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Dining in the Kingdom
Songs for Communion and Gathering
Bob Hurd
Nine communion songs and three gathering pieces for the entire liturgical year!
Explores the meaning of communion
"What does it mean that Christ gives himself to us as our food and drink? And when we receive him, what are we getting ourselves into? This is the territory explored in this new collection Dining in the Kingdom." -Bob Hurd
Allows songs to be used all year long
In two of his previous works, A Lenten Journey and One with the Risen Lord, Bob approached the communion song as an echo of the day's readings. This collection, instead, focuses on the Eucharistic rite itself: the action of sharing in the body and blood of Christ. This approach allows these songs of unity to be used all year long, not only when specific lyrical lines are referenced in the liturgy of the word.
Blends majestic choral movements with bluesy guitar
Dining in the Kingdom complements nine communion songs with three songs about gathering, a central theme of the Eucharist. "With All the Saints" is packed with brass, rumbling percussion and majestic choral movements that dynamically build to the last note. Bluesy guitar phrasings provide added depth to the joyful anthem "Here I Am, O Lord." In the calming and peaceful "A Listening Heart," soloists effortlessly emerge and return to the choir with vocals that act as a soothing meditation.
Features arrangements by Craig Kingsbury and Rick Modlin
Music ministers and choir directors, bring this wonderful collection to life with the Dining in the Kingdom octavo packet! Featuring excellent arrangements from Craig Kingsbury and Rick Modlin, eight of the 12 songs lend themselves especially well to choir, keyboard and guitar, as well as one or two solo instruments. Your assembly will love singing along to a variety of musical styles, ranging from gospel to contemporary.
Tracks: With All the Saints | Dining in the Kingdom | Those Who Eat My Flesh | Truth in the Heart | The Bread that I Will Give | Here I Am, O Lord | Taste and See | As Grains Once Scattered | Bread of Heaven | A Listening Heart | To Whom Else Shall We Go | Prepare Me A Body
Hurd's collection [Dining in the Kingdom} provides us with nine excellent songs for our repertoire for the Communion Procession...Six of these songs have a clear refrain/verse style arrangement and the other three provide ostinato refrain/verse arrangements—meaning that these three refrains may be sung at the same time as the verses. Naturally, these three ostinato refrains would take some practice and a strong cantor or cantors to lead the verses whilst the assembly/choir would lead the singing of the refrain. This arrangement in itself would provide a unifying action for the whole worshipping assembly....
Every song is scripturally referenced, and/or referenced to Church documents. This is a very strong feature of this collection and rightly so! The rhythms are simple and easy to follow with melodies that remain in your memory long after you have sung them just a few times. These are necessary features for a communion song. We want to be able to learn these songs quickly and easily so that we are not encumbered with books or sheets during the Communion Procession. We want to be able to sing the refrain, at least, from memory as we process to the altar to receive Christ—all the while providing the opportunity for our body, mind, and spirit to make the connections between the words that we are singing, the gestures we are engaging in and the Sacrament we are receiving.
—Angela Bendotti, Pastoral Liturgy
