Earlier tonight, I went to the Epiphany service at the Lutheran church just down from our (Presbyterian) church. Our minister was the guest preacher, and many in our choir joined with their choir on the offertory anthem (which had been written by a member of their congregation who was our organist and choir director for many years). We sang:
“Longing for Light, We Wait in Darkness”/CHRIST, BE OUR LIGHT
“Angels We Have Heard on High”/GLORIA
“We Three Kings of Orient Are”
“We Are Marching in the Light of God” (Siyahamba)
“Love Has Come”/UN FLAMBEAU
“Angels from the Realms of Glory”/REGENT SQUARE
“Hark, the Herald Angels Sing” (“Jesus, the Light of the World”)/WE’LL WALK IN THE LIGHT
“I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light”/HOUSTON
“This Little Light of Mine”
“Joy to the World”/ANTIOCH
Our Epiphany service last night was a service of words, music and reflection.
Hymns were
We three kings
Brightest and best
The first Nowell
As with gladness
……..to all the usual tunes
Choir items
Star carol - Rutter
Tres magi gentibus- C S Lang
I saw three ships - E Gritton
A recording was played of Here is the little door - Howells.
The readings were both Biblical and non- biblical.
A cry for help has gone out from FatherInCharge, as two children, who were scheduled to be Kings/Wise Men/Magi at tomorrow's service, are now unable to attend. More are therefore needed, but, with the current dearth of young families, it's not certain that any extras will become available.
If the total of Three can't be met, it may scupper the proposed *Procession of the Kings*, but I bet they'll still have to belt out *OooooooOh! STAR of wonder etc. etc.*
AFAIK there is no Law of the Medes and the Persians which says they have to be, so it may happen that FInC will pressgang ask a couple of adults to stand in...
I am becoming a Miserable (or more Miserable) Old Curmudgeon, but ISTM that all this ad hoc play-acting and dressing-up detracts, however well-intentioned, from the reverent and solemn worship we should be offering to God.
AFAIK there is no Law of the Medes and the Persians which says they have to be, so it may happen that FInC will pressgang ask a couple of adults to stand in...
I am becoming a Miserable (or more Miserable) Old Curmudgeon, but ISTM that all this ad hoc play-acting and dressing-up detracts, however well-intentioned, from the reverent and solemn worship we should be offering to God.
I can understand that point. It may have been ok when you had a large congregation with many children to be entertained and at the same time subtly instructed. If the numbers of children you're getting is anything like ours, it loses that aspect.
AFAIK there is no Law of the Medes and the Persians which says they have to be, so it may happen that FInC will pressgang ask a couple of adults to stand in...
I am becoming a Miserable (or more Miserable) Old Curmudgeon, but ISTM that all this ad hoc play-acting and dressing-up detracts, however well-intentioned, from the reverent and solemn worship we should be offering to God.
I can understand that point. It may have been ok when you had a large congregation with many children to be entertained and at the same time subtly instructed. If the numbers of children you're getting is anything like ours, it loses that aspect.
Quite so. Even the Crib Service on Christmas Eve had only 4 children present...
All are welcome (Yuk!)
Gloria, psalm and alleluia all sung
Take this moment (Bell)
Inwood Responsorial Mass
Come to the waters (Foley) - a lovely thing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEqCgMmV7n0&t=19s
Christ be our light (Farrell)
AFAIK there is no Law of the Medes and the Persians which says they have to be, so it may happen that FInC will pressgang ask a couple of adults to stand in...
I am becoming a Miserable (or more Miserable) Old Curmudgeon, but ISTM that all this ad hoc play-acting and dressing-up detracts, however well-intentioned, from the reverent and solemn worship we should be offering to God.
I can understand that point. It may have been ok when you had a large congregation with many children to be entertained and at the same time subtly instructed. If the numbers of children you're getting is anything like ours, it loses that aspect.
Quite so. Even the Crib Service on Christmas Eve had only 4 children present...
