Music for Worship 16 December 2007

Gaudete Sunday (Advent III) affords us the opportunity to shift from a purely Advent focus in our liturgy and music, to music and liturgy with a more Christmas-y tone. Like many congregations we strive to maintain the solemnity of Advent for the first two Sundays, but begin to lean toward Christmas by the third Sunday of the season. Thus it is that we will begin utilizing Christmas songs this week in worship.

FirstLight will begin with a prelude of live instrumental music provided by our Youth Handbell Ensemble. They will perform a joyful setting of “Go tell it on the mountain,” with Melissa Corbett on flute. We will also sing that carol, plus “Good Christian friends rejoice” and “Jesus, name above all names” as our opening song set. Many folks don’t realize that Nadia Hearn wrote two stanzas to this familiar praise chorus. The second especially has lyrics that suit the Advent season. We will repeat our usage of the Korean prayer song “Come now O Prince of peace,” and the Iona Community canticle “Glory and gratitude and praise.” For our closing song we will be singing the modern carol “To a maid engaged to Joseph.” The prophets will sing a beautiful new setting of “Come thou long-expected Jesus” by Taylor Davis at the offering. A new melody paired with this old text by Charles Wesley make this an incredibly captivating anthem.

The youth ringers will also perform their “Go tell it…” arrangement at 11 AM. The Tune Weavers, our resident men’s quartet, will sing Mark Lowry’s “Mary did you know” at the offering. The organ postlude will be from JSB’s Orgelbuchlein, “Lord Christ, thou only Son of God.” Service music will include the Taize song “Prepare the way of the Lord,” the Korean “Come now…” and “King of kings and Lord of lords.” The musical highlight of the service will be the presentation of Conrad Susa’s “A Christmas Garland. A Christmas carol medley, the works features several familiar carols in exciting new arrangements and harmonies. For those who might be curious, yes, the “We three kings” setting is in an odd meter: 7/8! Congregational hymns will include "Angels from the realms of glory" (Regent Square), "To a maid engaged to Joseph" (Annunciation) and "Lo, how a rose e'er blooming" (Es ist ein ros').