Johannes Brahms (1833–1897):
Psalm 84 “Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen”, Op. 45/4 (1865)
(“How lovely is your dwelling place”)
Lyrics: The Bible (Psalm 84: 2–3, 5)
How lovely is your dwelling place,
Lord Almighty!
My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God. –
Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.
* * * * * *
”Thou art beautiful, O my Love!”
Jaakko Mäntyjärvi (1963–):
Pulchra es (2018)
(”Thou art beautiful, O my Love”)
Lyrics: The Bible (The Song of Songs 6: 4-5)
You are as beautiful as Tirzah, my darling,
as lovely as Jerusalem,
as majestic as troops with banners.
Turn your eyes from me;
they overwhelm me!
Seppo ”The Baron” Paakkunainen (1943–):
Immortal Love (2022)
Lyrics: The Bible (1 Cor. 13: 4–8)
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.
Einojuhani Rautavaara (1928–2016):
Rakkaus ei koskaan häviä (1983)
(“Love never fails”)
Lyrics: The Bible (1 Cor. 13: 8–13)
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies,
they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled;
where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part,
but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.
When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child,
I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.
For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.
Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.
But the greatest of these is love.
Legenda (1985)
(“Legend”)
Lyrics: Eino Leino (1878–1926) 1897 (“Night Spinner”)
When Saint Peter and the Lord
in long ago times, surveyed the seas and shores,
on a summer’s eve they arrived, it is said
and the soil of Finland those two blessed.
There they rested, in a birch tree’s shade,
which grew at the edge of the mouth of a strait,
and the story tells of a small debate
they fell into. Thus to God Peter spake:
“O Lord, wherefore do we come to this place!
These people, a deformed and destitute case!
A land unfruitful, unforgiving, the pastures paltry,
no fruit to be found but mushroom and berry!”
But the Lord merely smiled slowly:
“It is true, the land lies fallow, and frosty,
and crops grow slower than is the norm,
but the people, they have a heart beautiful and warm.”
With this the Lord gave a smile, slow.
And behold! The waters let out a strange glow,
the swamp drained, forests tamed, open woods created,
and the reign of frost over the fields abated.
The Lord with Peter travelled away.
But on a summer’s eve, or so they say
if you sit beneath the birch, like so,
the Lord may yet smile on the waters below.
Psalm 23 ”Herra on minun paimeneni” (1971)
(”The Lord is my shepherd”)
Lyrics: The Bible (Psalm 23)
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,[a]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
* * * * * *
“Lord, hear my voice!”
Leevi Madetoja (1887–1947):
Psalm 130 “De profundis”, Op. 56 (1925)
(“Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord”)
Lyrics: The Bible (Psalm 130: 1–4)
1. De profundis clamavi ad te, Domino
2. Si, iniquitates
3. Speravit anima mea in Domino
4. Quia apud Dominum misericordia
Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord;
Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.
If you, Lord, kept a record of sins,
Lord, who could stand?
I wait for the Lord.
For with the Lord is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption.
Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809–1847):
Psalm 43 “Richte mich, Gott”, Op. 78/2 (1844)
(”Do me justice, o God”)
Lyrics: The Bible (Psalm 43)
Vindicate me, my God,
and plead my cause
against an unfaithful nation.
Rescue me from those who are
deceitful and wicked.
You are God my stronghold.
Why have you rejected me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?
Send me your light and your faithful care,
let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy mountain,
to the place where you dwell.
Then I will go to the altar of God,
to God, my joy and my delight.
I will praise you with the lyre,
O God, my God.
Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
* * * * * *
“Come, let us sing for joy!”
Lauri-Kalle Kallunki (1977–):
Psalm 95 ”Nyt iloiten laulakaa Herralle” (2018)
(”Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord”)
Lyrics: The Bible (Psalm 95: 1-2 and 6-7)
Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song. –
Come, let us bow down in worship,
let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;
for he is our God
and we are the people of his pasture,
the flock under his care.
Lauri Nurkkala (1958–):
Gloria (1997)
Lyrics: Missa ordinarium
“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests!”
