Good Friday 2018, Sacred Concert

After a couple of years in which Good Friday did not feature music, I did a sacred concert this year on organ. I forget how it transpired but ultimately I settled on using the Moravian Church's Passion Week Manual (1955) as a basis. The manual is a series of services for each night of Holy Week which are basically the gospel narratives harmonized into one continuous reading, interspersed with hymns. It was those hymns that I wanted to explore. I initially chose about a dozen, and pared that down to nine. I went about seeking settings of the tunes for the various hymns. Many I had on hand, but I had to go seeking a couple. One of my favorite Moravian hymns is Ten-thousand times ten-thousand, and I was certain I wanted to include a setting of that in the program. However I could not find a setting anywhere. I asked several colleagues and sources to no avail. I found out about a piano setting by Margaret Sandresky (in Winston-Salem), but when I looked it over decided it was too pianistic for my purposes. Along the way I traded emails with Wayne Leupold in Colfax, who publishes a lot of Sandresky's organ music. He happened to copy the composer on a message, and later that same day I had a phone call from Mrs. Sandresky. She offered to compose something for my needs, saying she already had the broad shape mapped out in her mind! The piece arrived a scant 5 days later. I was thrilled at her generosity, and delighted that the listening audience would get to participate in a premiere. In years past the program from this concert has offered poetry for meditation. I decided this time to concentrate on explaining the hymns and the settings being performed., along with some Moravian history. I think it turned out well, and have heard many favorable things in the days following. The program cover is above. The complete booklet is here. It's a scan of the hard-copy, so it's a little whonky.

Choir Anthem Connection: Fall, 2014

The choir is learning a fairly new setting of "O God our help in ages past" by Rhonda Woodward. It's a really nice a capella setting in D major, with a flatted seventh. Altos begin, followed by tenors and sopranos and finally basses. The piece is in two large sections with fairly closely-related thematic material. Both sections have that flatted seventh thing going on. Last night at rehearsal, one of the singers remarked that it reminded her of "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald." It does indeed have that similar folk-y sound, characterized by the flatted seventh, without the rhythmic drive of the popular song. The Woodward setting is remarkable for how it works with a very confined musical theme, but does so much with it. While I can't really call it a perfect piece of choral music, a distinct category in my imagination, it really is commendable. Woodward's setting has been recorded by the BYU choir in 2003. Luckily the publisher provided a demo recording of the complete arrangement at the time of publication, which I still have. (Don't tell anyone, but I dubbed it onto my personal "great choral music" compilation!) Woodward herself, according to the bio on the musical score lives nearby in SC; I don't know if she is still there. So here are some links to listen to and compare and contrast.

Woodward, "O God our Help in Ages Past" (excerpt), Brigham Young University Choir ("The Road Home")
(scroll down the playlist and click on the title to hear the excerpt)
Gordon Lightfoot, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"

Review: JG Hymns, Lots

This weekend I have been listening to Lots, from Jonathan Green. Green is based in Edinburgh, Scotland. He describes himself as working "with old hymns, writ(ing) new songs, and play(ing) loads of acoustic and electronic instruments." This album includes several familiar hymn texts paired new tunes along with new texts and tunes. The album is available only by digital download from the artist's website, but it's well-worth tracking down. These are not arrangements of hymns that will find congregational use. They are presented as music for reflection on "9 different ways in which people from past and present times have responded to significant events in their lives." While Green sings on several of the tracks, there is plenty of instrumental music. Green's reedy voice reminded me a bit of the current pop artist, Alex Clare. I would heartily recommend this album for folks who like singer-songwriters, and would like music to assist in reflection and prayer. The songs aren't universally soft and contemplative, but they will provoke thinking and curiosity. The album booklet which comes with the digital download, includes a neat picture for each song, kind of like an icon for the songs.
+ + +

Not one, not two, but three

We'll be singing the hymn "All hail the power of Jesus' name" this week at both services.  We have a nice arrangement using CORONATION that our little band does nicely at FirstLight; we'll sing the standard hymnal arrangement of CORONATION at 11AM. 

