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:
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- the story,
- the sheet music,
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For me, to live is Christ
For me, to live is Christ
For me, to live is Christ, to die is gain, Alleluia!
For me, to live is Christ, to die is gain!For me, to live is Christ, to die is gain, Alleluia!
For me, to live is Christ, to die is gain!
Better by far to depart, be with Christ,
for in him my glory is secure!
Here in this flesh,
how I long to be refreshed:
I look forward to a future that is sure.
Alleluia!
Hunger for Jesus, his fullness of life,
fills my mind: I long to be his own.
When I'm with him,
I'll be clean from all my sin,
for the power of the flesh will then be gone.
Alleluia!
For me, to live is Christ, to die is gain, Alleluia!
For me, to live is Christ, to die is gain!
Down here on earth I have work still to do,
I must share Christ's love and joy and peace.
So I'll remain,
I'll be strengthened in his name,
as I worship him my spirit finds release.
Alleluia!
On that great day I'll be caught to the sky
and with Christ for ever I will reign,
I'll be transformed,
to my Lord I'll be conformed,
that's the reason I can say 'to die is gain.'
Alleluia!
For me, to live is Christ, to die is gain, Alleluia!
For me, to live is Christ, to die is gain!For me, to live is Christ, to die is gain, Alleluia!
For me, to live is Christ, to die is gain!
Words and music copyright © John Hartley 2006. Based on Philippians 1:21.
Story behind the song
This song was inspired by a sermon I heard preached at a Proclamation Trust conference in November 2006. In it the preacher said that it was fairly clear to many Christians why St Paul could write "For me, to live is Christ," but it was harder to understand why he could follow these words with "to die is gain." Why would St Paul consider that dying was a gain? In the verses surrounding Philippians 1:21 there are a number of reasons which Paul gives for this belief, and the aim of the sermon (and of this song) is to repeat them and draw out their meaning.
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.