Hymn by Hymn
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STLT#309, Earth Is Our Homeland
Now THIS is a humanist hymn I can get behind. What a glorious celebration of that creating, created, creative spark within each of us that is greater than the sum of us and that in the living evokes Mystery. Earth is our homeland: a song of stars, a grace wrought of the ages, an opal… Continue reading
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STLT#308, The Blessings of the Earth and Sky
One of the advantages of doing this practice is that I’m beginning to know more hymn tunes by name. I flipped to the page this morning, thought “I don’t know this one” and the looked to the bottom, saw the tune was Mach’s Mit Mir, Gott (which we last sang only last week in With Heart… Continue reading
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STLT#307, The Human Touch Can Light the Flame
Sometimes I sing a hymn and I think “it’s a fine hymn, but when would I ever use it?” (See the end for an important edit) It’s a fine hymn. Another solid lyric by our friend, English Unitarian minister John Andrew Storey – a song of welcome, for sure, and a song of community and connection. And… Continue reading
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STLT#306, Sing of Living, Sing of Dying
This was rather unexpected. I’ve never sung this one before – lyrics are by Thomas Mikelson, who wrote the magnificent lyrics to Wake Now My Senses and was my home congregation’s first interim minister. The tune is by another colleague, Fred Wooden, whose generosity means a few of his books (pictured) are now in my… Continue reading
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STLT#305, De Colores
I am really struggling today to know what to say about this song. Partly, it’s because I didn’t look ahead enough to think about interviewing colleagues Julica Hermann DelaFuente or Marisol Caballero, both of whom might have more insight into the difficulties or joys of this Mexican folk tune appearing in our hymnal – perhaps… Continue reading
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STLT#304, A Fierce Unrest
I need the hope of possibility. I need the promise of unanswered questions. I need the assurance of unsealed revelation. Especially today, as I conclude my ministry at First Universalist Church of Southold and begin a community ministry in the arts and worship – a ministry whose form is not entirely clear but whose call… Continue reading
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STLT#303, We Are the Earth Upright and Proud
I can’t write – I’m still giggling about the fact that every time I start singing this, even with lyrics in front of me, I start singing the English lyrics of A Mighty Fortress Is our God. And then getting mad when ‘in us its rivers flowing’ doesn’t rhyme with “on earth is not an… Continue reading
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STLT#302, Children of the Human Race
Dear STLT Hymnal Commission: I love you, you know I do. I have been impressed with all you did to come up with this collection, and I have been honored to hear some of the stories from your chair, Mark Belletini. I know it was hard. I know it required a lot of sometimes unpopular… Continue reading
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STLT#301, Touch the Earth, Reach the Sky!
I’ve probably started this post eight or nine times so far. And nothing witty or insightful has shown up in any of those beginnings. It’s not that this isn’t a lovely hymn – it is. It’s not that this isn’t a good message for us to sing together – it is. Maybe its that it… Continue reading
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STLT#300, With Heart and Mind
As I’m going through this section, entitled The Life of Integrity, I realize I use (or should use) these hymns a lot – and somehow am not at all getting bored, like I have with other sections of our hymnal. (I’m lookin’ at you, Christmas…) It’s not surprising, as our Universalism calls us to love… Continue reading
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links
Learn more about my ministry at The Art of Meaning
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