Were those wise men children, or even kings? And were there three of them?
Do we HAVE to infantalise these things? Do we HAVE to perpetuate myths?
This.
I'd worry more that you can attract only four children to a crib service than get excited about kings, magi or numbers thereof, or their processional representation.
The way figures are going, I think the atheists may be right. In a couple of generations organised Christianity will be pretty much dead in the West. A thing we used to do. Things we used to believe.
Quite so. Even the Crib Service on Christmas Eve had only 4 children present...
We're slightly better than 4, but only slightly. I think that the real problem is that there aren't many couples in the congregation that fall into the age group to have children attending.
I think you've probably hit it on the head there, Gee D.
We've got a new couple with a wee boy (who's probably about 4 or 5) who started coming to St. Pete's just before Christmas and seem to like it; there are a few others who bring children on Special Occasions (the place was packed for the Christingle service on Christmas Eve); but most of the congregation are at least 50+, so even the youngest of their children are probably in their teens or early 20s, so no longer in the market for being three wee kings ...
Our offerings for Epiphany this morning were:
A great and mighty wonder - Es ist ein Ros' Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine - Blessed Assurance At the name of Jesus - Camberwell (the Wrong Tune*) Jesus shall reign - Truro (the Right Tune) We three kings of orient are - Kings of Orient
I think you've probably hit it on the head there, Gee D.
We've got a new couple with a wee boy (who's probably about 4 or 5) who started coming to St. Pete's just before Christmas and seem to like it; there are a few others who bring children on Special Occasions (the place was packed for the Christingle service on Christmas Eve); but most of the congregation are at least 50+, so even the youngest of their children are probably in their teens or early 20s, so no longer in the market for being three wee kings ...
Our offerings for Epiphany this morning were:
A great and mighty wonder - Es ist ein Ros' Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine - Blessed Assurance At the name of Jesus - Camberwell (the Wrong Tune*) Jesus shall reign - Truro (the Right Tune) We three kings of orient are - Kings of Orient
* should be King's Weston
Demographically that's us. Our two eldest don't come. Oldest is an atheist and middle doesn’t really give it much thought. Youngest likes to help in the crêche. Our church unusually does attract younger adults with children (and contrary to expectations it's a very long way from Charevo). But generally the picture is bad. The current crop of 50 somethings is probably the last where significant numbers attended church as children. The current 30 somethings will not be taking their place in 20 years time.
Oh, and Camberwell is the only acceptable tune for At the Name. Not sure about Truro for Jesus Shall Reign》either. Sorry about that.
Setting Wiltshire Service Shephard
From the eastern mountains Zundel
We three kings Kings of Orient
Brightest and best Liebster Immanuel
O worship the Lord Was Lebet Anthem
Lo, star-led chiefs Crotch Organ
Variations sur un Noël Daquin
Carillon de Longpont Vierne
@Piglet IMHO At the name of Jesus should be sung to Evelyns.
“The first Nowell”.
“A special star”.
“As with gladness men of old”.
“From the eastern mountains”. (Evelyns).
“Christ is the world’s true light” (Nun Danket).
I did think of "Shine, Jesus, shine" and "The light of the morning is breaking" but decided against them.
AFAIK there is no Law of the Medes and the Persians which says they have to be, so it may happen that FInC will pressgang ask a couple of adults to stand in...
I am becoming a Miserable (or more Miserable) Old Curmudgeon, but ISTM that all this ad hoc play-acting and dressing-up detracts, however well-intentioned, from the reverent and solemn worship we should be offering to God.
I can understand that point. It may have been ok when you had a large congregation with many children to be entertained and at the same time subtly instructed. If the numbers of children you're getting is anything like ours, it loses that aspect.
Quite so. Even the Crib Service on Christmas Eve had only 4 children present...
Were those wise men children, or even kings? And were there three of them?
Do we HAVE to infantalise these things? Do we HAVE to perpetuate myths?
