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Table of Contents
Intention and Design
There are thirteen classes. Intentions for the series:
- Fill thirteen weeks
- Hold singing in the space and time where choir practice would be
- Increase participation in choir when it starts back up
To these ends, I want to move Sunday School downstairs to the Wesley Chapel where there is a better-maintained piano.
Intentions for every week:
- Make “a few minutes late” still work
- Begin and end with a prayer
- Sing and discuss at least one hymn
- Conclude promptly by 11:00 so people can do what they need to before worship service starts
The first will be introductory and maybe we just do one hymn in order to make extra time to explain the intention and design of the series.
Hymns
These are (almost) all the hymns in the blue hymnal by Charles and John Wesley. I've added asterisks for hymns when someone has pointed one out as a favorite.
| Number | Title | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| Charles Wesley | ||
| 57 | O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing | * Ready to play |
| 88 | Maker, in Whom We Live | |
| 96 | Praise the Lord Who Reigns Above | |
| 153 | Thou Hidden Source of Calm Repose | |
| 173 | Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies | |
| 181 | Ye Servants of God | |
| 193 | Jesus! The Name High over All | |
| 196 | Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus | * Hyfrydol; only 2 verses. I kinda don't want to… |
| 240 | Hark! The Herald Angels Sing | * about half ready |
| 282 | Tis Finished! The Messiah Dies | |
| 287 | O Love Divine, What Hast Thou Done | |
| 302 | Christ the Lord Is Risen Today | * about half ready |
| 312 | Hail the Dat That Sees Him Rise | |
| 332 | Spirit of Faith, Come Down | |
| 339 | Come, Sinners, to the Gospel Feast | * 90% ready |
| 355 | Depth of Mercy | |
| 363 | And Can It Be that I Should Gain | |
| 372 | How Can We Sinners Know | |
| 379 | Blow Ye the Trumpet, Blow | |
| 384 | Love Divine, All Loves Excelling | * more than half ready |
| 385 | Let Us Plead for Faith Alone | |
| 386 | Come, O Thou Traveler Unknown | |
| 388 | O Come and Dwell in Me | * |
| 410 | I Want a Principle Within | |
| 413 | A Charge to Keep I Have | * super easy; about half ready |
| 417 | O For a Heart to Praise My God | * |
| 422 | Jesus, Thine All-Victorious Love | |
| 438 | Forth in Thy Name, O Lord | |
| 479 | Jesus, Lover of My Soul | |
| 501 | O Thou Who Camest from Above | |
| 513 | Soldiers of Christ, Arise | |
| 541 | See How Great a Flame Aspires | |
| 550 | Christ, from Whom All Blessings Flow | |
| 553 | And Are We Yet Alive | * Denis; about 90% ready |
| 554 | All Praise to Our Redeeming Lord | |
| 561 | Jesus, United by Thy Grace | |
| 562 | Jesus, Lord, We Look to Thee | * |
| 566 | Blest Be the Dear Uniting Love | |
| 603 | Come, Holy Ghost, Our Hearts Inspire | |
| 606 | Come, Let Us Use the Grace Divine | |
| 613 | O Thou Who This Mysterious Bread | |
| 616 | Come, Sinners, to the Gospel Feast | * (Duplicate of 339) |
| 627 | O the Depth of Love Divine | * This is not familiar to me. |
| 635 | Because Thou Hast Said | |
| 650 | Give Me the Faith Which Can Remove | |
| 699 | Come, and Let Us Sweetly Join | |
| 709 | Come, Let Us Join Our Friends Above | * I like this one. It's less than half ready. |
| 715 | Rejoice, the Lord Is King | * I like this one but I really like the LDS version… |
| 716 | Rejoice, the Lord Is King | [this harmonization is much more difficult] |
| 718 | Lo, He Comes with Clouds Descending | |
| John Wesley | ||
| 60 | I’ll Praise My Maker While I’ve Breath | |
| 129 | Give to the Winds Thy Fears | |
| 414 | Thou Hidden Love of God | |
| 607 | A Covenant Prayer in the Wesleyan Tradition | (see W&S 3115 for a crappy arrangement) |
Calendar
I want to have one or two hymns per week to sing and discuss.
As of Feb. 23, there are nine* that I'm completely confident I will have ready before the class starts. There is plenty of time to add more. Figure it takes three weeks for me to learn a hymn, and I can probably only learn two at a time.
(*ten if we count 196, but I am really struggling with the UMH harmonization. Full disclosure: I could never play the LDS version either. It only has two verses so I would need to be convinced that it's worth the effort.)
Of the remaining starred hymns, most are less familiar to me, or I struggle to play them.
In terms of theming, “Please Advise”. I'm not used to having this much freedom.
June 7
Pride Weekend; we won't be having Sunday School.
June 14
O For A Thousand Tongues to Sing
(Potential) questions:
- If you had a thousand tongues, what song would you sing?
- What is Charles Wesley singing about?
Points I want to get to:
- John and Charles Wesley's most enduring writings are in the hymns
- The first page of the hymnal–the instructions on singing
June 21
June 28
July 5
July 12
July 19
July 26
August 2
August 9
August 16
August 23
August 30
This is the last class of the series. Some points that can't be left out:
- Plug the next Sunday School series and note if the time is changing
- Suggest joining the chancel choir