I've done it before, but for kicks last night at choir rehearsal I had the singers waltz through DIAMDEM.  Though we have tried it before, most singers claimed to have never heard it before.  Of course, I told them that one of the best ways to get a roomful of Methodists excited is to sing this tune.  We also tried singing "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound" to DIADEM ("...was BLIND BUT..."), and explored singing "Amazing Grace" to the tune for the theme song for the old TV show "Gilligan's Island" (it really works). 

But more seriously, I mentioned that in the 1960's-era edition of the Methodist hymnal, there was a third tune associated with the text "All hail the power..."  MILES LANE didn't make it into the 1990's era book, but remains firmly implanted in my mind.  On festive days we'd sing this hymn text and wend our way, with the help of a gifted organist, through all three tunes!  The version of DIADEM in the Presbyterian Hymnal unfortunately is in B-flat, leading to a very high and scream-y F in the melody, making it not terribly feasible for congregational use. 

This Sunday I'll play a setting of MILES LANE by Healy Willian, we'll sing CORONATION, and I'll have some fond memories of of DIADEM while we sing and worship.

Farther afield

The hymn commissioned by BMPCNC is spreading. We asked Carolyn Winfrey Gillette to write a text for us dealing with the slave who was injured in the Garden of Gethsemane, and how Jesus responded to that act of violence. We sang the hymn as part of our Lenten sermon series back on March 4. Word of the hymn has gotten around Sojourners makes mention of it in this recent post. The formatting is a little messy, but the church gets a shout-out.

Lenten hymns

Lest anyone think we're utilizing the visual arts to the detriment of music this season, rest assured we are not. To relate to each of the sermons during Lent, we have sought out hymns relevant to the person from the Bible serving as the focus for each particular week. This has been a real challenge and quite eye-opening, forcing me to plow through hymn resources I don't use very often. But I think it will prove to be quite rewarding for us all. Here's the working list:

February 26
Anointing Woman (Mark 14.3-9)
A most gracious display by John Ylvisaker (song collection Borning Cry, volume 1)

March 4
Slave with ear cut off in garden (Mark 14.32-50)
Jesus went out to a garden by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette (BEACH SPRING)

Mark 11
Peter (Mark 14.28-38, 66-72)
Youth Sunday
When Peter boasted soon he fell (ABIDING GRACE)

March 18
High Priest-Caiaphas (Mark 14.53-65)
Go to dark Gethsemane (REDHEAD)

March 25
Judas (Matthew 26.14-16, 47-50)
Bitter was the night by Sydney Carter (BITTER WAS THE NIGHT)

April 1
Palm Sunday
Lessons and Passion Hymns

April 5
Maundy Thursday
Centurion (Mark 15.33-39)

April 8
Easter Day
Women at the tomb (Mark 16.1-8)
Sing the joy of Easter Day (ROYAL OAK)

We used the hymn by John Ylvisaker last year on Palm Sunday, so that was pretty easy to arrive upon. I never found any hymn dealing specifically with the slave in the story of the encounter in the garden. Therefore, we asked Carolyn Winfrey Gillette to write a new hymn for us. She did so in fine fashion, crafting a text that deals with the immediate story and character, but also addresses larger issues of violence and peace. We are looking forward to singing it. I still have not found the hymn I want to use to deal with the "Centurion." I am not finished looking, but I have made some notes of my own as a possible hymn text, in case nothing else pans out. "When Peter Boasted" was written by John Newton (of "Amazing grace" fame) and first appeared in 1779. I found the hymn by Sydney Carter in Voices United, the hymnal of the United Church of Canada. We'll probably also sing Carter's "Lord of the dance" that same day. On Palm Sunday we'll explore the Passion narrative through a series of readings and hymns, yet to be determined. I feel pretty pleased with the variety of hymns representing several eras and styles. I am certain the congregation will be able to appreciate the same as they encounter these songs in worship.

New hymn text

During Lent we will be exploring Jesus' relationship with several characters from the Bible. One of my goals has been to pair a hymn with each individual. One of the individuals to be considered is the slave whose ear was cut off in the garden of Gethsemane. Perhaps not surprisingly, there are no hymn texts on that particular Bible story of which I am aware. Therefore I commissioned Carolyn Winfrey Gillette, a Presbyterian pastor and hymn-writer of some renown to write a new text for us at Black Mountain Presbyterian Church.

The text is obviously protected by copyright, so while it may be possible to steal it from this post, please just do the right thing and don't. Contact Mike Barker for more information.

