Congregational Songs

Showing 157–168 of 269 results

  • Psalm 133: How Good and Beautiful

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    [audio mp3="https://gregscheer.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/psalm_133-how_good_and_beautiful.mp3"][/audio]

    Psalm 133 is the quintessential ode to the unity of God’s people. I have set Psalm 133 to music three times in the past, but for the Pilgrim Psalms, I wanted to write something rougher and more muscular. Why? Because it takes a lot of work–even fighting–to achieve the kind of unity that Psalm 133 describes.

    This leadsheet is a free download. If you sing this song in your church please report its use to CCLI or OneLicense.

  • Psalm 133: What Wondrous Joy

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    https://musicblog.gregscheer.com/what_wondrous_joy.mp3

    This setting of Psalm 133 by Michael Morgan was included in a book celebrating the career of Emily Brink: One Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church: A Scrapbook of Worship Resources for the Worldwide Church. The grande dame of congregational song, she retired in 2014. Of course, I was happy to add a tune to Michael’s text and a contribution to Emily’s collection.

  • Psalm 134: Bless the Lord!

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    https://musicblog.gregscheer.com/wp-content/uploads/psalm_134-bless_the_lord.mp3

    The biblical Songs of Ascents, and my Pilgrim Psalms song series, conclude with Psalm 134. It is a fitting conclusion, with the people blessing God and God blessing the people. What better way to capture this volley of blessings than with a ten-part round?

    This leadsheet is a free download. If you sing this song in your church please report its use to CCLI or OneLicense.

  • Psalm 135: I Know the Lord Is Great!

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    https://musicblog.gregscheer.com/wp-content/uploads/psalm_135-i_know_the_lord_is_great.mp3

    Hunter Lynch’s lyric based on Psalm 135 is an exuberant ode to God’s might. It is accompanied by a funky gospel tune. It is likely more complicated than most congregations could tackle, but it would be perfect for Jazz or Gospel choirs.

    This leadsheet is a free download. If you sing this song in your church please report its use to CCLI or OneLicense.

     

  • Psalm 136: The Gracious Love of God Will Never End

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    https://musicblog.gregscheer.com/wp-content/uploads/psalm_136-the_gracious_love.mp3

    Psalm 136 is a long Psalm with the repeated refrain, “His love endures forever.” The Hebrew is much richer. The word “love” encompasses loving-kindness, grace, mercy, and compassion. I arrived at a repeated refrain of “The gracious love of God will never end” and a simple call-and-response that can be learned quickly.

    This leadsheet is a free download. If you sing this song in your church, please report its use to CCLI or OneLicense.

  • Psalm 137: So Far from Home

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    [audio mp3="https://gregscheer.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/08-So-Far-From-Home.mp3"][/audio]

    “So Far from Home” is a setting of Psalm 137, which includes the imprecation: “Blessed is he who dashes their babies against the rocks.” What is an imprecation if it’s not a curse? In this case, I decided to recast Psalm 137 in a modern context, replacing harps with guitars and the Psalms oppressors with the modern forces of human misery: slave traders, pimps, and wars.

    This song is mentioned in Greg’s podcast, “Russians.

    This leadsheet is a free download. If you sing this song in your church please report its use to OneLicense.

  • Psalm 14: We Wait for You, Our Savior

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    https://musicblog.gregscheer.com/wp-content/uploads/psalm_014-we_wait_for_you_our_savior.mp3

    At first blush, Psalm 14 seems almost catty. The Psalmist comes out swinging, calling the godless “fools,” “abominable,” “perverse,” and “evil.” Ouch! However, this vitriol is not aimed at random unbelievers, it is reserved for those “who eat my people as they eat bread” and who would “confound the plans of the poor.” By the end of the Psalm, anger has turned to prayer, asking God to give refuge to those in need.

    This leadsheet is a free download. If you sing this song in your church, please report its use to CCLI or OneLicense.

  • Psalm 141: O Lord, I Call to You, Please Hear Me

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    https://musicblog.gregscheer.com/wp-content/uploads/Psalm-141_-O-Lord-I-Call-to-You.mp3

    A jazz Psalm is out of the sweet spot of many congregations, but this might be a good place to start. A one-note refrain is paired with straightforward metrical verses. If I were leading this in a congregation, I’d likely have them sing that simple eight-measure phrase only, leaving the verses to a soloist until it became familiar.

    This leadsheet is a free download. If you sing this song in your church please report its use to CCLI or OneLicense.

  • Psalm 143: O Lord, Hear My Prayer

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    https://musicblog.gregscheer.com/wp-content/uploads/psalm_143.mp3

    One doesn’t usually associate jazz with responsorial Psalms. But as you can hear, this song has everything a good responsorial Psalm needs: a quickly learnable refrain, verses that can expand or contract to match the length of the text, and clear harmonic movement to support the chant. Give it a try!

  • Psalm 145: My Mouth Will Speak the Praise of the Lord

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    http://musicblog.gregscheer.com/psalm_145-my_mouth.mp3

    The themes of God’s greatness, goodness, faithfulness, and righteousness in Psalm 145 are bookended by verses 1-2 and verse 21. In this musical setting, verse 21 becomes a refrain that follows two verses focused on God’s faithfulness and righteousness. Notice how the verse changes halfway through, with the lyrics switching from talking about God to praying to God. 

  • Psalm 146: Praise the Lord!

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    https://musicblog.gregscheer.com/wp-content/uploads/psalm_146-praise_the_lord.mp3

    Charles Freeman wrote this text for Psalm 146, an exuberant Psalm of trust and praise. When I sat down at the piano to write the music, I immediately heard Black Gospel. I wanted this song to sit comfortably between Andraé Crouch’s “Bless the Lord” and James Moore’s “Taste and See.”

    This leadsheet is a free download. If you sing this song in your church, please report its use to CCLI or OneLicense.

  • Psalm 149: Let God’s People Sing a New Song

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    https://musicblog.gregscheer.com/psalm149-let_gods_people.mp3

    As the Psalter ends, it erupts into a chorus of Hallelujahs and Praise the Lords, naming a plethora of instruments that should be used to make the praise even more glorious. This song follows suit, with strings, brass, harpsichord, flute, accordion, and saxophone all joining in. Of course, you don’t need all the instruments featured on the recording; you lead this with a worship band, guitar, or the piano accompaniment that’s available below.

    The song was featured on the Cardiphonia album The Songs of the Psalter, Vol 5.1, part of a series that covers the entire Psalter.

Showing 157–168 of 269 results