News for May 10-16
Congratulations Graduates
Congratulations to our 2020 graduates! We wish you the very best in all of your future endeavors! (Parishioners, you can find the link to the graduate recognition bulletin in the May 10 issue of the newsletter.)
Thanksgiving for CE Leaders
As the “regular” Christian Education cycle winds down for the year, we give thanks for the forty souls who have given so generously of themselves to our ongoing Christian Formation offerings this year! Their willingness, dedication, and enormous contributions will be celebrated during worship on May 10. Please be sure to join us in giving thanks for their ministry!
Parish Dance Party
Join in a parish-wide dance party this Sunday, May 10, at 7:00 PM! Fr. Stuart (also known as “The Wizard”) will be the DJ for the evening, and he’ll work to load YouTube videos to play live on everyone’s screen. (You may want to plug your laptop into a larger screen if you can, but whatever will work). If you have any requests, just email him the title and artist. He’ll work to get them loaded, and if we run out of space, we’ll look toward the next time. So put on your dancing shoes and check your newsletter for the link to the party!
Music
I never fully realized how great the Easter season readings can be for linking music to scripture until I sat down to make these playlists! This week, all of the readings just sing with options. I’ve sprinkled a few hymns in this week too, looking at 1 Peter 2:2-10, “Christ is made the sure foundation” and “The Church’s one foundation” just had to make the list. Between the Psalm and the Gospel reading, I felt I should include “O God, our help in ages past” as well.
The appointed Collect and Gospel reading both reflect on Jesus being “the way, the truth, and the life,” we will sing Ralph Vaughan Williams version of this text as a hymn on Sunday, but many of us are familiar with his solo and other choral settings of this text too. Turning to our reading from Acts, the Latin “O salutaris hostia” text resonates so strongly with me, so I’ve included two of my favorite settings. Esenvalds is a living Latvian composer and Rossini is a famous nineteenth-century Italian composer mostly known for opera.
O salutaris hostia
quae caeli pandis ostium,
bella premunt hostilia:
da robur, fer auxilium
O saving victim
who opens the gate of heaven,
hostile wars press on us:
give strength, bring aid.
Although set to text from Psalm 70, I’ve included Buxtehude’s setting of “In te Domine speravi” to link with today’s Psalm 31 excerpt. And in addition to the hymns, Vaughan Williams “O taste and see” links right into that 1 Peter reading…”if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.”
Finally turning to our Gospel reading, the concept of eternal dwelling places brings so much music to mind. Starting with two famous settings of Psalm 84, “How amiable are thy dwellings,” I’ve included some more Vaughan Williams and similar text but in German from Brahms’ Requiem. Next, turning to some Bach (Click here to see a translation of the Bach motet) and a spiritual. Click here for the playlist!
Will Gotmer
Director of Music/Organist
This post highlights some events and news pertinent to the upcoming week.