* * * * * *
“God is with us”
Miikka Lehtoaho (1979–):
Hyvyyden voiman ihmeelliseen suojaan (2021)
(”By loving forces silently surrounded”)
Original Melody: Erkki Melartin (1875–1937) 1923
Lyrics: Dietrich Bonhoefer (1906–1945) 1944
By loving forces silently surrounded,
I feel quite soothed, secure, and filled with grace.
So I would like to live these days together,
and go with you into another year.
Still matters of the past are pressing our hearts
and evil days are weighing down on us.
Oh Lord, to our souls, so scared and sore,
give rescue, as it’s that you made us for.
Warm and bright be our candles’ flame today,
since into gloom you brought a gleaming light,
and lead again us, if you will, together!
We know it: you are beaming in the night.
When silence now will snow around us ev’rywhere,
so let us hear the all-embracing sound
of greater things than we can see and wider,
your world, and all your children’s soaring hail.
By loving forces wonderfully sheltered,
we are awaiting fearlessly what comes.
God is with us at dusk and in the morning
and most assuredly on ev’ry day.
Säde Bartling (arr.) (1965–):
Lågorna är många – Liekkejä on monta (2004)
(”The flames are many”)
Melody: Olle Widestrand (1932–) 1974
Lyrics: Anders Frostenson (1906–) 1972
There are many flames,
but the light is one
he is Jesus Christ.
He connects us.
There are many branches,
but the trunk is one,
he is Jesus Christ.
He connects us.
The gifts are many,
but the spirit is one,
he is the Spirit of the Lord.
He connects us.
There are many servants,
but one of them is the Lord,
the Lord Jesus Christ.
He connects us.
There are many believers,
but the body is one,
the one Congregation.
He connects us.
Toivo Kuula (1883–1918):
Siell’ on kauan jo kukkineet omenapuut, Op. 11/1 (1908)
(”Yonder the apple trees are blooming”)
Lyrics:Veikko A. Koskenniemi (1885–1962) 1906 (”The Poems”)
Over yonder the blossoming apple tree stands,
over yonder the wide waters wash on the strands,
over yonder the greenwood grows tall.
Over yonder ‘tis cool in the shadow of night,
over yonder there’s birdsong in pale morning light,
over yonder the lone cuckoo’s call.
How my soul sorely longs for that fragrant air,
I know all of this, but I can’t be there,
and I feel such a yearning inside me.
Visions deep in the eye of my mind me greet:
I can see great green woodlands while walking the street,
wherever I go, I can’t hide me;
And the air feels so close in my crowded room,
tormenting my mind in shrouded gloom,
and my heart speaks a plea to reprieve me:
let the autumn lay, waste to the greenwood that grows,
let the winter enshroud it in silent snows,
maybe then this my longing would leave me!
(translation: Jaakko Mäntyjärvi)
* * * * * *
“He will lead us to happiness” (SINGALONG, 3’)
Jean Sibelius (1865–1957):
Ljud högt, du psalm, att lova, Op. 23/6a (1897)
(“For the glory of the Creator”)
Lyrics: Aukusti W. Koskimies (1856–1929) 1897 (verses 1–2)
and Ilta Koskimies (1879–1958) 1923 (verse 3)
1. Ljud högt, du psalm, att lova
vår Skapare och Gud.
Se, allting är hans gåva,
allt styr han med sitt bud.
Till djupen når hans öga,
kring ändlös rymd han ser,
och från sin himmel höga
han blickar ock till jorden ner.
2. Han stillar havets vågor
och leder vindens gång.
Han tänder norrskenslågor
i vinternatten lång.
Han skyddar markens gröda
för frostens farlighet.
Han signar rikt vår möda,
och ej av gräns hans kärlek vet.
3. Dig vare pris och ära
för allt som ständigt du
har velat oss beskära
och skänker oss ännu!
Med hjärta som med tunga
vi glatt vill prisa dig,
din godhet högt lovsjunga,
o Herre Gud, evinnerlig!
