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PERSONAL PAGES     Home Page     Biography     Reading List     Favorites     Travels     Saints & Seasons       Advent       Christmas       Epiphany       Lent       Easter       Pentecost       Ordinary Time PROFESSIONAL PAGES     Resumé     Philosophy     Archives     Repertoire Lists      Larger Works      Adult Repertoire      Youth Repertoire      Childrens Repertoire      Handbell Reperoire A CELEBRATION OF GOD'S GRACE Indigestion is charged by God with enforcing morality on the stomach. --Victor Hugo Les Misérables There is always hope for the man (sic) who is capable of being shamed. --Talmud Nedarim How slow the Shadow creeps: but when 'tis past How fast the Shadows fall. How fast! How fast! --Hilaire Belloc For a Sundial The spiritual virtue of a sacrament is like light,--although it passes among the impure, it is not pulluted. --St. Augustine Tract on St. John, chap. 15 Man (sic), who can make a harness for his beast, should make one for his appetites. --Talmud J Sanhedrin Politicians are masters of the art not of the perfect but of the possible, of supporting not the best possible candidate but the candidate who can win, the candidate of the broadest possible coalition rather than the most admirable. --Andrew M. Greeley The Making of the Pope 2005 Of all sound of all bells--(bells,the music nighest bordering upon heaven)--most solemn and touching is the peal which rings out the Old Year. --Charles Lamb New Year's Eve For as we come and sa we go (and deadly-soon go we!) The people, Lord, Thy people, are good enought for me! --Rudyard Kipling A Pilgrim's Way There is no more miserable human being than one in whom nothing is habitual but indecision. --William James Psychology You should never wear your best trousers when you go out to fight for freedom and truth. --Henrik Ibsen An Enemy of the People What is lofty can be said in any language, and what is mean should be said in none. --Maimonides

2008 Archives Music Ministry submissions for worship bulletins AC=Adult Choir; AR=Alleluia Ringers; CAc=Carol Choir; CR=Chancel Ringers; CC=Chapel Chimers; Ch=Cherubs; GNS=Good News Singers; HMR=Heavy Metal Ringers; JN=Joyful Noise; JR=Jubilation Ringers; O=Orchestra; SpS=SpiritSingers; V=Vocal Soloist(s); I=Instrumental Soloist(s) January 6, 2008    C: Epiphany Prelude "Away in a Manger" (arr. Mark Hayes) LB Introit "Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise" (ST. DENIO) AC Anthem "Epiphany Alleluias" (John Weaver) AC Offertory "A Bethlehem Pastorale" (Steven Scott) LB Response "Thou Reignest in Glory" (ST. DENIO) AC Postlude "Good Christian Friends, Rejoice" (Norman Dello Joio) LB   Notes: Light, the particle – the difference between ignorance and knowledge, between sin and salvation, between right and wrong patterns of behavior. Light, the wave – the means of finding one’s way along life’s dark, uncharted paths. Today, on Epiphany Sunday, we sing of Christ the Light of the World – the star we follow to salvation, and him who is the difference between faith and no faith. Return to the top of the page January 13, 2008    C: Baptism of the Lord Prelude "In Thee Is Gladness" (arr. Theodore Beck) LB Introit "O Sing unto the Lord" (Ann Ker) AC Anthem "Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee" (Dale Wood) AC Offertory (815) "Baptized in Water" (BUNESSAN) LB      (1100) "I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes" (Leo Sowerby) V Response "Threefold Amen" (Ann Ker) AC Postlude "O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright!" (arr. Mark Sedio) LB   Notes: At Jesus’ baptism, he heard a voice from heaven say, “This is my Son; I am well pleased.” This theme of pleasure with the person of Jesus was the basis for some of the mystical traditions that have been part