Notes on the Notes – October 23, 2022

Homecoming Sunday!

To Be Lost and Found 

Music for this service will be led by The Harmony Singers.

This week’s music: 

“Come In, Come in and Sit Down” (VU #395)

“Come in, come in and sit down,
You are a part of the family.
We are lost and we are found,
And we are a part of the family.

You know the reason why you came,
Yet no reason can explain;
So share in the laughter and cry in the pain,
For we are a part of the family.

God is with us in this place,
Like a mother’s warm embrace.
We’re all forgiven by God’s grace,
For we are a part of the family.

There’s life to be shared in the bread and the wine,
We are the branches, Christ is the vine.
This is God’s temple, it’s not yours or mine,
But we are a part of the family.

There’s rest for the weary and health for us all;
There’s a yoke that is easy, and a burden that’s small.
So come in and worship and answer the call,
For we are a part of the family.”

This song became known to United Church congregations in the arrangement made by Darryl Nixon for the hymn book supplement Songs for a Gospel People (1987). Singer songwriter James K. Manley, the composer of this hymn, is a minister in the United Church of Christ (USA). “Part of the Family” reminds both members and visitors that our congregation is an open, diverse group that welcomes people of all ages, every marital status, and all views, interest levels, and stages in the faith journey.

Hear the hymn sung by Strathroy United Church at:  https://youtu.be/gIz4FQYBF04

“Lord, Prepare Me to Be a Sanctuary” (MV #18)

“Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary
Pure and holy, tried and true
With thanksgiving, I’ll be a living
Sanctuary for you.”

This simple song was written by John W. Thompson and Randy Scruggs in 1982.    The lyrics of “Sanctuary” are a request for God to purify oneself.   We come before God as flawed individuals, trusting in God’s love and grace.  Safe in this love, we thankfully become a living vessel for God.

To listen to the song go to:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LiTy7nd

“When We Come Together”

“When we come together gladly
Our community grows strong.
When we meet to tell our story,
When we join to sing our song,
We are celebrating friendship,
We are building bonds of peace;
Pass a vision to each other;
Let God’s spirit never cease.

All are welcome at our table
To be nourished by the Word.
Christ extends the invitation,
We respond as we have heard.
He does not demand perfection
When we worship in his name,
For the last shall be the first here;
God forgives us just the same.

In our crowded lives we’re searching
For a meaning we can share.
Will we find some room for patience,
Will we take the time to care?
But when two or more are gathered,
Christ will be there with us too,
Then the Spirit grows among us,
Giving joy to all we do.”

This song was written by Allan Baer in 2007.

“The words of the first verse of this song were written on the back of a napkin at a church potluck dinner while waiting for our table to be called. Food always seems to be a joyous occasion to come together, and what is nourished is not just our stomachs, but also our sense of community. No wonder the most important ritual of the Christian faith – communion (called the eucharist in other traditions) – centres around food, and often goes by the name “the Lord’s Supper”. Yet that first communion was followed soon after by denial, betrayal and abandonment. Christ’s “inner circle” often missed the point of his parables and squabbled over who was the top disciple. But just as Christ didn’t wait until his imperfect disciples had improved themselves, neither should we expect that any who attend worship are somehow “better people”. In worship we seek to reconcile ourselves to God’s vision for us, from which we all have fallen short. In community, even if only two or three, we can re-imagine that vision, and then work together to bring that vision to life.”  (Source: https://www.crossroadsunited.ca/spirit/)

“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!

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 know 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. It is based on the hymn “Great is Thy Faithfulness” by Thomas O. Chisholm and William M. Runyan. The arrangement is by Gary Rhodes.

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

Hear a Praise Team recording of the song at: https://youtu.be/GgzRk1NNWgw?list=PLcKv8KzQKS1iSYAuZRuBmzJeEJHHQVrYD 

“Grant Us, God, the Grace of Giving” (VU #540)

“Grant Us, God, the grace of giving,
With a spirit large and free,
That ourselves and all our living
We may offer faithfully.”

The text of our offering response comes from the Mennonite hymn book, “Hymnal: a Worship Book.”   The tune is a familiar one which is also used for the Advent hymn “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus”  (VU #2).

“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.”

“Grace Alone”

“Every promise we can make,
Every prayer and step of faith,
Every difference we will make
Is only by His grace.

Every mountain we will climb,
Every ray of hope we shine,
Every blessing left behind
Is only by His grace.

Grace alone which God supplies,
Strength unknown He will provide.
Christ in us, our Cornerstone,
We will go forth in grace alone.

Every soul we long to reach,
Every heart we hope to teach,
Everywhere we share His peace
Is only by His grace.

Every loving word we say,
Every tear we wipe away,
Every sorrow turned to praise
Is only by His grace.

Grace alone which God supplies,
Strength unknown He will provide.
Christ in us, our Cornerstone,
We will go forth in grace alone.”

This song was written by Scott Wesley Brown and Jeff Nelson.

Hear the song at:  https://youtu.be/b6lhilgWXIE

“Sent Out in Jesus’ Name” (MV #212)

“Sent out in Jesus’ name, our hands are ready now
To make the world the place in which the kingdom comes.

The angels cannot change a world of hurt and pain
Into a world of love, of justice and of peace.
The task is ours to do, to set it really free.
O, help us to obey, and carry out your will.

Sent out in Jesus’ name, our hands are ready now
To make the world the place in which the kingdom comes.”

The words and music are from the traditional song, Enviado soy de Dios, from Cuba.  The English translation is by Jorge Maldonado, who also arranged the song for More Voices in 2007.  As we leave worship, we are reminded that we are Christ’s hands in the world.

Bonus videos!  For more music by the musicians of WPUC, check out WPUCs YouTube channel by clicking on the link below.  Once there, click on Playlists and then WPUC Music! Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChsuV3XKoz5YtO7_36Lqm0w