2024-2025

YEAR C // Lent Easter Epiphany

Use the slideshow below to toggle through the Little Liturgies booklet to preview resources for the YEAR C // Lent Easter Pentecost. Preview the music using one of the players below the slideshow. Use the button below to download the full year Little Liturgies PDF and mp3 files for the music, or to request physical copies (printed booklets and CDs) for yourself or your community.

Lyrics & Credits

Contributing Musicians

Valerie Bess

Ebony Nicole

Ben Luna

Leah Wenger

Taylor Bess

Seth Crissman

Jackson Maust

Greg Yoder

Kristina Yoder

Lauren Yoder

Mitchell Yoder

EMU Chamber Singers

  • Holy Spirit Love divine
    Glow within this heart of mine.
    Kindle ev’ry high desire,
    Purify me with your fire.

    Holy Spirit, Truth divine
    Dawn upon this soul of mine.
    Voice of God, and inward Light,
    Wake up my spirit, and clear my sight

    Holy Spirit, Peace divine,
    Still this restless heart of mine.
    Speak to calm this tossing sea,
    Grant me your tranquility.
    Grant me your tranquility.

    Comforter, come comfort me.

    Lyrics: Samuel Longfellow, 1864
    Music: Seth Crissman, 2022

    © 2022 The Soil and The Seed Project
    Vocals: Valerie Bess and Taylor Bess

  • Christ who left his home in glory,
    And upon the cross was slain,
    Now is ris’n! O tell the story
    That the Savior lives again.

    Glory, sing Gloria; glory, sing Gloria. Glory, sing Gloria, oooh.

    While the world in peace was sleeping,
    Early on that Easter day
    Came the faithful women, weeping,
    But the stone was rolled away.

    Hail to the One, God’s only son, Jesus, Redeemer.
    Hail to the one who conquered death and sin.
    Hail to the One, God’s only son, Jesus, Redeemer.
    Highest praises now we sing.

    Lyrics: Abram B. Kolb, 1896
    Music: Seth Crissman, 2022
    © 2022 The Soil and The Seed Project

    Vocals:. Lauren Yoder, Taylor Bess, Greg Yoder

  • You who live in the shelter of the Most High,
    Who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
    Will say to the Lord,
    “My refuge and my fortress;
    My God, in whom I trust,
    My God, in whom I trust.”

    In your Holy Darkness,
    In your Holy Shadow,
    Under your wing I will hide myself

    Safe and secure from all alarms

    Lyrics: Direct quotation from Psalm 91:1-3 (NRSV)
    and by Seth Crissman, 2022
    Music: Seth Crissman, 2022

    © 2022 The Soil and The Seed Project
    Vocals: Ebony Nicole, Ben Luna, Jackson Maust

  • God, in your mercy, turn your ear
    God, in your mercy, hear us
    God of compassion please come near
    God, in your mercy, hear us
    God, we are dust and our days our few
    God, you are making all things new
    God, of all time, we turn to you
    God, of all mercy, hear us.
    God, of all mercy, hear us.

    Lyrics: Seth Crissman, 2022
    Music: Greg Yoder, 2022

    © 2022 The Soil and The Seed Project
    Vocals: Greg Yoder, Lauren Yoder, Seth Crissman

  • We have sinned against each other
    Take our sins away
    We’ve betrayed our sister and brother
    Take our sins away
    Teach us how to love our neighbor
    Take our sins away
    Teach our hands to do your labor
    Take our sins away

    All the times we have forgotten
    The depths of your great love
    All the times we have forgotten
    The depths of your great love

    Teach us how to have compassion
    And take our sins away
    Spur our words into action
    Take our sins away
    When we fail to turn and listen
    Take our sins away
    Building up the walls of division
    Take our sins away

    All the times we have forgotten
    The depths of your great love;
    All the times we have forgotten
    The depths of your great love;
    take our sins away.

    Lyrics and Music: Seth Crissman, 2015
    © 2015 The Walking Roots Band. Used with permission.
    Vocals: Valerie Bess and Taylor Bess

  • At the cross her vigil keeping
    Stood the mournful mother weeping
    Where he hung, the dying Lord
    Through her soul of joy bereaved
    Bowed with sorrow deeply grieved
    Passed the sharp and piercing sword

    Who upon that mother gazing
    In her anguish so amazing
    Born of woman, would not weep?
    Who of Christ’s dear mother thinking,
    While her son that cup is drinking,
    Would not share her sorrow deep?

