Our Favorite Songs of Good News

For the average 21st-century American agnostic, the vast catalogue of Christian music, so varied across cultures, centuries, genres, and denominations, must appear like a colossal waste of human time and energy, not to mention opaque, overwrought, repetitive, weird, and just boring. What a lot of fuss about nothing, right?

But these songs of Good News are not just so many dull variations on a theme. They often take on the character of something quasi-sacramental, channeling God’s grace to us like little else can. As Martin Luther once wrote, “Music is to be praised as second only to the Word of God because by her all the emotions are swayed.” In that vein, here are a few of the songs of Good News that have touched our hearts over the years and helped guide our way through the darkness like lamps unto our feet.

“Amazing Grace” by John Newton: Sometimes the clichéd answer is the right one. Not only has this one stood the test of time, it’s probably the only hymn a whole stadium could sing acapella. Versions of “Amazing Grace” abound, and almost every one is excellent (except for one that inexplicably changed the time signature), but few can top any of Elvis’ performances. I can’t think of a better anthem of Christianity’s most significant insight. – Todd Brewer

“Before You, God” by Andy Squyres: This one is … not for beginners. The chorus hits with a shock, like when Jeremiah loses his patience with God. “Before You, God” is a profound expression of a faith in God when he appears his most absent and ineffective: “I still believe in miracles, God, even when You don’t.” – David Clay

“Better Is One Day” by Matt Redman: I’ve always loved this tune, but watching the parts come together in this session directed by Trey McLaughlin reliably lights up a spark in me. Hearing these tightly woven harmonies reveals something, and I want to proclaim, “Better is one day in your courts, better is one day in your house!” – Sarah Gates

“Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing”:

We have lulled our tiny newborns to sleep, calmed youth at camp, celebrated love at weddings, and comforted the sorrowful at funerals with this all-purpose hymn. It speaks to my wandering heart and reminds me that God is faithful, even if I am not. – Marilu Thomas

A hymn that tells the truth about us and about God’s faithfulness and grace. And I love the early American tune. – Tony Robinson

“Come to Calvary’s Mountain” by James Montgomery: This names the ache beneath my distractions and brings me to the only place I can rely on lasting healing. It doesn’t flinch at the gravity of sorrow, guilt, or brokenness — rather, it locates me there and manages to meet me with hope. The third verse especially undoes me. By the time I reach “they that drink shall thirst no more” in the Hope Hymns version I’m often fighting tears, not just because it’s beautiful, but because it tells the truth. The hymn doesn’t offer escapism; it weds the weariness and wounds of ordinary life to a deeper hope that holds water — living water, even. – Davis Johnson

“Dayspring (Christ Whose Glory Fills the Skies)”: As someone who is generally on the cynical side of things, this hymn brings me so much hope. I have experienced the “radiancy divine” scattering all of my unbelief and the piercing light of Jesus’ love that eliminates the darkness and grief and sin that seems to cover so much. I love this hymn for the truth it reminds me of — that a light has shone in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. – Jane Grizzle

“Felix Culpa” by Kings Kaleidoscope: This song always helps me see my sin for what it is, a fortunate fall that brings me to the grace of God. Whether I’ve grown to be nonchalant or fallen into despair, this is a song that balances the poignant reality of sin while also displaying the glorious redemption found in Christ. It will always be on repeat, if not in my headphones then hopefully in my heart. – Blake Nail

“He’s Alive” by Don Francisco and Dolly Parton: A ballad written from Peter’s point of view, this song tells the story of a sleepless night on Holy Saturday and Peter’s experience of the sudden “strange and sweet perfume” of Easter morning. It’s remarkable for its storytelling but even more remarkable for Dolly Parton’s performance (dressed in an angelic, bedazzled gown) at the 1989 Country Music Awards, where the song crescendos into the culminating moment of her soaring “He’s alive, He’s alive, He’s alive, and I’m forgiven; Heaven’s gates are open wide” backed by a full gospel choir. If you haven’t belted out these final stanzas in the car with your windows rolled down, have you ever really felt that Easter freedom? As Dolly shouts to the room at the end of her performance: “Christ has won!” – Derrill McDavid

“Holy, Holy, Holy!” by Reginald Heber: First published in 1826, three years after the death of its author, this hymn always makes me think of God on his heavenly throne, with me tucked behind the wings of the four heavenly creatures, as described in Revelation 4:8, peering through their feathers, while they endlessly repeat the hymn’s title. It was the late R. C. Sproul who taught me through his series The Holiness of God the awesome and appropriately terrifying wonder of the true meaning of the words, “Holy, Holy, Holy!” Cloaked in the righteousness of Christ, “Though the eye of sinful man thy glory may not see,” I am able to see — even if now it is through a glass darkly — God’s glory, because he is, thankfully, merciful and mighty! – Josh Retterer

