Service Previews and Recordings

Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. with the blessing of the animals, sung by the Adult Choir; sermon by the Rev’d Susan Pinkerton.

Guest Musicians:
David Poirier, saxophone
Ray Palagy, percussion

Worship at Home:

Click here for: Service Bulletin – Sermon Text

Service Music:

Organ Voluntary   Dance Prelude on Lasst uns erfreuen    David Schack, 1971

Processional Hymn 405    All things bright and beautiful    Royal Oak

Gloria in excelsis S278     William Mathias (1934-1992)

Sequence Hymn 593 vv. 1-3    Lord, make us servants of your peace    Dickinson College

Hymn at the Blessing of the Animals 400    All creatures of our God and King    Lasst uns erfreuen

Offertory Anthem    Canticle of Brother Sun and Sister Moon (from Missa Gaia/Earth Mass)    Paul Winter/Jim Scott, 1982

The Earth Mass was one of the first contributions made by Paul Winter when he and his Paul Winter Consort became the artists in residence at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. The mass includes the usual text, such as the Kyrie and the Agnus Dei, and also other text, hymns, and instrumental pieces. The mass is an environmental liturgy of contemporary music. Since it was first written, the mass is performed annually at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine at The Feast of St. Francis which is the blessing of the animals.

Sanctus S128    William Mathias

Fraction Anthem S166  Agnus Dei     Gerald Near (b. 1942)

Communion Song    Eat this bread, drink this cup    Taizé Chant

Closing Hymn in Procession 412    Earth and all stars    Earth and All Stars

Voluntary    Carillon    Scott Lamlein, 2010

Celtic Contemplative Worship at 4:30 p.m., beginning with silent meditation.

Worship at Home:

Click here for: Service Bulletin

The new monthly Celtic service, a joint endeavor of St. John’s and St. James’s, centers on contemplation, connections to the earth, and healing and transformation through meditation and prayer. The service, featuring brief readings and reflections, beautiful music from a variety of traditions, and prayers, will be the first Sunday of the month, October through June, at St. John’s. The service begins at 4:30 with a period of silence for reflection and preparation

Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir; sermon by the Rev’d Susan Pinkerton.

Guest Organist/Choirmaster: Douglas Johnson

Worship at Home:

Click here for: Service Bulletin – Sermon Text

Service Music:

Organ Voluntary     Miniatures 8 & 10, from op. 55     Flor Peeters (1903-1986)

Processional Hymn 546    Awake my soul, stretch every nerve    Siroë

Gloria in excelsis S278     William Mathias (1934-1992)

Sequence Hymn LEVAS 165    I am pressing on the upward way     Higher Ground

Offertory Anthem    Oculi omnium    Charles Wood (1866-1926)
Words: Psalm 144:15

Oculi omnium in te spirant Domine:                The eyes of all wait upon thee, O Lord:
Et tu das illis escam in tempore opportune        And thou givest them their meat in due season.
Gloria tibi Domine. Amen.                 Glory be to thee, O Lord. Amen.

Sanctus S128    William Mathias

Fraction Anthem S166  Agnus Dei     Gerald Near (b. 1942)

Communion Motet    Ave verum corpus    Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

In the last few months of his life, Mozart was involved in the composition of the Magic Flute and La Clemenza di Tito. These two very different works were to dominate his last year until embarking upon the unfinished Requiem. On June 17 of 1791, his last year, Mozart took a break to compose the profound and heavenly Ave verum corpus for chorus and strings. This amazing little work is in his most ethereal last manner. Hushed, never going above the softest dynamics, it gives us a picture of an otherworldly peace unlike almost no other work. (Notes courtesy Craig Smith)

Closing Hymn in Procession 525    The church’s one foundation    Aurelia

Voluntary     Chorale: Gelobt sei Gott im hoechsten Thron     Ernst Pepping (1901-1981)

Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs; sermon by the Rev’d Chuck Robertson.

Worship at Home:

Click here for: Service Bulletin – Sermon Text

Service Music:

Organ Voluntary   Concerto in A minor (after Vivaldi)    Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Allegro – Adagio

Processional Hymn 556    Rejoice, ye pure in heart    Marion

Anthem, sung by the Youth Choir    Deep river    Allan Bevan, 1998
Words and Melody: African-American Spiritual

Deep River,
My home is over Jordan.
Deep river, Lord,
I want to cross over into campground.

Oh, don’t you want to go,
To the Gospel feast;
That Promised Land,
Where all is peace?

Sequence Hymn 321    My God, thy table now is spread    Rockingham

Offertory Anthem    Rejoice in the Lord alway     Anonymous, mid-sixteenth century
Words from today’s Epistle lesson

Sanctus S128    William Mathias

Fraction Anthem S166  Agnus Dei     Gerald Near (b. 1942)

Communion Anthem    Rise up, my love    Healey Willan (1880-1968)
Words: Song of Solomon

Rise up my love, my fair one, and come away.
For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone.
The flowers appear upon the earth.
The time of singing of birds is come.
Arise my love, my fair one, and come away.

