Sunday, August 15th
Sunday, July 25th
Easter Sunday
Maundy Thursday
Sunday, March 21st
Sunday, March 14th
Sunday, March 7th
Sunday, February 26th
Sunday, February 14th
Sunday, February 7th
Sunday, January 31st
Sunday, January 23rd
Sunday, January 17th
Baptism Sunday 2021
Epiphany Sunday 2021
Sunday, December 27th
Christmas Eve 2020
Sunday, December 20th
Sunday, December 13th
Sunday, December 6th
Sunday, November 29th
Sunday, November 22nd
Sunday, November 15th
Sunday, November 8th
Sunday, November 1st
Sunday, October, 25th
Sunday, October 4th
The Bread and the Wine Are Here is an invitation today to celebrate the Lord’s Supper.
The refrain asks us to, “come in; sit down; there’s room at the table.“
at this very time when we’re maintaining social distancing,
the deeper meaning of this text presents itself:
Come in, sit down, be with us, there’s room in our hearts for you.
Rise, O Church, like Christ Arisen is a text with a strong and deliberate focus
particularly found in two stanzas:
Stanza one states, “Rise, O church, like Christ arisen,
from this meal of love and grace.”
That Christ is risen is our shared belief that Christ
was raised from the dead on the third day.
The next part of that phrase has direct application
to our actions at Calvary in 2020: “from this meal of love and grace”
can be seen in the generosity our congregation has shown to the Community
seen on our table of food and groceries in the parking lot and on the Front Lawn.
Stanza four “further clarifies [the Lord’ Supper] special purpose as a sending hymn
celebrating the values guiding the work of the church in the world:
service, courage, and mercy.”
Truly, in His service,
Mike
The refrain asks us to, “come in; sit down; there’s room at the table.“
at this very time when we’re maintaining social distancing,
the deeper meaning of this text presents itself:
Come in, sit down, be with us, there’s room in our hearts for you.
Rise, O Church, like Christ Arisen is a text with a strong and deliberate focus
particularly found in two stanzas:
Stanza one states, “Rise, O church, like Christ arisen,
from this meal of love and grace.”
That Christ is risen is our shared belief that Christ
was raised from the dead on the third day.
The next part of that phrase has direct application
to our actions at Calvary in 2020: “from this meal of love and grace”
can be seen in the generosity our congregation has shown to the Community
seen on our table of food and groceries in the parking lot and on the Front Lawn.
Stanza four “further clarifies [the Lord’ Supper] special purpose as a sending hymn
celebrating the values guiding the work of the church in the world:
service, courage, and mercy.”
Truly, in His service,
Mike
Sunday, September 20th
Sunday, September 13th
Sunday, September 6th
Sunday, August 23rd
Isaiah wrote, “Do not fear….Do not be afraid….” Those words (for today!) are only
about 2,800 years old! Written around the time King Uzziah died, they still are true.
Isaiah’s words are rooted in the assurance of God’s presence
with the People of the Covenant. They, in turn, are called to seek God’s will
and proclaim God’s power. And so are we.
The tune was named ISAIAH 43 by its composer, Sally Ann Morris.
Sally appeared as part of the Routley Lecture series with Adam M. L. Tice
at last year’s Montreat Conference. She and Adam are contributors
of text and or music for 10 hymns in the new Presbyterian hymnal: Glory to God.
Did you meet Sally and Adam last February at our SoCal Hymn Workshop?
That’s not all: today’s hymn-anthem accompaniment is played by Sally
earlier this week from her home in North Carolina.
Our thanks go to Adam Faruqi, our Tenor Section Leader,
who did the sound engineering and mixing. This is a fine Company of Angels.
All Who Love and Serve Your City is Erik Routley’s poetic and challenging 20th-century text.
It “greatly enriches the neglected genre of urban hymns. The second stanza from John 9:4;
the third stanza refers to Jesus weeping over Jerusalem (Matthew 23:37) / (Luke 13:34),
and the final line cites the name given to Israel’s
future holy city (Ezekiel 48:35) ‘The Lord is there!’”
As we consider our past, present and future social organization,
our hymn’s text nudges us, somewhat gently, with “Come today…”
reminding us that this new holy city is not here yet.
Our denomination reminds us, “Ecclesia reformata, semper reformanda!”
