Music for 042113

FirstLight
Gathering Song(s)
Here I am to worship
Mighty to save

Opening Song
Your grace is enough

Prayer of Praise
Halle, halle, halleluja (STF 2026)

Prayers
Goodness is stronger (STF 2219)

Offertory
Christ is arisen, hallelujah

Closing Song
Precious Lord, take my hand (PH 404)

11AM
Hymns
108, Christ is alive (TRURO)
Awake, O Sleeper (MARSH CHAPEL)
404, Precious Lord, take my hand (PRECIOUS LORD)

Response of Praise
2026, Halle, halle, hallelujah (HALLE, HALLE)

Anthem
Tanzanian Worship Song, Christ is arisen, hallelujah

Doxology
Praise God from whom all blessings flow (LASST UNS ERFREUEN)

Prayers
2219, Goodness is stronger (GOODNESS)

Instrumental/Organ Music
Prelude: Karg-Elert, O God, thou faithful God
Offertory:  Willan, Praise be to Christ our risen Lord
Postlude:   Karg-Elert, Festive Procession

Music for 032413 Palm-Passion Sunday

FirstLight
Gathering Song(s)
The King of glory comes

Opening Song
All glory, laud and honor

Confession
Jesus Messiah

Scripture/Proclamation
Forever

Offertory
Mantos y palmas

Closing Song    
In Christ alone
 
11 AM
Hymns
88, All glory, laud and honor (VALET WILL ICH DIR GEBEN)
89, Hosanna, loud hosanns (ELLACOMBE)
76, My song is love unknown (LOVE UNKNOWN)
91, Ride one! Ride on in Majesty! (ST DROSTANE)

Confession
579, Glory be to the Father (GREATOREX)

Anthem
Christian Gergor (1785), Hosanna

Doxology
Were the whole realm (HAMBURG)

Music for 031013

FirstLight
Gathering Song(s)
Invocation (Murai)

Opening Song
Bless the Lord, my soul

Confession
Surely it is God who saves me

Scripture/Proclamation
Thy Word

Prayers
Lord’s Prayer

Offertory
Overcome

Closing Song    
Refiner’s fire (Purify my heart)
 
11 AM
Hymns
276, Great is thy faithfulness (FAITHFULNESS)
347, Forgive our sins as we forgive (DETROIT)
434, Today we all are called to be (KINGSFOLD)

Introit
2013, Bless the Lord my soul (BLESS THE LORD)

Confession
2030, Surely it is God who saves me (FIRST SONG)

Anthem
Handel (Arr. Stanton), Forever blest is he

Prayers
Cambodian Lord’s Prayer

Doxology
Were the whole realm (HAMBURG)

Instrumental/Organ Music
Prelude: Sung
Offertory: Arr. Brent Olstad, He leadeth me
Libby Barker, flute
Postlude:  John Stanley, Voluntary and fugue in G minor

Music for 030313

FirstLight
Gathering Song(s)
Invocation (Murai)

Opening Song
Bless the Lord, my soul (STF 2013)

Confession
Surely it is God who saves me (STF 2030)

Offertory
Undo

Closing Song    
You are holy (Prince of peace)
 
11 AM
Hymns
356, Come, thou fount of every blessing (NETTLETON)
272, God of the sparrow, God of the whale (ROEDER)
Come, we that love the Lord (ST. THOMAS)

Introit
2013, Bless the Lord my soul (BLESS THE LORD)

Confession
2030, Surely it is God who saves me (FIRST SONG)

Anthem
Arr Dennis Allen, Come, thou fount

Doxology
Were the whole realm (HAMBURG)

Instrumental/Organ Music
Prelude: Sung
Offertory:  John Alcock, Three Short Pieces
Nick Murphy, organ
Postlude:  TBA Organ

Music for 021713

FirstLight
Gathering Song(s)
Invocation (Murai)

Opening Song
Bless the Lord, my soul (STF 2013)

Confession
Surely it is God who saves me (STF 2030)

