There are really five major weeks in the life of the average church musician. The first is "lessons and carols" week before Christmas. The second is the week of Christmas Eve. The third Holy Week and Easter. The fourth is choir tour week and the fifth is vbs. Of course, there are lots of other big events that occur outside of the afore-mentioned weeks but really, for most of us, those are the big ones.
Yesterday we wrapped up our lessons and carols week at Argyle UMC. I should say that I am using "lessons and carols" as a catch-all phrase for special Advent/Christmas worship events. At our service yesterday we had a truly amazing worship experience with Dr. C. Michael Hawn, chair of the sacred music department at the Perkins School of Theology. I could write many paragraphs on how incredible he is but let me just say that he is truly one of the greats! He is a legend in the field of sacred music, so to have the opportunity to have him lead us in an Advent service was really a gift and a blessing.
He is an incredible song leader and had the congregation singing songs from all over the world quickly and easily. I was especially enthralled with the way he lead the liturgy in the Eucharist! He brought out the inherent drama in the liturgy: it really felt like it mattered! He is such an effective presider that you can just feel the grace, the love, and the "realness" of the sacramental mystery.
Below you will find the order of worship with rubrics:
Thy Kingdom Come:
The World Celebrates the Coming of the Savior
Argyle UMC
December 7, 2008
Welcome, Gathering Songs and Community News
Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus
[Choir hums “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” over a organ pedal point as the following litany is spoken:]
“A Litany of Darkness and Light” (New Zealand)
Voice 1: We wait in the darkness, expectantly, longingly, anxiously,
thoughtfully.
Voice 2: The darkness is our friend. In the darkness of the womb, we have
all been nurtured and protected. In the darkness of the womb, the
Christ-child was made ready for the journey into light.
Voice 1: It is only in the darkness that we can see the splendor of the
universe—blankets of stars of the night, desert peoples find relief
from the cruel relentless heat of the sun.
Voice 2: In the blessed darkness, Mary and Joseph were able to flee with
the infant Jesus to safety in Egypt.
Voice 1: Sometimes, in the solitude of darkness, our fears and concerns, our hopes and our visions rise to the surface. We come face to face with ourselves and with eh road that lies ahead of us.
Voice 2: In that same darkness, we sometimes allow ourselves to wonder
and worry whether the human race is going to make it at all.
[Choir comes to a rest on final note “e” and sustains it.]
Congregation:
We know you are with us, O God, yet we still await your
coming. In the darkness that contains both our hopelessness and our expectancy, we watch for a sign of God’s Hope.
[Organ intro picks up on Stanza 1 of “O come, O come Emmanuel”]
Congregation (Singing):
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns on lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel!
Lighting of the Advent Candle
Reader 1: The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
Reader 2: The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
Reader 1: I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Reader 2: Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let hour heart take courage.
All: Wait for the Lord!
Born to Set Thy People Free
[Drum establishes a steady beat. Voices continue over the drum.]
Prayer of Praise (Iona Community, Scotland)
Voice 1: We have heard about you, God of all power.
You made the world our of kindness, creating order out of confusion; you made each one of us in your own image; your fingerprint is on every soul.
Voice 2: We have hear about you, Jesus Christ: the carpenter who left his tools and trade; the poor man who made others rich; the healer who let himself be wounded; the criminal on whom the soldiers spat not knowing they were fouling the face of God; the savior who died and rose again.
Voices in alternation:
We have heard about you, Holy Spirit. You broke the bonds of every race and nation, to let God speak in every tongue: you made disciples drunk with grace; you converted souls and emptied pockets; you showed how love made all things new and opened the doors to change and freedom.
[Drum continues and song segues]
“Freedom is Coming” South African Freedom Song
From Our Fears and Sings Release Us,
Let Us Find Our Rest in Thee.
Preparation for Prayer “Lord, Have Mercy” Lim Swee Hong
Prayer of Confession A prayer from an ecumenical group (Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Orthodox, Pentecostal) in the former Yugoslavia
Let us seek the forgiveness of God and of each other
for the divisions that have hindered Christian witness:
Lord, we have sinned against you and against each other.
All( Singing): Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. Lord have mercy on us.
O Christ, our divisions are contrary to your will,
and have impeded our common witness to you.
All( Singing): Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. Lord have mercy on us.
Lord, we have not loved you enough in our sisters and brothers,
created in your image, but different from us.
All( Singing): Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. Lord have mercy on us.
Creator God,
stop us wandering in alienation from one another.