of the Church’s faith ever since, such as those explored in the Adult Choir’s Christmas music, The Beauty of Christ, and the gospel song, My Jesus, I Love Thee. This Sunday, the choir sings a text in that tradition from the 12th-century (set to much more modern music). Return to the top of the page January 20, 2008    C: Epiphany 3 Prelude "Through the Love of God Our Savior" (arr. Don Wyrtzen) LB Introit "I Was Glad" (John Read) AC Anthem "This Little Light O' Mine" (arr. John Work) AC Offertory "All Things Bright and Beautiful" (arr. Stephen Scott) LB Response "Threefold Amen" (Danish) AC Postlude "As the Morning Sunlight Appears" (David Paxton) LB   Notes: Epiphany is the season we celebrate the manifestations of the divinity of Christ. One of the principle symbols of those signs is Christ as the Light of the world who shines through the darkness of our sin and brings us into the brightness of God’s love. We, in ministry to the world for Christ, are commissioned to be Easter light that breaks through the Good Friday darkness of evil, injustice and misfortune. The Adult Choir sings of being this light to the world. Return to the top of the page January 27, 2008    C: Epiphany 4 Introit "Praise the Lord" (Michael Jothen) SpS Anthem "I Know the Lord's Laid His Hands on Me" (Aaron David Miller) SpS Offertory (815) "Give Thanks" (Henry Smith) JN      (930 & 1100) "This Little Light of Mine" (Mark Patterson) SpS Response "Threefold Amen" (Danish) AC  Notes: The SpiritSingers are the choir of the morning for the 9:30 and 11:00 services while the Adult Choir is on retreat. Their Introit is a call to worship, an invitation to praise God, written by a music teacher retired from the Baltimore school system. The two spirituals that they sing have given them opportunity to explore God’s call and the imperative to show God’s love to the world. Thanks to Jan Cox for accompanying their rehearsals. At 8:15 the Joyful Noise express the gratitude that is the basis for living by faith rather than by sight. Thanks to Mark Willey for leading both choirs this morning. Return to the top of the page February 3, 2008    C: Transfiguration of Our Lord Prelude "Beautiful Savior" (arr. Gregory Hamilton) LB Introit "Stand Up and Bless the Lord" (ST. MICHAEL) AC Anthem "My God Is an Awesome God" (Keith Hampton) AC Offertory (815) "Immortal, Invisible" (Keith Hampton) LB      (930 & 1100) "Festal Dance" (Timothy Waugh) JR Response "Amen" (John Rutter) AC Postlude "Passacaglia on a Danish Threefold Amen" (Martin Setchell) LB   Notes: The awesomeness of God and the earthy gusto of black gospel music are the ‘stuff’ from which festive dancing originates. It was, after all, in response to God’s presence (in the ark of the covenant) that David danced “with all his might.” (2 Samuel 6:14) The choral and handbell music this morning reflect these themes. Return to the top of the page February 6, 2008    C: Ash Wednesday Prelude "Kyrie eleison" (Michael Fontana) LB Introit "Day by Day" (Harold W. Friedell) AC Anthem "All We Like Sheep" (GF Handel) AC Offertory "Quietude" (Felix Mendelssohn, arr. John Troutman) LB Response "Save Us, O Lord" (Harold W. Friedell) AC Postlude "Meditation on 'Picardy'" (Edward Beals) LB Return to the top of the page February 10, 2008    C: Lent 1 Prelude "Variations on 'Amazing Grace'" (Ronald Besemer) LB Introit (930) "As the Sun Doth Daily Rise" (INNOCENTS) AC      (1100) "Jesus in the Wilderness" (Michael Bedford) GNS Anthem "O Lord, Increase Our Faith" (Henry Loosemore) AC Offertory (815) "Lord, Listen to Your Children Praying" (Ken Medema) JN      (930) "I'm Just a Poor Wayfarin' Stranger" (Tammy Waldrop) CR      (1100) "Reverie" (H. Dean Wagner) AR Response "Fivefold Amen" (Ann Ker) AC Postlude "Elegy" (Richard Lloyd) LB   Notes: The Adult Choir anthem this morning is