Praying Twice

The Third Sunday after Pentecost June 30, 2019 Isle of Iona During the summer months, we will be singing a number of hymns from Wonder, Love, and Praise , an authorized supplement to The Hymnal 1982 that was published in 1997. The editor of Wonder, Love, and Praise , John L. Hooker, composed the musical setting of today's communion hymn, "Will you come and follow me." The text comes from the Iona Community, a Christian ecumenical community based in Scotland working for peace and social justice, rebuilding of community and the renewal of worship. In this text, Hooker connected with what he describes as "a very personal invitation to commitment, risk, and self-disclosure." His musical setting, composed in 1988, has the character of an art song, with a tempo that is "slow and dreamy." Will you come and follow me if I but call your name? Will you go where you don't know and never be the same? Will you let my love be shown? Will you let my...

The Second Sunday after Pentecost June 23, 2019 Summer has finally arrived, and the church year enters  the "green season" of Sundays after Pentecost. Since our Cathedral Choir takes a well deserved break during the summer months, choral leadership is provided by members of our Trinity Cathedral Schola Cantorum during June and August and by our Summer Choir during July. Robert J. Powell To mark each change in seasons, our service music changes. During the summer months, we will sing the tuneful, accessible mass setting by Robert Powell (b. 1932). A native Mississippian, Powell is an organist and choir director who has published over 300 works for organ, choir, voice, handbells, and instrumental ensembles. Known for his practical approach to composition, his music is easily learned by choirs and congregations. His Mass in F was composed in 1975 for use by his congregation at Christ Church, Greenville, South Carolina. The setting, selected for inclusion in The Hym...

The First Sunday after Pentecost: Trinity Sunday June 16 , 2019 Today is Trinity Sunday, our "feast of title" and the traditional end of the program year (and the Cathedral Choir year) at Trinity Cathedral.  Trinity icon, Andrei Rublev, 15th century This is the Sunday to sing many of the great hymns in praise of the Holy Trinity. The entrance hymn, "God of hope and joy and wonder," is the newest example. It was written ten years ago for our cathedral by Nebraska hymn poet, Rae E. Whitney. The author of over 500 hymns, Whitney's work is found in the hymnals of most denominations and is celebrated around the world. It is sung to the classic English tune, Westminster Abbey . Our final hymn is the beloved "Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!" Sung to the stately, soaring tune, Nicaea , this hymn includes a classic soprano descant by David McK. Williams (1887-1978), a composer who grew up in Denver and later served from 1920-1947 as orga...

The Day of Pentecost June 9, 2019 The Day of Pentecost marks the end of the Great Fifty Days of Easter and celebrates the gift of the Holy Spirit. The liturgical color is red. The Paschal Candle burns brightly, as it has throughout the Easter season, and this is the last day to hear and say the "alleluias" at the end of the dismissal. We also celebrate Holy Baptism on this day. The water of the asperges reminds us of our baptism and our new life in Christ. Another tradition is the reading of the 2nd chapter of Acts in several languages. From the chaos of the different languages, we hear the message emerge in a clear proclamation. The different languages also represent the "four corners" of the earth. The followers of Jesus, receiving the Holy Spirit, were empowered to proclaim the Gospel. As our closing hymn poetically states, "a hundred men and women turned the known world upside down." All of today's hymns focus on Pentecost, the Hol...