When the COVID-19 pandemic moved worship out of sanctuaries, I drew on some of my favorite hymns and gospel songs, sharing a video performance of a hymn each Sunday morning. The videos are collected here, beginning with the most recent. I hope you enjoy these recordings that draw on a few of my favorite pages in the hymnal.
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God Be with You Till We Meet Again
Written by Jeremiah Rankin as a Christian good-bye in 1880, God Be with You Till We Meet Again almost immediately became popular at the Congregational Church where Rankin served at the time. The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square usually ends the broadcast of Music and the Spoken Word from the Salt Lake Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, Utah, with this hymn. The text is included so you can add your voice and sing along. -
Love Divine All Loves Excelling
Regularly sung to the hymn tune BEECHER, as it is here, this hymn is considered by some to be Charles Wesley at his finest. Expressing the Wesleyan idea of moving toward Christian perfection, Love Divine remains a popular hymn, appearing in most Protestant hymnals. The hymn text is included, so join the pilgrimage, add your voice, and sing along. -
Church in the Wildwood
William S. Pitts wrote this hymn five years before the construction of the Little Brown Church after being moved by the sight of the glen where the church would eventually be built. The hymn gained its popularity after efforts began in the early 20th century to preserve the Little Brown Church. The text is included so you can add your voice and sing along. -
Open My Eyes That I May See
Written in 1895, with its longing for truth, Open My Eyes That I May See may be the best known hymn by Clara H. Scott. A composer and publisher as well as a hymnwriter, Scott was also the first woman to publish a volume of anthems. The hymn text is included. Please add your voice and sing along. -
Shall We Gather at the River
Written in 1864 by Baptist minister, composer, and poet Robert Lowry, this hymn is a well-known American melody. Aaron Copland used it in Old American Songs, and it was sung at the funeral of Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas. The text is included, so please add your voice and sing along. -
Come Ye Thankful People Come
Originally published under the title, 'After Harvest', this hymn was written by Henry Alford while he was rector of Aston Sandford church in Buckinghamshire, England. After gaining popularity in the United States, 'Come, Ye Thankful People, Come' became associated with Thanksgiving celebrations. -
My Hope Is Built
Using the biblical metaphor of Christ as the rock, as in the parable of the wise and foolish builders, Edward Mote penned this hymn in 1834. It was published anonymously until 1837, when it was first attributed to Mote. The hymn text is included, so please add your voice and sing along. -
He Leadeth Me
Captivated by the words, "He leadeth me," in the 23rd Psalm, Joseph Gilmore penned this hymn text in 1862. Upon reading the text, William B. Bradbury composed the tune and arranged the stanza/refrain structure. The text is included, so please add your voice and sing along. -
In the Sweet By and By
Sanford Fillmore Bennett penned this hymn when his friend Joseph Webster was in a period of depression. Upon reading the words, according to Bennett's autobiography, Webster's eyes kindled, and he began writing the melody. I pray In the Sweet By and By will make your eyes kindle as well. The text is included, so please add your voice and sing along. -
Be Still My Soul
Little is known of the writer of this hymn, although the Finlandia hymn tune is well known from Jean Sibelius's tone poem of the same name. The lyrics of lament and hope are included, so add your voice and sing along. -
Higher Ground
The writer of more than three thousand hymns, Johnson Oatman, Jr., penned this gospel song in 1892. The lyrics are included, so please add your voice and sing along. -
Great Is Thy Faithfulness
Drawing its title from the Book of Lamentations, Great Is Thy Faithfulness has been popular since its first publication in 1923. The text is included, so you can add your voice to this beloved hymn.