What could we have sung instead of ‘Lay your hands gently upon us’?

Sunday 4^th February 2024 was the 5^th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B. The Gospel was the healing of Simon’s Mother-in law and the response to the psalm was ‘Praise the Lord who heals the broken-hearted. This followed the reading from the previous week where Jesus sent unclean spirits out of a man. It will be followed on the 6^th Sunday by the story of Jesus curing the leper that came and asked to be healed. And, if we had had the 7^th Sunday of Year B, we would have heard the Gospel of Jesus making the paralytic walk.

A large number of places sang Lay your hands gently upon us on the 5^th Sunday while many others used it on the 6^th Sunday. Some places actually did use it twice but I suspect that had more to do with different groups leading the music and not communicating. Of course, you can use a hymn for more than one week but most of us don’t. So what can we use instead?

One solution would be to look at the fact that illness or disability was, in Jesus’ time, considered to be a sign of sin. In fact, the Gospel for 7B has Jesus arguing with the Pharisees as to whether it is easier to say, “Get up and walk” or, “Your sins are forgiven” so looking for hymns on this theme, such as Amazing grace might help.

But what if we want hymns that talk about healing?

We might consider looking at the section of the hymn book (or the index) entitled ‘Healing’. That doesn’t actually give us a great deal to go on, however. CFE has 28 hymns mentioned, of which two are by David Haas which means they aren’t considered. Laudate only has 11 of which one is by Haas and one more has a tune by him. It is in long meter though so something like ‘Rockingham’ would substitute. Laudate does, on the other hand, suggest some psalms (some of which have lyric settings) that would also be appropriate.

But are all the songs in the section appropriate for these Sundays?

No, I don’t think they are. The one I just mentioned above, for example, speaks specifically of the healing of someone who is blind, while CFE include I saw the grass, I saw the trees which again refers to healing the blind man – something not mentioned in these Gospels.

So what hymns are there then that speak of healing?

We are talking first of Jesus healing so let’s look at some suggestions.

Firstly, Be still and know that I am God. With the verse ‘I am the Lord that healeth thee’, this was a popular choice for Sunday 5B. Another less popular one was Marty Hagen’s Healer of our every ill. One that was only sung by two places (and one of them was us) was Your hands O Lord in days of old. This is in Laudate but the words are in the public domain so there is nothing to stop you having them on a sheet for your congregation. The other place that sang this used the alternative tune of ‘Coe fen’ which, I have to admit, it one of my most favourite tunes ever. We sang it to ‘Mozart’ which is a particularly easy tune for the assembly to pick up as the 1^st, 2^nd and 4^th parts are all almost identical. If you don’t know this hymn I would strongly urge you to look at it the next time the Gospel is about healing.

What else talks about Jesus healing?

• The Master came to bring good news – ‘to heal the sick and seek the poor’
• We cannot measure – ‘how you heal or answer every sufferer’s prayer’
• Walk with me O my Lord – ‘as once you healed the lame and gave sight to the blind’
• The voice of God – verse 6 ‘the lame shall run the halting tongue shall sing’
• Now in this banquet – verse 3 ‘God who makes the blind to see, God who makes the lame to walk’
• Bread for the world, a world of hunger – verse 1 ‘broken to reach and heal the wounds of human pain’
• Bless the Lord my soul – verse 1 ‘who heals every one of your ills’
• Flow river flow – ‘the mute shall find a voice, the lame shall leap for joy’
• Christ is our king let the whole world rejoice – verses 1, 4 and 5 all speak of Jesus healing
• Jesus Christ is waiting – verse 3 ‘Jesus Christ is healing’

There are three lesser known hymns I would like like to highlight. The first is We give God thanks for those who knew – ‘the touch of Jesus’ healing love’. This is a modern hymn by Michael Perry and is in both Laudate and CFE. In both books the given tune is ‘Melcombe’ which is one tune used for O salutaris. On Jubilate, however, the tune is ‘Newinnton’. But this hymn will also fit extremely well to ‘Winchester New’ (On Jordan’s bank) or ‘Rockingham’ (When I survey) which means it is immediately accessible to everyone. The second is O Christ the healer which is another that can be sung to either of the long meter tunes above. The third is O changeless Christ for ever new. This has quite a nice tune given in the book but will also fit to the tune of ‘Help Lord the souls’. With words by Timothy Dudley Smith, the 4th verse says, ‘And as of old to all who prayed your healing hand was shown’.

In addition to hymns that actually reference Jesus healing there are some that mention us being healed.

• There is a longing – ‘For healing, for wholeness’
• Gather us in – ‘the blind and the lame’
• Thanks be to God – ‘who heals and pardons all who stray’
• Praise my soul the king of heaven – ‘ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven’
• Let us go forth in the peace of Christ – ‘in word and in sacrament we have been healed’
• God is love, his the care – ‘tending each everywhere’
• Eye has not seen – ‘when pain and sorrow weigh us down be near to us, O Lord

One not in the hymn books is Bernadette Farrell’s Everyday God where one of the verses begins ‘Timeless healer’. This is also in the collection ‘Restless is the heart’.

Then there are hymns such as For the healing of the nations and Lord Jesus we must know you which talk about healing a broken world. The latter is set to ‘St Theodulph’ (All glory laud and honour) in Laudate but will also fit to ‘Aurelia’.

Finally there are hymns that speak of our mission following in Jesus’ footsteps that have a reference to healing in them.

• Lord you give the great commission– ‘Heal the sick and preach the word’
• Bread for the world broken – ‘love on our hands for healing’

One hymn you might not automatically think of in relation to healing is The summons. This hymn is normally associated with Jesus calling his disciples or sending them out on their mission. And yet, it is particularly appropriate with the Gospel of the healing of the leper on 6B as it asks us ‘Will you kiss the leper clean and do such as this unseen?’

And all of the above is before we even consider such hymns as I heard the voice of Jesus say or Be still my soul which don’t actually mention healing but would certainly fit the theme.

So, what could we sing instead of (or as well as) Lay your hands? Well, I think we have plenty of choice!