A new commandment
Psalm and Alleluia
Take this moment
This is my body
Turning the world upside down (which really should be sung in a proper Cock-er-ny music hall style.)
We had the mayor and his wife with us .... or as they say hereabouts, the Murr and murress.
And did anyone take the moment to lobby the mayor about the state of the footpaths in Lower Bridge St? Perhaps Be still for the presence of the Lord as sung by Arethosemyfeet's congregation, or Together we serve from Nick Tamen's would have been appropriate with the mayoral presence.
I'm away from my own diocese in a place far away. New regulations (whether government, diocese, or parish I'm not sure) meant we didn't sing - the vicar who knows me (to my surprise, though perhaps my sign-written car didn't exactly disguise me) came to redirect my parking in the unmarked car park. I had parked, I thought sensibly, parallel to the curb like other cars there, but she requested 90 degrees to the curb instead so there was room for two other other cars. The car park would accommodate about forty cars and in the end there were only a dozen or so so this puzzled me a little.
But I digress. She informed me there would be no singing. This was a relief as I had chosen the early service to avoid Singnody. Instead we were to sit and listen while the organist played the hymns. This surprised me because, well, I wasn't expecting any music. Boy did he play. I didn't take any notice of what the hymns were because I was so desperately trying to ignore the wall of sound he pumped out through the massive speakers. I guess he thought he had to compensate for the congregation's silence, but man, I've heard quieter death thrash concerts.
Okay I'm lying. Not my genre. But this was full noisy pub band decibels.
And why did I get out of bed for the liturgy? The liturgy was badly delivered, pushing all my buttons for things done wrong. The microphone use was atrocious - popping all over the PUHlace. (See what I did there?) The sermon was good content, but delivered in a monotone relieved only by descending inflections (if such a thing is possible - the opposite of rising inflections anyway). And there seemed to be one jaw-breaking theological obscenity, an anti semitic interpretation of the fall of the second temple. God's punishment because the Jews didn't follow Jesus It was a throway line, unrelated to the sermon, but oh dear. Or maybe it wasn't - was the Second Temple the House built on Sand of the gospel for the day? Ouch. I wouldn't go there and I'm not persuaded Luke was but I'll leave that for the Kerygmania mob. The Eucharistic prayer was peremptory.
It was the liturgical equivalent of a trim soy decaff latte. These days I often find my inner baptist, but I think my inner atheist was peaking round the corner.
So no, not a "what did you sing at church?" but a "did the earth move?" and no it categorically did not. Unless sinking in quicksand counts as a tectonic shift.
We'll be having:
“God is our strength and refuge” (Dambusters' March).
“Faithful One, so unchanging” (Brian Doerksen).
"Through the love of God our Saviour” (Ar Hyd Y Nos).
“Beauty for brokenness” (Kendrick).
“The Lord is king!” (St. Albinus).
I did play it.
The main reason is that the RC church was massively persecuted when Ukraine was in the USSR. Its bishops and priests were imprisoned, sent to exile in gulags and in some cases martyred. Its churches were confiscated, and its laity were singled out.
This still resonates.
Back to our localish shack today as we're a bit tied to where has Something for Child #3.
To God be the Glory
Be Thou my Vision
Love Divine all loves Excelling
Lord Jesus Christ (you have come to us..., the regularly scheduled Communion hymn)
then it went a bit downhill.
There is a Redeemer We were organistless today, and the CD the vicar had found was a recording of this being done in a contemporary high male vocal style - just about reachable for me as a tenor but one could see looks of pain in places. I don't have perfect pitch so can't be sure but I think it hit G/A territory in the chorus, especially the final time when it had modulated up a key. SJS (ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!) - opportunity to play Spot The Keenies - they were the ones doing the claps.
Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise (ST. DENIO) Open the Eyes of My Heart (OPEN THE EYES) Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah (CWM RHONDDA) Rise, O Church, like Christ Arisen (SERGE ECCLESIA)
O wondrous type! O vision fair (WAREHAM)
God himself is with us (TYSK)
Humbly I adore thee (ADORO DEVOTE)
Sing alleluia forth in duteous praise (MARTINS)
Choral:
Rheinberger: Messe in Es for double choir "Cantus Missae"
Moses Hogan: I can tell the world about this
Lauridsen: O nata lux, from Lux aeterna (1997)
Stanford: Te Deum in B-flat
The first Sunday at Our Place when masks were "optional" rather than "recommended", allowing the congregation to belt out some classics.
