Stone

It started with an idea to create a "stations of the cross" experience for our FirstLight worshipers. We wanted an experiential worship service for Palm Sunday this year derived from the rich Roman Catholic "stations" devotion. We pared ours down to five stations and asked our artists to each take a station. The final station, "Jesus is laid in the tomb," I have managed sort of in-house. Andy G took my idea for the stone and created the framework. After we loaded it into my pickup for portage to the church, Andy said it looked like some sort of redneck airboat!


Over the course of two weeks, the kids in our Logos program applied the paper-mache.



Today children from our weekday school painted on the base color.


Next up: some faux-stone paint and faux-moss and then staging in the fellowship hall. It's been a neat process that involved lots of exuberant participants, and just a little mess! Four other artists are working on different stations. They will be installing them later in the week. Worship at FirstLight on Palm Sunday will allow folks to explore these stations. The stations will remain in place throughout Holy Week for the whole congregation to experience them.

Offertory switch

As I am wont to do on occasion, I played a piece for the offertory last Sunday different from what was printed in our worship bulletin. It being the week during which we organists celebrated the 327th birthday of JS Bach, I knew I wanted to play a chorale prelude but changed which one at the last minute. I went with "Christus, der uns selig macht, from the Orgelbuchlein collection. Here is the text and English translation of the first stanza of this hymn:

Christus, der uns selig macht,
kein Boes hat begangen,
ward fuer uns zur Mitternacht
als ein Dieb gefangen,
gefuerht vor gottlose Leut
und faelschlich verklaget,
verlacht, verhoehnt, und verspeit,
wie denn die Schrift saget.

Christ, who makes us blessed,
and who had done no evil,
for us was taken at midnight,
like a thief,
led before godless people,
and falsely accused,
jeered, mocked and spat upon,
as the Scripture says.

The coolest part of this particular setting of the chorale is a point near then end when the soprano voices contains a G and the bass an F-sharp; the alto a C-natural and the tenor a C-sharp! The chorale prelude is treated as a canon (two voices contain the melody but follow each other in this case by two beats), and is full of dissonance. But that moment is special to me.

Music for 032512

FirstLight
Gathering Song(s)
Come and fill our hearts (STF 2157)
Change my heart O God (STF 2152)

Opening Song
I give you my heart

Confession
Leon Roberts, Lord have mercy

Scripture/Proclamation
Speak, O Lord

Offertory
Ancient words

Doxology
Give thanks (STF 2036)

Closing Song
Bitter was the night


11 AM
Hymns
469, Morning has broken (BUNESSAN)
Bitter was the night (BITTER)
302, I danced in the morning (SIMPLE GIFTS)

Confession
Leon Roberts, Lord have mercy

Anthem
Rosephanye Powell, The Word was God
In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God. The same was in the beginning with God. By him all things were made,
that have been made; nothing was made he has not made.

Doxology
All things come of thee, O Lord

Instrumental/Organ Music
Prelude: Arr. Paul Manz, Voluntary on Bunessan
Offertory: JS Bach, The Son of God goes forth
Postlude: JS Bach, Prelude in A Minor

I became familiar with the 11AM choir anthem several years ago but never performed it; the piece was suggested to me a couple of years ago here in Black Mountain by a former chorister. We weren't ready to attempt it then, but have grown in our choral abilities and finesse since then. The composer is an African-American woman of growing renown. Her name is pronounced like the name "Stephanie" without the "t" and with the addition of "ro" to the beginning. Sidney Carter wrote two of the hymns we will sing at 11AM this week. I have not ever before included two songs by the same person in a single service. But I wanted to pair the more obscure song, "Bitter was the night," with a hymn for which Carter is rightly famous, "I danced in the morning." Carter, an English poet, songwriter and folk musician was born in 1915 and died in 2004.

Banners for Lent

Here are the most recent banners for our Lenten preaching series, "We were there." These are Peter (top), the high priest Caiaphas (above), and Judas (below). Folks have been responding to these favorably.

Music for 031812

FirstLight
Gathering Song(s)
This is our God

Opening Song
Better is one day

Confession
Leon Roberts, Lord have mercy

Offertory
M Barker, keyboard

Doxology
Give thanks (STF 2036)

Closing Song
Journey to Gethsemane

11 AM
Hymns
2236, Gather us in (GATHER)
Journey to Gethsemane (REDHEAD)
361, How firm a foundation (FOUNDATION)

Introit
Natalie Sleeth, Everywhere I go
Carol Choir

Confession
Leon Roberts, Lord have mercy

Children's Time
Arr. Barker, Seek ye first
Aerie Ringers, Emily Beaver, flute

Anthem
Michael Bedford, Jubilate Deo
Aerie Singers
Jubilate deo, omnis terra.
O be joyful in the Lord God, all you children of the world.
Love and serve the Lord your God with gladness everywhere!
Come to God, come now into God’s presence, with songs of exultation!

Doxology
All things come of thee, O Lord

Instrumental/Organ Music
Prelude: Arr. Barker, Jesus loves me
Aerie Ringers, Emily Beaver, flute
Offertory: Nancy Haskell, Nocturne in C Minor
Adult Handbells

Organ lecture-demonstration

Briggs told me last week that his class is doing a science unit on sound and musical instruments (he made a guitar out of a shoe-box and rubber bands with absolutely no help from anyone else at home). I offered his teacher the opportunity to take a short field trip and come visit the church's pipe organ. She took me up on it and with my permission invited all the second-grade teachers to visit. A total of 4 are making arrangements.

Briggs' class came this morning. He was very excited and proud, but was also a good host and let others ask all the questions about the organ and answer my questions to the class (to which he knew all the answers) and didn't gloat too much about having been allowed in the casework before.

I gave a short introduction on how sound is produced by wind, how an organ pipe is engineered to make sound, and the basics of how the organ is put together (blower, console, casework). I played a few snippets of music to demonstrate various sounds (diapasons, flutes, strings, reeds, ensemble). I let groups of five blow on a set of pentatonic pipes. They concluded by playing "Old MacDonald." And I answered lots of questions!

Best part of it all? I heard one student tell a classmate as they were heading out and back to school, "I want to come to this church sometime!"

Worship music 030412

FirstLight
Gathering Song(s)
Be still, for the presence of the Lord
How great is our God

Opening Song
In Christ alone

Confession
Leon Roberts, Lord have mercy

Offertory
Above all

Doxology
Give thanks

Closing Song
Jesus went out to a garden (BEACH SPRING)

11 AM
Hymns
276, Great is thy faithfulness (FAITHFULNESS)
Jesus went out to a garden (BEACH SPRING)
new hymn written by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette on commission from BMPCNC
76, My song is love unknown (LOVE UNKNOWN)

Confession
Leon Roberts, Lord have mercy

Anthem
Bach-Gounod, Prelude in C
Alice Keith Knowles, violin

Doxology
All things come of thee, O Lord

Instrumental/Organ Music
Prelude: Buxtehude, Vater unser in himmelreich
Offertory: Arr. Charles Callahan, Voluntary on LOVE UNKNOWN
Postlude: Buxtehude, Toccata in F-Sharp Minor