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God Welcomes All: Songs for a Narrative of Generosity

God Welcomes All (GWA) is the new supplement to Church Hymnary Fourth Edition. This exciting new collection features over 200 hymns and songs in a wide range of styles by writers from Scotland and around the world.

The full music and words-only versions are now available; and digital resources, including the expansion of the existing Church of Scotland music website, will be published in due course, with streaming functions and further information on each song; backing tracks; and lyric videos. God Welcomes All is available to order from https://chbookshop.hymnsam.co.uk/books/9781786225573/god-welcomes-all

Many of the lectionary texts throughout August raise themes of God's generosity and our response to it. In preparing Weekly Worship material for this month, the national stewardship team held a series of online conversations to discuss how the texts spoke into these themes. We are grateful to Ken Brown, Janet Dick, Jo Love, Douglas Monaghan, Fiona Penny, Lucy Peppiatt, Darren Philip, Katherine Southern and Pauline Wilson for contributing to these discussions.

Each week's material stands alone, or the month can be followed together as a series unpacking the generous nature of God and our response to it. Additional resources and support for exploring themes of generosity and stewardship are available by contacting stewardship@churchofscotland.org.uk.

The songs suggested below fit with the 12 Stewardship Themes found in A Narrative of Generosity.

The Narrative of Generosity invites us to share, reflect and act. This resource can be tailored to suit all expressions of local church and is adaptable for online engagement.

Body

Our bodies belong to God and our use and care of them should be honouring to God. We partner with God as we are led to be careful stewards of our physical bodies and to support the needs of each other.

  • GWA 19 – "O Lord, you know me and search me out" [Psalm 139; In You, O Lord, I Am Found]
  • GWA 47 – "Come, all you wounded and weary"
  • GWA 151 – "See how deep he loves"
  • GWA 160 – "Praise for the depths of space"
  • GWA 178 – "Look as far as I can see" [Seasoned by the Salt of God's Love]
  • GWA 182 – "Blessed are the ones who do not bury" [The Kingdom Is Yours]

Earth

The Earth was given as a gift to us all at creation. We partner with God as we are led to care for all creatures, to manage Earth's finite resources and to celebrate our wonderful planet.

  • GWA 23 – "Silver skeins of angel hair" [Raise an alleluia]
  • GWA 24 – "Your labour is not in vain"
  • GWA 34 – "Sun, soil and seeds"
  • GWA 43 – "Let all the earth come join the song"
  • GWA 46 – "Let us come and worship our creator" [Mari Beribadah Pada Allah]
  • GWA 153 – "God, the maker of the heavens"
  • GWA 158 – "Planet earth, our only home" [Come and see]
  • GWA 159 – "Earth is full of wit and wisdom"
  • GWA 161 – "Nature shines with beauty"
  • GWA 162 – "The garden of the world" [Lament for the Earth]
  • GWA 163 – "We know the earth belongs to you, O Lord"
  • GWA 164 – "We are the tenants of the King"
  • GWA 165 – "We till the earth, we tend the ground" [Tend the ground]
  • GWA 226 – "God of all comfort, God of compassion"

Generations

Each different generation is a blessing to the Church. We partner with God as we are led to support people at all stages of the life journey and to share our faith across generations.

  • GWA 20 – "We extol you, God and King" [Psalm 145; One generation will call to the next]
  • GWA 41 – "Here we are together, now we can begin" [Welcome everybody]
  • GWA 82 – "Here and now we're bound together"
  • GWA 178 – "Look as far as I can see" [Seasoned by the salt of God's love]
  • GWA 201 – "Grannies and grandads" [Written on the palm of God's hand]
  • GWA 212 – "A little bit of imagination" [Every single little thing]

Gifts

God has blessed us all with a diversity of gifts. We partner with God as we are led to exercise and share our gifts freely for the growth of the Kingdom, while providing space for all to discover and use their particular gifts, skills and talents.

  • GWA 24 – "Your labour is not in vain"
  • GWA 70 – "As once you served a waiting crowd" [Bread]
  • GWA 106 – "God incarnate, living presence"
  • GWA 134 – "Called to be saints! To walk the pilgrim way"
  • GWA 200 – "We come to worship you" [One Church, one voice]

God

God has entered into relationship with humanity, inviting and entrusting us as part of God's family to be good stewards. We commit to nurturing our relationship with God, finding time to enjoy God and living out the generous responsibility given to us.

  • GWA 24 – "Your labour is not in vain"
  • GWA 27 – "My soul rejoices in the Lord; my God gives strength to me"
  • GWA 57 – "We come to hear your word"
  • GWA 157 – "As rivers flow from a distant spring"
  • GWA 175 – "When I wake up in the morning in my bed" [God beside]
  • GWA 201 – "Grannies and grandads" [Written on the palm of God's hand]

Mind

God has given us intricate and creative minds. We partner with God as we are led to use our minds creatively, while renewing and nurturing them through prayerful reflection, meditation and ongoing learning and development.

  • GWA 7 – "My soul finds rest in God alone" [Psalm 62]
  • GWA 47 – "Come, all you wounded and weary" [You are welcome here]
  • GWA 62 – "Anything excited, anything inspired" [Bring it all to me]
  • GWA 111 – "God, come now to explore my heart"
  • GWA 160 – "Praise for the depths of space"
  • GWA 182 – "Blessed are the ones who do not bury" [The Kingdom is Yours]
  • GWA 188 – "O God of strength and everlasting kindness"
  • GWA 194 – "God in whose memory no one is lost" [Forget-me-not hymn]
  • GWA 196 – "Jesus, Jesus, precious Saviour" [Meditation]

Money

We honour God when we use money well. We partner with God as we are led to use our money wisely, both in our giving and in investing it ethically for growth, as a reflection of the generosity shown to us.