Crown Him With Many Crowns DAIDEMATA
The Lord's My Shepherd CRIMOND
I Cannot Tell LONDONDERRY AIR
What A Friend We Have In Jesus CONVERSE
Amazing Grace NEW BRITAIN
First Sunday that masks were not legally required (though some still wore them):
“God is love, let heaven adore him” (Blaenwern).
“Living under the shadow of his wing”.
“God, how can we comprehend” (Aberystwyth).
“Hills of the north, rejoice” (Little Cornard).
“Guide me, O thou great Jehovah” (Guess!).
Away from home, so visiting.
A lovely medieval church in Wales that is shared Anglican/RC. We were there for the RC Mass on Sunday Morning.
The building has a pipe organ and a baby grand piano.
The lady supplying the music came equipped with a treble recorder and a tape machine (or something, I didn't get to see it.)
The priest is Nigerian and incredibly difficult to understand. The homily sounded worth listening to, but his accent really got in the way. This diocese has several priests from Africa. They need to run professional English pronunciation classes for them.
Congregation about 40-50 mainly elderly.
What we sang
Forty days and forty nights - recorder.
Eagles Wings - a recording with a particularly nasty soprano soloist. Nobody sang.
Now thank we all our God - a recording again, but pitched FAR too high for the ageing congregation, so nobody sang.
It is difficult to see places like this surviving more than 10 years.
Our God, Our Help in Ages Past (ST. ANNE) Bless the Lord, My Soul (Berthier, Taizé) Spirit, Spirit of Gentleness (SPIRIT) Lord, I Want to Be a Christian (African American Spiritual)
This morning we sang
Forty days and forty nights
Father hear the prayer we offer ( Sussex)
Jesu lover of my soul ( Aberystwyth)
Seek ye first the kingdom of God
During Communion: The Bellman’s Song trad. From the Oxford Book of Carols
The Great Litany.
Psalm 91 (Cantor with congregational response)
Forty days and forty nights (Aus der Tiefe rufe ich)
Now let us all with one accord (Bourbon)
Eagles' wings
Eternal Lord of love behold your church (Old 124th)
Gospel was Transfiguration, so
Christ be our light.
Kyries
Psalm and acclamation
We rise again (Ashes.)
Celtic Mass
Return to God
Shine, Jesus shine (with much clapping.)
A visiting Indian supply priest who was a marvellous preacher.
"Great is thy faithfulness!”
"Faithful One, so unchanging”.
“I know who holds the future”.
"Wait for the Lord”.
“Christ, be our light”.
“A safe stronghold our God is still”.
Praise my soul the King of heaven
O for a thousand tongues (all eight verses - we're with the Methodists now!)
The kingdom of God is justice and joy
Fight the good fight (for the second time in 15 days - same preacher too!)
And can it be that I should gain.
Quite a traditional, conservative bunch, but the message which took the UK government strongly to task about its refugee policy, both past and current, was not!
O for a thousand tongues (all eight verses - we're with the Methodists now!)
So what happened to the other ten, including "Harlots, and publicans, and thieves", "Murderers, and all ye hellish crew" and the one about "Washing the AEthiop white" (sic)?.
O for a thousand tongues (all eight verses - we're with the Methodists now!)
So what happened to the other ten, including "Harlots, and publicans, and thieves", "Murderers, and all ye hellish crew" and the one about "Washing the AEthiop white" (sic)?.
A newly ordained curate with us was doing a funeral at which All things bright and beautiful was sung (pagans, but Nan loved animals.) He was horrified when I told him about the expurgated verse about the rich man and beggar being in their right estate. Used to sing it at school.
We had that today too ... I rather like it actually.
Our last hymn hardly anybody knew 'Christ is the words true light'. On the video you can see me desperately trying to lay my hands on a hymnbook for the music, when I realised it was an unfamiliar tune.... https://youtu.be/1IPBYXyc73I?t=3135
O for a thousand tongues (all eight verses - we're with the Methodists now!)
So what happened to the other ten, including "Harlots, and publicans, and thieves", "Murderers, and all ye hellish crew" and the one about "Washing the AEthiop white" (sic)?.
Good grief! Sometimes ignorance is indeed bliss, only you don’t know it!
We had:
Immortal, invisible (ST DENIO)
The Lord's my light and saving health (BISHOPTHORPE)
Lord of all being throned afar (GONFALON ROYAL, largely because I say so)
We turn to God when we are sorely pressed (EVENTIDE)
Glorious things of thee are spoken (AUSTRIAN HYMN, those following along at home may have noticed we had this 4 weeks ago, but I did a new recording as the other one sounded a bit odd in places)
Our last hymn hardly anybody knew 'Christ is the words true light'. On the video you can see me desperately trying to lay my hands on a hymnbook for the music, when I realised it was an unfamiliar tune.... https://youtu.be/1IPBYXyc73I?t=3135
That tune ("Rinkart", by Bach I think) does seem to be the "official" tune for that hymn. However I'd be very tempted to go for "Nun Danket" which is far better known - especially at the end of a service which one wants to close on a positive note.
