A weekly blog of Creative Ideas for Leading Worship
Kindle a Flame – One song, many uses
This post demonstrates how a simple song I wrote can be used effectively in several ways during services.
Here are the words of the full song.
Kindle a flame
Kindle a flame within our hearts
let your light shine through
let your light shine through.
Kindle a flame within our hearts
let your justice shine through
let your justice shine through.
Kindle a flame within our hearts
let your hope shine through
let your hope shine through.
Kindle a flame within our hearts
let your love shine through
let your love shine through.
Kindle a flame within our hearts
let your peace shine through
let your peace shine through.
Click here to: Download the PDF sheet music
About this Song
Kindle a Flame was written as a reflective song for worship and I have used it many times when leading services. It also works well as part of the devotions for a small group, and as an individual, private meditation (change “our hearts” to “my heart”).
The words are simple and repetitive.
How to sing / perform the song
Keep the instrumentation very simple.
When accompanying on guitar, just pluck the chords, or use a gentle, steady arpeggio picking style. If you want to strum, just play one down strum for each chord.
Flute or recorder would be great to teach people the tune first and then to support the singing.
Once you know the song, try singing unaccompanied.
Free Downloads
Click these links to download:
- a midi file of the melody – 5 verses
- an mp3 file of the melody – 5 verses
- a Noteworthy Composer (2.75) setting
Using the song in worship
You can sing the song right through – all five verses.
You can use just the first verse as a sung response to intercessory prayer petitions, i.e. leader speaks a stanza of prayer and the people sing the response.
You can use all 5 verses in a prayer. The first petition focuses on light and then the people respond by singing verse 1. The second petition focuses on justice and the people respond by singing verse 2, and so on…
As a spoken, responsive liturgy. Here is a re-working of the song for use as a candle lighting liturgy. You will notice that verses 4 and 5 have been swapped around.
Lighting the candles – liturgy
As we light these candles:
Kindle a flame within our hearts, O God
and let your light shine through
Kindle a flame within our hearts, O God
and let your justice shine through
Kindle a flame within our hearts, O God
and let your hope shine through
Kindle a flame within our hearts, O God
and let your peace shine through
Kindle a flame within our hearts, O God
and let your love shine through. Amen.
Matching Benediction/Sending forth
If you have used the song or liturgy during the service, try using this Benediction to close the service:
Loving God,
our time of worship today has now ended.
As we leave this sacred space,
we carry in our hearts the flame of your love,
the spark of the holy spirit,
out into the world. Amen.
Click the link below to purchase the PDF eBook in which this song appears:
Kindle A Flame: Songs, Prayers & Poems: Creative Worship Volume 1
Nga mihi
Philip