Choir Cantio Laudis (Oulu/Uleåborg)
Olli Heikkilä, conductor
Irina Vavilova, organ
Johannes Brahms (1833–1897):
Psalm 84 “Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen”, Op. 45/4 (1865)
(“How lovely is your dwelling place”)
Lyrics: The Bible (Psalm 84: 2–3, 5)
How lovely is your dwelling place,
Lord Almighty!
My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God. –
Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.
* * * * * *
”Thou art beautiful, O my Love!”
Jaakko Mäntyjärvi (1963–):
Pulchra es (2018)
(”Thou art beautiful, O my Love”)
Lyrics: The Bible (The Song of Songs 6: 4-5)
You are as beautiful as Tirzah, my darling,
as lovely as Jerusalem,
as majestic as troops with banners.
Turn your eyes from me;
they overwhelm me!
Seppo ”The Baron” Paakkunainen (1943–):
Immortal Love (2022)
Lyrics: The Bible (1 Cor. 13: 4–8)
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.
Einojuhani Rautavaara (1928–2016):
Rakkaus ei koskaan häviä (1983)
(“Love never fails”)
Lyrics: The Bible (1 Cor. 13: 8–13)
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies,
they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled;
where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part,
but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.
When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child,
I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.
For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.
Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.
But the greatest of these is love.
Legenda (1985)
(“Legend”)
Lyrics: Eino Leino (1878–1926) 1897 (“Night Spinner”)
When Saint Peter and the Lord
in long ago times, surveyed the seas and shores,
on a summer’s eve they arrived, it is said
and the soil of Finland those two blessed.
There they rested, in a birch tree’s shade,
which grew at the edge of the mouth of a strait,
and the story tells of a small debate
they fell into. Thus to God Peter spake:
“O Lord, wherefore do we come to this place!
These people, a deformed and destitute case!
A land unfruitful, unforgiving, the pastures paltry,
no fruit to be found but mushroom and berry!”
But the Lord merely smiled slowly:
“It is true, the land lies fallow, and frosty,
and crops grow slower than is the norm,
but the people, they have a heart beautiful and warm.”
With this the Lord gave a smile, slow.
And behold! The waters let out a strange glow,
the swamp drained, forests tamed, open woods created,
and the reign of frost over the fields abated.
The Lord with Peter travelled away.
But on a summer’s eve, or so they say
if you sit beneath the birch, like so,
the Lord may yet smile on the waters below.
Psalm 23 ”Herra on minun paimeneni” (1971)
(”The Lord is my shepherd”)
Lyrics: The Bible (Psalm 23)
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,[a]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
* * * * * *
“Lord, hear my voice!”
Leevi Madetoja (1887–1947):
Psalm 130 “De profundis”, Op. 56 (1925)
(“Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord”)
Lyrics: The Bible (Psalm 130: 1–4)
1. De profundis clamavi ad te, Domino
2. Si, iniquitates
3. Speravit anima mea in Domino
4. Quia apud Dominum misericordia
Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord;
Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.
If you, Lord, kept a record of sins,
Lord, who could stand?
I wait for the Lord.
For with the Lord is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption.
Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809–1847):
Psalm 43 “Richte mich, Gott”, Op. 78/2 (1844)
(”Do me justice, o God”)
Lyrics: The Bible (Psalm 43)
Vindicate me, my God,
and plead my cause
against an unfaithful nation.
Rescue me from those who are
deceitful and wicked.
You are God my stronghold.
Why have you rejected me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?
Send me your light and your faithful care,
let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy mountain,
to the place where you dwell.
Then I will go to the altar of God,
to God, my joy and my delight.
I will praise you with the lyre,
O God, my God.
Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
* * * * * *
“Come, let us sing for joy!”
Lauri-Kalle Kallunki (1977–):
Psalm 95 ”Nyt iloiten laulakaa Herralle” (2018)
(”Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord”)
Lyrics: The Bible (Psalm 95: 1-2 and 6-7)
Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song. –
Come, let us bow down in worship,
let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;
for he is our God
and we are the people of his pasture,
the flock under his care.
Lauri Nurkkala (1958–):
Gloria (1997)
Lyrics: Missa ordinarium
“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests!”
