We Gather Together


The Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost
November 10, 2019

We gather together to ask the Lord's blessing;
he chastens and hastens his will to make known;
the wicked oppressing now cease from distressing:
sing praises to his Name; he forgets not his own.

 Americans traditionally associate this hymn with Thanksgiving Day. However, it appears in the general "Praise to God" section of The Hymnal 1982, and a closer reading reveals that it is appropriate for almost any time of year. 

 According to The Hymnal 1982 Companion, the text was originally published in a collection of Dutch patriotic songs in 1626. The songs celebrated the end of Spanish domination in the Netherlands, and they are filled with psalm-like language referencing God's justice and the defeat of a repressive enemy. The modern English translation by Theodore Baker was written in 1894.

 The tune is a Dutch folk song, published by Viennese composer and conductor Edward Kremser. It was popularized through performances by his choir, and the tune is now known by his name (Kremser). Hear a recording: We Gather Together

 The hymn gained broad popularity in the twentieth century through its use at Thanksgiving services and civic/academic occasions. Hymnologist Michael Hawn notes that Americans began to see themselves in this hymn, especially during WWI and WWII. It was sung at the funeral mass for Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and was featured in an episode of The West Wing. 

 Although popular culture associates the hymn with the Thanksgiving holiday and patriotism, it actually is a song of praise, reminding us of God's victory over evil and presence with us in times of trouble.


Music for the Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost
November 10, 2019

Hymns
526   Let saints on earth in concert sing (Dundee)
433   We gather together to ask the Lord's blessing (Kremser)
For your generous providing (Holy Manna)
341   For the bread which you have broken (Omni die)
665   All my hope on God is founded (Michael)

Service Music
Gloria in excelsis, S-278     William Mathias
Psalm 17:1-9, A Hymntune Psalter, Carl P. Daw, Jr. and Kevin R. Hackett
Sanctus, S-128     Mathias
Memorial Acclamation S-135     Jackson Hill
Great Amen S-146     McNeil Robinson II
Fraction anthem, S-155     Gerald Near

Anthems
Here, O My Lord     -Eleanor Daley
The Lord Bless You and Keep You     -Peter Lutkin

Organ Voluntaries
Improvisations on Materna and Kremser     -Charles Callahan
Postlude on Old Hundredth     -Piet Post









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