    אֵלִ֣י אֵ֭לִי לָמָ֣ה עֲזַבְתָּ֑נִי רָחֹ֥וק מִֽ֝ישׁוּעָתִ֗י

    Near your cross, O Christ, abiding,
    Grief and love my heart dividing,
    I with her would take my place
    By your saving cross uphold me,
    In your dying, Christ, enfold me,
    With the deathless arms of grace.

    אֵלִ֣י אֵ֭לִי לָמָ֣ה עֲזַבְתָּ֑נִי רָחֹ֥וק מִֽ֝ישׁוּעָתִ֗י (דִּבְרֵ֥י שַׁאֲגָתִֽי)

    Lyrics: Jacopone, da Todi, 13th century, translation by Edward Caswell
    Music: Seth Crissman, 2022

    © 2022 The Soil and The Seed Project
    Vocals: Ebony Nicole, Jackson Maust

  • Why so solemn? Why so gloomy?
    Jesus isn’t here, he busted out, he left the tomb
    He needed more room, he needed more room to bloom
    They keep tryin’ to bury Jesus, but God’s love exhumes
    I KNOW THAT MY REDEEMER LIVES, GLORY HALLELUJAH!

    You can’t bury a seed and think it won’t grow
    Can’t give a trumpet to a kid and think she won’t blow
    Or give love to somebody, think it won’t show
    So let the horn blow, in case they don’t know
    I KNOW THAT MY REDEEMER LIVES, GLORY HALLELUJAH!

    Death tries so hard to win, it’s almost comical
    Death wastes time on Him, not economical
    Balloons give up their air, become unpoppable,
    When Jesus gave his life, he became unstoppable!
    Love so deep that you can’t touch bottom
    Love so wide that the net always caught ‘em
    Love so rich that the moon wears gold
    Love so big that the tomb can’t hold
    I KNOW THAT MY REDEEMER LIVES, GLORY HALLELUJAH!

    God’s kingdom is not built on domination
    No, Jesus builds the kingdom like a different kind of nation
    Built upside down with jubilation, celebration
    And giving up power and money and station and
    Being patient, gentle, humble, loving, kind
    Faithful, merciful, leaving fear and hate behind
    And loving God with heart, soul, and mind
    And knowing Jesus’ love can never be confined
    I KNOW THAT MY REDEEMER LIVES, GLORY HALLELUJAH!

    Jesus...Jesus had to decide
    In the wilderness, would he stand up or hide?
    Would he relent and give up, and ask that the cup pass from him?
    Cut the ties, and give in?
    No, Jesus tethered himself to Love, together-ed himself with God
    Trusting that LOVE would sustain
    As he walked into the storm, the wind, the rain,
    The hurricane of resistance to the kind of life he was showing
    Seed he was growing
    Love he was knowing
    The way he was going
    Not the way of a soldier
    But the way of a lamb
    Giving himself over.
    Plants don’t decide to give themselves over. They just do. Life flows through
    From the seed to the sprout to the flower to the bulb
    To the sprout to the seed in the streaming of Love
    Oh, Jesus is the seed, the sprout, irrepressible
    And he ain’t in the tomb, he’s out, sing it “Yes, my Lord!”
    I KNOW THAT MY REDEEMER LIVES, GLORY HALLELUJAH!
    WHAT COMFORT THIS SWEET SENTENCE GIVES, GLORY HALLELUJAH!

    Lyrics and Music: Greg Yoder, 2018, with chorus lyrics by Samuel Medley (1738-1799) and chorus music by Lewis D. Edwards (1858-1921)

    © 2018 Greg Yoder. Used with permission.

    Vocals: Greg Yoder, Lauren Yoder

  • I want to know Christ
    And the power of his resurrection
    And the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings
    Becoming like him in his death
    And so somehow to attain to
    The resurrection from the dead

    Lyrics: direct quotation from Phil. 3:10-11 (NIV), see full citation below
    Muisc: Jason Wagner

    © 2008 Jason Wagner. Used with permission.
    Vocals: Rachel Mast, Seth Crissman

  • For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

    Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession.