* * * * * *
“God is with us”
Miikka Lehtoaho (1979–):
Hyvyyden voiman ihmeelliseen suojaan (2021)
(”By loving forces silently surrounded”)
Original Melody: Erkki Melartin (1875–1937) 1923
Lyrics: Dietrich Bonhoefer (1906–1945) 1944
By loving forces silently surrounded,
I feel quite soothed, secure, and filled with grace.
So I would like to live these days together,
and go with you into another year.
Still matters of the past are pressing our hearts
and evil days are weighing down on us.
Oh Lord, to our souls, so scared and sore,
give rescue, as it’s that you made us for.
Warm and bright be our candles’ flame today,
since into gloom you brought a gleaming light,
and lead again us, if you will, together!
We know it: you are beaming in the night.
When silence now will snow around us ev’rywhere,
so let us hear the all-embracing sound
of greater things than we can see and wider,
your world, and all your children’s soaring hail.
By loving forces wonderfully sheltered,
we are awaiting fearlessly what comes.
God is with us at dusk and in the morning
and most assuredly on ev’ry day.
Säde Bartling (arr.) (1965–):
Lågorna är många – Liekkejä on monta (2004)
(”The flames are many”)
Melody: Olle Widestrand (1932–) 1974
Lyrics: Anders Frostenson (1906–) 1972
There are many flames,
but the light is one
he is Jesus Christ.
He connects us.
There are many branches,
but the trunk is one,
he is Jesus Christ.
He connects us.
The gifts are many,
but the spirit is one,
he is the Spirit of the Lord.
He connects us.
There are many servants,
but one of them is the Lord,
the Lord Jesus Christ.
He connects us.
There are many believers,
but the body is one,
the one Congregation.
He connects us.
Toivo Kuula (1883–1918):
Siell’ on kauan jo kukkineet omenapuut, Op. 11/1 (1908)
(”Yonder the apple trees are blooming”)
Lyrics:Veikko A. Koskenniemi (1885–1962) 1906 (”The Poems”)
Over yonder the blossoming apple tree stands,
over yonder the wide waters wash on the strands,
over yonder the greenwood grows tall.
Over yonder ‘tis cool in the shadow of night,
over yonder there’s birdsong in pale morning light,
over yonder the lone cuckoo’s call.
How my soul sorely longs for that fragrant air,
I know all of this, but I can’t be there,
and I feel such a yearning inside me.
Visions deep in the eye of my mind me greet:
I can see great green woodlands while walking the street,
wherever I go, I can’t hide me;
And the air feels so close in my crowded room,
tormenting my mind in shrouded gloom,
and my heart speaks a plea to reprieve me:
let the autumn lay, waste to the greenwood that grows,
let the winter enshroud it in silent snows,
maybe then this my longing would leave me!
(translation: Jaakko Mäntyjärvi)
* * * * * *
“He will lead us to happiness” (SINGALONG, 3’)
Jean Sibelius (1865–1957):
Ljud högt, du psalm, att lova, Op. 23/6a (1897)
(“For the glory of the Creator”)
Lyrics: Aukusti W. Koskimies (1856–1929) 1897 (verses 1–2)
and Ilta Koskimies (1879–1958) 1923 (verse 3)
1. Ljud högt, du psalm, att lova
vår Skapare och Gud.
Se, allting är hans gåva,
allt styr han med sitt bud.
Till djupen når hans öga,
kring ändlös rymd han ser,
och från sin himmel höga
han blickar ock till jorden ner.
2. Han stillar havets vågor
och leder vindens gång.
Han tänder norrskenslågor
i vinternatten lång.
Han skyddar markens gröda
för frostens farlighet.
Han signar rikt vår möda,
och ej av gräns hans kärlek vet.
3. Dig vare pris och ära
för allt som ständigt du
har velat oss beskära
och skänker oss ännu!
Med hjärta som med tunga
vi glatt vill prisa dig,
din godhet högt lovsjunga,
o Herre Gud, evinnerlig!