O for a thousand tongues (all eight verses - we're with the Methodists now!)
So what happened to the other ten, including "Harlots, and publicans, and thieves", "Murderers, and all ye hellish crew" and the one about "Washing the AEthiop white" (sic)?.
A newly ordained curate with us was doing a funeral at which All things bright and beautiful was sung (pagans, but Nan loved animals.) He was horrified when I told him about the expurgated verse about the rich man and beggar being in their right estate. Used to sing it at school.
That is a dreadful verse, and it's hard to imagine how it could have been written. Its continued inclusion is deplorable.
O for a thousand tongues (all eight verses - we're with the Methodists now!)
So what happened to the other ten, including "Harlots, and publicans, and thieves", "Murderers, and all ye hellish crew" and the one about "Washing the AEthiop white" (sic)?.
A newly ordained curate with us was doing a funeral at which All things bright and beautiful was sung (pagans, but Nan loved animals.) He was horrified when I told him about the expurgated verse about the rich man and beggar being in their right estate. Used to sing it at school.
That is a dreadful verse, and it's hard to imagine how it could have been written. Its continued inclusion is deplorable.
I find it pretty easy to imagine how it came to be written. The theology that the social hierarchies of this world are divinely ordained is not hard to extract from St Paul's writing, and is one that fitted well with the Victorian culture of the author. I obviously agree that it's an awful theology, but I think that about PSA too, which unlike the offending verse of ATB&B I have seen in the wild.
Never a tranquilliser dart gun when you need one, is there?
I quite like getting the old biddies to rock it out in the pews. Is good for their endorphins.
Just as long as the clapping is crisp and doesn't sound like a row of dominoes collapsing.
I can only remember 2 of yesterday's five - though from memory I don't think we had anything post about 1900. Forty Days and Forty Nights and The Church's One Foundation.
Never a tranquilliser dart gun when you need one, is there?
I quite like getting the old biddies to rock it out in the pews. Is good for their endorphins.
Just as long as the clapping is crisp and doesn't sound like a row of dominoes collapsing.
Funny thing is that's approximately when I feel like saying "shoot me now".
Never a tranquilliser dart gun when you need one, is there?
I quite like getting the old biddies to rock it out in the pews. Is good for their endorphins.
Just as long as the clapping is crisp and doesn't sound like a row of dominoes collapsing.
But it's always clapping on 1 and 3 and always out of time. No song or hymn requiring clapping ever ends well unless it's literally performed at a music gig.
Never a tranquilliser dart gun when you need one, is there?
I quite like getting the old biddies to rock it out in the pews. Is good for their endorphins.
Just as long as the clapping is crisp and doesn't sound like a row of dominoes collapsing.
But it's always clapping on 1 and 3 and always out of time. No song or hymn requiring clapping ever ends well unless it's literally performed at a music gig.
SJS seems to have acquired a particular clap which is done after "shine on me". It is to be fair syncopated (rather than the terrible "clap on 1 and 3") but it's become a tiresome cliché that hurts even more than straight 1 and 3 clapping does.
1 and 3 clapping is particularly obnoxious to musicians as it tends to pull syncopated rhythms square and straight making the songs even duller.
Why has SJS become the "whipping boy" for all those who don't like "modern" music? (And, by the way, it's now 35 years old).
Some folk like worship songs, others don't; some like traditional hymns, others don't; some like plainchant, others don't. All right, there's a lot of dross out there - but can't we learn to accept and be generous about other folks' choices? I have been known to choose a hymn that I personally can't stand for a service because I know it will "bless" others who will be present.
Never a tranquilliser dart gun when you need one, is there?
I quite like getting the old biddies to rock it out in the pews. Is good for their endorphins.
Just as long as the clapping is crisp and doesn't sound like a row of dominoes collapsing.
But it's always clapping on 1 and 3 and always out of time. No song or hymn requiring clapping ever ends well unless it's literally performed at a music gig.
Comments
Amazing grace
Do not be afraid
Eagles wings done as an instrumental.
Be still for the presence
How great thou art.
A church full of parishioners, so the roof was raised in song.
Not surprised to hear that.