    For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

    Because if you confess with your lips
    that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

    For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

    Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

    Lyrics are direct quotations from Romans 10:9, 13 and Hebrews 4:14, 16 (NRSV), see full citation below
    Music: Seth Crissman, 2022

    © 2022 The Soil and The Seed Project
    Vocals: Leah Wenger, Jackson Maust, Taylor Bess, and the EMU Chamber Choir

  • Holy Spirit, Truth divine, dawn upon this soul of mine.
    Voice of God, and inward Light,
    Wake up my spirit, wake up my spirit
    And clear my sight.

    Holy Spirit, Love divine, glow within this heart of mine.
    Kindle ev’ry high desire,
    Purify me, purify me with your fire.

    Holy Spirit, Power divine, fill and nerve this will of mine
    Boldly may I always live,
    Bravely serve and gladly give.

    Breathe upon me, and fill me with your Holy Spirit
    Holy Spirit, breathe upon me, and fill me with your love
    With your love, with your love, and fill me with your joy

    Lyrics: Samuel Longfellow, 1864, with bridge lyrics by Greg Yoder, 2022
    Music: Greg Yoder, 2022

    © 2022 The Soil and The Seed Project
    Vocals: Ben Luna, Greg Yoder

  • Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!

    O God, we put our trust in you
    When the earth under our feet gives way,
    though the mountains fall into the sea

    Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!

    Lyrics are a direct quotation from Psalm 27:14 (NRSV)
    Music: Seth Crissman, 2022

    © 2022 The Soil and The Seed Project
    Vocals: Seth Crissman, Greg Yoder

  • Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. When you fail, when you fall When you’re scared, when call for me My peace I’ll give to you. Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. When you fail, when you fall. When you’re scared, when call for me My peace I’ll give to you.

    Lyrics and Music: Seth Thomas Crissman

    © 2021 The Soil and The Seed Project

    Vocals: Lauren Yoder, Mitchell Yoder

Special Thanks

Seth Thomas Crissman - Project Director, Editor, Songwriter
Melody Zimmerman - Lead Writer (Little Liturgies)
Harrigan McMahon Bowman - Visual Artistic Director, Contributing Writer

Contributing Musicians: Valerie Bess (tracks 1 and 5), Ebony Nicole (tracks 3 and 6), Ben Luna (tracks 3 and 10), Leah Wenger (track 9), Taylor Bess (tracks 1, 2, 5, and 8) and members of The Walking Roots Band // thewalkingrootsband.com

Artwork: “Three” by Kimberly Michelle Hewavita // “Our Lamentor” by Havilah Wingfield

CD Cover Photograph: Harrigan McMahon Bowman
CD Cover Design: Harrigan McMahon Bowman and Greg Yoder
Little Liturgies’ Soil and Seed Images: Jessamyn Bryant

Mixed and Mastered by Taylor Bess // taylorbessmusic.com

Made possible through partnership with VMMissions // vmmissions.org and the generosity of many individuals and communities. Thank you. Gloria in Excelsis Deo.

Copyrights

Scripture References

Holy Darkness - Psalm 91:1-2, NRSV
At the Cross, Her Vigil Keeping - Psalm 22:1b  
I Know That My Redeemer Lives - Job 19:25a/b
I Want to Know Christ - Phil. 3:10-11, NIV 
Everyone Who Calls on the Name - Romans 10:9, 13; Hebrews 4:14, 16, NRSV
Wait for the Lord - Psalm 27:14 NRSV
Peace I Leave with You - John 14:27a

All music copyright © The Soil and The Seed Project except:

I Want to Know Christ © Jason Wagner, Harrisonburg, VA. Used with permission.

Song of Confession © The Walking Roots Band. Used with permission.

Lyrics for Holy Spirit, Love Divine and Holy Spirit, Truth Divine written by Samuel Longfellow (1864) // Lyrics for Christ Who Left His Home in Glory written by Abram Bowman Kolb (1896) // Lyrics for At the Cross Her Vigil Keeping written by Jacopone, da Todi (13th century)

NRSV

Scripture quotations for Holy Darkness, Everyone Who Calls on the Name, Wait for the Lord are direct quotations from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989  the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. 

NIV

Scripture quotation for I Want to Know Christ is a direct quotation from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®,  NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.