a prayer from Thomas Cranmer’s 1549 Book of Common Prayer which has been at the heart of Anglican worship ever since. The music was composed a century later by Henry Loosemore who was organist first at the Cathedral of Exeter and later Kings College, Cambridge. He somehow managed to retain his post and salary during the Puritan years when no organ music was played in England. He died in 1670. Return to the top of the page February 17, 2008    C: Lent 2 Prelude "A Lenten Dialogue" (Malcolm McKelvey) LB Introit "This Is the Day" (James Rivers) AC Anthem "Blessed Are All They Who Fear Him" (Felix Mendelssohn) AC Offertory (815 & 930) "Meditation" (Christopher Tambling) LB      (1100) "My Weeping and My Deep Sorrow" (Simei Monteiro) SpS Response "A Prayer of Saint Patrick" (John Rutter) AC Postlude "Pater Noster (Our Father)" (Arthur Foote) LB   Notes: In the story of Elijah and the widow of Sidon, the woman’s prayers were addressed to Elijah, and only after the fact do we realize that they actually were addressed to God. She confronts Elijah with the fact that her son has died despite her assistance to him, expresses anger and frustration that her good deeds seem to have been punished, and pleads that he do something about it. When he does, and her son lives again, she acknowledges that he is a man of God. In his oratorio, Mendelssohn ends the scene with a chorus that affirms the faith of those who trust God. The Adult Choir sings that chorus this Sunday. Return to the top of the page February 24, 2008    C: Lent 3 Prelude "Lament" (Malcolm Archer) LB Introit "O Come, Let Us Sing" (James Rivers) AC Anthem "Hide Not Thou Thy Face" (Richard Farrant) AC Offertory (815) "Be Thou My Vision" (SLANE) JN      (930 & 1100) "My Lord, What a Morning" (arr. Hart Morris) JR Response "A Blessing" (Martin Shaw) AC Postlude "Alas, My God" (Johann Gottfried Walther) LB   Notes: Psalm 27:10 is a confession of sin and a prayer that God will not forsake sinners out of anger for their transgressions. Guilt is real; the dis-ease in the soul tells us that, even though we know that because Christ died and was raised for us, we are forgiven. Guilt is real; forgiveness came with a price. Forgiveness comes with a price today, too, for it comes only when we confront our sin and atone for it. The Adult Choir sings this Psalm today. Return to the top of the page March 2, 2008    C: Lent 4 Prelude "The Prayer Our Father Taught Us" (Quentin Thomas) LB Introit (930) "I Will Extol Thee" (James Rivers) AC      (1100) "The Lord Is My Shepherd" (Traditional) CaC Anthem "Kyrie" (Gabriel Fauré) AC Women Offertory (815) "Rise, My Soul, to Watch and Pray" (arr. Michael Burkhardt) LB      (930) "Lenten Meditation" (arr. Andrew A. Bowen & Julie Stone Cortez) HB Duet      (1100) "For Things that I Do Wrong, O Lord" (Michael Bedford) GNS Communion Music "The Lone Wild Bird" (arr. David N. Johnson) AC Men Response "Peace" (James Rivers) AC Postlude "Voluntary" (Maurice Greene) LB   Notes: Prayer is a universal expression of hope, or pain, or trust, but it sounds different in different cultures. This morning the women of the Adult Choir sing an ancient plea for mercy in Latin. The music comes from France at the turn of the 19th century. The men sing an expression of trust that comes from the Southern Appalachian mountains in the early 19th century. They join forces at the conclusion of the service to sing a prayer for peace. Return to the top of the page March 9, 2008    C: Lent 5 Prelude "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross" (arr. Lani Smith) LB Introit (930) "Lead Me Lord" (Samuel Sebastian Wesley) AC      (1100) "O God, Our Help in Ages Past" (ST. ANNE) HMR Anthem "My Soul Longeth for Thee" (Felix Mendelssohn) AC Offertory (815) "Out of the Depths" (Robert Batastini) JN      (930) "Near