Voices Found for healing: celebrating Florence Nightingale
Voices Found for healing
Celebrating Florence Nightingale
I shall never forget the rapture of fever patients over a bunch of brightly colored flowers. I remember (in my own case) a nosegay of wild flowers being sent to me, and from that moment recovery became more rapid....I will only remark here that musical instruments, including the human voice...have generally a beneficial effect.
Voices Found: Women in the Church's Song offers healing hymns in the spirit of Nurse Nightingale:
Voices Found #96
Healing River of the Spirit
1. Healing River of the Spirit, bathe the wounds that living brings.
As we gain ourselves, our senses, may our lives reflect your peace.
Weary from the restless searching that has lured us from your side, we discover in your Presence peace that world cannot provide.
2. Well-spring of the healing Spirit, stream flows to bring release,
As we gain our selves, our senses, may our lives reflect your peace.
Grateful for the flood that heals us, may your church enact your grace.
As we meet both friend and stranger, may we see our Savior's face.
3. Living stream that heals the nations, make us channels of your pow'r.
All the world is torn by conflict; wars are raging at this hour.
Saving Spirit, move among us; guide our winding human course,
Til we find our way together, flowing homeward to our source.
Words: Ruth C. Duck
Music: Beach Spring, from The Sacred Harp, Philadelphia, 1844
Reflection by guest author, The Rev. Dr. Richard P. Smiraglia
The Rev. Dr. Richard P. Smiraglia, an old friend, wrote recently about how his experience playing Voices Found hymns had raised his spirits and helped him recover from illness. I asked him to share more of his story; he wrote as follows:
I know I started with “Blessed Assurance.” I think I first heard it in the movie Places in the Heart. I hunted around and found that it had been in the earlier Episcopal hymnal but had been removed in 1979. Curious. So, when Brad gave me a copy of VF when it was published I discovered it right away. So my healing journey begins there. I then followed Fanny Crosby to “To God be the Glory.” The refrain of praise is especially exhilarating, and that helps a lot when feeling good is difficult. From there it is as I said, mostly that I let the book lead me.
“Healing River of the Spirit” is not only musically transformative but immediately...drew me into the metaphor of Willamette Falls, Mount Hood and the spiritual home (nearby) of the Tribes of the Grande Ronde (to whom the falls is being slowly returned). “Healing River of the Spirit” is evocative of the healing power of all of creation. I see it is a recent composition but set to music from The Sacred Harp; fascinating.
Photo of Mt. Hood, the falls, and the river.
Most recently I’ve been led to “Just as I am.” There are two versions in VF; the one I remember from childhood is #84 set to Woodworth. It is an anthem of inclusion, commonly used in the LGBTQ community for worship.
This past week the Spirit has led me insistently to “Nothing distress you.” The music is soothing, the text is rich; it aligns with a recent trend in my own preaching about how we misunderstand the words “fear not.” Those words are meant more literally than we take them. We are meant to banish fear from our consciousness. Oh well. I think it is a way of learning to rejoice with my recovery, which after six months has been a sort of culture shock of its own.
The Rev. Dr. Richard P. Smiraglia, private email, used with permission.
Voices Found #119
Blessed Assurance
Words: Fanny Crosby
Music: Phoebe P. Knapp
Voices Found #108
To God be the glory
words: Fanny Crosby
Music W. H. Doane (1832-1916)
Voices Found #82, #83. #84
Just as I am
words by Charlotte Elliott (1789-1871)
Voices Found #146
Nothing distress you
Words: Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
Music: Many Mansions, Peter Cutts
Background information and performance suggestions are in The Leader's Guide to Voices Found available from Church Publishing
www.churchpublishing.org
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