Gillette wrote the text with the hymn tune BEACH SPRING in mind. We hope, however, to create a new tune for the text and premiere the text and tune together. The first performance will be Sunday March 4. Gillette tells me that reference is made to this new text in Presbyterian Outlook as part of a promotion of the publication of a collection of new hymn texts she has written. Keep en eye out for that.

Jesus went out to a garden To a quiet place to pray.
In the night, a crowd came round him, Led by Judas on their way.
They seized Jesus to arrest him; Someone near then drew a sword.
Soon a slave was injured, suffering There beside our suffering Lord.

Jesus spoke to stop the violence: “Put your sword back in its place.”
Then he touched the slave and healed him In a moment filled with grace.
For as violence leads to violence Causing more distress and pain—
So compassion in abundance Is a witness to God’s reign.

God of love, we pause and wonder: Did that slave give quiet praise?
Yet the story marches onward With the pain that it portrays.
For the One who brought such healing Soon was broken, on a cross,
To our sinful world revealing Violence has an awful cost.

God, the gospels bear a witness: Your Son’s death was not the end.
By your grace, you raised up Jesus; Sin and violence did not win.
May we work to end all suffering; Lead us in Christ’s peaceful way.
May his peace become an offering That we share throughout each day

Long-lived hymns

Christianity Today pulled together information from several hymnals to compile a list of the most-enduring hymns. Here are the top hymns, in alphabetical order, appearing in multiple editions of hymnals from mainline denominations (Anglican {Episcopal}, Baptist, Congregational, Methodist, Presbyterian and Lutheran) as well as four key evangelical hymnals. The article that explains the selection process and criteria is very interesting.

Scoring 28 out of a possible 28 in the CT analysis:
Abide with me: fast falls the eventide
All hail the power of Jesus’ name
Come, ye thankful people, come
Crown him with many crowns
Glorious things of thee are spoken
Guide me, O thou great Jehovah
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God almighty
How firm a foundation
In the cross of Christ I glory
Jesus shall reign where’er the sun
Love divine, all loves excelling
O sacred Head, now wounded
When I survey the wondrous cross

Scoring 27 out of 28 in the CT analysis:
A mighty fortress is our God
All glory, laud, and honor
Come, thou almighty King
Just as I am, without one plea
Now thank we all our God
O, for a thousand tongues to sing
O God, our help in ages past
O, worship the King all glorious above
The church’s one foundation

Curious about the absence of "Amazing Grace?" Read the article and a followup story.
Curious about how CT out this analysis together? Read the article.
Wonder how many of these we've NOT sung at BMPCNC in recent months? Ask me.
Wonder how many of these we've used at our FirstLight service? Ask me.

RIP George Shearing

British pianist George Shearing died recently. I happened to hear an interview with him on Fresh Air yesterday. He was talking about working during "the War." (Because he was blind, he was ineligible for military service.) Because other musicians had been conscripted, he remained busier than he could manage. He described a typical day that began at 10AM in the recording studio and concluded about 4AM in the last-to-close piano bar! It reminded me just a little of the one year I tried to make a go of it job-wise without a full-time gig, and instead worked 4 part-time jobs.

One of the first collections of organ music I ever bought was a set of hymn interpretations by Shearing. At the time, I had no idea who he was, and I didn't know what I was buying, in terms of the adventuresome harmonic language. I probably raised a few eyebrows the first time I trotted out those settings. I think without knowing it those hymn settings colored my own development as an improviser and hymn interpreter. I learned it's okay to string along accidentals and added ninths (major and minor) all day long.

I'm planning to play one of my favorites this week, Shearing's setting of the 'old" tune ANTIOCH. The "new" ANTIOCH we sing to the text Joy to the world. But there is an older minor key ANTIOCH (found in The Sacred Harp) that is usually paired with the hymn I know that my redeemer lives. I think it be a fine testament to Shearing and his music style.

I know that my Redeemer lives; glory, hallelujah!
What comfort this sweet sentence gives; glory hallelujah!
Shout on, pray on, we're gaining ground; glory hallelujah!
The dead's alive, and the lost is found; glory, hallelujah!

