lilithu]

Hey we sing that one! I like that one. I really like the twist around. We also sing some of the other ones.

--des

By "we" do you mean your UCC congregation or your UU congregation? Just curious as to how much overlap the UUs have with the UCC in terms of hymns.

I like the twist around too.

 

[uumckk16]

lol, in some ways we're so not Christian, like the idea of a strong mother God or young growing God. But in other ways we are still so very Christian. Hail and Hosanna are exclamations from the Christian tradition that you would say in response to the pressence of God. Hail, as in "Hail to the King!" And Hosanna is an expression of joy or exultation. There was a song we used to sing in Lutheran school that went "Sing hosanna, sing hosanna, sing hosanna to the king of kings..." I guess it's sort of like "hallelujah."

Haha I thought it might be something completely obvious But I thought I'd ask anyway. Thanks for explaining!

 

[lilithu]

Haha I thought it might be something completely obvious But I thought I'd ask anyway. Thanks for explaining!

Meh, it's only obvious if you grew up with it. It's not like this kind of knowledge is encoded in your genes.