the Cross" (arr. Cynthia Dobrinski) CR      (1100) "Near the Cross" (Douglas E. Wagner) AR Response "Threefold Amen" (Philip E. Baker) AC Postlude "Herzliebster Jesu (Ah! Jesus, Dear)" (Johannes Brahms) LB   Notes: Psalm 42 expresses the deep longing in the human soul for contact with God, for the slaking of profound spiritual thirst. “As the deer longs for flowing streams, so longs my soul for thee, O God.” Felix Mendelssohn’s setting of this verse has the smooth musical flow of calm water moving through a stream bed. The Adult Choir sings this music today. Return to the top of the page March 16, 2008    C: Palm/Passion Sunday Prelude "Entrada" (Eduardo Torres) LB Introit "Mantos y Palmas" (Rubén Ruiz Avila) AC Anthem "Lift Up Your Heads, O Ye Gates" (William Mathias) AC Offertory (815) "I Danced in the Morning" (arr. Wilbur Held) LB      (930 & 1100) "O Savior of the World" (Arthur Somervell) AC Response "Threefold Amen" (James Rivers) AC Postlude "Adagio in g minor" (Tomaso Albinoni) LB   Notes: Great Britain provides the choral anthems this morning. Will Mathias was a Welsh composer of the third quarter of the last century, whose anthems have a rhythmic energy that suits well the mood of a Palm Sunday parade. Arthur Somervell lived fifty years earlier and will help us make the transition from Palm Sunday to the story of the Passion of our Lord. His piece is a prayer that we might be saved by Christ due to our contemporary presence before the cross. Return to the top of the page March 20, 2008    C: Holy Thursday Prelude "O Sacred Head, Now Wounded" (Johannes Brahms) LB Introit "The Lord Is in His Holy Temple" (John Read) AC Anthem "My Soul Is Exceeding Sorrowful" (Eleanor Daley) AC Offertory "Lament" (Andrew Fletcher) LB Return to the top of the page March 21, 2008    C: Good Friday Prelude "O Sacred Head, Now Wounded" (Pamela Decker) LB Introit "Be Still" (Ann Ker) AC Anthem "He Never Said a Mumbalin' Word" (arr. John Miller) AC Offertory "Ah, Holy Jesus" (Helmut Walcha) LB Return to the top of the page March 23, 2008    C: Easter Sunday Prelude (815) "Exultate" (John Marsh) LB      "Easter Fanfare) (Christopher Tambling) LB      (930 & 1100) "Christ the Lord Is Risen" (arr. Smith and Hustad) LB & GB Introit "Arise and Hail the Sacred Day" (William Billings) AC Anthem "Easter Anthem" (William Billings) AC Offertory "Capriccio" (Kevin McChesney) JR Response "Hallelujah" Messiah (GF Handel) AC Postlude (815) "Christ the Lord Is Risen" (arr. Smith & Hustad) LB & GB      (930 & 1100) "God of Grace and God of Glory" (arr. Paul Manz) LB & GB   Notes: William Billings, colonial American composer, wrote two vigorous anthems to express Christ’s resurrection. We sing them today. Kevin McChesney’s energetic handbell piece complements the Billings numbers with a strong beginning and ending that surround a calm, more lyrical center. The choral music this Easter celebrates the strong Word of God that overcomes death. Return to the top of the page April 6, 2008    C: Easter 2 Prelude "Halleluia! Christ Arose!" (arr. Hugh S. Livingston, Jr.) LB Introit "Make a Joyful Noise" (Ann Ker) AC Anthem "Rise Up, My Fair One" (Healey Willan) AC Offertory (815 & 930) "Fantasy on "Lasst uns Erfreuen" (Rosalie Bonighton) LB       (1100) "How Excellent Thy Name" (Roberts Bitgood) SpS Response "Tenfold Amen" (Ann Ker) AC Postlude "Come, Ye Faithful, Raise the Strain" (arr. Robert Buckley Farlee) LB   Notes: Easter—the day—was the culmination of preparation for baptism in the early church. In that preparation, catechumens were taught how to read, or listen to, the Bible, how to pray, and how to give to the poor. Then came Easter—the day—when they were baptized and made their first communion. Easter—the season—was the fifty days between Easter—the day—and Pentecost. The season was the time when