This Far by Faith will expand the musical range of your congregation with over 300 hymns and songs: spirituals and traditional gospel, contemporary choruses and gospel songs, as well as songs from Africa and the Caribbean. Many well-loved standards of North American hymnody are included. The pew edition includes full keyboard accompaniment for the hymns and songs; Accompaniments to the Liturgies includes richly textured piano scores for the liturgical music.
Revitalize the singing of the liturgy with
This Far by Faith's two musical settings of Holy Communion: a new setting by Tillis Butler in a jazz-influenced gospel style, as well as James Capers' "Liturgy of Joy." You'll find a variety of culturally attuned influences in the liturgical texts as well, including an order for baptism, outlines for word and revival services, and a rich section of scriptural calls to worship. Prayers and blessings for life passages such as marriage draw upon imagery and worship expressions from the breadth of the tradition. Other cultural resources include suggestions for the remembrance of Martin Luther King Jr., Black History Month, and Kwanzaa. Vivid artwork by African American artist Barbara Zuber graces the pages and cover of this hardbound book.
Aided by a grant from Lutheran Brotherhood, This Far by Faith is the culmination of a decade-long process of development involving the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. It is intended not only to supplement the principal Lutheran worship books, but to foster diversity in worship throughout the wider ecumenical community.
At present, ELCA features this hymnal on its page; LC-MS does not.
This hymnal certainly carries on the Lutheran tradition of hymnody that adapts from other traditions. Luther himself used German tunes in place of the standard Gregorian-chant and Italian-tune based hymns of his day. Bugenhagen used Nordic musical forms in creating an service for the Scandinavian countries.