Healey Willan was a prolific British composer and organist, spending most of his career in Canada. He has over 800 works in all genres to his credit, including many in our Hymnal 1982. Rise up my love dates from 1929. Willan was devoted to the Gregorian tradition, as can be heard in this simple but beautiful piece.

Closing Hymn in Procession    Great is thy faithfulness    Faithfulness

Thomas Chisholm wrote this hymn as a testament to God’s faithfulness through his very ordinary life.  Born in a log cabin in Franklin, Kentucky, Chisholm became a Christian when he was twenty-seven and entered the ministry when he was thirty-six, though poor health forced him to retire after just one year and work as an insurance agent. Still, even with a desk job, he wrote nearly 1,200 poems throughout his life, including several published hymns. Chisholm explained toward the end of his life, “My income has not been large at any time due to impaired health.  Although I must not fail to record here the unfailing faithfulness of a covenant-keeping God and that He has given me many wonderful displays of His providing care, for which I am filled with astonishing gratefulness.”

Voluntary    Trumpet Tune in D    David N. Johnson (1922-1981)

Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir; sermon by the Rev’d Susan Pinkerton.

Worship at Home:

Click here for: Service Bulletin – Sermon Text

Service Music:

Organ Voluntary   Prélude sur le nom d’Alain    Maurice Duruflé (1902-1986)

This work was written in homage to Duruflé’s colleague Jehan Alain, who died in 1940 at the beginning of the Second World War. The Prélude comprises two themes; the first is derived from the name “Alain” by a continuation of the musical alphabet past H (German B) in octave rows so that “Alain” gives the notes A-D-A-A-F (also used in the double-fugue in today’s closing voluntary), and the second is a theme taken from Alain’s most famous organ work, Litanies. Duruflé was a highly self-critical composer whose musical language can be viewed as a synthesis of two schools: the impressionist tradition of Debussy and Ravel and the modal, Gregorian-inspired style of Gabriel Fauré. This particular work is soul-stirring and well-beloved because of its perfect balance and proportion – much like a painting by Monet.

Introit     Total Praise    Richard Smallwood, 1996
Sung by the men of the choir.

Lord, I will lift mine eyes to the hills
Knowing my help is coming from You
Your peace you give me in time of the storm

You are the source of my strength
You are the strength of my life
I lift my hands in total praise to you    Amen.

Processional Hymn 718    God of our fathers, whose almighty hand    National Hymn

Gloria in excelsis S278     William Mathias (1934-1992)

Sequence Hymn 684    O for a closer walk with God    Caithness

Offertory Anthem    Treasures in heaven    Joseph Clokey (1890-1960)
Text: Matthew 6:19-21, 7:7-8

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

Sanctus S128    William Mathias

Fraction Anthem S166  Agnus Dei     Gerald Near (b. 1942)

Communion Anthem    To everything there is a season    Alfred Fedak, 1988
Words: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

To everything there is a season,
and a time to every purpose under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die;
a time to plant and time to uproot;
a time to kill and time to heal;
a time to break down and time to build up;
to everything there is a season,
and a time to every purpose under heaven,
a time to weep and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn and time to dance;
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones together,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
to everything there is a season,
a time to seek and time to lose;
a time to keep and time to cast away;
a time to rend and time to sew;
a time to keep silent and time to speak;
a time of love and a time of hate;
a time for war and a time for peace.
To everything there is a season.

It is difficult to hear this comforting text from Ecclesiates without calling to mind the popular 60’s song, Turn, turn, turn. Seeing a far greater need to inspire the hearing of these powerful words, Albany, New York composer Al Fedak has crafted a melody that allows the choir to communicate the deep meaning of the text clearly and with great feeling.

Closing Hymn in Procession 665    All my hope on God is founded    Michael

Voluntary    Fugue sur le nom d’Alain    Maurice Duruflé

Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth & Adult Choirs; sermon by the Rev’d Dean McGowan.

Worship at Home:

Click here for: Service Bulletin – Sermon Text

Service Music:

Organ Voluntary   Ritornella-Prelude on Nun danket alle Gott    David Schelat, 2016

Processional Hymn 397    Now thank we all our God    Nun danket alle Gott

Gloria in excelsis S278     William Mathias (1934-1992)

Psalm 1    Chanted by the choir. Anglican Chant by Alec Wyton (1921-2007)

Sequence Hymn W884    O all ye works of God    Rockville

Offertory Anthem   What a friend we have in Jesus    Harold M. Best, 1985
Words: Joseph Scriven (1819-1866), found at hymn 109.

Sanctus S128    William Mathias

Fraction Anthem S166  Agnus Dei     Gerald Near (b. 1942)

Communion Anthem    I will sing with the spirit    David Goodenough, 2006
Words: 1 Corinthians 14: 15; Psalm 96: 1

This piece is a setting of the Royal School of Church Music motto, I will sing with the spirit and also with the understanding, paired with Psalm 96:1: O sing unto the Lord a new song; sing unto the Lord all the earth.

Closing Hymn in Procession 539    O Zion, haste, thy mission high fulfilling    Tidings

Voluntary   Now thank we all our God    J.S. Bach (1685-1750)
Arranged for organ by Virgil Fox (1912-1980)

Assisting Pianist: Jacqueline Smith