Hymn Festival update

Here are the hymns to be included in the festival event this coming Sunday at 430PM:

Lead me, guide me (Doris Akers)
How happy is he born and taught (TALLIS' CANON)
Send forth, O God, they light and truth (HOLDEN)
When I can read my title clear (PISGAH)
God is my strong salvation (CHENIES)
Guide me, O thou great Jehovah (REGENT SQUARE)
How firm a foundation (ADESTE FIDELIS and FOUNDATION)
The battle hymn of the republic (BATTLE HYMN)
Lead, kindly light (LUX BENIGNA)
Precious Lord, take my hand (Tomas A. Dorsey)
O God our help in ages past (setting of ST. ANNE by John Rutter)
Lift every voice and sing (J. Rosamund Johnson)

Lead me, guide me: hymns that inspired our nation's leaders will explore the favorite hymns of several US presidents and that of Susan B. Anthony (whose birthday we celebrate this month) and Martin Luther King, Jr., in ackowledgment of Black History Month.

The event will begin with a setting of ENGLEBERG for brass ensemble and handbells. The event is co-sponsored by the Western North Carolina chapter of the American Guild of Organists and the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada. The event is free and open to the public.

Hymn Festival

The American Guild of Organists and the Hymn Society are co-sponsoring a hymn festival Sunday afternoon 2/20/11 at 430PM at Black Mountain Presbyterian Church. The festival will be called "Lead Me; Guide Me: Hymns that inspired our nation's leaders." Drawing on research exploring the favorite hymns of our country's presidents, we have developed a service that explores these and other important hymns in our national life. Planners of the events are Mike Barker and Mel Bringle who is also chair of the Presbyterian Committee on Congregational Song (the new hymnal and other resources for our denomination). The event will be free and open to all.

Mary Louise Bringle

Mary Louise (Mel) Bringle is the subject of an article in Blue Ridge Now, the on-line edition of the Time-News in Hendersoneville. She is chair of the Presbyterian Committee on Congregational Song (PCOCS, "peacocks") which is developing a "new hymnal," in whatever form that may ultimately take. Mel is also president of the Hymn Society in the US and Canada. It was in that role that she helped lead the hymn sing at First Asheville last Sunday afternoon. She was joined by Hymn Society executive director Deborah Carlton Loftis in leading that festival service.

The Gospel in Six Stanzas

The choir began working on the Charles Wesley hymn “And can it be” last week. One of our astute resident theologians asked about a phrase in the second stanza (the whole stanza is below):

In vain the firstborn seraph tries

Who is the “first-born seraph,” he asked? I had no answer. Consulting the 1983 Complete Works of John Wesley (edited by Hildebrandt and Beckerlegge), volume 7, which is “A Collection of hymns for the use of the people called Methodists" I found no help.

I did find this sermon excerpt by Archbishop Rowan Williams (but still no answer to the question):

And so as we give thanks for Charles' life, we give thanks not only for the words of the hymns, granted that they are an irreplaceable and inexhaustible treasure of classical Christian wisdom. We give thanks for what he saw, and for the fact that he has enabled us to be drawn into his seeing. Not only his seeing that the God of glory has made him free, the God of glory who died for him, the God of glory into whose purposes the 'firstborn seraph' seeks to penetrate in vain. (How Charles loved those firstborn seraphs! They appear more than once.) But also we give thanks for Charles' vision of his tiresome, beloved brother. Because the vision of tiresome, beloved brothers and sisters is, I'm afraid, what Christians are condemned to! They will sustain it and make something of it, insofar as they retain the joy of that first fresh unsurpassable vision into which the firstborn seraph seeks to look: the vision of glory and of grace.

I found a second hymn text by Charles Wesley with the same image (it's included in the hymn collection mentioned above, but I discovered it here:

Till added to that heavenly choir
We raise our songs of triumph higher,
And praise thee in a bolder strain,
Out-soar the firstborn seraph's flight,
And sing, with all our friends in light,
Thy everlasting love to man.

But still no help.

I also found this:

Wesley identifies the problem that is created by attempting to understand God's love in human terms. He does not seek to resolve it however, instead he lets it stand as a mystery. The mystery of divine suffering calls attention to this wonderful love of God which we cannot help but respond to with praise. Perhaps it is this realization which overcomes our emotions when we sing,

'Tis mystery all: th' Immortal dies!
Who can explore his strange design?
In vain the firstborn seraph tries
to sound the depths of love divine.
'Tis mercy all! Let earth adore;
let angel minds inquire no more.
'Tis mercy all! Let earth adore;
let angel minds inquire no more.

