This page is provided so that you can hear the tunes of items which we use in church. Mostly they are written by the vicar. Please note that they are copyright - we are very happy to give permission to you to use them, but we would like to hear about it. Please include any use on your Christian Copyright Licence returns.
Down this page:
- the words,
- the story,
- the sheet music,
- media player.
Set your minds
Set your minds
Set your minds on things above,
not on earthly things:
for your life is hidd'n in love
with Christ the King of kings.
Put to death impurity,
lust and evil thought,
greed which is idolatry,
destructive ways you've caught.
Such behaviours reap God's wrath:
these are why Christ died.
Put your earthly traits to death
for you are sanctified.
Rid yourselves of evil talk,
slander, malice, rage:
you can choose, with Christ, to walk
from what was once your cage.
Therefore, as God's chosen ones,
put on Christ, be free.
Clothe yourselves as God's own sons
with Christ's humility:
Kindness, patience, gentleness,
peace which rules the heart,
pardon for the grievances
which tear Christ's Church apart.
For when Christ appears on high
set at God's right hand,
all his saints he'll glorify:
perfected you will stand!
Words and tune copyright © John Hartley 2007.
Based on Colossians 3:1-15.
Story behind the song
This song is a simple attempt to set Colossians 3:1-15 to music. I've always found it hard in preaching (and in my personal life) to hold together the two aspects of the Christian life which Paul is teaching in this passage: that Christ has gained various benefits for us, but we still have to make our own effort in him. In Christ our old nature has died, but we still have to kill it; Christ has clothed us in new life but we still have to put the clothing on; in Christ we are sanctified, but our sanctification is our lifelong task. I guess it is wrestling with these truths that compels me to put them to music so that I can get my head around them.
Although all the verses have the same meter and rhythm, I envisage them going to an eight-line tune along the lines of the suggestion below.
John Hartley.
Windows Media Player. When you click the left-hand "play" button your computer should have started to play the tune. If it didn't, you might be able to get the tune by clicking here, or by right-clicking the link, choosing "save target as", saving it onto your computer, and then opening it with a music-playing program.
Please remember that a midi file of a tune isn't supposed to be a state-of-the-art musical arrangement - it is only supposed to give a basic idea of how the tune goes. Any reasonable organist / keyboard player / music group could make it sound far better.