You Were Sealed by the Holy Spirit
SATB Choir and Organ. Written for the 2014 Mississippi Conference on Church Music and Liturgy. Text by Richard Leach. Not easy for singers or organist, but well worth the effort for choirs that like a challenge. This piece is excellent for Pentecost or any time when the the workings of the Spirit is the central theme of the service. A wonderful marriage of poetry and music, commissioned together, this is an important addition to the choral repertoire that you and your choir will find rewarding and love!
Do not grieve the Holy Spirit
by which you were sealed,
sealed for the day of redemption.
Do not grieve the Holy Spirit
by which you were sealed,
sealed for the coming kingdom.
Do not cling to wrath and anger,
for you have been sealed,
sealed by the Holy Spirit.
Do not dwell on bitter feeling,
for you have been sealed,
sealed for the day of redemption.
No quarrels and no slander,
for you have been sealed,
sealed for the coming kingdom.
Show kindness to each other,
for you have been sealed,
sealed by the Holy Spirit.
And bestow the forgiveness
that you have received,
you have received in Christ Jesus.
On the day we call the kingdom,
the world is a field
whose treasure gladdens the Spirit.
On the day we call the kingdom,
from the tiniest seed,
a tree whose crown is in heaven.
Ephesians 4:30-32, Matthew 13:31-32,44