  • GWA 6 – "You cunning liar, why do you boast"
  • GWA 35 – "A rich young man came to ask of Christ" [Simple living]
  • GWA 115 – "A woman poured her jar of rich perfume"
  • GWA 214 – "Christ tells us that we cannot serve" [God and money]

Possessions

God has blessed us with many good things. We partner with God as we are led to use the things we have for personal and church growth, to recognise when those things become of no use and to let go to make space for new.

  • GWA 35 – "A rich young man came to ask of Christ" [Simple living]
  • GWA 115 – "A woman poured her jar of rich perfume"

Relationships

God created us for relationship with one another. We partner with God as we are led to respond in love to one another, growing with each other in joyous connection while developing and sustaining an environment of peace.

  • GWA 26 – "Born apart in different countries"
  • GWA 41 – "Here we are together, now we can begin" [Welcome everybody]
  • GWA 80 – "Hamba nathi mkhululi wethu"/ "Come with me for the journey is long"
  • GWA 178 – "Look as far as I can see" [Seasoned by the salt of God's love]
  • GWA 198 – "Let's walk together for a while" [Welcome]
  • GWA 201 – "Grannies and grandads" [Written on the palm of God's hand]

Time

Our time on Earth is given by God and has an eternal value. We partner with God as we are led to use our time wisely to benefit our families, our friends and our neighbours, in our homes, in our social connections and in our communities.

  • GWA 15 – "Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul" [10,000 Reasons]
  • GWA 70 – "As once you served a waiting crowd" [Bread]
  • GWA 160 – "Praise for the depths of space"

Vision

God, through Jesus Christ, has set us upon a journey of faith. We partner with God as we are led to develop a mission that acknowledges the past, embraces the present and reaches expectantly into the future.

  • GWA 29 – "In ages past the mighty Lord" [Song of the prophets]
  • GWA 56 – "Listen in the silence, listen in the noise"
  • GWA 59 – "Listen for God who speaks within our hearts"
  • GWA 139 – "O holy, heavenly kingdom"
  • GWA 150 – "Darkness is a gift of God"
  • GWA 164 – "We are the tenants of the King"
  • GWA 198 – "Let's walk together for a while" [Welcome]
  • GWA 203 – "May this church be like a tree" [Que esta Iglesia sea un árbol]
  • GWA 215 – "O God of creation, we see all around us"
  • GWA 224 – "Sing a new world into being"
  • GWA 226 – "God of all comfort, God of compassion"

Volunteers

God has blessed the Church with a myriad of precious volunteers. We partner with God as we are led to support and develop those who freely give their gifts, energy and time, celebrating and encouraging them in their acts of service.

  • GWA 70 – "As once you served a waiting crowd" [Bread]
  • GWA 116 – "All the room was hushed and still" [Love each other]
  • GWA 134 – "Called to be saints! To walk the pilgrim way"
  • GWA 167 – "Who is the one, gritty and tough" [A little more]

Reflecting on our worship practice

Since the start of the pandemic in 2020, the way we worship has changed and we need to reflect on the changing or newly established patterns that emerged and continue to emerge as a result of the disruption.

We can facilitate worship for all by exploring imaginative approaches to inclusion, participation and our use of technologies in ways that suit our contexts. This is not an exhaustive list, but some things we could consider are:

  • Framing various parts of the worship service in accessible language to help worshippers understand the character and purpose of each part. This is essential for creating worship for all (intergenerational worship) that reflects your community of faith.
  • Holding spaces for reflection and encouraging prayer to be articulated in verbal and non-verbal ways, individually and in online breakout rooms.
  • In online formats the effective use of the chat function and microphone settings encourages active participation in prayer, e.g. saying the Lord's Prayer together unmuted, in a moment of ‘holy chaos'.
  • While singing in our congregations is still restricted, we can worship corporately by using antiphonal psalm readings, creeds and participative prayers.
  • Using music and the arts as part of the worship encourages the use of imagination in place of sung or spoken words.
  • Use of silence, sensory and kinaesthetic practices allow for experience and expression beyond regular audio and visual mediums.

The following questions might help you develop a habit of reflecting on how we create and deliver content and its effectiveness and impact, and then applying what we learn to develop our practice.

  • How inclusive was the worship?
    Could the worship delivery and content be described as worship for all/ intergenerational?
    Was it sensitive to different "Spiritual Styles"?
  • How was the balance between passive and active participation?
  • How were people empowered to connect with or encounter God?
    What helped this?
    What hindered this?
  • How cohesive was the worship?
    Did it function well as a whole?
    How effective was each of the individual elements in fulfilling its purpose?
  • How balanced was the worship?
    What themes/topics/doctrines/areas of Christian life were included?
  • How did the worship connect with your context/contemporary issues?
    Was it relevant in the everyday lives of those attending and in the wider parish/ community?
    How well did the worship connect with local and national issues?
    How well did the worship connect with world events/issues?
  • What have I learned that can help me next time I plan and deliver worship?

You can listen to samples of every song in the Church Hymnary 4th edition (CH4) and download a selection of recordings for use in worship in our online hymnary.

You are free to download, project, print and circulate multiple copies of any of this material for use in worship services, bible studies, parish magazines, etc., but reproduction for commercial purposes is not permitted.

Please note that the views expressed in these materials are those of the individual writer and not necessarily the official view of the Church of Scotland, which can be laid down only by the General Assembly.