Offertory
Lead me to the cross

Closing Song    
The wonderful cross

 
11 AM
Hymns
81, Lord, who throughout these forty days (ST. FLAVIAN)
392, Take thou our minds, dear Lord

Introit
2013, Bless the Lord my soul (BLESS THE LORD)

Confession
2030, Surely it is God who saves me (FIRST SONG)

Doxology
Were the whole realm (HAMBURG)

Communion
Responses: Oliver
Distribution: 2267, Taste and see

Instrumental/Organ Music
Offertory:  Guido Haazen, Sanctus, from Missa Luba, Mass in Congolese style

Music for 021013

FirstLight

Gathering Song(s)

Made me glad

Shout to the Lord

Opening Song

Shine, Jesus, shine

Confession

Halle, halle, halleluja

Scripture/Proclamation

Open our eyes, Lord

Offertory

Hallelujah, saved by your mercy

Closing Song    

Go forth in his name 

11 AM

Hymns

144, Alleluia, sing to Jesus (HYFRODOL)

306, Fairest Lord Jesus (CRUSADER’S HYMN)

You, Lord, are both lamb and shepherd (PICARDY)

Confession

2026, Halle, halle, halleluja, (CARIBBEAN HALLELUJA)

Anthem

J. Jefferson Cleveland, Praise ye the Lord

(a setting of Psalm 150)

Doxology

LASST UNS ERFREUEN

Instrumental/Organ Music

Prelude: Traditional, Alabaré

Aerie Singers

Offertory:  Darke, Voluntary on Picardy

Postlude:  Simon Preston, Alleluyas

“…at his feet the six-winged Seraph; Cherubim with sleepless eye,

Veil their faces to the Presence, as with ceaseless voice they cry:

Alleluya, alleluia, alleluia, Lord most high.”

Blessing Wall, Lent

When I began planning for music and art during Lent, the word "blessing" seemed to crop up several times in the appointed lections. I discussed with my worship planning colleagues if "blessing" in the sense of being blessed by God and being a blessing to others might serve as a thematic focus for the upcoming season. After some good conversation in relation to the Bible readings and in relation to how we have observed the season in the past, we agreed that this could be a nice theme for us to explore.

My mind coupled this thematic focus with an image I had seen from a youth event some of our kids attended last year or the year before of a prayer wall. Kids wrote prayers and intentions on small pieces of paper and adhered them to a make-shift wall. I spent some time wondering how to put the two, "blessing" and the wall, into one undertaking for our congregation.

Ultimately I thought a series of fabric-covered panels, each with a letter from the word "bless" could be used as a temporary wall in our narthex. Folks will be invited throughout the season of Lent to write how they have been blessed and/or how they have been (or how they can be or intend to be) a blessing for others. We'll use special pens to write on scraps of fabric and then glue those small swatches to the wall.  My hope is that the finished project will look somewhat like a mosaic of fabric-on-fabric, nicely filled in. Herewith how the project has developed:

These are a set of wood frames that we use for a variety of undertakings, most often to create backdrops for dramatic productions:

I decided to put a base layer of black fabric (flat sheet) on the panels first. I simply stapled them in place:

I purchased an array of five hues of purple (cotton twill), appropriate for the season to serve as the top layer on each panel: 

I used white felt to cut the letters of the word "bless." Each letter uses a different font; we used the photocopier to enlarge each letter to a suitable size. I purchased a new rotary cutting tool for this project, which worked really well, and used a permanent fabric glue to adhere the letters:

Here is the set of five panels, mostly complete, after I finished adhering the letters to each. The height and centering of each letter varies purposefully:

Coming soon: the panels in place in the narthex and how they evolve as folks add their "blessings" to the project. To date I have done most of the work, but we have artists on board to select the fabrics we'll use for the attachments and to actually help folks on Sunday mornings to create their individual swatches Our print publicity for the upcoming season uses this same five-panel concept to make a nifty tie-in.