Choir Cantio Laudis (Oulu/Uleåborg)
Olli Heikkilä, conductor
Irina Vavilova, organ
Johannes Brahms (1833–1897):
Psalm 84 “Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen”, Op. 45/4 (1865)
(“How lovely is your dwelling place”)
Lyrics: The Bible (Psalm 84: 2–3, 5)
How lovely is your dwelling place,
Lord Almighty!
My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God. –
Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.
* * * * * *
”Thou art beautiful, O my Love!”
Jaakko Mäntyjärvi (1963–):
Pulchra es (2018)
(”Thou art beautiful, O my Love”)
Lyrics: The Bible (The Song of Songs 6: 4-5)
You are as beautiful as Tirzah, my darling,
as lovely as Jerusalem,
as majestic as troops with banners.
Turn your eyes from me;
they overwhelm me!
Seppo ”The Baron” Paakkunainen (1943–):
Immortal Love (2022)
Lyrics: The Bible (1 Cor. 13: 4–8)
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.
Einojuhani Rautavaara (1928–2016):
Rakkaus ei koskaan häviä (1983)
(“Love never fails”)
Lyrics: The Bible (1 Cor. 13: 8–13)
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies,
they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled;
where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part,
but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.
When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child,
I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.
For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.
Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.
But the greatest of these is love.
Legenda (1985)
(“Legend”)
Lyrics: Eino Leino (1878–1926) 1897 (“Night Spinner”)
When Saint Peter and the Lord
in long ago times, surveyed the seas and shores,
on a summer’s eve they arrived, it is said
and the soil of Finland those two blessed.
There they rested, in a birch tree’s shade,
which grew at the edge of the mouth of a strait,
and the story tells of a small debate
they fell into. Thus to God Peter spake:
“O Lord, wherefore do we come to this place!
These people, a deformed and destitute case!
A land unfruitful, unforgiving, the pastures paltry,
no fruit to be found but mushroom and berry!”
But the Lord merely smiled slowly:
“It is true, the land lies fallow, and frosty,
and crops grow slower than is the norm,
but the people, they have a heart beautiful and warm.”
With this the Lord gave a smile, slow.
And behold! The waters let out a strange glow,
the swamp drained, forests tamed, open woods created,
and the reign of frost over the fields abated.
The Lord with Peter travelled away.
But on a summer’s eve, or so they say
if you sit beneath the birch, like so,
the Lord may yet smile on the waters below.
Psalm 23 ”Herra on minun paimeneni” (1971)
(”The Lord is my shepherd”)
Lyrics: The Bible (Psalm 23)
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,[a]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
* * * * * *
“Lord, hear my voice!”
Leevi Madetoja (1887–1947):
Psalm 130 “De profundis”, Op. 56 (1925)
(“Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord”)
Lyrics: The Bible (Psalm 130: 1–4)
1. De profundis clamavi ad te, Domino
2. Si, iniquitates
3. Speravit anima mea in Domino
4. Quia apud Dominum misericordia
Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord;
Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.
If you, Lord, kept a record of sins,
Lord, who could stand?
I wait for the Lord.
For with the Lord is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption.
Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809–1847):
Psalm 43 “Richte mich, Gott”, Op. 78/2 (1844)
(”Do me justice, o God”)
Lyrics: The Bible (Psalm 43)
Vindicate me, my God,
and plead my cause
against an unfaithful nation.
Rescue me from those who are
deceitful and wicked.
You are God my stronghold.
Why have you rejected me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?
Send me your light and your faithful care,
let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy mountain,
to the place where you dwell.
Then I will go to the altar of God,
to God, my joy and my delight.
I will praise you with the lyre,
O God, my God.
Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
* * * * * *
“Come, let us sing for joy!”
Lauri-Kalle Kallunki (1977–):
Psalm 95 ”Nyt iloiten laulakaa Herralle” (2018)
(”Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord”)
Lyrics: The Bible (Psalm 95: 1-2 and 6-7)
Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song. –
Come, let us bow down in worship,
let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;
for he is our God
and we are the people of his pasture,
the flock under his care.
Lauri Nurkkala (1958–):
Gloria (1997)
Lyrics: Missa ordinarium
“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests!”
