​At 9:00 a.m., vocalist and guitarist Bill DeMarco joins the team for a Celtic and folk-inspired collection of songs rejoicing in the resurrection.
 
At 11:00 a.m., two contemporary organ settings on traditional Easter carols by James Biery are offered. A trio on the 17th century Dutch tune "Vreuchten" ("This Joyful Eastertide") begins the worship hour. A toccata on the 16th century German tune "Gaudeamus Pariter" ("Come, You Faithful, Raise the Strain") closes the service. The Chancel Choir sings "A Gaelic Easter Celebration" by Patti Drennan with fiddler Harmony Tucker.

At 9:00 a.m., jazz harmonies and Celtic hymns come together during the early morning worship hour. Ukulelist Stuart Yoshida, cantor Lucas Jackson, and bassist Peter Strening join us. 

At 11:00 a.m., the organ offers two expressions of joy in a chorale prelude on the German hymn tune "Lobe den Herren" (Praise the Lord) by Johann Walther and the thrilling "Toccata for a Joyful Day" by Emma Lou Diemer. The congregation will be invited to join the Chancel Choir in the hymn-anthem "All My Hope on God Is Founded" arranged by Michael Burkhardt.   

The spirit of joy and peace on this Third Sunday of Advent.

At the 9:00 a.m. service, we are joined by flutist Norman Menzales offering works by Nicanor Abelardo, J.S. Bach and others. Norman is the Principal Flute for the Fort Collins Symphony, Montana Great Falls Symphony, and the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra. Together with vocalist and cellist Lucas Jackson and I we bring a more "classical" tone to our eclectic early morning worship service.

At the 11:00 a.m. service, the Chancel Choir sings a delightful contemporary setting of the 12th century Latin hymn "Veni Emmanuel" by Dan Forrest. The shifting duple and triple meters propel this joyous reading of the ancient text into a frenetic dance.

From the organ come two carols of this most fleeting season of Advent. At the Prelude, we hear a minimalistic-inspired gigue on the tune "Macht hoch die Tür" (fling wide the door) by Richard Hudson. At the Postlude, a stately toccata on the tune "Helmsley" (often associated with the Advent text "Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending") by James Vivian closes worship.

At 9:00 a.m., songs of joy and changing seasons led by vocalist Lucas Jackson, guitarist Alan Skowron, bassist Peter Strening and percussionist Nick McCulloch.

At 11:00 a.m., a prelude on the Welsh tune "Ash Grove" (commonly associated with the text "Let All Things Now Living") opens worship as a duet for organ and handbells. The Plymouth Ringers also offer a shimmering accompaniment to the harvest hymn-anthem "Autumn Carol" by Russell Schulz-Widmar. Lastly, the organ brings worship to a resounding finish in ecstatic expressions of joy in "Chant de Joie" (Song of Joy) by Jean Langlais.

Songs of expectation, longing, and joy this Third Sunday of Advent

At 9:00 a.m., eclectic sounds from the folk, country, and jazz idioms and a  moment from the organ round out the morning's musical offerings. Bassist Peter Strening, Resident Ukulelist Stuart Yoshida, and cantor Lucas Jackson join us.

At 11:00 a.m., the Plymouth Ringers offer the classic Advent carol "Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus" to the early American tune "Jefferson" from Southern Harmony (1835). A riveting and contemporary toccata on the hymn tune "Helmsley," associated with the Advent text "Lo, He Comes with Clouds Descending," closes the service with a joyful musical exclamation point.

The Chancel Choir sings the gentle "A Carol for Advent" by well-known hymn writer and composer Carl Schalk. The message of patient waiting in this fleeting season is beautifully expressed with a text by Rae E. Whitney. Violinist Harmony Tucker plays the accompanying descant.

Odes to joy will be shared and sung at this Sunday morning's candidating service.

Two organ works from eminent composer Emma Lou Diemer serve as the prelude and postlude. Her setting of the quintessential song of joy, "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore You," is a capricious work with rapid chord clusters and a hint of bitonality to create a musical landscape of mischievous fun. The "Toccata on a Joyful Day" is an exciting flourish of color exuding the hope and joy of a new day. The Chancel Choir offers "One, Faith, One Hope, One Lord" by Craig Courtney. Based on Ephesians 4.4-6, 13, the text is a hymn of praise and expresses the idea of unity of all people under God.