But I digress. She informed me there would be no singing. This was a relief as I had chosen the early service to avoid Singnody. Instead we were to sit and listen while the organist played the hymns. This surprised me because, well, I wasn't expecting any music. Boy did he play. I didn't take any notice of what the hymns were because I was so desperately trying to ignore the wall of sound he pumped out through the massive speakers. I guess he thought he had to compensate for the congregation's silence, but man, I've heard quieter death thrash concerts.
Okay I'm lying. Not my genre. But this was full noisy pub band decibels.
And why did I get out of bed for the liturgy? The liturgy was badly delivered, pushing all my buttons for things done wrong. The microphone use was atrocious - popping all over the PUHlace. (See what I did there?) The sermon was good content, but delivered in a monotone relieved only by descending inflections (if such a thing is possible - the opposite of rising inflections anyway). And there seemed to be one jaw-breaking theological obscenity, an anti semitic interpretation of the fall of the second temple. God's punishment because the Jews didn't follow Jesus
It was the liturgical equivalent of a trim soy decaff latte. These days I often find my inner baptist, but I think my inner atheist was peaking round the corner.
So no, not a "what did you sing at church?" but a "did the earth move?" and no it categorically did not. Unless sinking in quicksand counts as a tectonic shift.
There. I feel better now.
Psalm and Alleluia.
Take this moment
Celtic Mass
Yahweh, I know you are near.
How great thou art.
I am minded to play the Ukrainian national anthem after the final hymn.
We'll be having:
“God is our strength and refuge” (Dambusters' March).
“Faithful One, so unchanging” (Brian Doerksen).
"Through the love of God our Saviour” (Ar Hyd Y Nos).
“Beauty for brokenness” (Kendrick).
“The Lord is king!” (St. Albinus).
The main reason is that the RC church was massively persecuted when Ukraine was in the USSR. Its bishops and priests were imprisoned, sent to exile in gulags and in some cases martyred. Its churches were confiscated, and its laity were singled out.
This still resonates.
We had:
We have a gospel to proclaim
What a friend we have in Jesus
A couple of others which I now have forgotten, but of the same ilk.
And we ended with Fight the good fight!
To God be the Glory
Be Thou my Vision
Love Divine all loves Excelling
Lord Jesus Christ (you have come to us..., the regularly scheduled Communion hymn)
then it went a bit downhill.
There is a Redeemer We were organistless today, and the CD the vicar had found was a recording of this being done in a contemporary high male vocal style - just about reachable for me as a tenor but one could see looks of pain in places. I don't have perfect pitch so can't be sure but I think it hit G/A territory in the chorus, especially the final time when it had modulated up a key.
SJS (ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!) - opportunity to play Spot The Keenies - they were the ones doing the claps.
Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise (ST. DENIO)
Open the Eyes of My Heart (OPEN THE EYES)
Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah (CWM RHONDDA)
Rise, O Church, like Christ Arisen (SERGE ECCLESIA)
Blessed Assurance
We bow down
Mid all the traffic of the ways
Blessed be your name
As the varied way of life we journey
Cornerstone
God himself is with us (TYSK)
Humbly I adore thee (ADORO DEVOTE)
Sing alleluia forth in duteous praise (MARTINS)
Choral:
Rheinberger: Messe in Es for double choir "Cantus Missae"
Moses Hogan: I can tell the world about this
Lauridsen: O nata lux, from Lux aeterna (1997)
Stanford: Te Deum in B-flat
Crown Him With Many Crowns DAIDEMATA
The Lord's My Shepherd CRIMOND
I Cannot Tell LONDONDERRY AIR
What A Friend We Have In Jesus CONVERSE
Amazing Grace NEW BRITAIN
Praise to the Lord
Safe in the shadow of the Lord
Forty days and forty nights
We rest on thee (FINLANDIA)
Jesus the name high over all (LYDIA)
“God is love, let heaven adore him” (Blaenwern).
“Living under the shadow of his wing”.
“God, how can we comprehend” (Aberystwyth).
“Hills of the north, rejoice” (Little Cornard).
“Guide me, O thou great Jehovah” (Guess!).
Maybe ZION? (Just for a change) 😉
(BTW "Zion" is new to me).
A lovely medieval church in Wales that is shared Anglican/RC. We were there for the RC Mass on Sunday Morning.
The building has a pipe organ and a baby grand piano.
The lady supplying the music came equipped with a treble recorder and a tape machine (or something, I didn't get to see it.)
The priest is Nigerian and incredibly difficult to understand. The homily sounded worth listening to, but his accent really got in the way. This diocese has several priests from Africa. They need to run professional English pronunciation classes for them.
Congregation about 40-50 mainly elderly.
What we sang
Forty days and forty nights - recorder.
Eagles Wings - a recording with a particularly nasty soprano soloist. Nobody sang.
