Everlasting God,

your Son is the light of the world.

Your Son is the way, the truth, and the life.

Lead us by your light and truth.

Looking for Jesus, let us find him.

Looked for by Jesus, we are found first. Amen.

Jesus is our Savior! He gave his life to rescue us.

Jesus is our Shepherd! He leads our lives and keeps us safe.

Jesus is our Friend! He listens to us; he shares our joys and our sadness.

Jesus is our Prophet! He speaks God’s promises to us;

he declares God’s commands.

Jesus is our Priest! He pleads our cause daily.

Jesus is our King! He guards and keeps us in the freedom he won for us.

Jesus is our Lord! He protects us—in life and in death we belong to him.

Jesus is our Life! He conquered death for us.

Risen with him, we enjoy new life.

Jesus is our Way! He guides us to his kingdom.

Jesus is our End! Soon we will be with him,

and we will worship him forever and ever.

As we celebrate Christmas, the birthday of Jesus,

we rejoice that Jesus came to save us,

and we look forward to the day

when we will join all who love him

and crown him Lord of all.

Our only hope is Jesus Christ.

After we refused to live in the image of God,

he was born of the virgin Mary,

sharing our genes and our instincts,

entering our culture, speaking our language,

fulfilling the law of our God.

Being united to Christ’s humanity,

we know ourselves when we rest in him.

Jesus Christ is the hope of God’s world.

—Our Song of Hope, st. 3-4

May Jesus Christ, the sun of righteousness,

who comes with healing in his wings,

fill you with the joy and peace that passes all understanding.

The blessing of God almighty, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,

be upon you and remain with you always. Amen.

This is a wonderful song to celebrate the Christ-child and the gifts of new life and hope Jesus brings. While the music here is enough to support the congregational singing, it really is just a template from which to play, so improvisation is encouraged. Especially appropriate would be the addition of a string bass, with the musical texture filled in by a clarinet to give it a “Dixieland” quality.

 

For a fuller accompaniment, see the Leader’s Edition of Sing! A New Creation (Faith Alive Christian Resources). A SATB with soloist arrangement by Tom Fettke is also available through Lillenas.

(from Reformed Worship, Issue 105)

This delightful, toe-tapping gospel song really needs the piano accompaniment to make it work, preferably also with bass and drums. The timing is moderately difficult because of the teasing, challenging rests. Play crisply—the playful mix of voices and accompaniment is vital. Be sure the stress each time is on the first syllable of “Jesus” and “Glory.” Improvised fills from brass, flute, and clarinet can give it a “Dixieland” feel. A bit faster and it can develop a “big band” sound; a bit slower and it begins to feel more like the blues. However you do it, begin more quietly (“meek and mild”) and build in vitality into “Glory!”