RISE Michael Stern Songs
Lyric Archive

“BLESSED BE GOD’S NAME”

~Michael Stern

Like the sun & the moon, love will endure
Blessed be God’s name
From age unto age & shore unto shore
Blessed be God’s name

Let the mountains & the hills bring a message of peace
Blessed be God’s name
As welcome as rain that falls on dry soil
Blessed be God’s name

Defending the poor & the children in need
Blessed be God’s name
Redeeming their lives from exploitation & greed
Blessed be God’s name

Advocates of force will shrink from love’s power
Blessed be God’s name
Love’s harvest abundant, luxuriant in flower
Blessed be God’s name

Like the sun & the moon, love will endure
Blessed be God’s name
From age unto age & shore unto shore
Blessed be God’s name

“Count Well the Cost”

~Michael Stern

Count well the cost of building some-thing right from the start
A new congregation or a work of art
There may be trials that seem to tear all your work apart
Count well the cost of patience, of heart
Count when you’re making a start
Count and then follow your heart

Count well the cost of following the one crucified
The river Jordan is deep and wide
And it’s not easy crossing to the other side
To love and to serve, to swallow your pride
Count well before you decide

Count well the cost of waging peace for often we fail.
In some situations may end up in jail.
To find a joy born of suffering, a freedom born of pain
count well the cost then wage peace again.
Wage peace all over again.

Count well the cost of following the one who would forgive
seven times seventy, so shall we live.
To find a joy born of suffering, a freedom born of pain,
count well the cost then forgive again.
For-give again and again.

“Dance”

~Michael Stern

Dance as if no one was watching
Sing as if no one could hear
Love as if your heart had not been broken

Walk throughout the woodland alters
Gaze as if seeing for the first time
Love as if your heart had not been broken

Laugh as if you were a child
Live as if your dreams had come true
Love as if your heart had not been broken

Dance as if no one was watching
Gaze as if seeing for the first time
Love as if your heart had not been broken

Sing as if no one could hear you
Live as if your dreams had come true.

“Glory”

~Michael Stern

Glory in the highest, glory in each lowly one,
Glory in the morning, glory in the setting sun,
Glory in the morning, glory in the setting sun.

Glory in the children and when the day has begun,
Glory in the lines of old faces and when the day is done,

Glory in the highest, glory in each lowly one,
Glory in the morning, glory in the setting sun,
Glory in the morning, glory in the setting sun.

There’s no glory in the battle nor the barrel of a gun,
There’s no glory in killing, no war victory to be won, but there’s

Glory in the highest, glory in each lowly one,
Glory in the morning, glory in the setting sun,
Glory in the morning, glory in the setting sun.

Glory to the creator, glory to the One,
Glory to the spirit, glory to the Three in One,

Glory in the highest, glory in each lowly one,
Glory in the morning, glory in the setting sun,
Glory in the morning, glory in the setting sun.

The earth and all it’s fullness and all it’s daughters and sons,
Belong to the glory and the glory still to come.

Glory in the highest, glory in each lowly one,
Glory in the morning, glory in the setting sun,
Glory in the morning, glory in the setting sun.

“Higher Ground”

~Michael Stern

River water rising
Rain still comin’ down
The ‘ol farm’s a lake, but if the levees break
It’ll damn near take this whole town

It’s like livin’ in a nightmare
That you can’t believe is true
How we’ll clean up this mess is anybody’s guess
Don’t know how we’ll make it through

I’m headed up to higher ground
I heard a stranger say
And with a hand held out to me, said
We’d best be on our way

We don’t have much money
And we’re runnin’ out of gas
This crazy war goes on & now our house is gone
We just pray this too will pass

I’m headed up to higher ground
I heard a stranger say
And with a hand held out to me, said
We’d best be on our way

All across this country
All across this land
From east to west folks will do their best
To lend a helpin’ hand

I’m headed up to higher ground
I heard my neighbor say
And with a hand held out to me, said
We’d best be on our way

River water rising
Rain still comin’ down
The ‘ol farm’s a lake, but if the levees break
It’ll damn near take this whole town

It’s like livin’ in a nightmare
That you can’t believe is true
How we’ll clean up this mess is anybody’s guess
Don’t know how we’ll make it through

I’m headed up to higher ground
I heard a stranger say
And with a hand held out to me, said
We’d best be on our way

We’re headed up to higher ground
I heard the people say.
And with their hands held out to me said
We’d best be on our way.
And with their hands held out to me said
We’d best be on our way.

