Shema Yisrael, Adonai eloheinu, Adonai echad—Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One. These first six Hebrew words of Deuteronomy 6:4–9 begin the central prayer of the Jewish prayerbook. They are said at morning prayers, for Shabbat and holidays, as a bedtime prayer and at other times. The parchment in the Mezuzah on Jewish doorways contains these words. In the long form of the prayer the words are followed by the admonition, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength.” It is the greatest commandment, as Jesus replied to the scribe in answer to his question.

The extraordinary Dutch poet Huub Oosterhuis wrote a wonderful text, translated by Tony Barr with James Hansen as “These Words,” set to music by Tom Löwenthal. It’s a unison piece with tricky word placement, but well worth the effort. Barr says, in his commentary, “Here we have a love song, the poetry of God’s presence among us. Löwenthal’s musical setting … makes the text almost dance as we sing it. Could we ever hope to become so excited about the words of the Law?”

And, as it happens, your author wrote a song called “Hear, O Israel” as a commission for a church that had just finished a major renovation. One of the committee suggested the text, which forms the refrain. The verses, however, are Trinitarian in nature and posed as questions to avoid gender-specific language; each verse ends with the acclamation, “Only our God, the living God!”

Neither of these songs shows up in the usual planning guides, which is why it’s usually a good idea to do a little more research yourself instead of meekly accepting the limitations of predigested suggestions. Planning guides are useful, but they’re a starting point, not a finish line.