This contemporary hymn by Stuart Townend reminds us of the way in which God showed his love by sending his son Jesus to die on the cross for our salvation. William Kethe contributed 25 psalms to the Anglo-Genevan Psalter of which Psalm 100 became the most well-known. This tune is one of the best known of all Christian melodies and gets its name, “Old Hundredth”, from its association with Kethe’s translation. Perhaps the most famous and widely used of all the paraphrases of Psalm 23, this hymn, known as Crimond, is constantly being used at both weddings and funerals and tells of God being with us wherever we are. The tune “Crimond” was written by Jessie Seymour Irvine who was the daughter of a priest who served for a time at Crimond-the-Town.

A patriotic hymn known especially from the Last Night of the Proms. The hymn has caused much controversy with its different interpretations. In the most common, Blake implies that a visit by Jesus would create heaven, in contrast to the “dark Satanic Mills”. The tune was famously orchestrated by Sir Edward Elgar. Known also as “The Summons”, this worship song was written in 1987 by the Rev. John Bell of the Iona Community. The hymn contains thirteen questions asked by Jesus in the first person. It is based on a passage from St Mark’s Gospel about Jesus calling his disciples to follow him. The words are set to a Scottish folk tune known as “Kelvingrove”. The Come & Praise and With Cheerful Voice hymn books would be taken from trays and carried down to the hall as we got ready to sing classics like Colours of Day, Give Me Oil in My Lamp and Lord of the Dance. I know some people object to this sort of religious education and collective worship in schools but, from my own very personal experience, I think it is extremely important. It is something that should happen and should also continue. For I can just honestly say these hymns were a crucial part of my own spiritual, moral and religious development. Indeed I have to admit, as a boy, I found morning worship to be extremely profound. I took it very seriously and looked forward to it. I looked forward to being with God in the school hall so I could encounter Him. So I could just be with Him and worship Him. I clearly remember experiencing or seeing God in my assemblies. It was amazing. An experience that I'll always treasure.I can even recall when I first began to experience or to see God. I must have been aged about six and, as we sang 'Sing Hosanna', I became aware of God near me and also in my mind. I felt such an overwhelming sense of joy and happiness. It was wonderful. And magical. Like a dream but real. Like this great big mystery had been revealed to me. I began to see God quite clearly and, after the hymn had finished, I simply wanted to worship what I had seen. Remember singing about wanting oil in your lamp to keep you burning, praising, loving and serving? 5. Colours of Day These hymn books were widely used through out the United Kingdom for School assemblies from when they were published, all the way through the 1990's This makes these song well known to anyone who grew up in the 1990's. This hymn was written in 1865 by Cardinal John Henry Newman and comes from his “Dream of Gerontius”. Most famously used by Edward Elgar in his oratorio of the same name as the soul of the old man, Gerontius, crosses the threshold of death into purgatory.

This hymn by Isaac Watts paraphrases Psalm 90, telling how our God is everlasting and will be our help through all of our years. The tune, “St Anne’ is attributed to the composer, William Croft, and may have been written around the early 19th century when he was organist of St Anne’s Church in Soho. The hymn is very often used on National and State occasions – particularly at Remembrance time.This hymn was written in 1835 by Charlotte Elliot as an expression of her own faith in God, despite many worldly anxieties. The hymn has been set to a number of different tunes, but Arthur Brown’s 1890 composition “Saffron Walden” has become the tune of choice for most people.