Songs for Saints

All Four Parts

Soprano

Alto

Tenor

Bass

Music can be found in the YouTube link or by purchasing the Cantus Christi 2020 from Canon Press.

Here is another “one-take” Psalm recording that we made from Psalm 127. While we had a few less of our own kids in this video we were blessed to have a cousin join us! Connor O’Dell joined the ranks of Stout kids to declare that children are indeed a “heritage from the LORD.”

The Text

Psalm 127 (NKJV)

Unless the LORD builds the house,They labor in vain who build it;Unless the LORD guards the city,The watchman stays awake in vain.

2 It is vain for you to rise up early,To sit up late,To eat the bread of sorrows;For so He gives His beloved sleep.

3 Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,The fruit of the womb is a reward.

4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,So are the children of one’s youth.

5 Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them;They shall not be ashamed,But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.

Sheet Music

Following worship yesterday, the saints at Christ Covenant Church gathered for a Psalm Sing during which we learned this through composed version of Psalm 15. Then, last night, the Stout kids and I sat down to record a “one-take” version of the song we had a learned together.

Josephine, who is 6 (last girl to the left) and who is filled with a fearless love of singing decided to throw in some of her own fancy “harmonies.”

The Text

Psalm 15 (NKJV)

1 LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle?Who may dwell in Your holy hill?

2 He who walks uprightly,And works righteousness,And speaks the truth in his heart;

3 He who does not backbite with his tongue,Nor does evil to his neighbor,Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend;

4 In whose eyes a vile person is despised,But he honors those who fear the LORD;He who swears to his own hurt and does not change;

5 He who does not put out his money at usury,Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.He who does these things shall never be moved.

An Alternative Recording

Prior to the Stout kids and I singing this together, I recorded a solo piano version which can be heard below.

The Wexford Carol is one of the oldest carols still being sung today dating from as far back as 1100 AD. It is at its core a Nativity carol and ends with the following last stanza which reads

“Come, let us then our tributes payTo our good God, as well we may,For all His grace and mercy shownThrough His Son to us till then unknown;And when through life we wind our way’Mid trials and suff’rings, day by day,In faith and hope, whate’er befall,We’ll wait in peace His holy call”

What a great encouragement this Advent season.

Lyrics

Good people all, this Christmas time,Consider well and bear in mindWhat our good God for us has doneIn sending his beloved sonThen let us all both sing and prayTo God with love this Christmas DayIn Bethlehem upon that morn,There was a blessed Messiah born.

The night before that happy tide,The noble Virgin and her guideWere long time seeking up and downTo find a lodging in the town.But mark right well what came to passFrom every door repelled, alas,As was foretold, their refuge allWas but a humble ox’s stall.

Near Bethlehem did shepherds keepTheir flocks of lambs and feeding sheepTo whom God’s angels did appearWhich put the shepherds in great fearPrepare and go, the angels saidTo Bethlehem, be not afraidFor there you’ll find, this happy mornA princely babe, sweet Jesus, born.

With thankful heart and joyful mindThe shepherds went the babe to findAnd as God’s angel had foretoldThey did our Savior Christ beholdWithin a manger he was laidAnd by his side the virgin maidAttending to the Lord of LifeWho came on earth to end all strife.

There were three wise men from afarDirected by a glorious starAnd on they wandered night and dayUntil they came where Jesus layAnd when they came unto that placeWhere our beloved Messiah layThey humbly cast them at his feetWith gifts of gold and incense sweet.

Come, let us then our tributes payTo our good God, as well we may,For all His grace and mercy shownThrough His Son to us till then unknown;And when through life we wind our way’Mid trials and suff’rings, day by day,In faith and hope, whate’er befall,We’ll wait in peace His holy call

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.

All Parts

Soprano

Alto

Tenor

Bass

The LORD said to my Lord,“Sit at My right hand,Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”

Psalm 110:1

The text

Jehovah to my Lord has said, "Sit Thou at My right hand Until I make Thy foes a stool Whereon Thy feet may stand." Jehovah shall from Zion send The scepter of Thy power. In battle with Thine enemies Be Thou the conqueror.

