George E. Mims Music, Liturgy and Notes: Music in Worship: Today we are going to be talking about music in worship and I am writing to you from my home in Mobile, Alabama.. There are so many facets ...
June 17, 2012, Monday morning
Writing again from home in Mobile, Alabama, I've decided to share how service planning happens in my corner of the Vineyard. Perhaps such activity is one of my favorite past times and not a job!!!
"Father’s Day Repast" … George Ellis Mims
Yesterday was Father’s Day. Such days including Mother’s Day and Grandparent’s Day do not appear in liturgical church calendars. Truthfully where family is revered, examined and supported through healthy spiritual nourishment parishioners can come to identify every day as a Family Day celebrating fathers, mothers, grandparents, and all who parent.
Yesterday's Revised Common Lectionary could be summed up with Brian Howard’s song, "The Kingdom of God is neither - lo here - nor - lo there - the Kingdom is among us!" Thinking how the Kingdom surely involves healthy families serving one another and the larger community in love and fellowship I set about planning our worship for St. Paul's, Mobile.
This basic theme stands tall: The Kingdom of God lives in and among us!
Each clergy person and I regularly meet to discuss the lectionary for the Sunday coming up when they are to be the preacher. Before we meet, I do my own homework. A medley of "I trust in God I know he cares for me" and "His eye is on the sparrow," immediately crossed my mind as did "Praise my soul the King of heaven," for its verse that says, "father-like he tends and spares us, well our feeble frame he knows." A suitable anthem text rummaging around in my head was Luigi Cherubini’s, "Like as a father filled with compassion pities all his children; so the Lord has mercy on those who fear him." Other songs that came to mind were John Polce's "O Lord you love is changing the world; day by day we are renewed," (arranged by Shirley Lewis Brown,) Daniel Iverson's "Spirit of the living God, fall a-fresh on me." and the standard Father’s Day hymn, "Faith of our fathers." to the tune, St. Catherine.
Fr. Marshall Craver, preacher of the day, requested for the hymn at the Sequence, "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteous." This hymn was printed in the leaflet to correct The Hymnal 1982 version that says, "And it’s righteousness." Fr. Craver also requested "Praise to the Lord the Almighty," which has the verse, "borne as on eagle wings, safely his saints he sustaineth."
The Kingdom of God lives in and among us!…perhaps seems a little over done in the liturgy that ensued but can we really overstate the intervention of God in our lives and particularly the lives of those who parent?
The position of each composition in the liturgy and how it’s presented and led is just as important as the selection. Our litrugy design wound up as follows: Anthem, Medley on "I trust in God" and "His eye is on the sparrow" sung by soloist. + Hymn in Procession, "Praise my soul" + Hymn at the Sequence, "Seek ye first" + Offertory Anthem, "Like as a father" + Communion, "I come with joy to meet my Savior," "Spirit of the living God," "O Lord, your love is changing the world," and "Faith of our fathers." + Hymn in Procession, "Praise to the Lord the Almighty." + Organ Improvisation on St. Catherine
The Liturgist's prayer is that The Good News is experienced: praise, inspiration, encouragement, repentance, and a mission that is clearly identified: The Kingdom of God lives in and among us!
.JPG)
June 17, 2012, Monday morning
Writing again from home in Mobile, Alabama, I've decided to share how service planning happens in my corner of the Vineyard. Perhaps such activity is one of my favorite past times and not a job!!!
"Father’s Day Repast" … George Ellis Mims
Yesterday was Father’s Day. Such days including Mother’s Day and Grandparent’s Day do not appear in liturgical church calendars. Truthfully where family is revered, examined and supported through healthy spiritual nourishment parishioners can come to identify every day as a Family Day celebrating fathers, mothers, grandparents, and all who parent.
Yesterday's Revised Common Lectionary could be summed up with Brian Howard’s song, "The Kingdom of God is neither - lo here - nor - lo there - the Kingdom is among us!" Thinking how the Kingdom surely involves healthy families serving one another and the larger community in love and fellowship I set about planning our worship for St. Paul's, Mobile.
This basic theme stands tall: The Kingdom of God lives in and among us!
Each clergy person and I regularly meet to discuss the lectionary for the Sunday coming up when they are to be the preacher. Before we meet, I do my own homework. A medley of "I trust in God I know he cares for me" and "His eye is on the sparrow," immediately crossed my mind as did "Praise my soul the King of heaven," for its verse that says, "father-like he tends and spares us, well our feeble frame he knows." A suitable anthem text rummaging around in my head was Luigi Cherubini’s, "Like as a father filled with compassion pities all his children; so the Lord has mercy on those who fear him." Other songs that came to mind were John Polce's "O Lord you love is changing the world; day by day we are renewed," (arranged by Shirley Lewis Brown,) Daniel Iverson's "Spirit of the living God, fall a-fresh on me." and the standard Father’s Day hymn, "Faith of our fathers." to the tune, St. Catherine.
Fr. Marshall Craver, preacher of the day, requested for the hymn at the Sequence, "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteous." This hymn was printed in the leaflet to correct The Hymnal 1982 version that says, "And it’s righteousness." Fr. Craver also requested "Praise to the Lord the Almighty," which has the verse, "borne as on eagle wings, safely his saints he sustaineth."
The Kingdom of God lives in and among us!…perhaps seems a little over done in the liturgy that ensued but can we really overstate the intervention of God in our lives and particularly the lives of those who parent?
The position of each composition in the liturgy and how it’s presented and led is just as important as the selection. Our litrugy design wound up as follows: Anthem, Medley on "I trust in God" and "His eye is on the sparrow" sung by soloist. + Hymn in Procession, "Praise my soul" + Hymn at the Sequence, "Seek ye first" + Offertory Anthem, "Like as a father" + Communion, "I come with joy to meet my Savior," "Spirit of the living God," "O Lord, your love is changing the world," and "Faith of our fathers." + Hymn in Procession, "Praise to the Lord the Almighty." + Organ Improvisation on St. Catherine
The Liturgist's prayer is that The Good News is experienced: praise, inspiration, encouragement, repentance, and a mission that is clearly identified: The Kingdom of God lives in and among us!
.JPG)
The Risen Christ....St. Vladmir's Orthodox Church, Ambridge, PA
