Amy Courts
Written Things:
sermons, songs, etceteras
During my pastoral internship at Oak Grove Lutheran Church, I wrote a series of four songs reflecting on four liturgical holy days (lyrics below). At the end of my year there, on August 19, 2022, my spouse and I performed those four songs plus a few others of our favorites, both originals and cover songs, in a concert given at Oak Grove. The concert may be viewed above or on facebook. Individual songs are below for your viewing!
All songs (c) 2021-2022 Amy Courts Koopman
FEAST OF ALL SAINTS
(All Saints Day) Welcome to the feast of all Saints The table is set, the wine is well aged And the God of the grieving, your tears will redeem They await with a ribbon of peace To welcome you to the feast Oh come to the great lamenting Here the Spirit of wisdom is interceding She will take to the father In groanings deep all the pain That you cannot speak When you come to great lamenting Oh Christ have mercy Lord have mercy Oh Christ have mercy O Come to the grave and receive The full count of your tears, the name of your griefs And our Mother, O Giver of Life, She'll weep with you when you come to the grave She will carry you in grace Oh, come to the Feast of All Saints The table is set, the wine is well aged The God of the Rising is still raising us up today Oh come and celebrate At the feast of all saints At the feast of all saints
EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING
(Baptism of Our Lord / First Miracle of Christ) Bury me like a seed In a watery tomb And I’ll breathe in the Spirit Like the Baptizer did in the womb And maybe they’ll have my head on a platter Or kill me like you, On a tree in the late afternoon And you’ll raise me to bloom In the garden you’ve planted For saints and for fools Send me out to the wilds Where all the wounded and frail Are the ones who work wonders and signs Of everyday finds like fishes and bread gone stale Oh and give the ears and the eyes To see everything, everything Everything divine Like life and like death Every deeply drawn in breath Finding root in you Call me back to the room w Where all the empty jars stand And tell me to do what I do Like your mom said to you When the turning began And draw from me each desire and need That feels too big to speak Turn every want into wine, Like you did that one time So the party won’t end For the groom or the bride Or for all of the comers Who revel and wonder At the signs of abundance The over-the-top-ness of you For joy is a miracle too Oh, your joy is a miracle too
MOTHER (Ash to Ash)
(Ash Wednesday) What to do with death and dying How to tell the truth when liars lie Where to breathe lament and sighing Will you gather up and hold us Like a mother, will you show us What to do with death and dying In your waters, baptize us Let your death and ours to life remind us You’ve Hallowed us for life eternal And in this one let us lay the seeds For justice and for peace In your waters baptize us Mother Ash to ash, dust to stardust From a billion years of life, We are us The resurrection of what came before us Made from dirt and of divine We are great love come to life In the gardens that we tend May we grow a medicine When consecrated back to earth May it be another birth from Ash to ash and dust to stardust Mother, Mother, Mother
JUDAS
(Maundy Thursday) I don’t know how You love Judas or Peter All the ones who betray you Who turn you in or turn around As if they never heard the sound Of your voice over water Washing feet, making offers Giving promises of help When I can hardly love myself Ooh-oh I don’t understand how you love Without condition Giving body blood and vision And a Kiss before he goes To sell you your body and his soul I don’t how you can offer To forgive when you suffer At the hands of your own friends Who would betray you in the end I don’t know love I don’t know how you love The ones who crucify you Say they love you then deny you Fall asleep or run away As if they never knew your name I don’t know why you’re still here Undeterred by our fear Loving cowards like a fool I’ll never understand I don’t know love How you love without remorse Like it’s gonna change the course Of history It don’t make sense to me I don’t know love
0 Comments
Leave a Reply.AMY COURTSSermons + Songs + Poems Archives
January 2025
Categories |
Proudly powered by Weebly