(Your writer had to look that up.) According to https://www.presbyterianmission.org/,
“..our Reformed motto, rightly understood, challenges both the conservative
and the liberal impulses that characterize our diverse church today.
It does not bless either preservation for preservation’s sake
or change for change’s sake.”
This beautiful musical treatment of the text is based on the tune CHARLESTON
found in the United States Sacred Harmony collection (1799)
later harmonized by Carlton R. Young in the mid 60’s,
and arranged with additional composition, orchestration (organ, strings, and brass)
and mixing by our own Matt Brown,
former Tenor Section Leader and one of our current Virtual Section Leaders;
and then, with final mixing and compilation by Joel Nesvadba and Jonathan Nesvadba.
This Company of Angels spans 25 centuries (600 B.C. to the present).
With patience, love, care,
Mike
about 2,800 years old! Written around the time King Uzziah died, they still are true.
Isaiah’s words are rooted in the assurance of God’s presence
with the People of the Covenant. They, in turn, are called to seek God’s will
and proclaim God’s power. And so are we.
The tune was named ISAIAH 43 by its composer, Sally Ann Morris.
Sally appeared as part of the Routley Lecture series with Adam M. L. Tice
at last year’s Montreat Conference. She and Adam are contributors
of text and or music for 10 hymns in the new Presbyterian hymnal: Glory to God.
Did you meet Sally and Adam last February at our SoCal Hymn Workshop?
That’s not all: today’s hymn-anthem accompaniment is played by Sally
earlier this week from her home in North Carolina.
Our thanks go to Adam Faruqi, our Tenor Section Leader,
who did the sound engineering and mixing. This is a fine Company of Angels.
All Who Love and Serve Your City is Erik Routley’s poetic and challenging 20th-century text.
It “greatly enriches the neglected genre of urban hymns. The second stanza from John 9:4;
the third stanza refers to Jesus weeping over Jerusalem (Matthew 23:37) / (Luke 13:34),
and the final line cites the name given to Israel’s
future holy city (Ezekiel 48:35) ‘The Lord is there!’”
As we consider our past, present and future social organization,
our hymn’s text nudges us, somewhat gently, with “Come today…”
reminding us that this new holy city is not here yet.
Our denomination reminds us, “Ecclesia reformata, semper reformanda!”
(Your writer had to look that up.) According to https://www.presbyterianmission.org/,
“..our Reformed motto, rightly understood, challenges both the conservative
and the liberal impulses that characterize our diverse church today.
It does not bless either preservation for preservation’s sake
or change for change’s sake.”
This beautiful musical treatment of the text is based on the tune CHARLESTON
found in the United States Sacred Harmony collection (1799)
later harmonized by Carlton R. Young in the mid 60’s,
and arranged with additional composition, orchestration (organ, strings, and brass)
and mixing by our own Matt Brown,
former Tenor Section Leader and one of our current Virtual Section Leaders;
and then, with final mixing and compilation by Joel Nesvadba and Jonathan Nesvadba.
This Company of Angels spans 25 centuries (600 B.C. to the present).
With patience, love, care,
Mike
Sunday, August 16th
Sunday, August 9th
In today’s message, we think about Community. Today we’re grateful to Angels near and far who’ve made this music possible. The beautiful flute is played by Roberta Becker in Absecon, New Jersey whose acquaintance we made six years ago at a Worship and Music conference in Montreat, North Carolina. The piano arrangements are the contribution of Matt Brown, composer and former section leader at Calvary. Our technical Angels who also sing with us are Adam Faruqi, Joel, Nesvadba, and Jonathan Nesvadba. And adding their well-loved voices are Erin Batali, Kim Poli, and our own Margaret von Bibra.
As we practice reaching out into our community, two things occur: We realize there are no limits to the reaching out we can do and that when we reach out we make ourselves vulnerable to being touched. The touch we give is matched by the touch we receive.
Today’s Hymns reflect Community found in the Company of Angels
“O God, We Bear the Imprint” (1987) considers community from a theological point of view. When we distance ourselves from other people merely because of the color of their skin, we fail to see Christ’s image in them.
In “Spirit, Open My Heart” (1994) modern life often hinder us from remaining vulnerable to our emotions and to the humanness of other people. This prayerful text to be open to such joys and pains draws on Ezekiel 11:19 and 36:26 in stanza one and echoes Jeremiah 31:33 in stanza two.