* * * * * *
“God is with us”
Miikka Lehtoaho (1979–):
Hyvyyden voiman ihmeelliseen suojaan (2021)
(”By loving forces silently surrounded”)
Original Melody: Erkki Melartin (1875–1937) 1923
Lyrics: Dietrich Bonhoefer (1906–1945) 1944
By loving forces silently surrounded,
I feel quite soothed, secure, and filled with grace.
So I would like to live these days together,
and go with you into another year.
Still matters of the past are pressing our hearts
and evil days are weighing down on us.
Oh Lord, to our souls, so scared and sore,
give rescue, as it’s that you made us for.
Warm and bright be our candles’ flame today,
since into gloom you brought a gleaming light,
and lead again us, if you will, together!
We know it: you are beaming in the night.
When silence now will snow around us ev’rywhere,
so let us hear the all-embracing sound
of greater things than we can see and wider,
your world, and all your children’s soaring hail.
By loving forces wonderfully sheltered,
we are awaiting fearlessly what comes.
God is with us at dusk and in the morning
and most assuredly on ev’ry day.
Säde Bartling (arr.) (1965–):
Lågorna är många – Liekkejä on monta (2004)
(”The flames are many”)
Melody: Olle Widestrand (1932–) 1974
Lyrics: Anders Frostenson (1906–) 1972
There are many flames,
but the light is one
he is Jesus Christ.
He connects us.
There are many branches,
but the trunk is one,
he is Jesus Christ.
He connects us.
The gifts are many,
but the spirit is one,
he is the Spirit of the Lord.
He connects us.
There are many servants,
but one of them is the Lord,
the Lord Jesus Christ.
He connects us.
There are many believers,
but the body is one,
the one Congregation.
He connects us.
Toivo Kuula (1883–1918):
Siell’ on kauan jo kukkineet omenapuut, Op. 11/1 (1908)
(”Yonder the apple trees are blooming”)
Lyrics:Veikko A. Koskenniemi (1885–1962) 1906 (”The Poems”)
Over yonder the blossoming apple tree stands,
over yonder the wide waters wash on the strands,
over yonder the greenwood grows tall.
Over yonder ‘tis cool in the shadow of night,
over yonder there’s birdsong in pale morning light,
over yonder the lone cuckoo’s call.
How my soul sorely longs for that fragrant air,
I know all of this, but I can’t be there,
and I feel such a yearning inside me.
Visions deep in the eye of my mind me greet:
I can see great green woodlands while walking the street,
wherever I go, I can’t hide me;
And the air feels so close in my crowded room,
tormenting my mind in shrouded gloom,
and my heart speaks a plea to reprieve me:
let the autumn lay, waste to the greenwood that grows,
let the winter enshroud it in silent snows,
maybe then this my longing would leave me!
(translation: Jaakko Mäntyjärvi)
* * * * * *
“He will lead us to happiness” (SINGALONG, 3’)
Jean Sibelius (1865–1957):
Ljud högt, du psalm, att lova, Op. 23/6a (1897)
(“For the glory of the Creator”)
Lyrics: Aukusti W. Koskimies (1856–1929) 1897 (verses 1–2)
and Ilta Koskimies (1879–1958) 1923 (verse 3)
1. Ljud högt, du psalm, att lova
vår Skapare och Gud.
Se, allting är hans gåva,
allt styr han med sitt bud.
Till djupen når hans öga,
kring ändlös rymd han ser,
och från sin himmel höga
han blickar ock till jorden ner.
2. Han stillar havets vågor
och leder vindens gång.
Han tänder norrskenslågor
i vinternatten lång.
Han skyddar markens gröda
för frostens farlighet.
Han signar rikt vår möda,
och ej av gräns hans kärlek vet.
3. Dig vare pris och ära
för allt som ständigt du
har velat oss beskära
och skänker oss ännu!
Med hjärta som med tunga
vi glatt vill prisa dig,
din godhet högt lovsjunga,
o Herre Gud, evinnerlig!
Choir Cantio Laudis (Oulu/Uleåborg)
Olli Heikkilä, conductor
Irina Vavilova, organ