New Songs - Hailsham Parish Church

‘Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth.’ (Psalm 96:1)

From time to time we learn new songs in our services. Here you can listen to some of the songs we’ve learned recently as well as songs we’re planning to introduce in future services. This may help you to learn them more quickly.

Man of Sorrows

‘He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief,
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.’

(Isaiah 53:3)

Borrowing phrases from Philip Bliss’ hymn Man of Sorrows! What a name and George Bernard’s The Old Rugged Cross, Man of Sorrows by Matt Crocker and Brooke Ligertwood tells the epic story of Jesus’ death and resurrection. It boldly declares:

Now my debt is paid, it is paid in full
by the precious blood that my Jesus spilled.
Now the curse of sin has no hold on me.
Whom the Son sets free, oh, is free indeed.

And so, our souls cry out: Hallelujah!

You can listen to the recording released on Hillsong Worship’s 2021 album At Easter here.

Jesus, Our Judge and Our Saviour (Call now, O sinner, on your coming judge)

This song comes from Sovereign Grace Music’s album, Knowing God, based on J. I. Packer’s classic book of the same name.

In his chapter entitled ‘God the Judge’, Packer writes:

The entire New Testament is overshadowed by the certainty of a coming day of universal judgement, and by the problem thence arising: how may we sinners get right with God while there is yet time? The New Testament looks on to the ‘the day of judgement’, ‘the day of wrath’, ‘the wrath to come’, and proclaims Jesus, the divine Saviour, as the divinely appointed Judge.

And:

What then are we to do? The New Testament answer is: call on the coming Judge to be your present Saviour. As Judge, he is the law, but as Saviour he is the gospel. Run from him now, and you will meet him as Judge then — and without hope. Seek him now, and you will find him (for he that seeketh findeth’ [Matt. 7:8, KJV]), and you will then discover that you are looking forward to that future meeting with joy, knowing that there is now ‘no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus’ (Rom. 8:1).

So, in the words of the song’s chorus:

Call now, O sinner, on your coming judge
to be here even now as your saviour.
Fall now, O sinner, on the mercy and grace
of Jesus, our judge and our saviour.

As the team at Sovereign Grace Music have put it, ‘Knowing God isn’t just a book to be read — it’s songs waiting to be sung.’ Here’s one!

Please click here to view the lyrics, listen to/purchase the track, and access other resources for the song.

All Through History (Noah built the most enormous boat)

This lively and catchy song by Becky Drake introduces us, verse by verse, to key characters in the big story of the Bible, culminating with Jesus himself. It celebrates God’s faithfulness all through history, including to you and me today!

To view the lyrics, listen to a recording and access other resources for this song, please click here.

Child in a manger born

Child in a manger born is a soulful, contemplative song from Mark and Helen Johnson’s album Songs for Every Christmas. We’re looking forward to singing it at Hailsham Parish Church this Christmas.

Here’s a link to the product page.

Revelation 3:20 (Here I am! I stand at the door and knock)

Chosen for our Jungle Jamboree Holiday Club in August 2021, this song by Colin Buchanan helps us to remember Jesus’ words of challenge and promise to the church in Laodicea in Revelation 3, verse 20: ‘”Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”‘

You can view the lyrics and buy the music here:

My hope rests firm on Jesus Christ

‘My hope rests firm on Jesus Christ’ is a modern hymn by Keith Getty and Richard Creighton. It speaks of our hope and assurance in Jesus, which spurs us on in our living for him.

Please click here to view the lyrics.

He Has Risen! (One day when Jesus was alone with his disciples)

Having enjoyed singing this catchy all-age song at our recent Easter Holiday Club, we’ve chosen to sing it as a whole church soon. We’ll be teaching it as we look at the second part of John chapter 2, which includes this:

‘Jesus answered [the Jews], “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”

They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” But the temple he had spoken of was his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.’

In the words of the song, ‘It all made sense on that third day!’

