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.
His eternal friends
His eternal friends
Brothers, I want you to know
about the saints who die:
that they are not just lost and gone
beyond the deep blue sky.
They do not come back to us
as animals or birds,
and they aren't ghosts who haunt their friends,
or speak through mediums' words.
Those who sleep in Jesus
are his eternal friends:
he will come from heaven
when the cosmos ends,
and they'll be with him, with him,
together, for ever.
Those who have no trust in God
think we can never know
what happens to a friend who dies:
so grieving lays them low.
We, who know that Jesus rose,
feel separation pain.
But we have hope, for Jesus said
his friends would rise again.
We who trust in Jesus
are his eternal friends:
we can feel his presence,
broken hearts he mends,
and we are with him, with him,
together, for ever.
There's no need to worry for
the faithful ones who die:
for Christ will come and call them up
to join him in the sky.
When the final trumpet calls,
the dead will burst their shrouds.
And when the_archangel's voice commands,
they'll meet him in the clouds.
All who trust in Jesus
are his eternal friends:
we will see his glory
as each one ascends,
and we'll be with him, with him,
together for ever.
Copyright © John Hartley 2005.
Story behind the song
I think many people will have read this bible passage, from St Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians, either at Advent or at funeral services - for Paul thinks it's really important that we should be certain that those who trust in Jesus will go to be with him. This scripture has spoken to me many times. But it was not until I came across a Lyrical Challenge organised by Christian Songwriters' Network that I thought of putting St Paul's words into a song.
The song's three verses explain themselves, I hope. I wanted to debunk some popular ideas of where we go when we die. I wanted to say that although our certainty about death doesn't take away all pain of bereavement, it does make us sure we'll see our loved ones who trusted in Jesus again, with him; and in the mean time Jesus gives us his comfort. And I wanted to use St Paul's striking language about "meeting the Lord in the air", because it's refreshingly different from the ideas of our own culture. And in the three choruses I stuck with the idea of "eternal friends" - them now, us now, and us together in the future - all united with our Lord Jesus.
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.