Verses by Kyle Oliver and Pamela Grenfell Smith
Collage credited below

“I sing a song of the saints of God”: If you know this hymn, you probably have a strong opinion about it.

One way or the other.

Yes, the tune is a little songsongy. Yes, the tone is a little precious and earnest.

Yes, songs that are basically lists are a decidedly mixed blessing.

Still, here’s what I love about this hymn and its inclusion in one of the authorized hymnals of The Episcopal Church: It invites us to think about saints in the broadest (and arguably most biblical) sense.

Saints are heroes of the faith, sure. But they’re also flawed human beings like you, me, … and lots of other people that my pals on Facebook thought it might be fun to put into the song.

To that end, I give you a remix of this less-than-august November favorite—to love or hate. There are four new verses you can add or swap in for your celebrations this Sunday, or more likely just enjoy at your desk or on your commute today.

I only wish I’d been able to get to more of the ideas people shared (thanks, friends). For those I did get to, I’ll try to cite the inspiration for each verse as it comes by.

Last thing: Although the tune and lyrics are in the public domain in the U.S., I don’t have any fancy music notations software. To try to help render the new verses singable, I put beats one and three in bold. Some extra quarter and eighth notes are required to make some of them work.

(This is the only purpose for which it’s permissible to emphasize those beats, incidentally.)

By Kyle Oliver via prayr.cc (CC BY 2.0)

The “imperfect”/”converted” verse

(Inspired by Rosemary Beales)

The saints we embrace had need of grace;
   could be boastful, fickle, or wrong.
These pillars of faith, through flaws and mistakes,
   taught us "when I'm weak, I'm strong."
For one was a zealot, a thorn in the side
   of the Savior the other confessed then denied.
Still they wrote and preached and served—even died.
   May I imitate these two.

(Peter & Paul)

Every Lent Madness winner verse

(Inspired by Scott Gunn, with helpful feedback from Marianne Allison)

The life of a saint is more than restraint;
   their lives can be joyful or raucous
So for learning, laughs, and love of brackets
   in Lent we gather to caucus.
Four winners were writers, and one was a nurse;
   one dealt the New Deal, one saw The Christ first,
One would hate to have won, still for better or worse,
   all wear halo number two.

(C.S. Lewis, Charles Wesley, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, George Herbert, Florence Nightingale, Frances Perkins, Mary Magdalene, Francis of Assisi)

[Prince symbol] verse

(Inspired by Sandra Montes)

The saints we seek are each unique, 
   formed whole in the image of God.
And some have born their culture's scorn,
   called dreamers, freaks, or odd.
And one brought us Drag Race while looking divine;
   one bold purple prophet wrote Sign 'O' the Times. 
All are called to the feast like it's 1999.
   "No exceptions," proclaim these two.

(RuPaul & Prince)

Finally, a serious and much better executed verse that friend of the site Miranda Hassett shared on Facebook …

By Pamela Grenfell Smith via Miranda Hassett (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0*)
* Not the usual blanket license for this site, notice.

I sing of those who loved the Lord
   by serving the lost and least,
of Sojourner, Harriet, Jonathan,
   and Absalom, freedom's priest.
Of great brother Martin who dreamed a dream,
   and all workers of mercy in Jesus' name.
They let justice flow like a mighty stream, 
   and I mean to be one too!

Have a verse or a fragment to share? Join the kinda outrageous Facebook thread, or leave your response in the comments.

Photo credits from collage: “RuPaul at a party for the launch of her Starrbooty DVD” by David Shankbone via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0); “Statue of C. S. Lewis looking into a wardrobe” by Genvessel via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0); all others public domain.

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“…saints of God” Original Verses

Hymn by Lesbia Scott (Public Domain)

I sing a song of the saints of God,
   patient and brave and true,
who toiled and fought and lived and died
   for the Lord they loved and knew.
And one was a doctor, and one was a queen,
   and one was a shepherdess on the green:
they were all of them saints of God, and I mean,
   God helping, to be one too.

They loved their Lord so dear, so dear,
   and God’s love made them strong;
and they followed the right, for Jesus’ sake,
   the whole of their good lives long.
And one was a soldier, and one was a priest,
   and one was slain by a fierce wild beast:
and there’s not any reason, no, not the least,
   why I shouldn’t be one too.

They lived not only in ages past;
   there are hundreds of thousands still;
the world is bright with the joyous saints
   who love to do Jesus’ will.
You can meet them in school, or in lanes, or at sea,
   in church, or in trains, or in shops, or at tea;
for the saints of God are just folk like me,
   and I mean to be one too.

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You can support Creative Commons Prayer by buying our designs on Zazzle or by purchasing related media on Amazon.

I Sing a Song of the Saints of God by Lesbia Scott & Judith Gwyn Brown

This charming little picture book has the music, saint biographies, and illustrations from the Church of St. Luke in the Fields. I’ve given it as a gift!

I Sing a Song of the Saints of God by John Fahey

A charming fingerpicking instrumental by a guitarist I’d never heard of. Good way to bypass the words and preciousness altogether, if that’s your thing!

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