Hannah C Brown

hymn writer

  • Elemental Joy

    I am thrilled that a collection of my hymn texts is now available through GIA Publications. You can also listen to the songs on Spotify (part 1, part 2) or YouTube (part 1, part 2).

    It has been such a privilege to collaborate with editor Adam Tice and composers Sally Ann Morris, Ben Brody, Kate Williams, Mark Miller, and Anneli Loepp Thiessen, and to have my words matched with existing tunes of many eras and styles from other gifted composers and arrangers.

    This book has so much of my heart in it and touches on topics ranging from issues of justice such as disability access, LGBTQ affirmation, bodily autonomy, and environmental care; to human experiences of grief, comfort, loneliness, hope, and growth; to expansive explorations of Christian stories and seasons.

  • God, Bless Our “No”

    Photo by Michelle Ding on Unsplash

    The life of faith is sometimes thought of as a life of obedience. But our ability to say “yes” to God requires us to say “no” to evil as well as to anything that is not ours to do or be. Jesus models this “no” for us doing his time of temptation and when he overturns tables in the temple of Jerusalem. We can also witness his “no” in more subtle ways when he retreats from the demands of the crowds, choosing solitude and prayer.

    What are the laws, social structures, and cultural expectations that you or those you love need to defy in order to live in the ways that you are called to live?

    You can preview or purchase this hymn celebrating boundaries here. It is also included in my collection Elemental Joy. My text is paired with a dynamic new tune from Kate Williams called SHE-WOLF. Here’s Kate singing:

    The text can also be used with KINGSFOLD :

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  • Here Am I

    Collage from the House of All Sinners and Saints

    This text arose out of a conversation with a friend who was writing a pageant celebrating Mary’s agency. It occurred to me that we rarely treat the annunciation as a call story. What was happening within Mary that allowed her to accept God’s invitation? Can we understand her “yes” not as meek acquiescence, but as a courageous and joyful choice?

    I was thrilled to have an original tune composed for the text by Kate Williams. This tune carries all the energy and enthusiasm I hoped for! You can find a preview of the text and tune here. The piece is also included in my collection Elemental Joy.

    Here is Kate singing:

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  • Wise Ones Called to Journey On

    The mysterious magi in the Gospel of Matthew add wonder to the Feast of the Epiphany. We follow them as they follow the star, find the Christ Child, and journey onwards. At the church I serve, our Epiphany celebration includes sharing paper stars with words of scripture to guide us in the new year. In 2023, we also honored our elders, our “wise ones,” on this day as well.

    Here is a new text for celebrating Epiphany, set to the tune DIX (already associated with Epiphany with the text “As with Gladness Men of Old” or used in other seasons with “For the Beauty of the Earth”). You can also find this piece included in my collection Elemental Joy.

  • Are You Lost?

    We live in a time of great division, conflict, cruelty, and loneliness. The work of Love is a work of binding up and joining together, repair and reconnection. This text speaks to us in our loneliness and longing for a better way of life together. Although I took some of the texts from the early Church as an inspiration, I intentionally chose language that would permit a wide range of uses — within and beyond Christian communities. One friend suggested that this song might work well with a prayer shawl blessing, since it uses fiber arts imagery!

    This text is paired with Sally Ann Morris’ lovely tune JOEL in the United Church of Canada Resource Then Let Us Sing; find a recording of JOEL here. You can preview or purchase the text here or as part of my collection Elemental Joy with the tune CIVILITY:

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  • We Gather Up an Ancient Cloth

    Photo by Dinh Pham on Unsplash

    How do we receive and pass on the treasures of faith and church tradition? In this text I use the craft of quilting as a metaphor to describe our continual receiving and remaking. During the writing process, I found myself imagining all those who have washed, ironed, mended, and spread altar cloths and other fabrics put to holy uses, and how they have both physically and metaphorically cared for and handed down the faith that we received.

    My editor, Adam Tice, had the brilliant idea of setting this text to a tune that could be used as a round — echoing in the form of the piece the whole idea of making and remaking. Now you can find it to preview or purchase here set to the tune TALLIS’ CANON. It is also included as part of my collection Elemental Joy.

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  • What Shall We Cry?

    Photo by Mourad Saadi on Unsplash

    How do we live with faith and joy in a world that holds death and suffering? This problem has long troubled theologians but is not always honestly addressed by the church. I give thanks for those who have taken up the work of struggling with this issue today including Kate Bowler and my seminary classmate and food justice leader, Tallu Schuyler Quinn, who gave us the gift of the stunning book What We Wish Were True before her early death in 2022.

    I am grateful for the gifts of Pablo Sosa, a composer, teacher, editor, and song leader who had a wide influence. He composed the wonderful tune CAMACUA for the text Si Fui Motivo de Dolor / If I Have Been a Source of Pain.

    You can preview or purchase the new piece here. It is also included in my collection Elemental Joy.

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  • Holy is the Refugee

    In 2023 I was planning for a Lenten season focused on the body. I wanted to lift up the value of bodies that are often mistreated and undervalued in our world. The result is a kind of “beatitudes of the body”, a prayer for change and a reminder that human beings bear the image of God. Thanks to Mark Miller for a wonderful tune.

    You can find the full text and music here. It is also included in my collection Elemental Joy. Here is Mark playing the piece:

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  • Let Us Sing of Mary

    Mary of Magdala is one of the most famous women in scripture. Still, we know little about her, and her identity has often been confused or obscured. Careful biblical study reveals that she has a history of illness, not sin. She was a leader within the Jesus movement and was present at the cross and the tomb. Accounts of her life after the resurrection are varied, but all agree that she share the gospel. May our church honor the woman who was the first to know the good news of Jesus’ resurrection, and who was sent by Jesus to share this news with the disciples, earning her the title, “Apostle to Apostles.”

    This piece can be previewed or purchased here. It is set to the tune KING’S WESTON. It can also be found in my collection Elemental Joy.

  • If a Church Is Not a Building

    As churches face wave after wave of change, it can be challenging to discern what we should be holding onto, and what we may need to let go of. May we persevere in faithfulness, regardless of what forms our ministries take.

    I was honored that this piece was shared as part of a hymn festival at the 2025 Annual Conference of the Hymn Society of the United Church and Canada. You can listen to that event here.

    You can preview or purchase the piece here. It is set to a wonderful tune by Sally Ann Morris, SHALLOWFORD. This piece is also included in my collection Elemental Joy.

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  • I Dream of Your Heaven

    While staying at the Notre Dame Spirituality Center in Ipswich, Massachusetts, I was struck by the beautiful stained glass in Our Lady Queen Chapel designed by Vincent De Paul Curran, SNDdeN (pictured here; trust me that my photo does not do it justice!). The glass depicts the scene from Revelation 22 with a glorious tree and river of life. In a time of ecological crises, this vision of our future with God is particularly poignant.

    You can preview or purchase the piece here. It is set to a folk tune called THE LONE PILGRIM. You can find a beautiful version of the tune on Spotify here. This piece is also included in my collection Elemental Joy.

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