the new Christians were taught what it all meant: baptism, communion, worship, and life as a Christian. Today the Adult Choir sings an anthem of Easter—the season. Return to the top of the page April 13, 2008    C: Easter 3 Prelude "This Joyful Eastertide" (arr. David Cherwien) LB Introit "Christ the Lord Is Risen" (Ghanian folk song) AC Anthem "Fight the Good Fight" (John Gardner) AC Offertory (815) "Christ the Lord Is Risen" (Ghanian folk song) JN      (930) "Alleluia" (Ralph Manuel, arr. Sondra Tucker) JR      (1100) "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty" (LOBE DEN HERRN) HMR Response "Twofold Amen" (Dresden) AC Postlude "Christ Lay in Death's Bonds" (JS Bach) LB   Notes: What do I want to be when I grow up? If that question is answered in terms of character instead of job, the pursuit of the marks of Christ’s spirit is a lifelong pilgrimage of growth in compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience (Col. 3:12). Growing in Christ-likeness brings one to the end of life without serious regret. The Adult Choir sings of a pilgrimage that builds such an attic of memories. Return to the top of the page April 20, 2008    C: Easter 4 Prelude "How Can I Keep from Singing?" (arr. Lani Smith) LB Introit "Father, We Praise Thee" (CHRISTE SANCTORUM) AC Anthem "It Is Good to Praise the Lord" (Patti Drennan) AC Offertory (815) "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty" (arr. Benjamin Culli) LB      (930) "Songs of Praise" (arr. Susan E. Geschke) CR      (1100) "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing" (arr. Cathy Moklebust) AR Response "A Blessing" (Martin Shaw) AC Postlude "Christ Is Arisen" (arr. Anton Wilhelm Leupold) LB   Notes: “Contemporary” is a word with broad connotations, well beyond its usual usage in church. There is contemporary classical, including some music that seems to many as being “off-the-wall;” there is the Christian pop that is often called Contemporary Christian, the music usually accompanied by praise band; and there are other contemporary pop styles that are used to express faith in God, or to form that faith, including gospel, Southern gospel, and country. This morning’s choral praise is in the style of Dixieland jazz. Return to the top of the page April 27, 2008    C: Easter 5 Prelude "Amazing Grace" (arr. David Cherwien) LB Introit "Praise the Lord" (Michael Jothen) SpS Anthem "Folk Beatitudes" (David Eddleman) SpS Offertory (815) "Your Love, O God" (GUD'S KÄRLEK) JN      (930 & 1100) "For the Music of Creation" (Randall Sensmeier) SpS Response "How Excellent Thy Name" (arr. Roberta Bitgood) AC Postlude "Christ Is Risen, Christ Is Living" (arr. Robert Buckley Farlee) LB   Notes: This morning the choral praise touches much of the broad sweep of traditional styles in our contemporary era. The Joyful Noise sings a recently written text and hymn tune from Scandanavia, while the SpiritSingers go from praise with an irregular beat to early Christian folk music and art song. The rich resources of worship music available to us enable us to experience the full spectrum of God’s rainbow of colors as we return our praise and prayer to the One who gives us all things. Return to the top of the page May 4, 2008    C: Ascension Sunday Prelude "Variations on 'Crimond'" (Barbara Harbach) LB Introit "Holy God, We Praise Thy Name" (GROSSER GOTT) AC      (1100) "Amazing Grace" (AZMON) CC Anthem "O Clap Your Hands" (John Rutter) AC Offertory (815) "Simple Gifts" (arr. Russell Schulz-Widmar) LB      (930 & 1100) "St. Clement" (arr. Lee J. Afdahl) JR Response "Holy Father, Holy Son" (GROSSER GOTT) AC Postlude "Foundation" (arr. Bonnie Barrett) LB   Notes: Ascension Sunday is the festival in the church year when we celebrate the inauguration of Christ’s universal reign. There is no generation, gender, race