To view the full lyrics and to access other resources for this song, please click on this link.

The Lord my shepherd rules my life

The Lord my shepherd rules my life is a version of Psalm 23 by Christopher Idle, which we’ve recently taken to singing to a beautiful tune by Christopher Hayward, Shoreham-by-Sea, composed for the text.

Our recent three-sermon series on Psalm 23 concluded with a focus on verses 5-6, in which David sees the LORD as his host – a picture reflected in the fourth verse of the song:

While all my enemies look on
you spread a royal feast;
you fill my cup, anoint my head,
and treat me as your guest.

You can view the text here:

And you can hear how the tune Shoreham-by-Sea goes here:

We Are the Church (Before the world began)

The theme of our church’s recent weekend away (May ’24) was ‘I will build my church’ – Jesus’ words from Matthew 16:18. We wanted to learn a relevant all-age song and chose We Are the Church by Awesome Cutlery.

The song reminds us that, as Christians, we are ‘part of [Jesus’] body now, united by his power, joined with his people all over the world.’ It also spells out that the good news of Jesus is to be proclaimed for all to hear because ‘no-one’s too far away to be welcomed into God’s family.’

Click here to see the lyrics and access other resources for this song:

For the Love of God

For the Love of God (Holiness surrounds his throne) is the title track from an album of songs with words by Bible scholar Don Carson and music by songwriter Rob Smith.

To view the lyrics, please click here:

You can purchase the album as a digital download from here:

With its expression of the truth that, ‘Jesus is God’s love unfurled – our redemption won,’ this song was first used at HPC at Christmas time. Now being sung at other times of the year besides, the song helps us – haltingly for now – to applaud God’s holy, loving and gracious ways:

Heart and mind and soul and strength –
would that I were true,
faithfully adoring him,
totally renewed!
How I long to praise his name,
all his ways applaud.
So I’ll raise my halting hymn
for the love, O for the love,
for the love of God.

The Night Song (In the darkness, God will keep me)

We learned this song at our recent church weekend away and sang it in the fading light around the campfire. The song reassures us: ‘In the darkness God will keep me; he will stay and never sleep.’ We’ve chosen the song to conclude our upcoming evening prayer meeting.

Click here to view the lyrics in full and/or to buy the track.

Apostles' Creed (I believe in God the Father)

Enjoyed by a number of our congregation at Bible by the Beach 2023, this sung creed is being introduced here by our Youth Band in July.

Click on this link to view the lyrics and/or to buy the song.

Also, clicking here will take you to an article by Tim Chester – one of the writers who contributed to this song – about why we should sing the creeds.

The King of love my shepherd is

A while back, HPC’s Youth Band enjoyed learning Emu Music’s new tune to H. W. Baker’s old hymn The King of love my shepherd is, from Psalm 23. Now, we’re introducing this fresh setting of a beautiful text to the congregation as we focus on Jesus feeding the five thousand from Mark chapter 6. The song expresses the wonderful truth that Jesus is all that we need:

‘…I nothing lack if I am his
and he is mine for ever…’

‘…and where the greenest pastures grow,
my aching heart he satisfies…’

Its final verse helps us to make a glorious response:

‘…Good Shepherd, may I sing your praise
within your house for ever.’

Click on this link to view the lyrics in full and/or to purchase the track.

Christ Our Hope in Life and Death (What is our hope in life and death?)

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.’ (1 Corinthians 15:20)

First sung at HPC on Easter Sunday morning 2023 using a special choir and band arrangement, this song, written by a team at Getty Music, is now being introduced to and sung by our evening congregation.

The lyrics to this song, inspired by the Heidelberg Catechism of 1563, can be viewed here. From the same page, you can listen to and purchase the music and also read and watch a video about the song’s background.

