We love God’s Word. Therefore, we not only read it and preach it in worship, but we also sing it. Below are some of the scripture-based musical responses we have included in our service. The responses currently in use are at the top of each column.
Confession of Sin
While humble shepherds watch’d their flocks
In Bethleh’ms plains by night,
An angel sent from heav’n appear’d
And fill’d the plains with light.
Fear not, he said, for sudden dread
Had seiz’d their troubled minds,
Glad tidings of great joy I bring
To you, and all mankind.
Text: Luke 2:8-10 | Tune: ST. LOUIS | Meter: 8.6.8.6.7.6.8.6
Scripture Reading
To you, in David’s town, this day
Is born, of David’s line,
A Saviour, who is Christ the Lord;
And this shall be the sign:
The heavn’ly Babe you there should find
To human view display’d,
All meanly wrapt in swaddling clothes
And in a manger laid.
Text: Luke 2:11-12 | Tune: KINGSFOLD | Meter: C.M.D.
The Benediction
Thus spoke the seraph and forthwith
Appeared a shining throng,
Of angels that were praising God
And thus address’d their joyful song:
“All glory be to God,
Who reigns above in heav’n
And on earth be peace,
Good will tow’rd men.”
Text: Luke 2:13-14 | Tune: ANTIOCH | Meter: C.M.rep.
When the needy seek him, he will mercy show,
Yea, the weak and helpless, shall his pity know.
He will surely save them from oppression’s might,
For their lives are precious in his holy sight.
Text: Psalm 72:12-14 | Tune: WYE VALLEY (no ref.) | Meter: 6.5.6.5.
O God, to thy Anointed King,
Give truth and righteousness.
Thy people he will justly judge,
And give the poor redress.
Then every fruitful mountain side
Shall yield its rich increase,
And righteousness in all the land
Shall bear the fruit of peace.
Text: Psalm 72:1-4 | Tune: BOVINA | Meter: C.M.
Hasten, Lord, the glorious time,
when beneath Messiah’s sway,
Every nation, every clime,
shall the gospel call obey.
Mightiest kings his power shall own,
heathen tribes his name adore.
Satan and his host o’erthrown,
bound in chains, shall hurt no more.
Text: Psalm 72:9-11 | Tune: MADRID | Meter: 7.7.7.7.D.
God, be merciful to me,
on thy grace I rest my plea.
Plenteous in compassion, thou,
blot out my transgressions now.
Wash me, make me pure within.
Cleanse, O cleanse me from my sin.
I confess thy judgment just,
speechless, I thy mercy trust.
Text: Psalm 51:1-2 | Tune: MARTYN | Meter: 7.7.7.7.7.D.
Gracious God, my heart renew,
make my spirit right and true;
cast me not away from thee,
let thy Spirit dwell in me.
Thy salvation’s joy impart,
steadfast make my willing heart.
Sinners then shall learn from me
and return, O God, to thee.
Text: Psalm 51:10-13 | Tune: ST GEORGE’S WINDSOR | Meter: 7.7.7.7.D.
Prosper Zion in thy grace
and her broken walls replace.
Then our righteous sacrifice,
shall be pleasing in thine eyes. [repeat]
Text: Psalm 51:18-19 | Tune: HENDON | Meter: 7.7.7.7.rep.
I waited for the LORD Most High,
and he inclined to hear my cry;
he took me from destruction’s pit
and from the miry clay;
upon a rock he set my feet,
and steadfast made my way.
Text: Psalm 40:1-2 | Tune: DUNSTAN | Meter: 8.8.8.6.8.6.
Forever settled in the heav’ns,
Thy Word, O LORD, shall firmly stand;
Thy faithfulness shall never fail;
The earth abides at thy command.
O grant us grace, Almighty Lord,
To read and mark thy Holy Word;
Its truths with meekness to receive,
And by its holy precepts live.
Text: Psalm 119:89-90 | Tune: JERUSALEM (Parry) | Meter: 8.8.8.8.
Unto God’s house lift up thy hands
and to the LORD thy praises send.
May God who made the earth and sky
bestow his blessings from on high.