Satisfy the longings of our hearts,
grant our rightful requests,
and unite us soon in one holy church
through your Son Jesus Christ
who with you in the communion of the Holy Spirit
lives and reigns eternally.
Amen.
Silent Prayer of Confession
Assurance of Pardon
The Savior of the world, the Refuge of the repentant,
forgives and strengthens all who truly seek his grace.
He accepts you as his sons and daughters,
and sets you free from the bondage of your past.
For Christ died and rose to new life that we might all share his wholeness and abundant life. (Church of South India)
Hear the Good News:
God has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of our sins.
(Col. 1:13-14)
[Recorder that I will play introduces the next song.]
(I can't put the printed music here for copyright reasons.)
Response (Choir and Congregation) “Gloria” (Taizé Community, France)
©GIA Publishing. Reprinted by permission under copyright license OneLicense.net#A-714998
Israel’s Strength and Consolation
Psalm 22
Leader: I was glad when they said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the Lord!”
People: Our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem.
Leader: To Jerusalem the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord,
as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord.
People: Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
Peace be within your walls, and security within your towers.
Leader: For the sake of my relatives and friends I will say,
“Peace be within you.”
Hymn 2091 (FWS) “The King of Glory Comes” (Israeli Melody) KING OF GLORY
Hope of All the Earth Thou Art
Narration
Hymn 241 “That Boy-Child of Mary” (Malawi) BLANTYRE
Offertory Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel arr. Timothy Bandy
Doxology Tune: Siyahamba
Praise to God from whom all miracles flow.
Praise to God from all creation below.
Praise to God you heavenly hosts from above,
Praise to Father, Son and Spirit of love.
We are praising, praising, praising, praising,
Praise to Father, Son and Spirit of love.
Dear Desire of Every Nation, Joy of Every Longing Heart
An African Affirmation of Faith From the Masai of Kenya
We believe in the one High God,
who out of love created the beautiful world and everything good in it.
God created people and wanted them to be happy in the world.
God loves the world and every nation and tribe on the earth.
We have known this High God in the darkness,
and now we know God in the light.
God promised in the book called the Bible, the word of God,
that all nations and tribes of the world would be saved.
We believe that God made good this promise by sending Jesus Christ, the Son of God, a Jew by tribe,
born poor in a little village,
who left his home and was always on safari doing good,
curing people by the power of God,
teaching about God and people,
showing that the meaning of religion is love.
He was rejected by his people,
tortured and nailed—hands and feet—to a cross and died.
He lay buried, but the hyenas did not find his body,
and on the third day, he rose from the grave.
He ascended to the skies. He is the Lord!
We believe that all our sins are forgiven through him.
All who have faith in him must be sorry for their sins,
be baptized in the Holy Spirit of God,
live the rules of love, and share the bread together in love,
to announce the good news to others until Jesus comes again.
We are waiting for him.
He is alive! He lives! This we believe. Amen!
(Vincent J. Donovan, Christianity Revisited, Orbis Books, 1978, p. 200)
Response Amen Siakudumisa FWS# 2067 South Africa
Amen siakudumisa Amen, we praise your name O Lord
Amen siakudumisa Amen, we praise your name O Lord
Amen bawo; amen bawo Amen, Amen; Amen, Amen!
Amen siakudumisa Amen, we praise your name O Lord.
(C.F. Molefe; as taught by George Mxadana)
EUCHARIST
Hymn 196 Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus HYFRYDOL
Blessing of Peace From a litany based on a traditional Kikuyu form (Kenya)
Let us pray to the God of our forbearers, through Jesus Christ his Son,
in the power of the Holy Spirit.
May the leaders of our churches have wisdom and speak with one voice.
Praise the Lord: peace be with us.
May the leaders of our country rule with maturity and justice.
Praise the Lord: peace be with us.
May the country have tranquility and the people be blessed.
Praise the Lord: peace be with us.
May the people and the flocks and the herds prosper
and be free from illness.
Praise the Lord: peace be with us.
May the fields bear much fruit and the land be fertile.
Praise the Lord: peace be with us.
May the face of our enemies be turned towards peace.
Praise the Lord: peace be with us.
May the path of the world be swept of all danger.
Hallelujah! The Prince of Peace is with us.
(from With All God's People: The New Ecumenical Prayer Cycle, WCC Publications, pp. 112-113)
Congregational Response (Singing):
O come, Desire of nations, bind
All peoples in one heart and mind;
Bid envy, strife, and quarrels cease;
Fill the whole world with heaven’s peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel!
Postlude
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