With no clear answer to be found, but upon more reading and praying the text, I think the reference is to a hypothetical uber-angel. Seraphs are the topmost category of angelic beings. Firstborn may simply be the eldest or similarly top-ranking seraph, closest to God, and offering purest praise in the heavenly realm. The point of the stanza is ultimately the the most-wise individual or even heavenly being cannot fathom the why nor the how of the gift of salvation. We each simply are invited by grace to graciously perceive and enter into the gracious act that God has accomplished in Christ Jesus.

I’ve blogged it before, but here is a delightful rendition of the hymn. Sadly the video-audio syncing is a little off. But you’ll enjoy it nonetheless.

Here is the complete hymn text at CyberHymnal. Most hymnals include five of the six stanzas, leaving out what was #5 in the original poem.

Quintessential hymns

"So," I asked the choir tonight, "for what denomination is "Lift high the cross" (CRUCIFER) the quintessential hymn?" (It's one of our hymns for this coming Sunday.) Once they figured out what I was asking, they put it together and responded, "Lutherans."

Exactly.

I went on...the quintessential Presbyterian hymn is "Praise ye the Lord, the Almighty" (LOBE DEN HERREN).

For United Methodists, AZMON, "O for a thousand tongues to sing." By that point we were off.

I proposed that the Baptist equivalent would be "Praise Him! Praise Him!" (...Jesus our blessed Redeemer...). Our resident Baptist wasn't convinced, but also didn't think, as a third person suggested, that "Just as I am" really summed up Baptist hymnody quite right either.

The way I further explained it was, "what hymn gets a group of whomever we're speaking of singing with everything they've got?" What song would compel a member of said denomination to stand up and join in singing?

For Moravians we decided "Ten thousand times ten thousand." The lyrics rival "For all the saints" (SINE NOMINE) in their beauty to my thinking.

One of the other mainline denominations we've failed to mention to this point is the Episcopal Church in the US. What, the choir singers and I pondered together, would be the Episcopal "signature tune?" I'm still wondering. "O God our help in ages past?" (As I am putting the final edit on this, I now wonder if maybe it's "For all the saints.")

This got going in my head because a friend and colleague recently gave me a new hymnal, the new Celebrating Grace Hymnal, published by Celebrating Grace Ministries, which seems to be of the Baptist persuasion. It had a delightfully comprehensive and inclusive, if somewhat Baptist-weighted, corpus of hymnody and congregational song: KING'S WESTON to Chris Tomlin and DIVINUM MYSTERIUM to Fred Pratt Green.

Of course then one has to ask, "would other groups (Episcopalians, Unitarians, Congregationalists, etc.) be caught singing their hearts out on any song at all?!?" For some this abiding joy and fervor over congregational singing may be an alien thing.

So weigh in. Got a suggestions for AME Zionists? Or National Baptists? Members of the Christian Reformed Church? Care to argue any of the choices I named at the outset?

New hymnal

I received a copy of the Celebrating Grace Hymnal, published by Celebrating Grace, Inc., in GA. Arden S. was in attendance for the premiere and sang in the choir that helped introduce the new song resource. Interesting tidbits: KING'S WESTON to Chris Tomlin and DIVINIUM MYSTERIUM to Fred Pratt Green. It's got a definite Baptist slant (Praise Him! Praise Him!), but seems like a very nice resources. Is this a shot across the bow of Lifeway Resources' marketing grip on the Baptist denomination as it seems? Thanks, Arden!

Review: Evangelical Lutheran Worship (ELCA)

I was able to pick up a copy of the new Lutheran hymnal recently. Published in 2006, it represents the first in what will probably develop into a wave of new denominational resources for congregational song in the next several years. The PC(USA) has a project in the works. The United Methodist Church had one going until funding issues led to its suspension. There are others also.

The new volume fits in the same spaces in sanctuary pew racks as previous books did. It's red. (Youth at a conference where Presbyterian Congregational Song Project chair David Eicher was present suggested yellow for the new PC(USA) hymnal!) It seems to weight ever-so-slightly more than their previous worship hymnal.