Peace,
Mike
As we practice reaching out into our community, two things occur: We realize there are no limits to the reaching out we can do and that when we reach out we make ourselves vulnerable to being touched. The touch we give is matched by the touch we receive.
Today’s Hymns reflect Community found in the Company of Angels
“O God, We Bear the Imprint” (1987) considers community from a theological point of view. When we distance ourselves from other people merely because of the color of their skin, we fail to see Christ’s image in them.
In “Spirit, Open My Heart” (1994) modern life often hinder us from remaining vulnerable to our emotions and to the humanness of other people. This prayerful text to be open to such joys and pains draws on Ezekiel 11:19 and 36:26 in stanza one and echoes Jeremiah 31:33 in stanza two.
Peace,
Mike
Sunday, August 2nd
Sunday, July 26th
Sunday, July 19th
The influence and teaching of the Company of Angels spans all of time, doesn’t it? Pete Seeger wrote lyrics (1955-1960) that asked the question, “When will they ever learn?“ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3ly8cyWvkw.
The Prophet Isaiah, some 650+/- years before Christ wrote words we find in Isaiah 11:6-9 and 55:11-33. Those words have been paraphrased for this opening hymn in today’s Message. “The movement from near-rhymes in stanza one to exact rhymes in stanza two reinforce the theme of fulfilled prophesy.”
Our second hymn takes its text as a paraphrase “of the latter part of Micah 6:8” written in the last half of the 8th century before Christ. “The verse sums up in a single sentence the legal, ethical, and convenantal requirements of religion. The intertwining of these commitments can be suggested by singing these phrases in an overlapping canon.”
Beyond listening passively to the hymn, you may wish to involved yourself by asking questions as the singing prompts: “Where do I see justice being sought?” “How have I shown recently that I love kindness and have shown that to others?” “What does it mean to me to walk humbly with my God.”
While we find that our feelings, answers, and responses may differ slightly or broadly from others, and, by comparing and contrasting those differences, we find ourselves amidst the eternal verities of justice, kindness, and humility. It is then that we notice the great influence and teaching and span of the Company of Angels for it has touched us as well.
Blessings,
Mike
The Prophet Isaiah, some 650+/- years before Christ wrote words we find in Isaiah 11:6-9 and 55:11-33. Those words have been paraphrased for this opening hymn in today’s Message. “The movement from near-rhymes in stanza one to exact rhymes in stanza two reinforce the theme of fulfilled prophesy.”
Our second hymn takes its text as a paraphrase “of the latter part of Micah 6:8” written in the last half of the 8th century before Christ. “The verse sums up in a single sentence the legal, ethical, and convenantal requirements of religion. The intertwining of these commitments can be suggested by singing these phrases in an overlapping canon.”
Beyond listening passively to the hymn, you may wish to involved yourself by asking questions as the singing prompts: “Where do I see justice being sought?” “How have I shown recently that I love kindness and have shown that to others?” “What does it mean to me to walk humbly with my God.”
While we find that our feelings, answers, and responses may differ slightly or broadly from others, and, by comparing and contrasting those differences, we find ourselves amidst the eternal verities of justice, kindness, and humility. It is then that we notice the great influence and teaching and span of the Company of Angels for it has touched us as well.
Blessings,
Mike
| calvary_acts.pdf |
Sunday, July 5th
Last week, the Presbyterian Association of Musicians (PAM) celebrated it’s 50th anniversary!
The Montreat Conference Center in North Carolina was supplanted this year with online livestreamed presentations. Six, “count ‘em”, six Calvary folks attended these seminars and
worship services. Our Calvary crew consists of Millason Dailey, Pat Martinez-Miller, Eddie
Mosqueda, Lisa Reynolds, and Mike Wilson. Ask us to tell you more about a week in the “Great Cloud of Witnesses.” Maybe you are interested in becoming part of the Calvary crew next year in Montreat? It’s a week of enlightenment, development, and enrichment. It is heart-warming, centering, delicious, and it is a blast – all against the exquisite backdrop of the Black Mountain area in the Smokey Mountains.
Who’d miss?