Now thank we all our God - a recording again, but pitched FAR too high for the ageing congregation, so nobody sang.
It is difficult to see places like this surviving more than 10 years.
It's pretty tame after Cwm Rhondda
We (about 50), released from mask wearing, sang Cwm Rhondda lustily and even managed an impromptu da capo at the end.
Our God, Our Help in Ages Past (ST. ANNE)
Bless the Lord, My Soul (Berthier, Taizé)
Spirit, Spirit of Gentleness (SPIRIT)
Lord, I Want to Be a Christian (African American Spiritual)
Treble recorder.
Forty days and forty nights
Father hear the prayer we offer ( Sussex)
Jesu lover of my soul ( Aberystwyth)
Seek ye first the kingdom of God
During Communion: The Bellman’s Song trad. From the Oxford Book of Carols
The Great Litany.
Psalm 91 (Cantor with congregational response)
Forty days and forty nights (Aus der Tiefe rufe ich)
Now let us all with one accord (Bourbon)
Eagles' wings
Eternal Lord of love behold your church (Old 124th)
Christ be our light.
Kyries
Psalm and acclamation
We rise again (Ashes.)
Celtic Mass
Return to God
Shine, Jesus shine (with much clapping.)
A visiting Indian supply priest who was a marvellous preacher.
🕯🇺🇦😢
Today, Psalm 27:
"Great is thy faithfulness!”
"Faithful One, so unchanging”.
“I know who holds the future”.
"Wait for the Lord”.
“Christ, be our light”.
“A safe stronghold our God is still”.
Never a tranquilliser dart gun when you need one, is there?
O for a thousand tongues (all eight verses - we're with the Methodists now!)
The kingdom of God is justice and joy
Fight the good fight (for the second time in 15 days - same preacher too!)
And can it be that I should gain.
Quite a traditional, conservative bunch, but the message which took the UK government strongly to task about its refugee policy, both past and current, was not!
A newly ordained curate with us was doing a funeral at which All things bright and beautiful was sung (pagans, but Nan loved animals.) He was horrified when I told him about the expurgated verse about the rich man and beggar being in their right estate. Used to sing it at school.
We had that today too ... I rather like it actually.
Our last hymn hardly anybody knew 'Christ is the words true light'. On the video you can see me desperately trying to lay my hands on a hymnbook for the music, when I realised it was an unfamiliar tune.... https://youtu.be/1IPBYXyc73I?t=3135
Good grief! Sometimes ignorance is indeed bliss, only you don’t know it!
Immortal, invisible (ST DENIO)
The Lord's my light and saving health (BISHOPTHORPE)
Lord of all being throned afar (GONFALON ROYAL, largely because I say so)
We turn to God when we are sorely pressed (EVENTIDE)
Glorious things of thee are spoken (AUSTRIAN HYMN, those following along at home may have noticed we had this 4 weeks ago, but I did a new recording as the other one sounded a bit odd in places)
That is a dreadful verse, and it's hard to imagine how it could have been written. Its continued inclusion is deplorable.
I find it pretty easy to imagine how it came to be written. The theology that the social hierarchies of this world are divinely ordained is not hard to extract from St Paul's writing, and is one that fitted well with the Victorian culture of the author. I obviously agree that it's an awful theology, but I think that about PSA too, which unlike the offending verse of ATB&B I have seen in the wild.
I quite like getting the old biddies to rock it out in the pews. Is good for their endorphins.
Just as long as the clapping is crisp and doesn't sound like a row of dominoes collapsing.
Put thou thy trust in God, in duty's path go on
All my hope on God is founded
Funny thing is that's approximately when I feel like saying "shoot me now".
But it's always clapping on 1 and 3 and always out of time. No song or hymn requiring clapping ever ends well unless it's literally performed at a music gig.
Given that we're in Lent I think you should listen to the dubstep version 😁
Hold on - I need to go and commit some heinous sins first in order to need that sort of Lenten Discipline.
SJS seems to have acquired a particular clap which is done after "shine on me". It is to be fair syncopated (rather than the terrible "clap on 1 and 3") but it's become a tiresome cliché that hurts even more than straight 1 and 3 clapping does.
1 and 3 clapping is particularly obnoxious to musicians as it tends to pull syncopated rhythms square and straight making the songs even duller.
Some folk like worship songs, others don't; some like traditional hymns, others don't; some like plainchant, others don't. All right, there's a lot of dross out there - but can't we learn to accept and be generous about other folks' choices? I have been known to choose a hymn that I personally can't stand for a service because I know it will "bless" others who will be present.
Our lot clap on 2 and 4 . Must be a papist thing.