This.
I'd worry more that you can attract only four children to a crib service than get excited about kings, magi or numbers thereof, or their processional representation.
The way figures are going, I think the atheists may be right. In a couple of generations organised Christianity will be pretty much dead in the West. A thing we used to do. Things we used to believe.
I entirely agree. As to the Crib Service, I wonder if perhaps by the time Christmas Eve comes along, people are fed up to the back teeth with school Nativity Plays, Christmas Pageants, or whatever. As to Sundays, it's not as though there aren't young families in our small congregation, they simply can't come each week, or commit themselves to being present on a particular Sunday.
OTOH, we do have a couple of teenagers who attend fairly regularly, and also some students (the local Unis are nearby, albeit not in our parish), so the average age of our usual Sunday Faithful Few is probably slightly lower than in some other Places.
“The first Nowell”.
“A special star”.
“As with gladness men of old”.
“From the eastern mountains”. (Evelyns).
“Christ is the world’s true light” (Nun Danket).
I did think of "Shine, Jesus, shine" and "The light of the morning is breaking" but decided against them.
A goodly selection, and your omissions prove you to be a Wise Man...
Our Place this morning had:
We Three Kings (not sure if the Procession took place) Songs of thankfulness and praise Something from a sheet, rather than the hymnbook What child is this? (to Greensleeves) As with gladness
The Gloria and Lord's Prayer were metrical versions thereof, also on separate sheets, so the Faithful had quite a lot of paper to shuffle today...
The First Sunday After the Epiphany: The Baptism of Our Lord Jesus Christ
When Jesus went to Jordan's stream (Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam)
The sinless one to Jordan came (Solemnis haec festivitas)
Christ, when for us you were baptized (Caithness)
We know that Christ is raised and dies no more (Engelberg)
Choral:
Ramona Luengen: Missa Brevis (1994)
Bach: Menschen, glaubt doch dieser Gnade, and Das Aug allein das Wasser sieht, from Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam, BWV 7
Daniel Pinkham: Thou hast loved righteousness (1964)
We transferred our usual first-Sunday-of-the-month Evensong to this evening (because New Year), and our offerings were:
Brightest and best of the sons of the morning - Epiphany Lord of our life - [/i]Cloisters Come, gracious Spirit - Hereford Thine arm, O Lord - St. Matthew
The second lesson came from the Gospel of St. John, and part of it was the source for Gibbons' sublime anthem This is the record of John, which made me feel a little emotional, as I regularly sang the alto solo* in it when we were in Canada, and it's probably my second-favourite anthem in the whole repertoire.
* with apologies to any gentlemen altos on the Ship - we didn't have any.
My Place celebrated neither Epiphany( that was done on the day itself) nor the Baptism of Christ, but Plough Sunday.
I cannot report on the hymns as I did not attend. It was a Family service.
My Place celebrated neither Epiphany( that was done on the day itself) nor the Baptism of Christ, but Plough Sunday.
I cannot report on the hymns as I did not attend. It was a Family service.
Not heard of Plough Sunday before, but your January seems a bit early for it.
Epiphany/Baptism
Ye servants of the Lord (Narenza)
To us a child of royal birth (Eisenach)
Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness (Was lebet)
To God be the glory
My Place celebrated neither Epiphany( that was done on the day itself) nor the Baptism of Christ, but Plough Sunday.
I cannot report on the hymns as I did not attend. It was a Family service.
Not heard of Plough Sunday before, but your January seems a bit early for it.
Plough Monday used to be the start of the post Christmas work in farming circles. It was the day after Epiphany (or Christmas Day in the old calendar).
When we lived in West Africa, Harvest Thanksgiving was - appropriately, given the agricultural cycle - held on the Sunday after Christmas. In what some here would call a snake-oil Low version of church, Epiphany didn't figure!
I suppose Plough Sunday is the beginning of the farming year, and Lammas (or Loaf Mass) Day on 1st August celebrates the first-fruits of the harvest at the other end of the process:
Nah, you need a tune where people can go "nah, nah, nah, nah nah, NAH, NAH!" in between the verses.
Memories of “Thirty 20th Century Hymn Tunes” at school in the 1970s. Have any other tunes from ‘the pink book’ survived?
Favourites in our school were ‘O Jesus I Have Promised’ and ‘Firmly I Believe and Truly’. The breakneck pace of ‘Through All the Changing Scenes of Life’ was fun too. Just wondering if those tunes have been consigned to history.
We sing "Hatherop Castle" to "O Jesus, I have promised", but tend to go for "Woodlands" for "Tell out, my soul" rather than the Youth Praise tune. "How great thou art" is also well-used, though not with the YP words.
The start of "ordinary time" for us.
A wretched cold, wet and windy morning.
Here I am Lord (echoing the psalm for today)
Usual bits sung to a mix of standard RC and local settings
Take our bread
Bread of life (based on the Didache)
Our God reigns. I usually play this a la Jules Holland, but a bit knackered today so I reined it in a bit.
The Baptism of the Lord was marked at St. P's thusly:
All hail the power of Jesu's name - Miles Lane Blest are the pure in heart - Franconia Bright the vision that delighted - Laus Deo O God of Bethel, by whose hand - Martyrdom* I come with joy, a child of God - St. Botolph
* It's years and years since I last sang that hymn; it was a shame it was the Communion hymn, as I didn't get to sing all of it. I don't have the words off by heart, so I only managed a bit of the first verse while I was going up to receive, but gave it welly once I got back to my seat ...
Ghastly hymns today as our regular organist was on holiday and his substitute chose the selection. At my church we don't sing 'happy clappy' stuff, but we did today. The proper organist will be back next week!
We will extol you, ever-blessed Lord (Old 124th)
All glory be to God on high (Allein Gott in der Höh')
Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates (Prospect)
Christ is the world's true Light (St. Joan)
Choral:
Jacobus Gallus: Missa Ich stund' an einem Morgen
Valentin Rathgeber: Exspectans exspectavi
Evensong. Special service including presentation of medals to some.
Ye choirs of new Jerusalem
Blest are the pure in heart
Crown him with many crowns
O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
Anthems:
Tres magi de gentibus ( C S Lang )
Brightest and best ( M Archer)
Full complement of nine singers, for the first time for months, and very little rehearsal time, so nothing too ambitious.
I'm not familiar with the two anthems, not belonging to a Quire or Place where They sing, but those are four very fine hymns. What tune did you use for Blest are the pure in heart ?
Comments
“Longing for Light, We Wait in Darkness”/CHRIST, BE OUR LIGHT
“Angels We Have Heard on High”/GLORIA
“We Three Kings of Orient Are”
“We Are Marching in the Light of God” (Siyahamba)
“Love Has Come”/UN FLAMBEAU
“Angels from the Realms of Glory”/REGENT SQUARE
“Hark, the Herald Angels Sing” (“Jesus, the Light of the World”)/WE’LL WALK IN THE LIGHT
“I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light”/HOUSTON
“This Little Light of Mine”
“Joy to the World”/ANTIOCH
Hymns were
We three kings
Brightest and best
The first Nowell
As with gladness
……..to all the usual tunes
Choir items
Star carol - Rutter
Tres magi gentibus- C S Lang
I saw three ships - E Gritton
A recording was played of Here is the little door - Howells.
The readings were both Biblical and non- biblical.
A cry for help has gone out from FatherInCharge, as two children, who were scheduled to be Kings/Wise Men/Magi at tomorrow's service, are now unable to attend. More are therefore needed, but, with the current dearth of young families, it's not certain that any extras will become available.
