Notes on the Notes – May 15, 2022

Spiritual Cross-Fit

“Prayer as Practice”

This Week’s Music: 

“I Need Thee Every Hour” (VU #671)

“I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine can peace afford.

I need Thee, oh, I need Thee;
Every hour I need Thee;
Oh, bless me now, my Savior,
I come to Thee.

I need Thee every hour, stay Thou nearby;
Temptations lose their pow’r when Thou art nigh.

I need Thee every hour, in joy or pain;
Come quickly and abide, or life is vain.

I need Thee every hour; teach me Thy will;
And Thy rich promises in me fulfill.”

The author for “I Need Thee Every Hour,” Annie Sherwood Hawks (1835-1918), wrote over 400 hymns in her lifetime.  When speaking of writing this hymn, she said,  “I remember well the morning when in the midst of the daily cares of my home, I was so filled with the sense of the nearness of the Master, that wondering how one could live without him either in joy or pain, these words ‘I Need Thee Every Hour’ were ushered into my mind. The hymn was wafted out to the world on the wings of love and joy, rather than under the stress of great personal sorrow. It was not until long years after when the shadow of a great loss fell over my way that I understood something of the comforting in the words I have been permitted to write.”  The music for the hymn was written by Robert Lowry.

Hear a traditional a capella version of the hymn at:  https://youtu.be/ZkgiDDO-fOg

Hear Fernando Ortega sing the hymn at:  https://youtu.be/tZIMDcgrF-Q

“Be the Centre” 

“Jesus, be the centre,
Be my source, be my light, Jesus.

Jesus, be the centre,
Be my hope, be my song, Jesus.

Be the fire in my heart,
Be the wind in these sails,
Be the reason that I live, Jesus, Jesus.

Jesus, be my vision,
Be my path, be my guide, Jesus.

Be the fire in my heart,
Be the wind in these sails,
Be the reason that I live, Jesus, Jesus.

Be the fire in my heart,
Be the wind in these sails,

Be the reason that I live, Jesus, Jesus.”

The words and music for this song are by Michael Frye (1999).  The song expresses the desire to move our own needs and wants from being our primary priority, to having Jesus and his teachings at the center of our lives.

Hear Michael Frye sing the song at:  https://youtu.be/MERQ0P6O0CE

“Down to the River to Pray” 

“As I went down to the river to pray,
Studyin’ about that good ol’ way
And who shall wear the starry crown.
Good Lord, show me the way.
O sisters, let’s go down, let’s go down, come on down.
O sisters, let’s go down, down to the river to pray.

As I went down to the river to pray, 
Studyin’ about that good ol’ way 
And who shall wear the robe and crown.
Good Lord, show me the way.
O brothers, let’s go down, let’s go down, come on down.
Come on brothers, let’s go down, down to the river to pray.

As I went down to the river to pray,
Studyin’ about that good ol’ way
And who shall wear the starry crown,
Good Lord, show me the way.
O fathers, let’s go down, let’s go down, com on down.
O fathers, let’s go down, down to the river to pray.

As I went down to the river to pray,
Studyin’ about that good ol’ way
And who shall wear the robe and crown.
Good Lord, show me the way.
O mothers, let’s go down, come on down, don’t-cha wanna go down.
Come on mothers, let’s go down, down to the river to pray.

As I went down to the river to pray, 
Studyin’ about that good ol’ way
And who shall wear the starry crown.
Good Lord, show me the way.
O sinners, let’s go down, let’s go down, come on down.
O sinners, let’s go down, down to the river to pray.

As I went down to the river to pray, 
Studyin’ about that good ol’ way
And who shall wear the starry crown.
Good Lord, show me the way.”

This week our first anthem will be from an arrangement of the traditional song by Sheldon Curry (2002).  While it is hard to pinpoint the exact origins of the song, “Down to the River to Pray” has been referred to as a hymn, a spiritual and an Appalachian song. Some believe it was a Native American Tribal song that was adapted to include Christian lyrics. It is attributed to George H. Allan in the Slave Songbook of 1867, and Alison Krauss popularized it in the 2000 film, O Brother, Where Art Thou? The song also is known by alternate titles such as “Down in the Valley to Pray,” “Come, Let Us All Go Down” and “The Good Old Way.” Whatever the title might truly be, the deeply spiritual song is about the power of prayer in keeping the faith in a time of darkness.  (Source: https://www.thetabernaclechoir.org/articles/down-to-the-river-to-pray.html)

Hear Alison Krauss sing the song with scenes from the movie,  O Brother, Where Art Thou? at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fztz_Vr9uHk 

“Pray for the People”

“Pray for the person on your left.
Pray for the person on your right.
They may seem strong, but we don’t know
All of the struggles and the burdens they hold.
We pray, Lord, we pray
Give them power to face the day.

Lord, we lift them up,
Lord, we lift them up.
They try to be strong,
But only you know
All of the struggles and the burdens they hold.
We pray, Lord, we pray
Give them power to face the day.

Now we pray, “Lord, have mercy.”
Now we pray, “Won’t you bless them, Lord.”

Pray for the person on your left.
Pray for the person on your right.
Pray for them and as you do,
People all around are praying for you.
We pray, Lord, we pray
Give us power to face the day.
Amen, amen.”

Our second anthem this week is by Pepper Choplin (2008), who reminds us of the power of prayer and the comfort of community.

“The Lord’s Prayer” (VU #960)

“Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive them that trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory,
Forever and ever.  Amen.”

This version of the Lord’s prayer can be found at #960 in Voices United.  It is adapted from a chant by R. Langdon (1774).  Two forms of the Lord’s prayer are recorded in the New Testament: a longer form in the Gospel of Matthew (6:5-13) as part of the Sermon on the Mount, and a shorter form in the Gospel of Luke (11:1-4) as a response by Jesus to a request by “one of his disciples” to teach them “to pray as John taught his disciples.”

“Companions on the Journey”  

“We are companions on the journey,
Breaking bread and sharing life;
And in the love we bear is the hope we share
For we believe in the love of our God,
We believe in the love of our God.

No longer strangers to each other;
No longer strangers in God’s house;
We are fed and we are nourished by the strength of those who care,
By the strength of those who care.

We have been gifted with each other,
And we are called by the Word of the Lord
To act with justice, to love tenderly,
And to walk humbly with our God,
To walk humbly with our God.

We shall seek and we shall find;
We will knock and the door will be opened;
We will ask and it shall be given,
For we believe in the love of our God,
We believe in the love of our God. 

We are made for the glory of our God,
For service in the name of Jesus;
To walk side by side with hope in our hearts.
For we believe in the love of our God,
We believe in the love of our God. 

We are companions on the journey…”

This song, written by Carey Landry (1985), is based on Micah 6:8 and Matthew 7:7.  The piano accompaniment is by Henry Papale.

“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 benediction response was written in 1991 by Beaker.  As we go out into the world, we express our intention to continue to learn and live in God’s ways throughout the coming week.

Hear Sheila Walsh’s version of the song at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3H0Vczy8Uw4

Bonus video: