UNLESS THE SEED FALLS
Singing songs of worship helps us humble ourselves and
proclaim our love for God. But hymns and spiritual songs
also reveal our cultural, political and socio-economic
commitments and biases. For this reason, it remains an
important task of the church to think carefully about the
theology pronounced by the songs we sing and to examine
them in the light of the whole biblical story. If we are to be
faithful to the plot of this story, we must not only give thanks
for what, by God’s grace, is, but also lament what, on
account of human sin and pride, is not. Both praise and
lament are ways of confessing God above all else, contending
with powers that do not bend their knees to their maker and
transforming the people of God so that we can become salt,
light and leaven in the world.
In a time when most of the human community is living
in poverty, dispossessed of the gifts of creation meant to be
enjoyed by all, Scripture challenges our complacency and
idolatry and calls us to live as if, in the words of the psalmist,
“the earth is the Lord’s and all that it contains.”
The songs on this record reflect my own attempt to
articulate more facets of the vast and many-sided tale of
Scripture. While ten short prayerful refrains can hardly begin
to express the richness, depth and complexity of the biblical
narrative, which crosses cultures and spans thousands of
years, Unless the Seed Falls does attempt to articulate a biblical
BRASS TRUMPET PUBLISHING 2006
UNLESS THE SEED FALLS
storyline, one that begins with the creation of the world,
witnesses the incarnation, echoes Jesus’ words announcing
the kingdom of God, recalls the Hebrew prophets’ strong
concern for the most vulnerable, calls us to repentance, seeks
a Holy Spirit fire and points us towards a hope in the
reconciliation of all things.
The seed, of course, is you and me, for the life of
following Jesus is cross-shaped. We, too, will be broken. We,
too, must fall to the ground as a grain of wheat and die
before we can rise again to new life. Jesus is as dangerous as
he is loving, and his cruciform call is difficult to reckon with.
To these uncertain ends, the words of the psalmist give me
hope: “The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I
fear?”
I am deeply thankful for the ecclesial community of
Grandview Calvary Baptist Church in Vancouver, B.C.,
where people from more than forty countries gather to
worship God and to seek both personal and social
transformation. In my journey with this church of the
“broken body,” scales have, indeed, fallen from my eyes—
and new sight has come. I am also grateful for my friends at
Jacob’s Well, whom I love, and who give me the grace to lead
my favorite hymns over and over again.
Tom
Vancouver, British Columbia
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UNLESS THE SEED FALLS
At the Start
Genesis 1; John 1
D G
D
At
D
G
the Start
G
D
G
The Word, the light
Bm7
A
D/F#
G
And the light shines in the dark
D G
D
G
And the dark
D
G
D
G
Could not overpower
Bm
A
D/F#
G
And the Word became flesh, Word became flesh (2x)
G
D/F#
And dwelt among us
G
D/F#
And dwelt among us
G
D/F#
And dwelt among us
A
(Repeat to close)
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UNLESS THE SEED FALLS
Blessed are the Peacemakers
Matthew 5
G
C
Blessed are the peacemakers
G
D
Blessed are the peacemakers
G
C
Blessed are the peacemakers
G
D
G
They are called children of God
G
C
Heureux ceux qui créent la paix
G
D
Heureux ceux qui créent la paix
G
C
Heureux ceux qui créent la paix
G
D
G
Ils sont les enfants de Dieu
G
C
G
Felices los pacificadores,
D
G
Los pacificadores,
C
Buscan la paz
G
D
G
Aquellos son hijos de Dios
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UNLESS THE SEED FALLS
Fire of Love
Acts 2
C
/B
Am7
Am7/G
Fire of Love we wait on you
Fmaj
G
Fmaj7
G
To kindle our hearts, kindle our hearts
C
/B
Am7
Am7/G
Fire of Love we wait on you
Fmaj7
G
C
To kindle our hearts we pray
C
Am7
Em
Fmaj7
Holy Spirit fan the flame (4x)
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UNLESS THE SEED FALLS
Gather Around
Luke 22
D
A
Come take this bread
Bm
Em6
Come share this cup
D/F#
Gb5
A
A7
The presence of the Lord is near
D
A
At the table
Bm
Em6
Our lives grown whole
D/F#
Gb5
A
A7
The presence of the Lord is here
D
A
Bm
G
Gather around the broken body (Repeat)
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UNLESS THE SEED FALLS
May Your Kingdom Come
Matthew 6
Recorded in C. I play these chords with capo on fifth fret.