If the total of Three can't be met, it may scupper the proposed *Procession of the Kings*, but I bet they'll still have to belt out *OooooooOh! STAR of wonder etc. etc.*
I am becoming a Miserable (or more Miserable) Old Curmudgeon, but ISTM that all this ad hoc play-acting and dressing-up detracts, however well-intentioned, from the reverent and solemn worship we should be offering to God.
I can understand that point. It may have been ok when you had a large congregation with many children to be entertained and at the same time subtly instructed. If the numbers of children you're getting is anything like ours, it loses that aspect.
Do we HAVE to infantalise these things? Do we HAVE to perpetuate myths?
Quite so. Even the Crib Service on Christmas Eve had only 4 children present...
This.
Except that it isn't in the Bible - well, whether they were kings, or whether there were three of them.
T S Eliot's A cold coming we had of it is one of the best expositions of this very peculiar and dream-like story, IMHO.
All are welcome (Yuk!)
Gloria, psalm and alleluia all sung
Take this moment (Bell)
Inwood Responsorial Mass
Come to the waters (Foley) - a lovely thing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEqCgMmV7n0&t=19s
Christ be our light (Farrell)
I'd worry more that you can attract only four children to a crib service than get excited about kings, magi or numbers thereof, or their processional representation.
The way figures are going, I think the atheists may be right. In a couple of generations organised Christianity will be pretty much dead in the West. A thing we used to do. Things we used to believe.
We're slightly better than 4, but only slightly. I think that the real problem is that there aren't many couples in the congregation that fall into the age group to have children attending.
We've got a new couple with a wee boy (who's probably about 4 or 5) who started coming to St. Pete's just before Christmas and seem to like it; there are a few others who bring children on Special Occasions (the place was packed for the Christingle service on Christmas Eve); but most of the congregation are at least 50+, so even the youngest of their children are probably in their teens or early 20s, so no longer in the market for being three wee kings ...
Our offerings for Epiphany this morning were:
A great and mighty wonder - Es ist ein Ros'
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine - Blessed Assurance
At the name of Jesus - Camberwell (the Wrong Tune*)
Jesus shall reign - Truro (the Right Tune)
We three kings of orient are - Kings of Orient
* should be King's Weston
Demographically that's us. Our two eldest don't come. Oldest is an atheist and middle doesn’t really give it much thought. Youngest likes to help in the crêche. Our church unusually does attract younger adults with children (and contrary to expectations it's a very long way from Charevo). But generally the picture is bad. The current crop of 50 somethings is probably the last where significant numbers attended church as children. The current 30 somethings will not be taking their place in 20 years time.
Oh, and Camberwell is the only acceptable tune for At the Name. Not sure about Truro for Jesus Shall Reign》either. Sorry about that.
Setting Wiltshire Service Shephard
From the eastern mountains Zundel
We three kings Kings of Orient
Brightest and best Liebster Immanuel
O worship the Lord Was Lebet
Anthem
Lo, star-led chiefs Crotch
Organ
Variations sur un Noël Daquin
Carillon de Longpont Vierne
@Piglet IMHO At the name of Jesus should be sung to Evelyns.
We were 70 adults (14 choir) and 21 children.
You've left out a "nah".
As with gladness Dix
Shine, Jesus, shine Shine, Jesus, shine
O worship the Lord Was lebet was schwebet
Crown him with many crowns Diademata
“A special star”.
“As with gladness men of old”.
“From the eastern mountains”. (Evelyns).
“Christ is the world’s true light” (Nun Danket).
I did think of "Shine, Jesus, shine" and "The light of the morning is breaking" but decided against them.
I entirely agree. As to the Crib Service, I wonder if perhaps by the time Christmas Eve comes along, people are fed up to the back teeth with school Nativity Plays, Christmas Pageants, or whatever. As to Sundays, it's not as though there aren't young families in our small congregation, they simply can't come each week, or commit themselves to being present on a particular Sunday.
OTOH, we do have a couple of teenagers who attend fairly regularly, and also some students (the local Unis are nearby, albeit not in our parish), so the average age of our usual Sunday Faithful Few is probably slightly lower than in some other Places.
