God sends us the Spirit

God sends us the Spirit. Tom Colvin* (1925-2000). Written in Ghana during Colvin’s period of missionary service, 1959-1964, and set to the melody of a Gonja folk song originally in praise of the tribe and its past leaders. The text was written, according to the author, for ‘churches, particularly new churches, where the Spirit is experienced as a powerful presence’. It is included in several standard collections, and captures both the intimacy and the transformative power of the Holy Spirit. The song in its original form is particularly suitable for percussion accompaniment, punctuated by hand clapping at the end of each line to the rhythm of ‘Spirit-friend’, and is shared between a solo...