Em
G
C
/B
Am
Em
For the hungry we cry out for your mercy
Em
G
C
/B
Am
Em
For the hurting we cry out for your mercy
D
Em
D
Em
Come Jesus Come, Come Jesus Come
D
Em
D
Em
Come Jesus Come, Come Jesus Come
Em
G
D
May your kingdom come on earth
As it is in heaven (3x)
Em
G
C /B
Am
Em
For the warring, we cry out for your mercy
Em
G
C
/B Am
Em
For the dying, we cry out for your mercy
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UNLESS THE SEED FALLS
Something Like Scales
Acts 9
Recorded in Bb. I play these chords with capo on third fret.
Em
D/F#
G
In
our
blindness lead us down that road
Em
D/F#
G
In
our
ignorance lead us down that road
Em
C
D
C
G
D
G
D/F#
In our violence, hate and indifference
G
D/F#
C
D
We pray Lord you give us new sight
C
D
Let something like scales fall from our eyes
Em
C
Something like scales fall from our eyes
G
D
Jesus, lead us down that road
G
Lead us down that road
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UNLESS THE SEED FALLS
Turtledove
Psalm 74
Am
/G
Fmaj7
O do not deliver the life
Am
/G
Of your turtledove
G
Fmaj7
to the beast (2x)
Am
Do not forget the life of you poor
G
Am
Fmaj7
Do not forget the life of your poor
C
G
Fmaj7
Let the poor and the desperate praise your name (3x)
Am
/G
Fmaj7
O do not let
Am
the oppressed
/G Fmaj7
Return home ashamed
G
Am
Do not forget the life of you poor
G
Am
Fmaj7
Do not forget the life of your poor
C
G
Fmaj7
Let the poor and the desperate praise your name (3x)
C
G
Fmaj7
Praise Your name, praise Your name, praise Your name
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UNLESS THE SEED FALLS
Unless the Seed Falls
John 12
Am
F
C
Unless the seed falls to the ground
Am
F
C
Ain’t gonna be no life, ain’t gonna be no life at all
Am
F
C
Unless this grain of wheat dies
Am
F
C
It ain’t nothing but alone
C
Day and night we cry,
G
/G#
Day and night we cry
Am
Day and night we cry
F
Hear us Lord, Hear us Lord (3x)
(Preserve our lives, preserve our lives)
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UNLESS THE SEED FALLS
The Lord is My Light
Psalm 27
G
Am
The Lord is my light
C
and my salvation (2x)
Am
Whom shall I fear
G
Whom shall I fear (2x)
G
Am
C
The Lord is the strength of my life now (2x)
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UNLESS THE SEED FALLS
All Things Reconciled
Ephesians 2; Colossians 1
D
Bm
You are our peace
A
G
You have made us one
D
Bm
You have broken down the barrier walls
A
G
And abolished our hate
G
All things reconciled,
D
All things reconciled
G
By the blood
Dmaj7 - F#m7
Of Jesus
G
All things reconciled
D
All things reconciled
G
Through the cross
Dmaj7 -- F#m7
of Christ
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UNLESS THE SEED FALLS
D
Bm
You put to death the enmity
A
G
Preached peace far and near
D
Bm
Strangers no longer now but brothers and sisters
A
G
We believe Lord and we await
G
All things reconciled...
Bm - D2/C#
D - Em
Making peace, making peace (repeat)
Bm
D2/C#
D
Em
Veni Domine, veni Domine, veni Domine Christi (repeat)
Bm - D2/C#
D
Making peace, making peace
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UNLESS THE SEED FALLS
Notes
All Songs composed by Tom Wuest
"At the Start" composed by Tom Wuest and Peter La Grand
We can be reached for conversation regarding music or anything else at brasstrumpetpublishing.com
BRASS TRUMPET PUBLISHING 2006