“JUBILEE”

~ Michael Stern

Seven weeks of years, the trumpet sounds in our ears

We will not be silent till justice shines like the dawn
We will not grow weary till that last light is gone

Good news to the poor, the broken hearts heal
Captives will find liberty
Nation shall not make war upon nation
Out of darkness, the light of jubilee

None will be forsaken, comfort those who mourn
Restoration out of ruin, glorious flower from a thorn

Good news to the poor, the broken hearts heal
Captives will find liberty
Nation shall not make war upon nation
Out of darkness, the light of jubilee

The earth just like a garden makes a seed to grow
So shall justice & mercy bloom for all nations to know

Good news to the poor, the broken hearts heal
Captives will find liberty
Nation shall not make war upon nation
Out of darkness, the light of jubilee

We will not be silent till justice shines like the dawn
We will not grow weary till that last light is gone

_______________________________

The Story:
It is almost impossible to look at the chaos in the world and not conclude that things are seriously out of whack. Wars and rumors of wars. Famine and disease. Systemic racism and radical income disparity are testament to a severe lack of balance in the world. The ancient Hebrew concept of Jubilee is grounded in a recognition that as time passes humans will move away from the balance that the Creator intended. Thus, it is necessary to call a hard stop every 50 years and reset the balance: prisoners must be set free, captives and slaves released from bondage, land lost or stolen returned. The shock that Jesus brings to the world is that he opens his prophetic ministry with the audacious declaration that now is the time for Jubilee; the time to re-balance what we through our brokenness have thrown out of kilter. What might it mean for each of us to live in a constant state of Jubilee? To truly embrace the power and freedom of living in balance?
~Jonathan Hunter

“LEST WE FORGET”

~Michael Stern

Lest we forget in our striving to win
Where we are going and where we have been
Remember the dawn and the glorious sunset
Remember lest we forget

Lest we forget as we struggle in love
The gift of each other is a gift from above
As we forgive others, forgive our debt
Remember lest we forget

Lest we forget or if we should get lost
The things we can hold to whatever the cost
Creator, Redeemer will be with us yet
Remember lest we forget

Lest we forget to see God in each face
For in serving each other, receive wondrous grace
Through peace, justice, mercy we’ll never regret
Remember lest we forget
Through peace, justice, mercy we’ll never regret
Remember lest we forget

“Love as I have Loved You”

~Michael Stern

Love as I have loved you
Love, love
Like the moon and stars above you
Love, love, love

Your vine will branch and flower
Love, love
When love displays its power
Love, love, love

Ask, it will be given
Love, love
Forgive and be forgiven
Love, love, love

Love as I have loved you
Love, love
Like the moon and stars above you
Love, love, love

“MAY YOUR HOPE ARISE”

~Michael Stern

May you be healthy, may you be strong
May you laugh and dance and sing your song
May you drink pure water, may you breathe clean air
May your hope arise from despair

May you seek the truth in the face of lies
May you find a love that never dies
May you have vision and stand your ground
May you hold these precious things you’ve found

May you have children under feet
And may they never lack good things to eat
May you all have shelter overhead
May you taste love’s wine and daily bread

May you count your blessings one by one
May your days be full till your days are done
And may you lay to rest that foolish pride
May you let the Spirit be your guide

May you be healthy, may you be strong
May you laugh and dance and sing your song
May you drink pure water, may you breathe clean air
May your hope arise from despair

“Nothing Without Love”

~Michael Stern

If I have eloquence & power
It’s nothing without love, nothing without love
If I have beauty like a flower
It’s nothing without love, nothing without love

If I have faith that can move mountains
It’s nothing without love, nothing without love
If I have knowledge flowing fountains
It’s nothing without love, nothing without love

If I have courage facing fire
It’s nothing without love, nothing without love
Or sacrifice all I desire
It’s nothing without love, nothing without love

Love is patient, love is kind
Love remembers those left behind

Love is not jealous or conceited
There’s nothing without love, nothing without love
Even in death is not defeated
There’s nothing without love, nothing without love

Love is patient, love is kind
Love remembers those left behind

There’s nothing without love, nothing without love
There’s nothing without love, nothing without love

“ONE & ALL”

~Michael Stern

You may have been all the right places,
You may have known all the right faces,
You may have lots of people comin’ when you call.
You may have lots of insurance,
You may have weapons of deterrence,
But then it’s not gonna’ help you here at all.

The hungry will eat and the children will play,
and the haughty will go empty away.
The victims will stand and the mighty will fall,
and the kin’dom will be shared by one and all.

