Ascensiontide is a short but fascinating season. There is on the one hand the celebration of Jesus’ returning into heaven and taking his place seated at the right hand of the Father; but there is also the ten-day period in which the apostles were left without him and before the Holy Spirit came upon them…
Good liturgy offers connections and insights to those who are looking for it. I was reminded of this in a few ways recently. John Rutter wrote a short essay about this with respect to the music at the funeral of Prince Philip; but closer to home, I had one of our first-grade boys at St.…
by Michelle and David Graves As we near our projected departure date, it’s difficult not to be consumed by all the details of uprooting our lives and moving to Africa, but God is doing great things there right now—and creating many opportunities for us to help further the work there. We’re thankful for God’s provision…
This week we will celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday, when we recall one of the great “I am” statements of Jesus: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11-12). The other text most powerfully associated with this theme is of course Psalm 23, “The Lord is my…
This week, as we all know, we are hoping to be back indoors in the church. I am very excited about this prospect, and about getting our organs back “online!” I can’t help but think that the Palm Sunday imagery of gate-opening and entrance will be especially apropos if this happens. In this spirit, the…
Plan now to join us for a Hard Hat Tour of our new academic building, now under construction, on Sunday, April 11, right after attending church in our newly renovated sanctuary! Our Hard Hat Tour is for all church members. Families can participate in the tour together and take home a commemorative family photo. Campaign…
This Sunday is a double-edged liturgy; we are celebrating confirmation, which is a wonderful and happy occasion, but we also enter the endgame of Lent, known as Passiontide, in which we trace the suffering and death of our Savior. Our offertory anthem ties together the two themes of this service: the sacrifice of Christ, and…
This Sunday we are giving a “day off” to the men of the choir, and taking an opportunity to use music written for high voices alone. One of my very favorite pieces of music in this vein is John Ireland‘s “Ex ore innocentium.” The text is the fairly well-known poem, appropriate for Lent and Passiontide,…
by Bryan Anderson, Director of Music Our service this third Sunday in Lent features the anthem “Nolo mortem peccatoris,” composed by the Elizabethan musician Thomas Morley. The text is actually in English, other than the titular line, which is repeated at the end of each stanza as a litany. It is from Ezekiel 33: “I…
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” Matthew 2:1–2 ESV As…