“How Firm a Foundation” by John Rippon:

My wife Maddy and I chose this to be sung at our wedding, and it still serves as a constant reminder that, no matter what comes our way, we stand on solid ground. The foundation is not our faith; rather, our faith is laid on the foundation of God’s word. And what is his word? It is his unwavering promise to be faithful to us to the very end: “That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake, I’ll never, no, never, no, never, forsake!” – Sam Bush

One of those hymns that makes me wish I’d become a conductor. I jealously watched the director of our small church choir at Saint Alban’s at LSU drive the syncopated phrases (“my grace, all sufficient,” “I will not, I will not”) forward with his baton. To borrow an idea from Sandra McCracken, the rhythm and the words drive us forward into a new way of living. – Sarah Gates

“How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds” by John Newton: This is my all-time favorite hymn (a second is: “There Is a Green Hill Far Away” by Mrs. Alexander a.k.a. Cecil Frances Alexander). I chose “How Sweet the Name” for my ordination to the priesthood in June of 1976 and would choose it today. It is pure Christianity — as applied to the wounds and needs of the heart — and also…it is short and sweet. The best 18th-century hymns almost never included a word over two syllables. It was simply their “won’t.” I agree with that principle. – Paul Zahl

“I Will Change Your Name” by D. J. Butler: At a low point in life, this piece really spoke to me when we sang it in church, as we seemed to do often — so I guess it was speaking to others too. – Tony Robinson

“Idumea” by Charles Wesley: A Sacred Harp hymn from 1763 with words later written by Charles Wesley explores that most famous of navel-gazing verses, Ecclesiastes 3:2, “a time to be born, and a time to die.” Admittedly, it can sound a bit like an emo dirge, with lyrics like, “And am I born to die? To lay this body down!”, and “What will become of me?” One can be forgiven for thinking it’s an early version of My Chemical Romance’s The Black Parade. It’s the ending, in more ways than one, that sets everything right: “Waked by the trumpet sound, / I from my grave shall rise; / And see the Judge with glory crowned, / And see the flaming skies!” – Josh Retterer

“If I Stand” by Rich Mullins: If there’s anyone who stands the test of time through what was the rip-roaring CCM machine, it’s Rich Mullins. It takes a special concoction of honesty, musicality, and earnestness for a song from that machine to pull on my heartstrings, and this one never fails. From first hearing it on the radio in the early nineties all the way until now, I can always find my footing in God again. Like a prayer, the chorus sings over me: ” So if I stand let me stand on the promise, That you will pull me through. And if I can’t, let me fall on the grace that first brought me to You … ” Rich taps into that holy simplicity I long for, and I’m always grateful for the reminder.  – Janell Downing

“In Christ Alone” by Stuart Townend: For most of us, it will certainly be the case that our favorite gospel tunes are tied to moments of deep spiritual transformation. The gospel hit home for me as a college student in the mid-2000s, just as “In Christ Alone” was becoming an evangelical chart-topper. The beautiful Irish-adjacent melody is paired with bold, theologically rich lyrics that oozed with promises of assurance. It put to song my inner experience of grace-centered new-birth. “No guilt in life, no fear in death,” indeed. It’s one of the few modern Christian compositions I imagine we’ll still be singing “till he returns or calls me home.” – Bryan Jarrell

“Jesus” by The Velvet Underground: Lou Reed was adamant that this song was secular, but I think the Spirit frequently works through unsuspecting mediums, and for my money this song is just as inspired as the best hymn, and more psycho-spiritually relatable/accurate than 90% of deliberately Christian music: “Jesus help me find my proper place. Help me in my weakness ‘cause I’m falling out of grace.” I also think it could totally work in a Taizé-style contemplative service (and probably already has). – Joey Goodall

“Jesus Christ the Apple Tree” arr. by Elisabeth Poston: A haunting choral arrangement of an 18th-century poem extolling Jesus as the tree of life. Melancholy infused with the deepest hope. “He keeps my dying faith alive,” indeed. – David Clay

“Jesus Paid It All” by Elvina Mable Hall: There are not many songs that express law and gospel (i.e., I offer nothing, Christ gives everything) as succinctly and powerfully as this classic hymn. In this rendition, Kings Kaleidoscope took it and placed somber string parts as accompaniment and added a closing climactic refrain: “Oh praise the One who paid my debt and raised this life up from the dead,” which can be repeated over and over and somehow does not get old. – Juliette Alvey

“Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence”: I have a lot of opinions about church music, so I’d be remiss if I didn’t make the most of this opportunity to link a few of my other, more obscure, old-and-new-school favorites, such as “Dear Refuge of My Weary Soul,” “From This Valley,” “I Sought the Lord,” “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms,” and “Lord, Thou Hast Searched Me.” But if I’m picking an all-time fave, I have to admit that the well-known and versatile “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence” probably beats them all because it does something to me that few other songs can do — it opens up inside me a space for awe, reverence, and perhaps “fear” as I stand before the mystery of God and life itself, not to mention the holy mysteries of the incarnation and paschal sequence. For me, the hymn’s haunting, ethereal quality, is also aided by the fact that it connects Christians across many cultures and time periods — from its 5th-century Middle Eastern text author, to its 17th-century French tune composers, to its 19th and 20th-century English text and tune adapters. So cool! – Ben Self

“Lost in the Night”: My choice is due to the fact that I live in an Advent/Lent state of mind. “Lost in the Night” began as a Finnish love song full of longing for a lover’s return. In the early 20th century, Olav Lee turned it into a hymn about what happens when God doesn’t give us a preacher, and in the hands of St. Olaf College’s great choirmaster F. Melius Christiansen it became a standard in the Lutheran choral tradition. Its minor key and dark text make it the perfect Advent hymn: “Lost in the night do the people yet languish / Longing for morning the darkness to vanquish, / Plaintively heaving a sigh full of anguish, / will not day come soon? / Will not day come soon?” Running through the entire hymn is the promise that Christ is the light bearer over whom no darkness has power: “Dawned has the day of a radiance excelling, / Death’s dreaded darkness forever dispelling. / Christ is coming soon! / Christ is coming soon!” I wallow in sin and sing of the promise of Psalm 53:6 — salvation will come out of Zion. – Ken Sundet Jones

“Meet Your Maker” by John Mark Pantana: I first heard this song while I was going through a deep unraveling of faith and identity. The second I heard John’s lyrics “All of those years I was wounded by religion, You unwind me,” I was undone. I stopped what I was doing, laid down on the floor, and let the song wash over me. This song speaks to the Spirit’s miraculous ability to heal. Not in a magic sort of way, but a flesh and bones way. A finger in the wound, pressure. Still a little raw, from all of those years…The Spirit unwinds us, and it can feel downright terrifying. Time has turned upside down in the only way the Maker can orchestrate, and we’re left as little children sitting on our bedroom floors staring at the One smiling back at us. The way it was always meant to be. He really is the least religious person I know. – Janell Downing

“O Come to the Altar”: This one gets to the heart of the human condition in a really direct, no-frills way, and then points us in a similar manner to our only hope/help (Jesus), it hits me exactly in the right spot every time I hear it. “Have you come to the end of yourself?… Jesus is calling… Leave behind your regrets and mistakes… Bring your sorrows and trade them for joy, from the ashes a new life is born. Jesus is calling. O come to the altar. The Father’s arms are open wide. Forgiveness was bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ.” – Joey Goodall

“O Love That Will Not Let Me Go”: I quoted this song in my first-ever Mockingbird conference breakout talk and described how it framed a difficult time I was walking with my son through — particularly the third verse: “O Joy that seekest me through pain, I cannot close my heart to thee. I trace the rainbow through the rain and feel the promise is not vain, that morn shall tearless be.” What a beautiful illustration of grace’s work on our behalf, always guiding us toward our ultimate home. The last day of that conference, this song was played during the worship session, which just felt like the kindest and most unexpected gift from God. – Stephanie Phillips

“O Worship the King”: My friend introduced me to the contemporary version of “O Worship the King” in summer 2005 as we were both training to be pastors. Three summers later, that version was sung at my ordination. Then, as I celebrated the ten-year anniversary of ordination I sung the traditional version of the song. Just before that date I had heard that the wife of the same friend had cancer that would eventually cause her death, a fellow pastor had suddenly died, and another had been put on hospice. Now, seven years past that, today, death has not relented. The darkness of death keeps pursuing me, my friends, my family, and those I serve as a priest. Yet, the fourth verse of this song roots me in hope we have in Jesus through the promises stated: “Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail, / in you do we trust, not find you to fail, / Your mercies, how tender, how firm to the end, / Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Fiend!” – Tasha Genck Morton

“Oh! Great Is Our God”: In truth I could list anything done by The Sing Team. Their approach speaks right to my heart and also makes me want to sing! The Spirit has a way of moving us beyond self-consciousness and letting all the emotions go toward God. It doesn’t hurt that they’ve managed to work with oldies and goodies, and give them modern and creative twists. Their version of “What a Friend” is also gold! – Ryan Alvey

“Rock of Ages” by Augustus Montague Toplady: Singing a song like this reminds me of what I bring (or, in this case, don’t bring) to the table, and how it’s Jesus’ tears and labors that save, not a certain level of maturity or devotion from me. As Chrysostom said in the 4th century: “To respond to love is not as great as to offer it in the first place.” Christianity isn’t a handshake deal nor an expectation of reciprocity, it’s the greatest one-way offer of grace in the history of the world. – Chris Wachter