You may have learned all the right phrases.
You may receive the loudest praises.
You may have thought that you were never goin’ to fall.
You may have made lots of money.
But then it won’t help you any
because money doesn’t matter here at all.

The hungry will eat and the children will play,
and the haughty will go empty away.
The victims will stand and the mighty will fall,
and the kin’dom will be shared by one and all.

You may have heard this simple story
about a diff’rent kind of glory.
Those who have ears won’t you listen to the call
to be the salt, to be the leaven,
to be on earth as in heaven,
a little seed finally growin’ so very tall.

The hungry will eat and the children will play,
and the haughty will go empty away.
The victims will stand and the mighty will fall,
and the kin’dom will be shared by one and all.

“One World”

~Michael Stern

REFRAIN:
One world in which we live together,
one sun shining on you and me,
one ocean flows into another,
one day we all will be free,
one day we all will be free.

One moment can change a whole lifetime,
one life can change eternity,
one stranger be friended,
one broken heart mended,
one child loved, one captive set free,
one child loved, one captive set free.

One world in which we live together,
one sun shining on you and me,
one ocean flows into another,
one day we all will be free,
one day we all will be free.

One day when the lamb and the lion
and our pride and our anger lie down,
weapons to plowshares,
a joy born of love’s tears,
a sacrifice and a crown,
a sacrifice and a crown.

One world in which we live together,
one sun shining on you and me,
one ocean flows into another,
one day we all will be free,
one day we all will be free.

One day we will all meet our Maker,
till that day we must do what we can
to stand by each other,
to love one another,
ev‘ry child, ev‘ry woman and man,
ev‘ry child, ev‘ry woman and man.

One world in which we live together,
one sun shining on you and me,
one ocean flows into another,
one day we all will be free,
one day we all will be free.

**“PHOENIX & THE GOLDEN RULE*”**

(Story behind the song below)

~Michael Stern

I didn’t know when we set sail
In ’58 we’d all end up in jail
And I’ve been called worse than fool
For sailing on the Golden Rule

From San Pedro we headed west
On waves of a peaceful protest
Trimmed our sails to the wind
And prayed the bomb would not be used again

The Golden Rule, Golden Rule
Words that we had learned in Sunday School
Do unto others as you
Would have them do unto you

Met the Phoenix crew
‘Bout halfway through
Both our ships moored in Honolulu
We agreed to do our best
And try to stop nuclear tests

Neither ship did give way
But trials then kept us at bay
We made it just part way through
So now the rest is up to you

It’s up to me, it’s up to you
Do unto as you would have them do
Do unto others as you
Would have them do unto you

I didn’t know when we set sail
In ’58 we’d all end up in jail
And I’ve been called worse than fool
For sailing on the Phoenix & on the Golden Rule

It’s up to me, it’s up to you
Do unto as you would have them do
Do unto others as you
Would have them do unto you

Do unto others as you
Would have them do unto you

_______________________________________

*Two anti-war sailing ships moored in Honolulu in 1958 and their crews met for the first time. Skipper Bert Bigelow of the Golden Rule and Earle Reynolds of the Phoenix of Hiroshima shared an unusual bond. Both had witnessed first-hand the long-lasting carnage that resulted from the United States’ use of atomic bombs in Japan, and each concluded that nuclear weapons were immoral. Bigelow and the Golden Rule were attempting to prevent further testing of nuclear weapons by sailing into the nuclear testing site in the Marshall Islands. They were intercepted in Hawaii, their ship impounded, and the entire crew was arrested.

Meanwhile, the Reynolds family was on its way back to the United States after Earle had conducted research on the lasting impact of atomic radiation on the children of Japan. The Phoenix took up where the Golden Rule left off and succeeded in sailing further into the test zone. But they, too, were intercepted and Earle was charged with treason. While neither crew succeeded in actually stopping nuclear testing, they planted seeds which prompted lasting efforts to work for nuclear disarmament. The Veterans for Peace Golden Rule Project and the World Friendship Center in Hiroshima are two exceptional examples of what happens when people of faith simply follow the Golden Rule.