A willing people in Thy day Of power shall come to Thee. Thy youth arrayed in holiness Like morning dew shall be. Jehovah swore, and from His oath He never will depart: "Of th' order of Melchizedek A priest Thou ever art."

The Lord at Thy right hand shall smite Earth's rulers in His wrath. Among the nations He shall judge; The slain shall fill His path. In many lands He'll overthrow Their kings with ruin dread; And, marching, He'll drink from the brook And so lift up His head.

Where to find this SFS

While backpacking in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, the Stout kids and I hiked to and swam in beautiful Spectacle Lake. We’d been practicing Psalm 110 during our wilderness adventure so I set up my phone and we grabbed this version following our swim.

Download this SFS

* Download .mp3 (.mp3 = great quality)

* Find the Sheet Music (From the Cantus Christi #207)

Note: Artwork is titled “Saint George and the Dragon” and was painted by Raphael in 1505

Today’s Songs for Saints (SFS) selection is monster length, 10 verse, 9 minute hymn written by 18th century poet and Anglican priest Christopher Wordsworth.

This is a song traditionally sung on Ascension Day which is 40 days following the resurrection of Christ. While the song of course can and should be sung throughout the church calendar, the 40 days following that glorious Easter morning are filled with joy unspeakable, countless alleluias, and hope that does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out as a result of the Resurrection of Christ. His resurrection was a part of His over mission to save the world and the culmination of this mission following Resurrection is Ascension, Enthronement, and glory!

This hymn was given it’s original tune in 1897 by Hubert Perry but I’ve written a different melody for this SFS recording.

The hymn is old. The melody is new. The truth is timeless.

So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.

Mark 16: 19-20

The text

See, the Conqueror mounts in triumph; see the King in royal state,Riding on the clouds, His chariot, to His heavenly palace gate.Hark! the choirs of angel voices joyful alleluias sing,And the portals high are lifted to receive their heavenly King.

Who is this that comes in glory, with the trump of jubilee?Lord of battles, God of armies, He has gained the victory.He Who on the cross did suffer, He Who from the grave arose,He has vanquished sin and Satan, He by death has spoiled His foes.

While He lifts His hands in blessing, He was parted from His friendsWhile their eager eyes behold Him, He upon the clouds ascends;He Who walked with God and pleased Him, preaching truth and doom to come,He, our Enoch, is translated to His everlasting home.

Now our heavenly Aaron enters, with His blood, within the veil;Joshua now is come to Canaan, and the kings before Him quail;Now He plants the tribes of Israel in their promised resting place;Now our great Elijah offers double portion of His grace.

Thou hast raised our human nature On the clouds to God's right hand;There we sit in heavenly places, There with Thee in glory stand.Jesus reigns, adored by angels; Man with God is on the throne.Mighty Lord, in Thine ascension We by faith behold our own.

Holy Ghost, llluminator, shed Thy beams upon our eyes,Help us to look up with Stephen, and to see beyond the skies,Where the Son of Man in glory standing is at God's right hand,Beckoning on His martyr army, succoring His faithful band.

See Him, Who is gone before us, heavenly mansions to prepare,See Him, who is ever pleading for us with prevailing prayer,See Him, Who with sound of trumpet, and with His angelic train,Summoning the world to judgment, on the clouds will come again.

Lift us up from earth to Heaven; Give us wings of faithful love, Gales of holy aspirations Wafting us to realms above,That with hearts and minds uplifted We with Christ our Lord may dwellWhere He sits enthroned in glory In His Heav’nly citadel.

So at last, when He appeareth, We from out our graves may springWith our youth renewed like eagles, Flocking ‘round our Heav’nly King,Caught up in the clouds of Heaven, We shall meet Him in the air,Rise to realms where He is reigning, With Him reign forever there.

