We, Your Children, Offer Our Prayer
A Hymn by Jacque B. Jones
Writing metrical hymns comes very naturally to me. When I first started writing hymns around 2004, I struggled with meter, but once I got the hang of it, writing in meter became effortless. So, it was a bit of an adventure when I set about to write an irregular text. How hard can that be? First, I decided to paraphrase The Lord's Prayer. Then, I found an irregular tune that I liked and relentlessly hammered my irregular text into it. The results, as you can imagine, were less than optimal. My editor, Adam Tice, wisely advised me to abandon that approach and focus on my text. He then showed me some techniques that helped to make my irregular text a little less irregular. Finally, he sent the results to the composer, Sally Ann Morris, who brought the text to life with an exquisite tune. The result – which took a village to bring to fruition – is very satisfying, but it will be a long time before I try an irregular text again. Regarding the Lord's Prayer, I pray it every Sunday with my congregation in the time-honored King James Version, and I love doing that with my community. But in my heart, I prefer more modern translations, so in my paraphrase, that is the route I took. Some years ago, I struggled with referring to God as a parent in a hymn. I wanted to avoid using gendered words but could not come up with an alternate word that was intimate enough for a parent. My solution was to turn the reference around and say to God, "We are your children." This gives the singers the space to relate to God in their own way while affirming their trust in God. I used the same approach in this text. Have you ever wondered how hymn tunes got their names? There are as many different approaches as there are composers. One composer of my acquaintance named her tunes after the streets in her neighborhood. Others name tunes after influential people from their lives. The composer Benjamin Brody once sent me a tune for which I wrote a text so wordy that the singers had no time to catch their breath. I considered reworking the text, but Ben simply named the tune Breathless. However, I know that a lot of thought and care go into the naming of hymn tunes. I was deeply moved and humbled when Sally Morris named this tune Jacque's Prayer. (Press the preview button to see the sheet music with a recording.)
We, Your Children, Offer Our Prayer (The Lord's Prayer) Irregular
Jacque’s hymn text collection Songs Unchanged Yet Ever Changing was published in 2015 by GIA. Her hymn texts are included in the collections Assembled for Song, Assembled for Song 2, Come, O Holy House and Worship, At the Weaving of Creation, and the hymnals Glory to God, Community of Christ Sings, Worship 4, Voices Together, God Welcomes All, and Hymns for a Pilgrim People, and are available through GIA Unbound. | Navigating Liturgies in Times of Political Turmoil and Injustice Keep Singing: Congregational Song in a Time of Grief, Rage, and Terror What is the Future of Worship Music? Inviting the Poet's Voice into Worship New Year, New Hymns - A New Hymn Resource Focusing on Women Seven Ways to Use Videos in Worship Cliff Notes: The Service of Worship If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, He’s Going to Transform Your Church The Importance of Sacred Dance in Worship Previous Articles that Encourage Out-of-Box Worship Ideas We, Your Children, Offer Our Prayer MUSIC DOWNLOAD Words and Music by Charles David Denler UCC CHURCHES
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Sacred Heart Cross "A depiction of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, featuring flames, a crown of thorns, and a Latin Cross. — Wikipedia LOOKING BACK – 30 YRS.  The first 22 years of Worship, Music & Ministry in print. |
Jacque B. Jones, FHS, has been writing in various forms all her life and she took up the challenge of writing hymn texts in 2003. Jacque has been an active member of The Hymn Society in the US and Canada since 2003, having served as its president from 2014 to 2016. She is a member of Plymouth Church in Brooklyn, NY, where she is actively involved in worship leadership. A native of Texas, Jacque attended Baylor University and The University of Texas at Austin, where she received a BFA in theatre. She and her husband live in Brooklyn Heights and have three adult children.
Worship, Music & Ministry is a publication of the United Church of Christ Musicians Association, Inc. and is issued three times a year. The journal is distributed to members of UCCMA as a benefit of membership. All correspondence concerning membership in UCCMA, changes of address and other inquiries should be addressed to the United Church of Christ Musicians Association, P.O. Box 370631, West Hartford, CT 06137. Information about the United Church of Christ Musicians Association is available at www.uccma.org. Copyright © 2024 by the United Church of Christ Musicians Association, Inc. |
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