Praying Twice

The Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost October 28, 2018 Amazing grace! how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see. On the Biography website, author David Sheward writes: " Amazing Grace is probably the most beloved hymn of the last two centuries. The soaring spiritual describing profound religious elation is estimated to be performed 10 million times annually and has appeared on over 11,000 albums. It was referenced in Harriet Beecher Stowe's anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin and had a surge of popularity during two of nation’s greatest crises: the Civil War and the Vietnam War. Between 1970 and 1972, Judy Collin's recording spent 67 weeks on the chart and peaked at number 5. Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and Elvis are among the many artists to record the song."  John Newton, a priest and poet in the Church of England, wrote this hym...

The Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost October 21, 2018 Our stewardship theme continues this month and is reflected in our hymns and anthems. Today's offertory anthem is a setting of an English hymn text, "We give thee but thine own." The anthem text was written by William Walsham How (1823-1897), a suffragan bishop in London. He became Bishop of Wakefield in the north of England in 1888. An interesting bit of trivia: How appears a s a significant character in Bernard Pomerance ' s Broadway play, The Elephant Man .  Bishop How wrote a number of hymns, five of which are included in The Hymnal 1982 : 52, This day at thy creating word 252, Jesus, name of wondrous love! 254, You are the Christ, O Lord 287, For all the saints 632, O Christ, the Word Incarnate (which we will sing next Sunday) "For all the saints," paired with a strong tune by Ralph Vaughan Williams, is his best known hymn. We will sing it on All Saints' Day (...

The Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost October 14, 2018 During the month of October, we are focusing on the theme of stewardship. You will see this theme woven throughout the hymns and anthems selected this month. At Trinity Cathedral, on e way in which we highlight this theme is through the singing of a stewardship hymn every Sunday in October. Although many of our Episcopal hymns are related to Christian service, our hymnal doesn't contain a specific section on stewardship. Since The Hymnal 1982 was published, a number of new hymns have been written on this theme. I have enjoyed the opportunity to explore these new hymns and teach several of them to our congregation. The hymn selected for this year is written by The Reverend Carl P. Daw, Jr.*:  For the life that you have given, for the love in Christ made known, with these fruits of time and labor, with these gifts that are your own: here we offer, Lord, our praises; heart and mind and strength we bring; give ...

The Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost October 7, 2018                                                                                                            Art:  St. Francis , Sue Betanzos, https://suebetanzos.com This morning, we are singing several texts by St. Francis of Assisi (1182-1226), whose feast day was celebrated on October 4. Read a short biography of St. Francis or watch a video here:  St. Francis of Assisi Our entrance hymn, "All creatures of our God and King," is a translation of St. Francis' poem, "Canticle of Brother Sun." It celebrates the glory of God in creation, ending each stanza with a rousing "Alleluia." The sequence hymn, "Lord, make us servants of your peace," is ba...