Glory be to God the Father, glory be to God the Son,Dying, risen, ascending for us, Who the heavenly realm has won;Glory to the Holy Spirit, to one God in persons Three;Glory both in earth and heaven, glory, endless glory, be.

Where to find this SFS

Listen on Qobuz or Spotify below.

Download this SFS

* Download .mp3 (.mp3 = great quality)

* Download .wav (.wav = high resolution audio file)

For the sake of my brethren and companions,I will now say, “Peace be within you.”Because of the house of the LORD our GodI will seek your good.

Psalm 122:8-9

The text

1 I was glad when they said to me,“Let us go into the house of the LORD.”

2 Our feet have been standingWithin your gates, O Jerusalem!

3 Jerusalem is builtAs a city that is compact together,

4 Where the tribes go up, The tribes of the LORD,To the Testimony of Israel, To give thanks to the name of the LORD.

5 For thrones are set there for judgment,The thrones of the house of David.

6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:“May they prosper who love you.

7 Peace be within your walls,Prosperity within your palaces.”

8 For the sake of my brethren and companions,I will now say, “Peace be within you.”

9 Because of the house of the LORD our GodI will seek your good.

Where to find this SFS

Download this SFS

* Download .mp3 (.mp3 = great quality)

* Download .wav (.wav = high resolution audio file)

* Find the Sheet Music (From the Cantus Christi #234)

Note: Artwork is titled “Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows” and was painted by John Constable in 1831

Praise the LORD from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps: Fire, and hail; snow, and vapor;stormy wind fulfilling his word:

Psalm 148:7-8

The text

From heav'n O praise the LORD; Ye heights, His glory raise. All angels, praise accord; Let all His host give praise. Praise Him on high, Sun, moon, and star, Ye heav'ns afar, And cloudy sky.

Yea, let them glorious make Jehovah's matchless name; For when the word He spake They into being came. And from that place Where fixed they be, By his decree They cannot pass.

From earth O praise the LORD, Ye deeps and all below; Wild winds that do His work, Ye clouds, fire, hail, and snow; Ye mountains high, Ye cedars tall, Beasts great and small, And birds that fly.

Let all the people praise, And kings of every land; Let all their voices raise Who judge and give command. By young and old, By maid and youth, His name in truth Should be extolled.

Jehovah's name be praised Above the earth and sky. For He His saints has raised And set their power on high. Him praise accord, O Israel's race, Near to His grace. Praise ye the LORD.Where to find this SFS

Download this SFS

* Download .mp3 (.mp3 = great quality)

* Download .wav (.wav = high resolution audio file)

* Find the Sheet Music (From the Cantus Christi #294)

Note: Artwork was painted by Frederic Edwin Church in 1863

This week’s Songs for Saints (SFS) production explores a nearly 600 year old hymn written by the medieval poet Bianco da Siena about arguably the most important day in human history; the day of Pentecost.

On Pentecost we celebrate an unraveling of the curse of Babel, tongue’s in Christ are now united in love and truth instead of divided and confused. On this day we celebrate that when the Spirit comes, people are changed, lives are renewed, and the Gospel marches on in victory.

The hymn is old. The melody is new. The truth is timeless.

And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Acts 2:1-4

The text

Come down, O Love divine, Seek Thou this soul of mine,And visit it with thine own ardour glowing;O Comforter, draw near, within my heart appear,and kindle it, Thy holy flame bestowing.

O let it freely burn, till worldly passions turnTo dust and ashes in its heat consuming:And let Thy glorious light, Shine ever on my sight,And clothe me round, the while my path illuming.

Let holy charity mine outward vesture be,And lowliness become mine inner clothing,True lowliness of heart, which takes the humbler part,And o'er its own shortcomings weeps with loathing.

And so the yearning strong, with which the soul will long,Shall far outpass the power of human telling;No soul can guess the grace, Till he become the placeWherein the Holy Spirit makes His dwelling.

Where to find this SFS

Listen on Qobuz or Spotify below.

Download this SFS

* Download .mp3 (.mp3 = great quality)

* Download .wav (.wav = high resolution audio file)