or location that is not subject to his rule. Yet his is a realm achieved by persuasion rather than power; Christ does not force his will upon humanity; instead he offers us participation in the ultimate fulfillment of God’s purpose for the whole world. To this end, the Adult Choir sings the traditional Ascension Psalm, number 47, and the Jubilation Ringers ring an arrangement of the English hymn that celebrates the universality of the gospel. Return to the top of the page May 11, 2008    C: Pentecost Sunday Prelude "Holy Spirit, Love Divine" (arr. Kevin Hildebrand) LB Introit "Wa Wa Wa Emimimo" (Traditional Yoruba) AC      (1100) "Do Unto Others" () CaC Anthem "The Day of Pentecost" (Barrie Cabena) AC Offertory (815) "She Comes Sailing on the Wind" (Gordon Light) JN      (930) "Andromeda Serenade" (Ludwig van Beethoven/ trans. Reid Poole) I      (1100) "I Know the Lord's Laid His Hands on Me" (Aaron David Miller) SpS Response "Threefold Amen" (Danish) AC Postlude "Joysong" (Mark Hayes) LB   Notes: Pentecost is the festival of the church year when we celebrate the unpredictable activity of the Holy Spirit. The Bible uses images of wind and fire, the same images that Barrie Cabena uses as instructions for the middle section of the anthem the Adult Choir sings this morning. The Spirit is active in every culture around the world, a belief that is reflected in the contemporary Yoruba Introit sung by the choir and the classical piece from another era played on the French Horn. It is the same Spirit that anoints us at baptism and confirms our faith throughout life. The SpiritSingers express that confidence in song. Return to the top of the page May 18, 2008    C: Trinity Sunday Prelude "Still, Still with Thee" (arr. Dan Forrest) LB Introit "Holy God, We Praise Thy Name" (GROSSER GOTT) AC Anthem "Sanctus & Benedictus" Requiem (WA Mozart) AC Offertory "Offertoire" (Léon Boëllmann) LB Response "Holy Father, Holy Son" (GROSSER GOTT) AC Postlude "Here I Am, Lord" (arr. Janet Linker) LB   Notes: Trinity Sunday is the festival of the church year when we celebrate the mystery of God. The doctrine of the trinity has often been a daunting puzzle for Christians trying to understand their faith, when, in fact, it presents the paradox of three-in-one to remind us that God cannot be understood or domesticated. God is the ultimate reality who is to be experienced. The Adult Choir sings of this paradox this Sunday. Return to the top of the page May 25, 2008    C: Pentecost 2 Prelude "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" (arr. Robert A. Hobby) LB Introit "O Sing Unto the Lord" (Ann Ker) AC Anthem "From the End of the Earth" (Alan Hovhaness) AC Offertory (815) "Unsettled World" (Hal H. Hopson) JN      (930 & 1100) "God Reigns" (Josquin des Pres) V Response "Threefold Amen" (Ann Ker) AC Postlude "Allegro in G Major" (G.F. Handel) LB   Notes: The three most creative musical geniuses of recorded history are often thought to be Josquin, Monteverdi, and Beethoven. This Sunday, we will hear a piece by the earliest, the Renaissance, composer of the three. “God Reigns” is a piece that uses canon, or ‘round,’ technique to express the idea of God’s universal rule. Listen, too, for the tone painting of an upward leap on the phrase, “The floods lift up their voice.” Return to the top of the page June 1, 2008    C: Pentecost 3 Prelude "Pescaros de Hombres (Fishers of Men)" (arr. Lynn Trapp) LB Introit "Make a Joyful Noise" (Ann Ker) AC Anthem "Jesus Calls Us" (Joy Patterson) AC Offertory (815) "Stan' Still, Jordan" (Harry T. Burleigh) RGM      (930 & 1100) "Hallelujah! Praise the Lord" (Robert Ray) AC Response "Threefold Amen" (Ann Ker) AC Postlude "Morning Has Broken" (arr. Richard Proulx) LB   Notes: The TV commercial that climaxes with the statement, “Life comes at you fast,” is