Notes on the Notes – November 10, 2024

Remembrance Sunday/Communion

This week’s music: 

“When Quiet Peace is Shattered” (VU #615)

“When quiet peace is shattered by dreadful noise of war,
And we are bruised and battered by fighting’s constant roar;
Lord, break the silence of your word and let your healing voice be heard.
O let your healing voice be heard.

When troubles still our love-song, and fear beats hard within,
When anger drowns the dove’s song, and life’s a noisy din,
Lord, break the silence of your word and let your healing voice be heard.
O let your healing voice be heard.

When clashing wills divide us, and hearts refuse to mend,
When feelings scream inside us, and agonies won’t end,
Lord, break the silence of your word and let your healing voice be heard.
O let your healing voice be heard.”

The text for this hymn is by Mary Nelson Keithahn and the music is by her colleague, John Horman.  They are both from South Dakota.  The hymn is a plea for God, in times of conflict, to break through the noise and let God’s healing and loving voice be heard.

“Come and Fill Our Hearts” (MV #16)

“Come and fill our hearts with your peace.
You alone, O Lord, are holy.
Come and fill our hearts with your peace,
Alleluia.”

This short song of centering and healing prayer comes from the Taize Community, with music by Jacques Berthier (1982).

“God!  As with Silent Hearts” (VU #527)

“God!  As with silent hearts we bring to mind
How hate and war diminish humankind,
We pause, and seek in worship to increase
Our knowledge of the things that make for peace.

Hallow our will as humbly we recall the lives of those who gave and give their all.
We thank you, God, for women, children, men
Who seek to serve in love, today as then.

Give us deep faith to comfort those who mourn,
High hope to share with all the newly born,
Strong love in our pursuit of human worth:
‘Lest we forget’ the future of this earth.

So, Prince of Peace, disarm our trust in power,
Teach us to coax the plant of peace to flower.
May we, impassioned by your living Word, remember forward to a world restored.”

Of Dutch birth, Fred Kaan was ordained into the Congregational Church (now the United Reformed Church) in 1955.  This hymn is from “Planting Trees and Sowing Seeds” (1975), a collection written by Kaan with the late composer Doreen Potter.  The words of the hymn invite us into a time of reflection about times of war and the struggle to move into a world of peace.  The tune is LANGRAN, well-known as the tune from the communion hymn “Here, O My Lord, I See You Face to Face.”

See the hymn used in worship at Strathroy United Church (2011) at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCA8XCAFugI

“Make Our Lives a Prayer of Peace”

“Grant us, O Lord, peace in our days,
Peace in our hearts, peace in our families,
Peace in our country, peace among nations.
Make our lives a prayer of peace for the world.

Help us act in justice and to love tenderly,
And to walk humbly with our God.

Help us to forgive, and to seek forgiveness,
Help us rid ourselves of pride.

Help us live more simply by accepting what we have.
Give us everything we need.

Help us be content and be faithful to your word;
Guide our journey with your peace.

Grant us, O Lord, peace in our days,
Peace in our hearts, peace in our families,
Peace in our country, peace among nations.
Make our lives a prayer of peace for the world.
Make our lives a prayer of peace for the world.”

This song was written by Paul Hillebrand in 1991, during the Gulf War.   The words of the chorus form a litany, or series of petitions in prayer to God, encompassing so many areas in our lives that need the peace of God.  The verses give us a challenge of how to be people of peace through forgiveness, simplicity, and contentment.

“Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow” (VU #541)

“Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise God, all creatures high and low;
Give thanks to God in love made known:
Creator, Word and Spirit, One.  Amen.”

The words for this traditional Doxology were written around 1674 by Thomas Ken, and updated for Voices United.   A Doxology is a short hymn of praise to God, which is often used as an offering response.  The music, OLD 100th, is from the Genevan Psalter (1551).

“Make Me a Channel of Your Peace” (VU #684)

“Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me bring your love.
Where there is injury, your healing power,
And where there’s doubt, true faith in you.

O Spirit, grant that I may never seek
So much to be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved, as to love with all my soul.

Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there’s despair in life, let me bring hope.
Where there is darkness, only light,
And where there’s sadness, ever joy.

O Spirit, grant that I may never seek
So much to be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved, as to love with all my soul.

Make me a channel of your peace.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned.
In giving of ourselves that we receive,
And in dying that we’re born to eternal life.”

The “Prayer of Saint Francis,” is a widely known Christian prayer for peace.  It has been attributed to St. Francis and was likely written around 1220, just over 800 years ago.  It has been frequently set to music by notable songwriters and quoted by prominent leaders, and its broadly inclusive language has found appeal with diverse faiths encouraging service to others.  The prayer was heavily publicized during both World War I and World War II.  The hymn is an anthem of the Royal British Legion and is often sung at Remembrance Day services.

Hear the song sung in worship at Windsor Park United Church (2022):

Hear the interfaith medley from the musical “Come From Away” that includes the hymn at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RO8uT90qNoQ

“Let There Be Peace on Earth”

Sy Miller and Jill Jackson were a husband and wife songwriting team. In 1955 they wrote a song about their dream of peace for the world and how they believed each one of us could help create it.  Sy Miller wrote in his own words about the creation of the song: “One summer evening in 1955, a group of 180 teenagers of all races and religions, meeting at a workshop high in the California mountains locked arms, formed a circle and sang a song of peace. They felt that singing the song, with its simple basic sentiment – ‘Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me,’ helped to create a climate for world peace and understanding. ‘When they came down from the mountain, these inspired young people brought the song with them and started sharing it. And, as though on wings, ‘Let There Be Peace on Earth’ began an amazing journey around the globe. It travelled first, of course, with the young campers back to their homes and schools, churches and clubs. Soon the circle started by the teenagers began to grow…It was taped, recorded, copied, printed in songbooks, and passed by word of mouth.”

Hear the song sung at Voices Without Borders at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MO5CqyMPL8Q

Hear the combined 450 voices of The St. Louis Children’s Choirs come together on stage at Powell Hall in St. Louis in 2019: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fjh6R8GixM

Bonus Videos:
Peace for the Children – Sung by The Harmony Singers

If the War Goes On – John Bell 

From a Distance – Bette Midler