Text: Psalm 134:2-3 | Tune: OLD HUNDREDTH | Meter: L.M.
LORD, rebuke me not in thine anger,
Chastened sore I waste away.
Pity my distress and hear me,
Lord, how long wilt thou delay?
Come, O LORD, my soul deliver,
In thy loving-kindness save.
Text: Psalm 6:1-4 | Tune: PICARDY | Meter: 8.7.8.7.8.7
The voice of Jehovah is mighty, is mighty,
The voice of Jehovah in majesty speaks,
The voice of Jehovah the cedars is breaking.
Jehovah the cedars of Lebanon breaks,
His word doth make the wilderness
of Kadesh to shake.
Text: Psalm 29:4-5,8 | Tune: ADESTES FIDELES | Meter: Irreg., ref.
Behold the Lord, shall surely come,
To judge the earth, comes he!
He’ll judge the world — with righteousness,
His folk with equity, His folk with equity,
His folk, His folk with equity.
Text: Psalm 98:9 | Tune: ANTIOCH | Meter: C.M.rep.
The heav’ns declare thy glory, Lord,
In every star thy wisdom shines,
But when our eyes behold thy word,
We read thy name in fairer lines.
The rolling sun, the changing light,
Both nights and days, thy power confess,
But the blest volume thou hast writ,
Reveals thy justice and thy grace.
Text: Psalm 19:1-7, etc. | Tune: Sweet Hour | Meter: LMD
Sun, moon, and stars convey thy praise
‘Round the whole earth, and never stand:
So when thy truth began its race,
It touched and glanced on every land.
Nor shall thy spreading gospel rest
‘Till through the world thy truth has run,
‘Till Christ has all the nations blest
That see the light or feel the sun.
Text: Psalm 19:1-7, etc. | Tune: Duane Street | Meter: LMD
Great Sun of Righteousness, arise,
Bless the dark world with heav’nly light;
Thy gospel makes the simple wise,
Thy laws are pure, thy judgments right.
Thy noblest wonders here we view
In souls renewed and sins forgiv’n;
Lord, cleanse my sins, my soul renew,
And make thy word my guide to heaven. (repeat)
Text: Psalm 19:7-14 | Tune: Before the Throne | Meter: LMD
I should have perished in my woe
Had not I loved thy law divine;
That law I never can forget;
O save me, LORD, for I am thine.
Text: Psalm 119:92-94| Tune: Quebec | Meter: L.M.
For ever settled in the heavens
Thy Word, O LORD, shall firmly stand;
Thy faithfulness shall never fail;
The earth abides at thy command.
Text: Psalm 119:89-90 | Tune: Duke Street | Meter: L.M.
“Do this,” he said, “till time shall end,”
In mem’ry of thy dying Friend;
Meet at my table, and record
The love of thy ascended Lord.”
Jesus, thy feast we celebrate,
We show thy death, we sing thy name,
Till thou return, and we shall eat
The marriage supper of the Lamb.
Text: 1 Corinthians 11:23 | Tune: Jerusalem (Perry) | Meter: 8.7.8.8.8.8.8.8.
Unto the hills I look,
From whence shall come my aid;
My help is from the LORD,
Which heav’n and earth hath made.
Text: Psalm 121:1-2 | Tune: Whelpton | Meter: 5.5.6.5.
Text: Psalm 119:89-91,97 | Tune: ODE TO JOY | Meter: 8.7.8.7.D
Our God shall surely come,
and silence shall not keep;
Before him fire shall waste,
and storms tempestuous round him sweep.
He to the heav’ns above
shall then send forth his call,
And likewise to the earth, that he
may judge his people all. Amen.
Text: Psalm 50:3-4 | Tune: DIADEMATA | Meter: S.M.D.
Text: Psalm 51:1-2 | Tune: TOPLADY | Meter: 7.7.7.7.7.7.
The words of God are words most pure;
they be like silver tried (x2)
In earthen furnace, seven times
that hath been purified. (men: x4)
Text: Psalm 12:6 | Tune: LYNGHAM | Meter: C.M.rep.
Behold, he cometh on the clouds,
His saints shall bless that day;
While they that pierced him sadly mourn,
In anguish and dismay.
I am the First, and I the Last;
time centres all in me;
Th’ Almighty God, who was, and is,
And evermore shalt be. Amen.
Text: Revelation 1:7-8 | Tune: ELLACOMBE | Meter: C.M.D.
Guilt rises up above mine head,
Sin’s heavy burden crushes me.
Hasten to rescue me, O Lord,
With thy salvation full and free.
Text: Psalm 38:4,22 | Tune: TALLIS CANON | Meter: L.M.
Now be the God of Isr’el bless’d,
Who makes his truth appear;
His mighty hand fulfills his word,
And all the oaths he sware.
Yea, all the oaths he sware.
Text: Luke 1:68-70 | Tune: CHRISTMAS | Meter: C.M.rep.
Consider me, O LORD my God,
And answer thou my cry.
O, to my eyes give light, lest I
Should sleep with those who die.
Text: Psalm 13:3 | Tune: ST. COLUMBA | Meter: C.M.
The heav’ns declare the glory
of our great God above,
and the stars up in the firmament
show forth his handiwork.
But his Law shows something greater:
his pow’r to save the soul,
and to sanctify us wholly,
that we may know his will.
His word do we desire,
yea, more than precious gold;
for its promise and its warnings
doth bring us great reward.
Text: Psalm 19:1,7,10-11 | Tune: THAXTED | Meter: 13.13.13.13.13.13.
O God, to us be merciful,
Do, thou, thy people bless,
And graciously cause shine on us
The brightness of thy face [repeat]
Text: Psalm 67:1 | Tune: MILES LANE | Meter: C.M.
Text: 119:92-94 | Tune: QUEBEC | Meter: L.M.
Text: Psalm 119:15-16,104 | Tune: PICARDY | Meter: 8.7.8.7.8.7.
Now, Lord, according to thy Word,
let me in peace depart;
Mine eyes have thy salvation seen,
and gladness fills my heart (repeat).
Text: Luke 2:29-30 | Tune: CHRISTMAS | Meter: C.M.rep.
O Lord, our Saviour help,
And glorify thy name.
Deliver us from all our sin,
And take away our shame.
Text: Psalm 79:9 | Tune: Trentham | Meter: S.M.
Text: 130:5-8 | Tune: BETHLEHEM (Seraph) | Meter: 8.6.8.6.D
Now blessed be Jehovah God,
The God of Israel,
For he alone doth wondrous works,
In glory that excel.
And blessed be his glorious name
to all eternity;
The whole earth let his glory fill;
Amen: so let it be.
Text: Psalm 72:18-19 | Tune: Dundee | Meter: 8.6.8.6
Be ev’ry vale exalted high,
Sink ev’ry mountain low;
The proud must stoop,
and humble souls,
Shall thy salvation know.
Text: Luke 3:5-6 | Tune: ST. COLUMBA | Meter: C.M.
Let Daniel’s God be praised!
He is the living God!
Steadfast, forever, is his reign o’er all the earth.
Established is his law, forever it shall stand.
Deep writ upon the hearts of men, in ev’ry land.
Text: Daniel 6:26 | Tune: Leoni | Meter: 6.6.8.4 D
Text: Psalm 84:5-7 | Tune: LANCASHIRE | Meter: 7.6.7.6.D
Righteousness, Lord, belongs to thee,
But guilt to us, and foul disgrace.
Confusion, shame, and misery
is due to all our faithless race.
O Lord, forgive, thy mercy show,
thy city and thy people own.
Text: Daniel 9:7-8,19 | Tune: Chrysostom | Meter: 8.8.8.8.8.8.
Let the stone of thy great kingdom
cut without man’s hands.
Make like chaff all lesser powers:
iron, clay, or brass!
King of kings, thy power prevails!
All opposing powers disperse!
To a boundless mountain swell and
fill the entire earth.
Text: Daniel 2:34-35 | Tune: Amsterdam | Meter: 7.6.7.6.7.7.7.6