mountain masala

"Sing of a Promise" - A Christmas Song

I wrote a lyric for a song for Advent/Christmas, and Allan Hoare has written a melody for it (I helped to tweak it a bit). I met Allan at "SongWrite" the Uniting Chuch national songwriters gathering in Canberra. So we've been collaborating online between Adelaide and Melbourne. It's been quite a buzz to get the latest version of the tune and go and play it and then send back suggestions to Allan.

2018 UPDATE: Allan added a refrain which really helps the song feel less like a multi-verse hymn. Sing it after verses 2, 4 and 5. New version of the music added below.

Here are the lyrics:

Sing of a Promise

Sing of a star light

glimpse in the heavens

Sing of a beacon,

guides from afar

Sing of a promise,

shines like tomorrow

Bringing a child

who’ll carry us far



Sing of a town

where trav’llers are passing

Sing of a place

where families come home

Sing of a host

who welcomes the stranger

Making a bed

where love might be born



Emmanuel, God is here, Emmanuel

Sing of a silence

harbouring twilight

Sing of the herders

watching the night

Sing of the choir

whose song opens heaven

Gifting us peace

to make the world right



Sing of three gifts

of balm, gold and incense

Sing of the treasures 

wise people bring

Sing from our hearts

our humble self-giving

Offering the Child

whose praises we ring



Emmanuel, God is here, Emmanuel

Sing of the child
who rocks on the waters
Sing of the landless
seeking a shore
Sing of the lives
still broken by sorrow
Open our hearts
And make them a home

Emmanuel, God is here, Emmanuel

Sing of the morn

when justice is coming

Sing of the day

when love comes to town

Sing of the time

when peace is our pathway

Glory to Christ

who makes all his own

From "Deeper Water" published by Mediacom Education 2021.

2018-Sing-of-a-Promise-with-refrain  4.3 mb mp3

The update is that Brougham Place UC did a choral offering of the original song (prior to the refrain), with the very talented Rosemary Nairn writing the arrangement. With Rosemary's permission, here is the arrangement as a live recording of the choir on Christmas eve. Thanks to Rev Jenni Hughes for organising all of this!

Sing_of_a_Promise-CHORAL 6mb mp3

Download Sing_of_a_Promise-Choral_Score 157kb PDF

We'd love to hear whether and where you sing this, and we hope that it serves to open people's spirits to the Christ who comes to us.

"Here, we can be community" - A Call to Worship

Welcome to worship here
Whether you’re from Belair, Brisbane or Bangladesh
Whether you’ve been huddled in the freezing Hills or basking in Broome
Whether you have favourite seats or you’re here for the first time

Here, we can be community

We are nine months old, twenty-nine and nearly ninety
We grew up with the wireless and wireless Internet
We love Beethoven, the Beatles and the Beastie Boys

Here, we can be community

We are straight and queer and all in-between
We are in all kinds of relationships, individual and together
We seek honest friendship and true belonging

Here, we can be community

We have more questions than answers
We know what to expect, yet we have no idea
We have much hope and a little faith

Here, we can be community

So be welcome here

The One who made our world
and shaped our souls is here
- around us, among us, within us
breathing, beckoning
giving, gathering
claiming, calling

Here, we can be community.

Breathe deeply
Listen hopefully
Look carefully
God is around us and with us.
I invite you to join our song

Craig Mitchell, 2018

May be used and adapted for non-commercial purposes in worship or education with author attribution.

"We Gather, Hoping" - A Call to Worship

We gather hoping for a glimpse of the holy:

the One who brooded over Creation
who engulfed a bush in flame
who made a path through the waters
who rolled away the tombstone

We gather hoping for a whisper of the truth:

the Word who first spoke in the silence
the voice who raged with prophet’s zeal
the host who sang of peace on earth
the teacher who blessed humble and poor

We gather hoping for a touch of compassion:

the tenderness that shaped the human body
the caress that opened eyes of the blind
the soothing hand that brought healing calm
the warmth that embraced lonely and lost

We gather in the presence of mystery:

of One who is
revealed and hidden,
known and unknown
mother of Creation
human God-with-us
living Word
eternal Spirit
Three and One

Breathe into us
hope, faith and joy
Breathe into us
compassion, truth and holiness
Breathe into us
reconciliation, justice and peace
Breathe newness of life
as we worship today

Craig Mitchell, 2018

May be used and adapted for non-commercial purposes in worship or education with author attribution.