~Michael Stern

“Providence”

~Michael Stern

I met a sailor, she spoke of the sea
It’s vast ever changing diversity
She smiled at differences, wondering why
They number as many as stars in the sky

I have a brother different from me
We grew up together in one family
Now one loves a woman and one loves a man
Brothers are brothers, it’s part of God’s plan

Some say it’s providence, some say it’s grace
How we’ve come together in this time and place
A great cloud of witnesses can tear down a wall
Affirming and welcoming each one and all

Poets, biologists, painters agree
This world is teeming with diversity
The rainbow of color and contrast we see
Is here for a reason and sets spirits free

I met a sailor, she spoke of the sea
It’s vast ever changing diversity
She smiled at differences, wondering why
They number as many as stars in the sky

Revive Us Again

~Michael Stern

Do you know exactly when the night is over and day begins,
That moment that the light breaks in to revive again?
Night and day have always been locked in embrace so often when
one reaches out, one reaches in to revive again

Oh, revive us, revive again
Oh, revive us, revive again.

Faith and action meet as kin, peace and justice kiss and then,
like Daniel in the lion’s den revive us again.

Oh, revive us, revive again
Oh, revive us, revive again.

With strength and kindness wearing thin,
hate and violence come sneaking in.
Oh, take away such guilt and sin, revive us again.

Oh, revive us, revive again
Oh, revive us, revive again.

Dear God grant new life again
with joy that burns from deep within
love cannot lose, she’ll surely win, revive us again.

Oh, revive us, revive again
Oh, revive us, revive again.

_______________________________________

The Story:

Once a rabbi gathered her students and asked, “When does nighttime end and day begin?” The most confident students rose immediately. The first one said, “It’s when the sun rises in the east.” The rabbi waited without saying anything. Another student said, “The day really begins when we wake up and have breakfast.” The rabbi still waited. A third student spoke up. “Surely the day begins regardless of oversleeping. The day begins when the rooster crows.” While the rabbi waited a fourth student offered, “The day begins when there is enough light to see the fruit that hangs on a tree in the distance.” The rabbi still said nothing. Finally, the youngest student - who was little more than a child – said, “It’s when you look in the face of a stranger or enemy and see a neighbor and friend.” The old rabbi’s eyes filled with tears. The rest of the students said nothing because they all realized - precisely at that moment - that nothing more needed to be said.

~Michael Stern

“Standing in Oppressions Way”

~Michael Stern

When some folks read the Bible, they think of God up in the sky,
and the only end to suffering is some great by and by.
But the way I read the Bible, I see it in a different way,
what a friend we have in Jesus, standing in oppression’s way.

And I want to know where, if-a not here, oh when, if-a not now,
and who if-a not you and me standing in oppression’s way.
(Repeat)

When Jesus started preaching, He said to let the captives free,
and he fed the poor and hungry before He died for you and me.
We must know and show compassion, now as much as yesterday,
and be a friend like Jesus standing in oppression’s way.

And I want to know where, if-a not here, oh when, if-a not now,
and who if-a not you and me standing in oppression’s way.
(Repeat)

Now if someone sins against you, and you want to just retaliate,
you know Jesus said be different, return love instead of hate.
And if anyone is outcast for their color, faith, or if they’re gay,
we can be a friend like Jesus, standing in oppression’s way.

And I want to know where, if-a not here, oh when, if-a not now,
and who if-a not you and me standing in oppression’s way.
(Repeat)

Some say when you find Jesus, you must accept Him in a certain way,
and if you don’t say the right words, you’ll have hell to pay,
I don’t know that Jesus, there’s another one in whom I pray,
He’s the one I feel beside me, standing in oppression’s way.

And I want to know where, if-a not here, oh when, if-a not now,
and who if-a not you and me standing in oppression’s way.
(Repeat)

“Stand Up!”

~Michael Stern

First they came for the Communists,
then they came for the Jews,
but I wasn’t a Communist and I wasn’t a Jew.

So I didn’t stand up and I didn’t ask why.
By the time they came for me,
there was no one left to ask why.

Then they came for unionists,
and they came for the priests,
but I wasn’t a unionist and I wasn’t a priest.

So I didn’t stand up and I didn’t ask why.
By the time they came for me,
there was no one left to ask why.

Then they came for the pacifists,
and they came for the gays,
but I wasn’t a pacifist and I wasn’t a gay.

So I didn’t stand up and I didn’t ask why.
By the time they came for me,
there was no one left to ask why.

Still they come for the outcasts,
for the poor and the refugees,
and though I am not an outcast
and I’m not poor or a refugee.

Now I’m gonna stand up and I’m gonna ask why,
and if some time they come for me,
I hope there’s someone standing by my side.

Yes, we’re gonna stand up and were gonna ask why,
and if some time they come for us,
there’ll be lots of people standing side by side,
a whole lot of people standing side by side