After preliminary resources at the outset of the volume, the book includes the complete lectionary of the church year, plus a prayer for each Sunday. Then follow prayers for other commemorations and events.

Next follow ten (yes, 10) settings of the service for Holy Communion including music. Then come services of the Word, Baptism, liturgies for confession and forgiveness and, special liturgies for Lent and Lenten holy days, funerals, healing and daily prayer. At page 335 begins a complete psalter, in a translation "intended for common sung prayer and proclamation rather than a translation for study." Nice. Until the Psalter, the pages were numbered sequentially (growing out of lessons learned in previous books on the part of various denominations). But, oops, the service music section begins with #151. It's not quite clear where that number came from, because we're actually on about page 390. Following the extensive section of service music, hymns proper begin with #239 and open with hymns for the church year. The last hymn is #893, giving us a total of about 650 songs.

The last section includes a daily lectionary (that's in addition to the Sunday lectionary at the front of the book). This makes this truly a book for church and home use. There is also a brief catechism, and then the standard indices expected in a church hymnal.

A couple of remarkable points stand out. There is a lot of global music, representative of the ELCA's global mission outreach and the ethnic make-up of some of its American congregations. There is a dearth of Praise and Worship contemporary songs. (A cursory read through the volume revealed none; they may be hiding in there somewhere.) There are quite a few new hymns and songs drawn from the contemplative traditions of Taize and Iona.

I heard this summer the Augsburg-Fortress is also in the process of releasing a multi-volume set of resources for the hymnal: a piano setting and an organ setting of each hymn in the book. Several hymnals have such supplemental resources for the accompanist, but if this as complete as advertised (a piano piece and an organ piece for every hymn), then it's a remarkable undertaking and boon for the church musician.

All in all this is a commendable volume. I was at a conference at St. Olaf College in Minnesota in 1998 when there was an initial flush of buzz about the new hymnal undertaking. It's neat to see what that buzz led to. I am curious to know what the denomination is going to put forth to support the use of P&W contemporary music, or if they are going to sort of side step that issue. Every church musician needs a copy on the shelf; persons interested in hymnody and liturgy also need a copy. The average lay person, not so much. + + +

A proper bit of congregational singing

It's a staged congregation, and "made for television," but the singing is quite good as is the accompaniment (organ plus brass and timpani). It's all helped by a nicely reverberant hall too. Enjoy!

Music planning

Adam Copeland over at A Wee Blether has a perceptive post on hymn selection during his seminary days. Adam gives cogent positive and negative factors that could possibly account for the seeming popularity of the hymn Guide my feet in chapel services at Columbia Seminary. It's a fine spiritual, but yeah, I could get real tired of real quick. So I don't think that the song's inherent positive attributes that can really account for its (over-)use at the chapel. Adam wonders if maybe the worship planners are not at their strongest when it comes to selecting music for worship. Finally he wonders if maybe the simplicity of the song makes it a popular choice.

I think Adam closest to the truth with a remark related to the second of his three possible reasons. Picking worship music is a daunting task. And when one has to select liturgical elements and music, it's easy to resort to a known quantity, like a well-worn hymn to conclude the worship.

Myself, it very often takes a long time to connect the worship dots. The right liturgical element may not spring to mind on first reading the appointed scripture for worship. The connection may come two or three weeks after first reading through the lections. My brain needs time to percolate with the readings and the wealth of material available for possible inclusion in worship. A word or phrase in a Bible reading or in one liturgical element may make me think of a similar or related word in another resource, but that doesn't happen right away. Just as a preacher really wants to live with a text for a while before actually preaching on it, so to with the musician at worship. I for one need some time with the scripture and a homiletic direction before I can connect music to it.

This past week was a good example. Trinity Sunday. Choosing Holy, holy, holy (NICEA) was an easy call. The spoken opening sentences were full of "creation" imagery, so God of the sparrow seemed a good call for the close of worship. (You know how each stanza ends with a single word, "awe," "praise," "woe;" those all reminded me of feelings Isaiah might have had that day in temple in the year that King Uzziah died.) The Old Testament reading from Isaiah brought to mind pretty quickly Dan Schutte's Here I Am, Lord. But we've used that song quite a bit of late. It took some time, and a little digging, but I ultimately suggested Together We Serve by Dan Damon. The text meshed well with the sentiments the preacher conveyed in conversation. And it made explicit mention of Jesus and the Spirit, which pinged off the day (Trinity Sunday) well. It was a new text for us, with a sturdy tune. It probably won't make anyone's top twenty-five, but it served us well in that service. Much better than the gut-reaction hymn I might have opted for.