A goodly selection, and your omissions prove you to be a Wise Man...
We Three Kings (not sure if the Procession took place)
Songs of thankfulness and praise
Something from a sheet, rather than the hymnbook
What child is this? (to Greensleeves)
As with gladness
The Gloria and Lord's Prayer were metrical versions thereof, also on separate sheets, so the Faithful had quite a lot of paper to shuffle today...
When Jesus went to Jordan's stream (Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam)
The sinless one to Jordan came (Solemnis haec festivitas)
Christ, when for us you were baptized (Caithness)
We know that Christ is raised and dies no more (Engelberg)
Choral:
Ramona Luengen: Missa Brevis (1994)
Bach: Menschen, glaubt doch dieser Gnade, and Das Aug allein das Wasser sieht, from Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam, BWV 7
Daniel Pinkham: Thou hast loved righteousness (1964)
Brightest and best of the sons of the morning - Epiphany
Lord of our life - [/i]Cloisters
Come, gracious Spirit - Hereford
Thine arm, O Lord - St. Matthew
The second lesson came from the Gospel of St. John, and part of it was the source for Gibbons' sublime anthem This is the record of John, which made me feel a little emotional, as I regularly sang the alto solo* in it when we were in Canada, and it's probably my second-favourite anthem in the whole repertoire.
* with apologies to any gentlemen altos on the Ship - we didn't have any.
I cannot report on the hymns as I did not attend. It was a Family service.
Not heard of Plough Sunday before, but your January seems a bit early for it.
Ye servants of the Lord (Narenza)
To us a child of royal birth (Eisenach)
Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness (Was lebet)
To God be the glory
Plough Monday used to be the start of the post Christmas work in farming circles. It was the day after Epiphany (or Christmas Day in the old calendar).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lammas
All this, of course, is relevant only in the Northern Hemisphere!
O clap your hands, also by Gibbons.
Two sublime pieces from "the finest finger in the land."
Memories of “Thirty 20th Century Hymn Tunes” at school in the 1970s. Have any other tunes from ‘the pink book’ survived?
Favourites in our school were ‘O Jesus I Have Promised’ and ‘Firmly I Believe and Truly’. The breakneck pace of ‘Through All the Changing Scenes of Life’ was fun too. Just wondering if those tunes have been consigned to history.
A wretched cold, wet and windy morning.
Here I am Lord (echoing the psalm for today)
Usual bits sung to a mix of standard RC and local settings
Take our bread
Bread of life (based on the Didache)
Our God reigns. I usually play this a la Jules Holland, but a bit knackered today so I reined it in a bit.
All hail the power of Jesu's name - Miles Lane
Blest are the pure in heart - Franconia
Bright the vision that delighted - Laus Deo
O God of Bethel, by whose hand - Martyrdom*
I come with joy, a child of God - St. Botolph
* It's years and years since I last sang that hymn; it was a shame it was the Communion hymn, as I didn't get to sing all of it. I don't have the words off by heart, so I only managed a bit of the first verse while I was going up to receive, but gave it welly once I got back to my seat ...
We will extol you, ever-blessed Lord (Old 124th)
All glory be to God on high (Allein Gott in der Höh')
Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates (Prospect)
Christ is the world's true Light (St. Joan)
Choral:
Jacobus Gallus: Missa Ich stund' an einem Morgen
Valentin Rathgeber: Exspectans exspectavi
Ye choirs of new Jerusalem
Blest are the pure in heart
Crown him with many crowns
O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
Anthems:
Tres magi de gentibus ( C S Lang )
Brightest and best ( M Archer)
Full complement of nine singers, for the first time for months, and very little rehearsal time, so nothing too ambitious.
I'm not familiar with the two anthems, not belonging to a Quire or Place where They sing, but those are four very fine hymns. What tune did you use for Blest are the pure in heart ?