Our first hymn today, This is My Song, #340 in the Glory to God hymnal, instructs us, “The first
two stanzas of this hyhmn were written between the 20th century’s two world wars and focus
on the there of international peace. The third stanza, by another author and added later, uses
the language of the Lord’s Prayer to voice a distinctly Christian perspective.”
The second hymn, Lift Every Voice and Sing, #339 in the Glory to God hymnal, provides these
notes, “Initially a poem for a school assembly at which Booker T. Washington spoke on Lincoln’s
birthday in 1900, this text and tune have gained national recognition and devotion, not only
within the African-American community, but also among all who seek liberation from
oppression.”
The week’s Company of Angels includes text and music writers from the 19th and 20th centuries
and as well singers and technicians from this 21st century. We especially thank Jonathan
Nesvadba for mixing our first piano-accompanied, 4-part virtual choral recording. He is also our
bass section leader among his substantial other talents in the music and music business world.
Peace and love and blessings!
Mike
The Montreat Conference Center in North Carolina was supplanted this year with online livestreamed presentations. Six, “count ‘em”, six Calvary folks attended these seminars and
worship services. Our Calvary crew consists of Millason Dailey, Pat Martinez-Miller, Eddie
Mosqueda, Lisa Reynolds, and Mike Wilson. Ask us to tell you more about a week in the “Great Cloud of Witnesses.” Maybe you are interested in becoming part of the Calvary crew next year in Montreat? It’s a week of enlightenment, development, and enrichment. It is heart-warming, centering, delicious, and it is a blast – all against the exquisite backdrop of the Black Mountain area in the Smokey Mountains.
Who’d miss?
Our first hymn today, This is My Song, #340 in the Glory to God hymnal, instructs us, “The first
two stanzas of this hyhmn were written between the 20th century’s two world wars and focus
on the there of international peace. The third stanza, by another author and added later, uses
the language of the Lord’s Prayer to voice a distinctly Christian perspective.”
The second hymn, Lift Every Voice and Sing, #339 in the Glory to God hymnal, provides these
notes, “Initially a poem for a school assembly at which Booker T. Washington spoke on Lincoln’s
birthday in 1900, this text and tune have gained national recognition and devotion, not only
within the African-American community, but also among all who seek liberation from
oppression.”
The week’s Company of Angels includes text and music writers from the 19th and 20th centuries
and as well singers and technicians from this 21st century. We especially thank Jonathan
Nesvadba for mixing our first piano-accompanied, 4-part virtual choral recording. He is also our
bass section leader among his substantial other talents in the music and music business world.
Peace and love and blessings!
Mike
Sunday, June 28th
This week, the Presbyterian Association of Musicians (PAM) celebrated it’s 50th anniversary. The annual conferences usually held at the Montreat Conference Center in North Carolina were, instead, celebrated online with live-streamed presentations. These included Worship services, and the famous Routley lecture series with this year‘s speaker, Mary Louise “MEL” Bringle. Dr. Mel has supplied no less than 20 texts in the denomination’s current hymnal, Glory to God (2013). This year‘s theme was “a Great Cloud of Witnesses.” Our study and worship included some particularly relevant texts for today and some very singable melodies.
We write with great appreciation for and admiration of those in PAM who put together this powerful and timely conference. We welcome them into our “Company of Angels“ and seem them as a part of that “Great Cloud of Witnesses.”
Our first hymn today, “O God, in Whom All Life Begins,“ includes a 19th-century English tune (Noel) and a text written in 1996 by Carl P. Daw, Jr. Although the hymn was written for the installation of a pastor, the text is really about the mutual ministry shared by all members of a worshipping community, both when they are gathered and when they go forth into the world (or when they are at home in “virtual community” as we are right now).
The second hymn, “The Right Hand of God,“ was written by Patrick Prescod in 1980. The 40-year old text seems to directly speak to us this Summer of 2020.
It reminds us that the right hand of God is writing, pointing, striking, and healing. This Caribbean hymn proceeds to identify ways that God continues to act in our own day.
Surely, the Company of Angels are a vital part of that Great Cloud of Witnesses; and, to that we add a phrase from the 1929 hymn that we can all sing, “and I mean to be one too.”
Peace and love and blessings!
Mike
We write with great appreciation for and admiration of those in PAM who put together this powerful and timely conference. We welcome them into our “Company of Angels“ and seem them as a part of that “Great Cloud of Witnesses.”