a paradigm for life in general for most of us. It often seems that life is a series of improvisations and close calls. Some of us find it disconcerting, but some of us find such events among the things that enrich life. Improvisation and close harmony are so near the pulse of life that they are the foundation for several important styles of music. They are close enough to the heart of things that they provide a non-verbal metaphor for life’s unpredictable and often disconcerting events. The Adult Choir sings in those styles this morning. Return to the top of the page June 8, 2008    C: Pentecost 4 Prelude "New Songs of Celebration" (Emma Lou Diemer) LB Introit "Stand Up and Bless the Lord" (ST. MICHAEL) AC Anthem "For the Mountains Shall Depart" (Hank Beebe) AC Offertory (815) "It Is the Cry of My Heart" (Terry Butler) JN      (930 & 1100) "Allegro" (JS Bach) I Response "Let Us Now Depart in Thy Peace" (A LA PUERTA) AC Postlude "Concerto in c minor" (JS Bach) I   Notes: When we feel abandoned by God in our sin, illness, or the throes of grieving, it is time to renew our trust in God’s faithfulness and rely on divine grace to enable our discipleship to grow. Jesus called Matthew out of his sin. He healed the woman whose illness was chronic, raised official’s daughter from death, and will not abandon us either. The choral music today is on this theme. Return to the top of the page June 15, 2008    C: Pentecost 5 Prelude "Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us" (arr. David Hamilton) LB Introit "This Is the Day That the Lord Hath Made" (TWENTY-FOURTH) AC Anthem "The Lord Is My Shepherd" (John Rutter) AC Offertory (815) "The God of Love" (Eric Thiman) RGM      (930 & 1100) "His Eye Is on the Sparrow" (Charles H. Gabriel) V Response "Threefold Amen" (Vincent Persichetti) AC Postlude "Guide Me Ever, Great Redeemer" (arr. Benjamin Culli) I   Notes: In his letter to the Romans, Paul indicates that even in our suffering God is with us in such a profound way that it results in endurance, character and hope. God will not disappoint us in that hope because the Holy Spirit has filled us with God’s love. The Psalm singer concludes the same thing in the most beloved of Psalms, “The Lord Is My Shepherd,” which the Adult Choir and soloist sing this day. Return to the top of the page June 22, 2008    C: Pentecost 6 Prelude (815) "Imnprovisation on 'Balm in Gilead'" (Joseph Martin) LB      (930 & 1100) "Remembrance" (Margaret Tucker) Summer Bells Introit "Stand Up and Bless the Lord" (ST. MICHAEL) AC Anthem "Swing Low" (arr. Howard A. Roberts) AC Offertory (815) "Just a Closer Walk with Thee" (CLOSER WALK) JN      (930 & 1100) "Blessed Be Your Name" (arr. Douglas Wagner) Summer Bells Response "Threefold Amen" (Carl Wiltse) AC Postlude (815) "Epilogue for Trumpet" (Tom Birchwood) LB      (930 & 1100) "Abide with Me" (arr. Valerie Stephenson) Summer Bells   Notes: In the sixth chapter of Romans, Paul asks, “How can we who died to sin go on living in it?” It is a question that challenges our decisions and our lifestyle every day as we do our best to live out our faith. Today the Adult Choir and Joyful Noise both sing of the solution. Return to the top of the page June 29, 2008    C: Pentecost 7 Prelude "This Is My Father's World" (arr. Dan Forrest) LB Introit "Make a Joyful Noise" (Ann Ker) AC Anthem "The Spirit of the Lord Is upon Me" (Edward Elgar) AC Offertory (815) "Gather Us In" (Marty Haugen) JN      (930 & 1100) "Aria" (JS Bach) I Response "Twofold Amen" (Vincent Persichetti) AC Postlude "Postlude" (Francois Couperin) LB   Notes: One of St. Paul’s most beloved and familiar verses from Romans 6 is “For the wages of sin in death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” God’s gift both requires and empowers Christians to live out their faith in service to