Now the green blade rises from the buried grain.
Wheat that in dark earth for many days has lain.
Love lives again, that with the dead has been.
Love is come again like wheat that rises green.
-John Crum, alt.

The resurrection imagery of new life emerging from the earth in the Easter hymn "Now the Green Blade Rises" applies beautifully to this Sunday's Earth Day celebration. Songs of nature and beauty also remind us that we also are the soil of God nurturing seeds to become better stewards of God's creation and its people.

A light-hearted kid-friendly Easter 2 service at 9:00 a.m. begins with a message of environmental stewardship in "Colors of the Wind" from Disney's Pocohontas. An eclectic mix of folk, jazz, and even a spot from the organ in a quirky Emma Lou Diemer setting of the hymn "All Things Bright and Beautiful" takes us to the Sending Song "A Place in the Choir" by Bill Staines. You'll be invited to join us on the refrain of this ode to "all God's critters"! Bassist Peter Strening and vocalist/banjoist Lucas Jackson join us.

At 11:00 a.m., two selections from Flor Peeters' nature-inspired Lied (German for "song") Symphony for Organ will be offered. "Lied to the Flowers" is a variation on an original theme presented in a cascade of timbres from the organ much like the beautiful variances of flowers in nature. "Lied to the Mountains" is a stately majestic work of nobility and strength with a hint of mysteriousness in the unsettled middle section.    

The Chancel Choir sings the praises of rebirth on a fresh new day in Mark Hayes' anthem "In the Morning, Joy."  

​Eastertide and Earth Day will be acknowledged in the music selections this Sunday.

French composer Louis Vierne, also famously the titular organist at Notre Dame Cathedral from 1900 until his death in 1937, will be represented by the sprightly “Chant de Printemps” (Spring Song). Italian concert organist Marco Bossi’s “Alleluja – Final,” from 6 Pieces, Op. 70 (1891) will close the morning services.

The Chancel Choir offers American composer William Albright’s “Look There! The Christ.” Taken from his collection of Six New Hymns (1983), this Easter text is set to verses over an intricate accompaniment in dual time signatures and a chorus reminiscent of gospel and blues rock. This approach of creating synergy between several seemingly incompatible styles of music is a hallmark of Albright’s compositional ethos.

On Sunday evening, Earth Day and environmental awareness will be focused upon with music both old and new. Saxophonist Bill Cleary and vocalist Kristen Smith will join Bobby and others for an evening of predominantly American music including gospel, jazz, and Native American sounds, with flute, and possibly a touch of Gregorian chant…