Songs and reflections on Love and Light this Youth for Change Sunday morning.
Our chancel is graced with the lovely sounds of a string quartet from Plymouth members violinist Harmony Tucker, violist Mateo Dunigan-AtLee, cellist Aaron Dunigan-AtLee, and double bassist Ovella Huddleston. They open worship with a graceful arrangement of "Morning Has Broken" by Jeremy Corcoran and lead you in several of the congregational songs that follow. The Chancel Choir offers "Lighting the Way" by composer Will Todd. Commissioned for the Lighting the Way Festival at Durham Cathedral, England in 1999, the text, also written by the composer, poetically expresses the many reflections of God in our everyday life and how we are called to share this Light: "In the stars I see you. In a flower, you're there. In a song I hear you. You are everywhere. You are the light that starts the day and with you I'm lighting the way." The organ sends us out into the world with a boisterous voluntary based on the Welsh hymn tune "Hyfrydol" by Ralph Vaughan Williams. The tune is the melody of our closing hymn "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling" by prolific hymn writer and influential figure in the Methodism movement Charles Wesley. Written in 1747, the text is one of over 6500 hymns attributed to his penmanship which includes standards of the Christian hymn canon "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" and "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today."
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We celebrate the rich diversity of Plymouth's music ministry on this Annual Celebration Sunday morning.
At the Prelude, guitarist and vocalist Bill DeMarco presents "Never Alone," a song about unconditional love and the value of faith in trying times recorded by Jim Brickman. Bassist Peter Strening and vocalist Lucas Jackson also join in as well as lead congregational songs of community and resilience throughout morning worship. The Chancel Choir in collaboration with our "eclectic service" musicians offers the 1960's peace anthem "Get Together" arranged for chorus by John Arteron. Originally written by Chet Powers of the group Quicksilver Messenger Service, the song became a Top 10 hit in 1969 when covered by The Youngbloods. The lyrics speak to the axis of love and fear and the power of choice we each hold to choose between them. The well-known chorus states this message clearly: "Come on people now, smile on your brother. Everybody get together, try to love one another right now." The organ invites you back into the sanctuary with a joyous fanfare following the brief Fellowship Time preceding the Annual Meeting. The fanfare is based on the G.F. Handel composed hymn tune "Gopsal," often associated with the hymn of praise "Rejoice, the Lord Is King!" The jubilant character of this setting surely reflects the recurring refrain of the original hymn text by Charles Wesley adapted from Philippians 4.4: "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice." The grand Martin Luther hymn of faith "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" concludes our time of fellowship and worship in a brilliant toccata setting by eminent American organ composer Emma Lou Diemer. On this Martin Luther King, Jr. Day weekend, we are reminded once again that the arc of the moral universe is indeed long, and challenging, but does inevitably bend towards justice. Together, united in the Spirit, our individual gifts can come together and reveal glimpses of the Kin-dom of God to the world. Songs of Blessed Community, the Spirit, and a relentless optimism from the African-American spiritual songbook will be shared this Sunday morning.
At the Prelude, the Plymouth Ringers offer a jubilant setting of "Great Day!" by Bill Ingram. The spiritual is a call to action for faithful people the world over. As the Refrain declares, "Great day! Great day, the righteous marching. Great day! God's going to build up Zion's walls!" The Chancel Choir sings Mark Hayes' "In the Morning, Joy" as you come forward to the Table. This lovely anthem embodies the essence of a beautiful morning sunrise and the optimism at the start of a new day — literally and figuratively. The text by Susan Boersma is based on the hopeful message of Psalm 30.5b which speaks to God's eternal love through all of life's adversity: "For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning." A playful and downright happy setting of the spiritual "Ain't-a That Good News" arranged by Marianne Kim concludes worship this Second Sunday of the Epiphany season. Characterized by the gospel and jazz idioms, this spicy arrangement easily relates the message of the spiritual that, in layman terms, God's love has our back! Welcoming you into the sanctuary this First Sunday after the Epiphany is the chorale prelude "Once He Came in Blessing" from J.S. Bach's "Orgelbüchlein" (Little Organ Book). This collection was originally designed to contain 146 selections representing chorales from all across the liturgical year but only 46 were completed in the composer's lifetime. This Sunday morning's gentle offering is taken from the Advent section but beautifully encapsulates the message of Jesus' Light to the world and his ministry.
The Chancel Choir shares the good news of the Epiphany season, the season of Light, in "Arise, Shine, for Your Light Is Come" by Robert Powell. The text by F. Bland Tucker refers to the story of Jesus' baptism in Luke 3: 21-22 and how we, filled with the Spirit and Light of Christ, are called to serve others in peace. The service concludes with a meditation on the 19th century American folk tune "Land of Rest" which our closing hymn "God, When I Came Into this Life" is based on. During this peaceful setting by Andrew Moore, you will be invited to come forward and renew your baptism and commitment to God's Kin-dom on earth. |
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