To hear the new arrangement of Christ Our Hope in Life and Death by Lloyd Larson that our musicians learned for Easter ’23, please follow this link:

See Him in Jerusalem (Jerusalem)

Having been included in our lockdown services through video, CityAlight’s See Him in Jerusalem is being sung live at HPC for the first time on Good Friday 2023.

Click on this link to watch a video about the story behind the song:

You can view the lyrics and listen to and buy the music here:

Hallelujah! The King is risen!

This song, written by Brian Mayhew in 1995, is a lively celebration of Jesus’ resurrection. The lyrics are adapted from part of the Holy Communion liturgy of the Church of England’s then Alternative Service Book (1980).

The song has been published by Praise Trust: https://www.praise.org.uk/

Glory to Jesus (Jesus healed the blind man)

In this song, children – and grown-ups too – can sing ‘Glory to Jesus’: glory to the holy saviour and Lord of everything, who said, ‘”Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”‘ (Mark 10:14)

You can view the lyrics and buy the music here.

Show Us Christ (Prepare our hearts, O God)

How amazing it is that ‘God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.’ (2 Corinthians 4:6)!

The song Show Us Christ serves as both a prayer and a reflection for us to use as we prepare to hear God’s word read and preached. The unique significance of the word around which we gather is expressed in the song’s bridge section, which picks up Peter’s words to Jesus in John 6: ‘”Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.’

You can access the lyrics of this song and purchase the recording here:

Ancient of Days (Though the nations rage)

Here are some words from Daniel chapter 7, which records a dream that Daniel had:

‘”In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshipped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”‘ (Daniel 7:13-14)

As we sing this song, we’re reminded that, no matter what, there’s no need for us to fear, for ‘[our] God is the Ancient of Days’, the One in whose hands is all of time!

Click here to view the lyrics and to listen to and buy the track:

God Is for Us (We won't fear the battle)

‘If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all — how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?’ (Romans 8:31b-32)

What a reason not to fear the battle, and what a basis for exhorting one another, as the chorus begins, to ‘sing for joy now’!

You can view the lyrics and listen to and buy the music for this song from CityAlight here:

10, 9, 8, God Is Great!

In a recent all-age service, we focused on the contest between Elijah and the prophets of Baal — or rather between the true God and the god who was actually no god at all. In 1 Kings 18:38-39, we read: ‘Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. When the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The LORD — he is God! The LORD — he is God!”‘

The title track from Colin Buchanan’s kids’ album 10, 9, 8…God Is Great hadn’t been sung for several years at HPC, but this was a brilliant occasion for re-introducing it!

You can view the lyrics and buy the music here:

Amazing grace (My Chains Are Gone)

Amazing grace, the classic hymn based on the personal testimony of its author, John Newton (1725-1807), has been given a new chorus by Chris Tomlin and Louie Giglio.

You can view the lyrics, listen to the song, purchase a recording and watch an interview with Chris Tomlin about the song from here

Maker, Made a Child

Maker, Made a Child (There was once a child) by Abi Marthinet-Glover, Jake Marthinet-Glover and Alanna Glover was included in our music-making for Christmas 2021.

Listen to and/or buy the song here

My soul praises the Lord

This lively contemporary setting of the Magnificat (Mary’s song, Luke 1:46-55) by Andy Flannagan was chosen for our all-age Countdown to Christmas service 2021.

The lyrics can be viewed and the album that includes the song purchased from here

This Is Amazing Grace

This Is Amazing Grace (Who breaks the power of sin and darkness?) by Jeremy Riddle, Josh Farro and Phil Wickham is included on Phil Wickham’s album The Ascension: view it here

There is Hope

We’ve taken the opportunity, during autumn 2020, of bringing some of our musicians together from their own homes to share an uplifting song with a pertinent message: There is Hope by Matt Weeks (Resound Worship). Why not take a couple of minutes to listen to and watch the recording we’ve put together in our lockdown project? We hope you enjoy it!

You can view the lyrics and listen to Resound Worship’s original recording of the song, released in June 2020, here.