Our first hymn today, “O God, in Whom All Life Begins,“ includes a 19th-century English tune (Noel) and a text written in 1996 by Carl P. Daw, Jr. Although the hymn was written for the installation of a pastor, the text is really about the mutual ministry shared by all members of a worshipping community, both when they are gathered and when they go forth into the world (or when they are at home in “virtual community” as we are right now).
The second hymn, “The Right Hand of God,“ was written by Patrick Prescod in 1980. The 40-year old text seems to directly speak to us this Summer of 2020.
It reminds us that the right hand of God is writing, pointing, striking, and healing. This Caribbean hymn proceeds to identify ways that God continues to act in our own day.
Surely, the Company of Angels are a vital part of that Great Cloud of Witnesses; and, to that we add a phrase from the 1929 hymn that we can all sing, “and I mean to be one too.”
Peace and love and blessings!
Mike
Sunday, June 14th
Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee
This well-known melody was created to provide a choral setting
for J.C.F. von Schiller’s poem, “An die Freude“ (To Joy), as the final movement of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. The author, Henry van Dyke, a prominent Presbyterian pastor and author, wrote the words in 1907 with this tune in mind.
All Things Bright and Beautiful
One of a series of hymns the author wrote for children on the Apostles’ Creed, this text (originally in seven stanzas) expand “Maker of heaven and earth.” The first stanza became the refrain when the text was later set to a popular tune from the age of King Charles II.
Text: Cecil Frances Alexander, 1848. Music: English tune from the 17th Century adapted by Martin Shaw in 1915; and later, further adapted by John Ribble in 1983.
Today we have two hymns we’ve heard countless times. But, let’s look again: it’s really quite remarkable when we consider we have nearly five centuries of input here. Joyful, joyful tells a beautiful story of love of and faith in God, and of love and joy for the whole human race all stemming from a text from von Schiller that inspired van Beethoven that then moved our Presbyterian van Dyke to write the 1907 text we know so well. All Things Bright and Beautiful goes back to the 17th century tune, the 19th century Alexander text, the 20th century settings (Shaw and Ribble), and now the 21st century voices in Calvary Singers. This whole troupe is a grand Company of Angels indeed.
This well-known melody was created to provide a choral setting
for J.C.F. von Schiller’s poem, “An die Freude“ (To Joy), as the final movement of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. The author, Henry van Dyke, a prominent Presbyterian pastor and author, wrote the words in 1907 with this tune in mind.
All Things Bright and Beautiful
One of a series of hymns the author wrote for children on the Apostles’ Creed, this text (originally in seven stanzas) expand “Maker of heaven and earth.” The first stanza became the refrain when the text was later set to a popular tune from the age of King Charles II.
Text: Cecil Frances Alexander, 1848. Music: English tune from the 17th Century adapted by Martin Shaw in 1915; and later, further adapted by John Ribble in 1983.
Today we have two hymns we’ve heard countless times. But, let’s look again: it’s really quite remarkable when we consider we have nearly five centuries of input here. Joyful, joyful tells a beautiful story of love of and faith in God, and of love and joy for the whole human race all stemming from a text from von Schiller that inspired van Beethoven that then moved our Presbyterian van Dyke to write the 1907 text we know so well. All Things Bright and Beautiful goes back to the 17th century tune, the 19th century Alexander text, the 20th century settings (Shaw and Ribble), and now the 21st century voices in Calvary Singers. This whole troupe is a grand Company of Angels indeed.
Sunday, June 7th
In the Midst of New Dimensions ~ In the simultaneously created text and tune, the author/composer was seeking to incorporate imagery from both Native American and Hebrew spiritual traditions. Also included is the mythological phoenix, which had received a Christian interpretation as early as the first century. This is work of Julian B. Rush in 1979.
There is a Balm in Gilead ~ is an African-American spiritual that offers a long-delayed answer to the prophet Jeremiah’s question,
“Is there no balm in Gilead?” (Jeremiah 8:22). No earthly remedy can compare with the healing that comes from a sense of God’s presence; nothing else can heal “the sin-sick soul.”
