Introduction
What is the Narrative Lectionary?
What’s Included?
Scope & Sequence
Other Resources
Ordering & Download Information
Introduction Letter
Frequently Asked Questions
Introduction
Reinforce your students’ learning with music! Living the Word: Singing God’s Story (2023-2024) is a set of original songs designed to match the developmental levels from pre-kindergarten through sixth-grade, but they are also perfect for an intergenerational gathering! This product follows the Narrative Lectionary and corresponds with the themes and main ideas of our Living the Word: Kids (PK-2nd), Living the Word: Kids (3rd-6th), and other Living the Word products. Use the easy-to-sing music with your elementary faith formation classes, children’s choir, or even in worship! Included is a theme song for the entire year, and then a song for every one or two units, reinforcing the Bible stories covered.
You can download the materials from your Customer Account as soon as each quarter is released (See the current Release Dates page for details). You can print Living the Word: Singing God’s Story (2023-2024) sheet music and share or create CDs of the optional MP3 files for use in your congregation. Please see the licensing information for more details.
Singing God’s Story music is now included in your purchase of our Living the Word: Cross+Gen Worship (2023-2024) resource!
What is the Narrative Lectionary?
The Narrative Lectionary is a nine-month calendar of Scripture readings which focuses on one story or passage each Sunday or festival day. It starts in September with a story about creation and touches on the major stories, characters, and plot points in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) until mid-December. At that point, the lectionary picks up one of the four Gospels (one Gospel each year for a four-year cycle) and moves through many of the main stories or passages of that Gospel sequentially until just after Easter. From the second Sunday of Easter through Pentecost Sunday, the readings are pulled from Acts and the Letters. Read more about this on our What Is the Narrative Lectionary? webpage.
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What’s Included?
Each downloadable music package includes:
- Annual Theme Song: One song is provided that reinforces the annual theme for our Living the Word Narrative Lectionary products. Short and memorable, the theme song is intended to be sung every week prior to the unit song.
- Unit Songs: Individual unit songs are composed for each Narrative Lectionary year, with a song covering multiple weeks. Each unit song corresponds to the unit’s theme.
- Sheet Music: Each song includes sheet music for accompaniment (piano and guitar), with and without melody.
- (Optional) MP3 Files: You may also purchase the Singing God’s Story +MP3 music package with recordings of the piano accompaniment for each song as digital music files.
Scope & Sequence
Check out the Living the Word Scope and Sequence (2023-2024) for the complete list of lessons!
Other Resources
Our Living the Word: Singing God’s Story product complements our other Narrative Lectionary products:
- Living the Word: Kids (PK-2nd) – For lower elementary students.
- Living the Word: Kids (3rd-6th) – For upper elementary students.
- Living the Word: Youth – For confirmation or youth groups.
- Living the Word: Small Groups – For young adult or adult small group discussions.
- Living the Word: Contexts & Connections – Bible background notes for faith formation leaders.
- Living the Word: Cross+Gen Education – For leading interactive, intergenerational learning experiences in a classroom setting.
- Living the Word: Cross+Gen Worship – For creating interactive, intergenerational worship experiences.
- Living the Word: Sharing God’s Story @ Home – Bulletin insert bringing faith formation home with a weekly devotional tool.
Ordering & Download Information
To order, go to the Living the Word: Singing God’s Story (2023-2024) product page and select whether you would like to purchase the sheet music for the full year or the sheet music and MP3 accompaniment. You only ever need to have a quantity of one. After you add the product to your cart and complete the rest of your shopping, you can proceed to checkout. There, complete the form and select your payment type.
All resource materials are available as digital downloads (PDF and MP3 files) for printing, burning onto a CD, or using electronically. The end user licensing agreement (EULA) allows congregations to download, print, and use the music as often as you would like if the use remains in the purchasing congregation.
After your payment is processed, you can download the materials from your Customer Account as soon as each quarter is released (See the current Release Dates page for details). Each quarter purchased comes in a single compressed (ZIP) file, which your operating system should be able to open and extract the folders containing the PDF/MP3 files, at which point you can print or share with your leaders as you please!
For more detailed information on ordering, downloading, and other topics, please go to our Customer Service FAQ page.
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Introduction Letter
Share this letter with music leaders to learn more about how to best introduce and use this resource with your elementary-aged students.