Editor’s note: “The Spoken Word” is shared by Derrick Porter each Sunday during the weekly Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square broadcast. This will be given Sunday, May 17, 2026. This week is No. 5,044 of the broadcast. Please note that beginning Sunday, May 17, reservations will be needed to attend “Music & the Spoken Word” in the Salt Lake Tabernacle. Find out more about how to make reservations here.
For the past three years, The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square have been traveling the globe as part of our “Songs of Hope” world tour. From Mexico to the Philippines, from the United States to Peru, and from Argentina to right here in São Paulo, Brazil, we’ve rejoiced as we’ve met new friends in new places — joining together in song and experiencing the uplifting power of music.
The music you’ll hear today comes from a few of the songs that were shared as part of our tour. These are our “Songs of Hope.”
For more than a century, The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square has been touring the globe — seeking to bring joy, peace, faith and hope to all who listen.
This tour has been unique. Using technology, these songs of hope were shared not only with those attending in a concert venue but also with tens of thousands more watching by livestream from far away, even in different countries.
For one performance, my wife and I traveled to Bogotá, Colombia, where we gathered with hundreds of others to watch the live concert taking place more than 1,800 miles to the south in Lima, Peru.
During the concert, a guest artist began to sing the hymn “I Am a Child of God.” As he sang, something unexpected happened: Nearly the entire audience of 35,000 strong began to sing along — so fervently that the artist reverently lowered his microphone and allowed the audience to carry the music.
As we watched the livestream, we marveled at what we were witnessing. And then, suddenly, the 500 or so people gathered with us in Bogotá also began to sing along.
In that moment, a feeling — one of hope and trust in God — transcended miles and borders and found its way deep into our hearts as we sang.
While this unfolded, we noticed a young man quietly remove his hat, take out his phone, and begin recording what was happening. When the concert ended, my wife and I approached him and asked what he had felt in that moment. He shared that he had felt direction from God — clarity about what his next step in life needed to be.
His eyes were bright. His heart was filled with hope.
Through the music, the Spirit of God had simultaneously touched the hearts of a multitude in Lima and of a young man in Bogotá — even though they were thousands of miles apart.
Songs of hope. Music that inspires. Lyrics that lift. The Spirit of God at work.
Tuning in …
The “Music & the Spoken Word” broadcast is available on KSL-TV, KSL News Radio 1160AM/102.7FM, KSL.com, BYUtv, BYUradio, Dish and DirecTV, SiriusXM (Ch. 143), tabernaclechoir.org, youtube.com/TheTabernacleChoir and Amazon Alexa (must enable skill). The program is aired live on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. Mountain Time on these outlets. Look up broadcast information by state and city at musicandthespokenword.com/viewers-listeners/airing-schedules.