Text: African-American spiritual
Music: Arranged in 1989 by Melva Wilson Costen. She was Helmar Emil Nielsen Professor Emeritus of Worship and Music at the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia, where she taught for thirty-two years. Subsequently, she became the Visiting Professor of Liturgical Studies at the Institute of Sacred Music at Yale Divinity School in New Haven, Connecticut.
Julian and Melva are clearly a vital part of our Company of Angels.
There is a Balm in Gilead ~ is an African-American spiritual that offers a long-delayed answer to the prophet Jeremiah’s question,
“Is there no balm in Gilead?” (Jeremiah 8:22). No earthly remedy can compare with the healing that comes from a sense of God’s presence; nothing else can heal “the sin-sick soul.”
Text: African-American spiritual
Music: Arranged in 1989 by Melva Wilson Costen. She was Helmar Emil Nielsen Professor Emeritus of Worship and Music at the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia, where she taught for thirty-two years. Subsequently, she became the Visiting Professor of Liturgical Studies at the Institute of Sacred Music at Yale Divinity School in New Haven, Connecticut.
Julian and Melva are clearly a vital part of our Company of Angels.
Sunday, May 31st
Come, O Spirit, Dwell Among Us
“This 20th-century text was written by a Presbyterian layperson and poet (Janie Alford, 1979), who in her later years became interested in writing hymns for the seasons of the church year and shared the collection of them for her congregation. It pairs effectively with this sturdy Welsh tune.”
A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
“Long before Isaac Watts began to Christianize the Psalms, Martin Luther had already done so when he created the text and tune for this, his most famous hymn, which is based on Psalm 46.“
1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
8 Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.
10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
(New International Version)
Here we are, once again, in the company of angels.
“This 20th-century text was written by a Presbyterian layperson and poet (Janie Alford, 1979), who in her later years became interested in writing hymns for the seasons of the church year and shared the collection of them for her congregation. It pairs effectively with this sturdy Welsh tune.”
A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
“Long before Isaac Watts began to Christianize the Psalms, Martin Luther had already done so when he created the text and tune for this, his most famous hymn, which is based on Psalm 46.“
1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
8 Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.
10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
(New International Version)
Here we are, once again, in the company of angels.
Sunday, May 24th
Ascension Day was May 21 this year. It is the 40th day of Easter. It occurs 39 days after Easter Sunday and it is sometimes called Ascension Thursday. The trend is to move holy days from weekdays to Sundays and observe them when more people are at church.
This Christian holiday commemorates Jesus's ascension into heaven.
Today’s hymns refer to this unique time:
“Alleluia! Sing to Jesus; His the scepter, His the throne.” And, “Kings of Kings, Lord of Lords. Jesus Christ the first and last.
For this celebration we truly need the Company of Angels.
This Christian holiday commemorates Jesus's ascension into heaven.
Today’s hymns refer to this unique time:
“Alleluia! Sing to Jesus; His the scepter, His the throne.” And, “Kings of Kings, Lord of Lords. Jesus Christ the first and last.
For this celebration we truly need the Company of Angels.
Sunday, May 17th
“Amen, amen!” Melva Wilson Costen, a South Carolina native, retired as choir director and chair at Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia. She became Visiting Professor of Liturgical Studies at the Institute of Sacred Music at Yale Divinity School in New Haven, Connecticut. This arrangement of AMEN, was popularized by Sydney Poitier in the 1963 movie “Lilies of the Field” and it currently appears in hymnals of many denominations.
Sunday, May 10th
My God, Where Shall I Go Text by Adam Tice and Music by Sally Ann Morris.
Sally Ann Morris and Adam Tice are vibrant, active musicians in the sacred music realm today. At last summer’s Montreat conference in North Carolina, Adam, a Mennonite hymn writer and composer was the Routley lecturer. The Hymn Society of the United States and Canada named him a Lovelace Scholar in 2004, and he began a term as the editor of the organization’s journal. Adam also serves on the Mennonite hymnal committee.
Sally Ann appears frequently as a guest artist, clinician, composer, cantor and conductor in churches nationwide, and at national conferences including Montreat, NC, the National Association of Pastoral Musicians, and The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada. Sally serves as Director of Music Ministries at Parkway Presbyterian Church in Winston-Salem, NC.
Last February at Calvary, Sally and Adam led our workshop “Music is Prayer”.
