6-9-24 Music
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The hymns this week take us on a bit of a journey, moving from foundation, to hearing God’s nudge, and finally out into the world. This seemed like a natural three movement symphony to join with God in celebration of our graduates who I hope are feeling that God nudge in very real ways as they dream about their “what next?”
We will start by singing How Firm a Foundation (Chalice Hymnal, 618). After singing that statement of confidence “How firm a foundation…in God’s excellent word!” we get to sing four stanzas of God’s words to us.
Fear not
I will be near thee
My grace… shall be thy supply.
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake!
That is the foundation that holds us as we go out into the world each week. When we ask if God would leave us, there is God’s answer- a threefold never!
Our second hymn is near and dear to my heart, and the hearts of many in our congregation. I am sure Deb Loftis can tell you how Nancy Rock Poti went about writing Great Creator, You Have Called Us back in 2003 for the Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond. For the next fifteen years it was sung at every Convocation and Commencement as BTSR’s official hymn. The poetry follows a Trinitarian formula, that is, one stanza each about Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer, and a fourth stanza giving praise and asking for intercession by God as a whole. Ironically, Dr. Newman, our Professor of Theology, would criticize the text as engaging in “Modalism,” which I am not going to spend the whole blog hashing out. Lets just say I was never able to win a debate with her that the titles “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” were no more or less heretical than any other title based on what God does. Regardless of your opinion of modalism, and how you understand and address God, I hope that you can join us in this hymn and blessing. I always love a hymn that talks about dancing with the Holy Spirit.
A few small alterations have been made, with Nancy’s permission and assistance, to move the hymn from a seminary setting to a church one. “To be servants of your servants, leading with integrity” is now “to be mindful of each other, always with integrity.” Language about “bearing towel and basin,” symbols of BTSR and tools of ministry have been changed slightly. I have also make the difficult decision to have us sing this with a different tune than we used at BTSR. Kathy Hulin, who many of you know well from her time at Grace, composed BAPTIST SEMINARY, a triumphal hymn tune, both fun and challenging to sing. Given the place where we are singing this in in the service, following a prayer, and the difficulty, we will instead use the gentler tune CIVILITY. Gregg DeMay’s lullaby-esque melody is one we have sung a few times over the last two years, with texts like Look Who Gathers at Christ’s Table, and Hope of Abraham and Sarah.
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Our final hymn was the first that came to mind for a “graduation” service. Jaroslav Vajda’s Go My Children, with My Blessing (CH 431) uses the Welsh lullaby AR HYD Y NOS (The Livelong Night) to gently help the birds out of the nest, or the people out of the church and into the world. We have been blessed, baptized, remade, and forgiven. We have learned, heard, loved and been loved. Finally we are to “go… fed and nourished, joyful and free.”
That’s not to say that you all aren’t welcome back next week 😁
Happy Singing!
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A few links this week if you want to hear some of these.
How Firm a Foundation sung by the absolutely charming family band, The Petersons, out of Branson, Missouri. It’s great when the siblings are jamming, and then gets even better when their friend joins on the dobro, and Mama brings in the upright bass!
And sung by Maddy Prior and the Carnival Band, on the best named album quoting the greatest John Wesley quote, “Sing lustily and with good courage.” I want that quote on a shirt. Or a clerical stole.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTg8ToOe1FQ
To hear CIVILITY, I can send you to some of our very own services. We sang it in November at the conclusion of our All Saints service, with Hope of Abraham and Sarah. Jump to 1:24 in this link:
https://www.youtube.com/live/fmEplIpr2FI?feature=shared&t=5059
And this past February the Chancel Choir sang it with the text Touch that Soothes and Heals, as we laid hands on our newly ordained deacons:
https://www.youtube.com/live/W34SMeRPMeg?feature=shared&t=2371
First-Plymouth Church does a great job with Go My Children, With My Blessing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laC_334rk9w
Have a great week, I’ll see you Sunday!
Chris
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[1] Photo statue of Dr. Seuss book Oh, the Places You’ll Go, at the Dr. Seuss Museum and Sculpture Garden. Photo by C.C. Chapman, shared to Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/cc_chapman/2668953335/in/photostream/ Shared under Creative Commons License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/
[2] Great Creator, You Have Called Us by Nancy Rock Poti ©2003, BTSR Hymn, altered. Shared with Permission of the writer. Altered. CIVILITY #206210 Music by Gregg DeMey, ©2008 Faith Alive Christian Resources. Used with permission under OneLicense.net #A-720486.