Notes on the Notes – August 22, 2021

This week’s music:

“Be a Light”

“In a time full of war, be peace.
In a time full of doubt, just believe.
Yeah, there ain’t that much difference between you and me.
In a time full of war, be peace.

 In a world full of hate, be a light.
When you do somebody wrong, make it right.
Don’t hide in the dark; you were born to shine.
In a world full of hate, be a light.”

Our candle-lighting response the opening of the song “Be a Light,” recorded by American country music singer Thomas Rhett and featuring guest vocals from Reba McEntire, Hillary Scott, Chris Tomlin, and Keith Urban. It was released on March 30, 2020.

Rhett said that he wrote the song in 2019, but chose to release it because he thought its message would be well received in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. He told Billboard that the song “was really just about being a light in a dark place; being an encouragement to people.” He co-wrote the song with Matt Dragstrem, Josh Thompson, and Josh Miller.

Hear the full song at: https://youtu.be/8YuWAZmD0aU

“There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy” (VU #271 v 1, 2, 5)

“There’s a wideness in God’s mercy like the wideness of the sea;
There’s a kindness in God’s justice which is more than liberty.

There is no place where earth’s sorrows are more felt than up in heaven;
There is no place where earth’s failings have such gracious judgment given.

For the love of God is broader than the measures of the mind,
And the heart of the Eternal is most wonderfully kind.”

This hymn is based on a poem by F.W. Faber, a 19th-century Anglican priest who converted to Roman Catholicism (1854).  The lyrics remind us that, no matter our mistakes or short-comings, we are still loved by God.  The tune we will be using is GOTT WILL’S MACHEN,  by the 18th-century Swiss composer, Johann Ludwig Steiner.  Hear the tune on pipe organ at:  https://youtu.be/rndo8V2u0hc

“He’s Always Been Faithful to Me”

“Morning by morning, I wake up to find the power and comfort
Of God’s hand in mine.
Season by season I watch Him, amazed,
In awe of the myst’ry of His perfect ways.
All I have need of His hand will provide.
He’s always been faithful to me.

I can’t remember a trial or a pain He did not recycle to bring me gain.
I can’t remember one single regret in serving God only
And trusting His hand.
All I have need of His hand will provide.
He’s always been faithful to me.

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee.
Thou changest not; Thy compassions, they fail not,
As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided.
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide.
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Wondrous the portion Thy blessings provide.

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided.
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!

This is my anthem,
This is my song;
The theme of the stories I’ve heard for so long.
God has been faithful, He will be again.
His loving compassion, it knows no end.
All I have need of His hand will provide.
He’s always been faithful to me.”

This song has words and music by Sara Groves, and was recorded in 1998. It is based on the hymn “Great is Thy Faithfulness” by Thomas O. Chisholm and William M. Runyan. The arrangement is by Gary Rhodes. 

Chisholm wrote hundreds of poems during his lifetime. In 1923, he was inspired by Lamentations 3:22-23 to write the text for the hymn, “Great is thy Faithfulness.” Those verses are as follows, “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.”

Hear the song sung by Sara Groves at:  https://youtu.be/cTLfQ05Otk0

Hear the song sung by The Zoe Group (acapella) at:  https://youtu.be/1DOvGHB9qbc

“If I Ever Lose My Faith in You”

“Trust in You”

“Letting go of ev’ry single dream,
I lay each one down at Your feet.
Ev’ry moment of my wondering
Never changes what You see.

I’ve tried to win this war, I confess.
My hands are weary; I need Your rest.
Mighty warrior, King of the fight,
No matter what I face, You’re by my side.

When You don’t move the mountains I’m needing You to move,
When You don’t part the waters I wish I could walk through,
When You don’t give the answers as I cry out to You,
I will trust, I will trust, I will trust in You.

Truth is, You know what tomorrow brings.
There’s not a day ahead You have not seen.
So, in all things, be my life and breath;
I want what You want, Lord, and nothing less.

You are my strength and comfort;
You are my steady hand.
You are my firm foundation,
The Rock on which I stand.
Your ways are always higher;
Your plans are always good.
There’s not a place where I’ll go
You’ve not already stood…”

This song by Lauren Daigle speaks to trusting God through all the trials of life.  In an interview she said, “Even when God doesn’t move the mountains or things are different than my heart desires, He’s still as faithful. Thinking on the trials that Jesus walked through on earth, it’s not just us trying to wade the waters in life. We experience the same heartbreaks that Jesus experienced. A lot of times we can feel isolated, but reflecting on how His heart was broken in greater ways than we can imagine, we need to press in and know that Jesus has been there and has experienced the greatest amount of loss. By His steps, it affords us comfort in times of loss.”  This recording by the Praise Team was made on February 28, 2021.

Hear Lauren Daigle sing the song at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_aVFVveJNs

To read the entire interview about the song, go to:  https://www.newreleasetoday.com/article.php?article_id=1691

“All the Way My Saviour Leads Me” (VU #635)

“All the way my Saviour leads me, what have I to ask beside?
Can I doubt his tender mercy who through life has been my guide?
Heavenly peace, divinest comfort, here by faith in him to dwell,
For I know, whate’er befall me, Jesus doeth all things well.

All the way my Saviour leads me, cheers each winding path I tread,
Gives me grace for every trial, feeds me with the living bread.
Though my weary steps may falter, and my soul a-thirst may be,
Gushing from the rock before me, lo, a spring of joy I see!

All the way my Saviour leads me; O the fullness of his love!
Perfect rest to me is promised in my Father’s house above.
When my spirit, clothed, immortal, wings its flight to realms of day,
This my song through endless ages, “Jesus led me all the way!”

“All The Way My Savior Leads Me” was written by Fanny Crosby and is her statement of faith and trust that God, through Jesus, will always be with her.  She wrote this hymn on a day when an unexpected kindness had come her way.  Struggling financially, she desperately needed some money and, as her usual custom, Fanny began to pray.  A few minutes later, a gentleman offered her five dollars, the exact amount she needed.  Later recalling the incident, she said, “I have no way of accounting for this except to believe that God put it into the heart of this good man to bring the money.”  The poem she wrote afterwards became “All The Way My Savior Leads Me.”   She sent the text to Robert Lowrey who composed the tune for it.  It was first published in Chicago, in Brightest and Best (1875), a tune book for Sunday schools.

Hear The Haven Quartet at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEOtFEs0Jos

Hear Melody St Clair Randazzo at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9u38XpHI7Q&index=31&list=PLWfKlHQoDKDWVBl9mE90_wpU-WDjhrGqs

“Step by Step”

“Oh God, You are my God
And I will ever praise You
Oh God, You are my God
And I will ever praise You
I will seek You in the morning
And I will learn to walk in Your ways
And step by step You’ll lead me
And I will follow You all of my days.”

Our worship service will close with the song “Step by Step.” 

This week, listen to the full song “Sometimes by Step” by Rich Mullins, which includes the chorus “Step by Step”
and makes reference to the trust that Abraham has in God:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pY17KVUeOKc