Sally Ann Morris and Adam Tice are vibrant, active musicians in the sacred music realm today. At last summer’s Montreat conference in North Carolina, Adam, a Mennonite hymn writer and composer was the Routley lecturer. The Hymn Society of the United States and Canada named him a Lovelace Scholar in 2004, and he began a term as the editor of the organization’s journal. Adam also serves on the Mennonite hymnal committee.
Sally Ann appears frequently as a guest artist, clinician, composer, cantor and conductor in churches nationwide, and at national conferences including Montreat, NC, the National Association of Pastoral Musicians, and The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada. Sally serves as Director of Music Ministries at Parkway Presbyterian Church in Winston-Salem, NC.
Last February at Calvary, Sally and Adam led our workshop “Music is Prayer”.
Sunday, May 3rd
A Company of Angels is the beautiful voices of our Section Leaders and of those who wrote today’s texts:
The Bread and the Wine Are Here is an invitation today to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. The refrain reminds us to, “come in; sit down; there’s room at the table.“ at this very time when we’re maintaining social distancing, the deeper meaning of this text presents itself: Come in, sit down, be with us, there’s room in our hearts for you.
Within Our Darkest Night is a Taizé chant and its style is characterized by the subtle and simple melody. The plainness of the melody doesn’t get in the way of this concise text. It is perfectly suited to the days we are living in right now.
Lift Thine Eyes is a setting by Felix Mendelssohn in his oratorio, Elijah. Composed in 1845 and 1846, the composer uses three verses from Psalm 121 for this women’s trio (Soprano I, II, Alto). Notice the sound points to Heaven with the ethereal quality of women’s voices, lightly composed lines, phrase shapes that point upwards, and the overlapping phrases one part to the next suggesting overlapping billowy clouds that lead “upward.” The listener may notice the sound is of a full women’s chorus. Our section leaders each separately sang all three voice parts, then in post-production we combined all the voices for each part and stacked the melodies for Soprano I, Soprano II, and Alto atop one another like a layer cake: Voilà, a women’s chorus! They are indeed a Company of Angels.
Mike
The Bread and the Wine Are Here is an invitation today to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. The refrain reminds us to, “come in; sit down; there’s room at the table.“ at this very time when we’re maintaining social distancing, the deeper meaning of this text presents itself: Come in, sit down, be with us, there’s room in our hearts for you.
Within Our Darkest Night is a Taizé chant and its style is characterized by the subtle and simple melody. The plainness of the melody doesn’t get in the way of this concise text. It is perfectly suited to the days we are living in right now.
Lift Thine Eyes is a setting by Felix Mendelssohn in his oratorio, Elijah. Composed in 1845 and 1846, the composer uses three verses from Psalm 121 for this women’s trio (Soprano I, II, Alto). Notice the sound points to Heaven with the ethereal quality of women’s voices, lightly composed lines, phrase shapes that point upwards, and the overlapping phrases one part to the next suggesting overlapping billowy clouds that lead “upward.” The listener may notice the sound is of a full women’s chorus. Our section leaders each separately sang all three voice parts, then in post-production we combined all the voices for each part and stacked the melodies for Soprano I, Soprano II, and Alto atop one another like a layer cake: Voilà, a women’s chorus! They are indeed a Company of Angels.
Mike
A Company of Angels is the beautiful voices of our Section Leaders and of those who wrote today’s texts:
Christ is risen - Text by John Bell and Graham Maule. Beginning with rather conventional Easter imagery, this text moves into unexpected territory by declaring that Christ’s Resurrection is for “all whose lives are messed and mangled and all who find religion strange.” The Welsh melody, Suo Gan, means “Lullaby.”
O for a world - Text by Miriam Therese Winter. “Everything longed for in this text is a reminder of how far our present world is from what God wants. Yet this is not just wishful thinking; it is a call to action, a summons to participate in the fulfillment of God’s desire for all earth’s people to live in radical Shalom.” Sister Miriam Therese writes, “Mike, I’m delighted to be part of your worship.”
As we are creating music en remote, today's presentations have involved creating 18 different sound tracks and compiling them into two hymn recordings on our website. Today's post-production of the sound files are the work of our Adam Faruqi, and Ashley Roque coupled them with text slides so we can sing along with our section leaders. Hearty thanks to all!
Mike