“Sunday Is Coming” by Phil Wickham: I was hesitant to choose this one because, let’s be honest, it has not yet stood the test of time like so many of the older hymns. However, it is one of the best retellings of the Good Friday and Easter story I have ever heard. It answers the difficult question, “Why do we call Good Friday ‘good’ when it is the day Jesus died?” It answers, “Friday’s good cause Sunday is coming.” Our church used this song for our Good Friday service and ended the song early with the lyric, “They laid him down inside that grave.” It was very dramatic… which made it all the more joyful to sing the entire song on Easter morning, this time continuing with, “But that wasn’t the end…” and telling the rest of the story. This time we sang until the song’s real ending, which leaves us with: “He’s coming soon.” – Juliette Alvey

“The King of Love My Shepherd Is” by Henry Williams Baker: There are at least two other wonderful hymn adaptations of Psalm 23 that count among my most treasured songs of Good News — “My Shepherd Will Supply My Need” and “The Lord’s My Shepherd” — but “The King of Love,” set to the wonderful Irish folk tune St. Columba, is my fave. It just breaks right through to my soul and makes me want to praise God. I know there are some people who balk at the use of old royal or feudal language (e.g., King of Kings, Lord of Lords), but the whole point is that we worship a totally different and better kind of king: a King of boundless self-giving love! – Ben Self

“The Lord Will Make a Way” by Al Green: I still can’t believe this song exists. It describes life accurately (like a raging storm); it expresses the normal feelings of fear and doubt; its depiction of sin is straight out of Romans 7 (“When I try to do the best I can, evil’s present on every hand”); and yet, there is a mustard seed of faith: “I say to my soul, ‘Take courage, the Lord will make a way somehow.’” And how does he make a way? Through the Cross. On top of everything, it has one of the funkiest grooves in the history of R&B. Seriously, what more could you ask? – Sam Bush

“There Is a Fountain” by William Cowper: This is perhaps the most famous hymn penned by William Cowper (pronounced “Cooper”), the English poet and hymn writer known for his debilitating mental illness. Depression, anxiety, and insanity racked Cowper throughout his life, sabotaging his love life and his career prospects. (He tried to commit suicide on at least three separate attempts.) It was a gospel-centered friendship with slave trader-turned-abolitionist John Newton, the composer of “Amazing Grace,” that brought him relief from his turmoil and inspired his own hymn-writing endeavors. “There Is a Fountain” is not only a simple, singable hymn, but it’s a window into how Jesus’s crucifixion brought relief and serenity to Cowper in the midst of his wider insanity. When the whole congregation belts out “redeeming love has been my theme and shall be till I die,” and when they mean it when they sing it, the chills are instantaneous and deserved. – Bryan Jarrell

“There Is a River” by Jars of Clay: The lines “So give up the right to control the waves that empty at your life / Above wild skies are the rays that break the shadows we design” has been a profound theological statement guiding me through nearly two decades now. The way it paints a picture of surrender, by framing it as the choosing of a better and more beautiful option whose work on our behalf is shadow busting with his light, will never not move me. – Stephanie Phillips

“What a Friend We Have in Jesus” by Joseph Scriven: People used to complain about Garrison Keillor’s “Pastor Ingqvist,” an equivocating Lutheran pastor who failed, in the eyes of some parishioners, to put “the hay down where the goats can get it.” This accessible hymn, a favorite of my childhood, puts the gospel down where I can easily reach it — Jesus, our faithful friend, who carries our sins and burdens and prayers and weaknesses. “Can we find a friend so faithful Who will all our sorrows share?” The answer, praise God, is no. – Larry Parsley

“Wherever I Find Myself – In the Fields” by Paul Zach: I’m a clinical psychologist, and I need to regulate myself to be with my clients every morning. I listen to Paul Zach’s Field Recordings to restore my sense of gravity and remind me of the long reach of grace. There are even birds that sing on it. I play this album so much, my dogs even calm down when they hear it. – Marilu Thomas

“You Are With Me” by Sandra McCracken: Less a hymn in the vein of  “We Will Feast” or “Thy Mercy My God” (which I also adore), but certainly a song dripping with good news, “You Are With Me” was sturdy enough to carry yours truly through a rocky season. A gorgeous melody delivered with rare feeling and obvious conviction, this tune is pure consolation — and not just of the “incarnational” variety as its title might suggest. When she opened the 2025 NYC Mbird Conference with an acoustic version, I lost it. – David Zahl

And courtesy of Juliette, there’s a Spotify playlist of our list: