The “OLD Red Hymnal,” AKA SBH, AKA Service Book and Hymnal, was where I first encountered the lovely Christmas carol, “Love Came Down at Christmas.” The tune is a gentle Irish lullaby. The words were from a poem of, I believe, Christina Rosetti, a renowned 19th century poet. Go look it up if you’re not familiar with it. Anyhow, with this paraphrase of the Agnus Dei, I had a wonderful excuse to highlight a lovely tune.

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I think this was the first hymn paraphrase of the liturgy that I ever did, and it was for a Christmas Eve service at the church where I was the associate pastor. I’ve always loved the tune “Divinum Mysterium,” better known as the hymn, “Of the Father’s Love Begotten.” Simple, meditative, and lovely, it seemed the perfect melody for my paraphrase of the Sanctus. The only catch: trying to score it was more difficult than anticipated, so I just kept the melody line!

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I had fun with this. You can use this as the Prayers of the Church, or as an extended Kyrie, especially on the Sunday after Christmas (when many congregations have a services of lessons and carols anyway). It’s set to the tune, “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” (a sadly overlooked carol in politically correct times!).  The petitions are sung by the cantor, assisting minister, or someone else who can enunciate and get the words out briskly. The refrain is done by the whole assembly. It’s written so that almost every syllable has its very own note, until the refrain, so that even though the words certainly march along, the cantor doesn’t have to think hard about what syllable goes with what note!

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The Gloria in Excelsis is the quintessential Christmas carol, being sung over shepherds and flocks near Bethlehem the night of Jesus’ birth. This paraphrase of the Gloria (pretty much the exact same version as for Advent) now uses, appropriately, the tune “Carol,” usually known as “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear.” Enjoy!

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As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be…. In the Kyrie, we begin, “In peace, let us pray to the Lord.” In the Gloria, we echo the angel’s sweet words, “peace to those whom God favors.” In the Agnus Dei, we pray that the Lamb of God should grant us peace. And now that the service is ending, we echo Simeon’s words: Lord, now you let your servant go in peace. For my hymn paraphrase of Simeon’s song, the Nunc Dimittis, I selected a tune that also echoes the theme of early American tunes I’ve used throughout the hymn paraphrases of the liturgy. It’s called “Distress,” and despite that name, it’s a plaintive but peaceful tune. We use it for 2 hymns: “We Place Upon Your Table, Lord,” and “O Christ the Healer, We Have Come.” As we indeed have received healing at our Savior’s table, that seems fitting.

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“Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world. Have mercy on us. Grant us peace.” One of the simplest and most eloquent of prayers, we sing it just before receiving the Body and Blood of this Lamb, slain before the foundation of the world to do just that – forgive our sins, and make peace between us and God, us and one another, and even us and our own restless and broken hearts. For my simple paraphrase of this simple prayer, I used a simple tune: Southwell, often set to the words, “Lord Jesus, Think On Me.” Which seems eminently appropriate, doesn’t it?

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“Holy, holy holy is the Lord God of hosts! Heaven and earth are full of his glory!” Isaiah heard the angels crying out to one another, and this hymn shook the very foundations of the Temple – and of Isaiah’s own soul. I believe the Sanctus (“Holy!”) ought to convey awe in the face of the profound mystery of our Lord’s self-giving revelation in the Sacrament. And it should convey deep love: God’s love for us, and our response of love for Him. What better hymn tune to convey all this than yet another early American tune: Wondrous Love? My feeble words lean totally on Scripture, and are carried by this lovely melody.

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When Bach and others composed their Masses, they always included the “Credo” – the Nicene Creed. Martin Luther wrote a paraphrase of the Apostles’ Creed (We All Believe in One True God). Singing the core of our faith is a good way to embed it deep within. We don’t just memorize – we “sing it by heart!”  Well, I’m not in the same league as Bach or Luther. But I did decide to write several paraphrases of the Nicene Creed for use at different times of the year. Here’s the one most suitable for Advent and Lent. It uses a stately (but not dirge-like) tune: Old 124th, often set to the hymn, “Turn Back, O Man, Forswear Thy Foolish Ways.” Don’t let the tempo drag!

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I know, I know. A lot of folks don’t use a “hymn of praise” in Advent or Lent. But some do. And I’ve written one that reflects the wording of the traditional “Gloria in Excelsis,” modifies it a bit as we look forward to that glorious day when the angels sing it in full-throated harmony – AND I use a lovely early American tune (Consolation) that is often used in Advent for the hymn, “The King Shall Come When Morning Dawns.”

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This brief paraphrase of the Kyrie is sung to the tune for “My Shepherd Will Supply My Need” (Tune name: Rresignation). It’s done as a call-and-response. The cantor sings the first half of each line. The congregation responds with “Have mercy, Christ, on us” or “Amen, Lord Christ, amen” as the second half of each line. Like many early American tunes, once you’ve learned the first line, you have learned 3/4 of the whole tune, so it’s very easy to do!

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