others. The choral music today emphasizes the empowering part God’s gift. Return to the top of the page July 6, 2008    C: Pentecost 8 Anthem "The Last Words of David" (Randall Thompson) AC Offertory "Witness" (Hall Johnson) RGM Response "Fivefold Amen" (Ann Ker) AC   Notes: When the character of those who rule governments is important, as it was in King David’s day, and in ours, it helps to remember David’s final advice to Solomon, “The one who rules over others must just.” You can find the whole deathbed speech in 2 Samuel 23:1-7. The Adult Choir sings some of those words this morning. Return to the top of the page July 13, 2008    C: Pentecost 9 Prelude "Morning Has Broken" (arr. Teresa Wilhelmi) LB Anthem "Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise" (Eric Thiman) AC Offertory (815) "God Who Stretched the Spangled Heavens" (HOLY MANNA) JN      (930 & 1100) "Be Unto Your Name" (Gary Sadler and Lynn Deshazo) V Response "Threefold Amen" (Ann Ker) AC Postlude "My Soul Proclaims Your Greatness" (arr. Robert J. Powell) LB   Notes: Psalm 119:105 says “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” The light of God both illumines our way and shields us from a spiritual vision that is so intense that we cannot deal with it directly. Our positive experience of it is by its reflection in nature or other people; negatively, we experience it when it judges us, or when we sense its absence in the evil aspects of life. The metaphor of God hiding from us in “light inaccessible” is the theme of the Adult Choir’s anthem this morning. Return to the top of the page July 20, 2008    C: Pentecost 9 Prelude "Amazing Grace" (arr. David Cherwien) LB Anthem "How Firm a Foundation" (arr. Emma Lou Diemer) AC Offertory (815) "Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us" (William Bradley Roberts) RGM      (930 & 1100) "Vocalise" (Sergei Rachmaninoff) V Response "Sevenfold Amen" (John Stainer) AC Postlude "My Soul Proclaims Your Greatness" (arr. Robert J. Powell) LB   Notes: Glossolalia, the technical term for speaking in tongues, is not in great favor with mainline Protestants. Anything ecstatic and uncontrolled is more than a little suspicious and perhaps offensive to our sense of propriety and good order. However, it was one of the earliest forms of Christian worship. Paul accepted the validity of its ecstasy although for public worship he too wanted to keep in within the bounds of its ability to be interpreted. Its earliest musical expression was as wordless vocalises, of which we have written medieval examples. Sergei Rachmaninoff’s famous “Vocalise,” originally for violin and orchestra, has been transcribed for many other combinations of instruments, including voice, as we hear it performed this morning. The interpretation of the wordless melody is in Rachmaninoff’s harmony and counterpoint. Return to the top of the page July 27, 2008    C: Pentecost 10 Prelude (815) "How Can I Keep from Singing" (arr Lani Smith) LB      (930 & 1100) "Sent Forth by God's Blessing" (arr. Dennis R. Johnson) LB & GB Anthem "My Shepherd Will Supply My Need" (arr. Mack Wilberg) AC Offertory (815) "The Lord's My Shepherd" (CRIMMOND) JN      (930 & 1100) "Hope for Resolution" (Paul Caldwell & Sean Ivory) AC Response "Amen" (John Rutter) AC Postlude "To Spring" (Edward Grieg) LB   Notes: In its juxtaposition of a European chant melody and an anti-apartheid song from South Africa, Hope for Resolution is a celebration of diversity. It was composed during the years when Mandela and de Klerk were working to end their nation’s long history of injustice and oppression, and is dedicated to them. The piece is sung this morning in the hope that those who sing, play and hear it will dedicate their efforts to making this world a better place in which to live. Return to the top of the page