So Adam, the frequency with which Guide my feet is used at Columbia has do probably with a mish-mash of reasons including musical awareness, sing-ability, and the pace with which worship probably has to get planned in the seminary setting. I mean no disrespect to the folks who plan worship at the school; I don't know a single one of them. But having been to seminary, I know what the pace is like, and for that matter what life is like in the parish setting. I hope here simply to suggest more of the dynamics at play that cause a certain song to crop up more than one might expect.

Worship planning and music planning are daunting tasks indeed. The more distance I can put between planning and execution, the better off this worship planner is. It allows more time for the Spirit to work her magic and help me make connections that I miss when I am rushing about.

United Methodist Hymnal project update

Both the PC(USA) and The United Methodist Church are actively engaged in developing new resources for congregational song. At least until yesterday. I got notice today that TUMC will suspend development of new resources for the current four-year period which began in 2008. Details are below:

Nashville—May19. Work on the revision of The United Methodist Hymnal, authorized by the 2008 General Conference, has been stopped, members of the Hymnal Revision Committee (HRC) learned today.

“The resources required to sustain a dedicated staff and pay for the planned activities are simply not available at this time and will not be available in time for completion of the assignment to deliver proposed content for a new compilation to the next General Conference,” Bishop Ernest S. Lyght, chair of the HRC, told the members of the committee. “As a result, and with great regret, we acknowledge that the United Methodist hymnal revision project cannot continue this quadrennium due to unexpected and extraordinary financial constraints resulting from the world-wide economic crisis.”

In January, The United Methodist Publishing House (UMPH) announced that the work on the revision had been slowed to allow time for a better sense of both the ability of the Publishing House to invest in the revision’s development and the ability of congregations to purchase new hymnals. Today’s announcement acknowledges that economic conditions have not improved to allow work to move ahead; thus the massive undertaking of developing a new hymnal cannot now be completed in time for the 2012 General Conference.

Both Karen Greenwaldt, General Secretary of the General Board of Discipleship, and Neil Alexander, President and Publisher of UMPH, told the committee that special projects in the development of resources for the church’s liturgical life and music ministries will be pursued on other tracks. The two agencies will collaborate with each other and with worship leaders across the connection in the next months, they said. The Facebook New United Methodist Hymnal Group will continue as a valuable resource for new and emerging publishing projects in worship and music for the church.

UMPH, which is completely self-funding, would have to invest at least $2 million in the development of the new hymnal. While eventual sales of the revised hymnal would likely recover the investment and exceed it, at this time sufficient funding to continue the work is not available either from ongoing operations or from reserves.

“The news that the project cannot move forward for lack of funding is unwelcome for all involved,” said Bishop Lyght. “But it is also understandable as we witness the rollbacks and financial constraints faced by many churches, annual conferences, and United Methodist organizations.”

I received this word via an email list; no doubt it will be released in other formats in the next few hours. The vagaries of Methodist polity are fairly complex as one can surmise from the press release. If you want help with jargon, etc. let me know in the combox.

One wonders if the Presbyterian project may take similar action in light of similar econmic realities.

All hail the power of Jesus' name

This is one of my favorite sites, and recently the complete text of this hymn was posted. We Protestants have left out (generally) some of the most vivid images by excluding most of the stanzas (falling seraphim). Have a look at the whole thing. Written by Edward Perronet, the original hymn text was published in 1779 with 8 stanzas. John Rippon was one of several editors who couldn't keep their hands off the text the way it was. He dropped three of the original and added two of his own. He did some helpful re-writing in a couple of places. There was a certain anti-Jewish bias in some of Perronet's words that rightly have been dropped and/or altered. One of the highlights of my youth was singing this hymn using all three (!) tunes (CORONATION; MILES LANE; DIADEM) associated with it in the 1968 Methodist Hymnal. It was a thrill for the congregation, if the ultimate challenge for the organist! Gott sei dank!