Praying Twice

The Presentation of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple February 2, 2020 Today is the Feast of the Presentation of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple. As The Book of Occasional Services reminds us: Forty days ago we celebrated the joyful feast of the incarnation of Jesus. Today we recall the day on which he was presented in the temple, fulfilling the law of Moses. Led by the Spirit, Simeon and Anna came to the temple, recognized the child as the Christ, and proclaimed him with joy. United by the same Spirit, we now enter the house of God, where we shall recognize Christ in the breaking of bread. Also known as Candlemas ("candle mass"), the liturgy traditionally begins with a procession by candlelight. This procession provides a liturgical reminder of the light of Christ in our midst and our call to carry that light into the world. As part of the Candlemas procession, we will sing a setting of The Song of Simeon (Nunc dimittis): "Lord God, you now have se...

The Third Sunday after the Epiphany January 26, 2020 As our Dean's Forum during this season explores the topic of "Keeping the Feast: The Eucharist and Christian Life," this week's edition of Praying Twice focuses on a hymn that reflects on the meaning of Holy Communion. "I come with joy to meet my Lord" (Hymn 304) was written by the Rev. Brian Wren in 1968.  As The Hymnal 1982 Companion explains: The text begins with the individual worshiper, who comes "with joy to meet my Lord;" moves into the corporate dimension, "the new community of love;" and ends in the spirit of the dismissal in the Eucharist, "together met, together bound, we'll go our different ways, and...in the world we'll live and speak his praise." The text has gained widespread acceptance and use throughout many Christian denominations. It was one of the new hymns included in The Hymnal 1982 .  The hymn is paired with a pentatonic American ...

The Second Sunday after the Epiphany January 19, 2020 Many of our hymns and anthems on these Sundays after Epiphany focus on the theme of light - the light of the star leading the Magi to the Christ child, and Jesus, the Light of the World, made manifest at his baptism, in his ministry, and at his Transfiguration. In to day's offertory anthem, "Heavenly Light," we hear echoes of the chants of the Russian Orthodox Church. Rich harmonies (and low bass notes!) support a soaring soprano melody.   Alexander Kopylow (1854-1911) was a student of famous Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. He is best known for his choral compositions and string quartets.  American conductor and arranger Peter Wilhousky (1902-1978), "discovered" and arranged Kopylow's composition, adding a new English text. Wilhousky, a child of Ukrainian immigrant parents, was particularly adept at arranging music from Russian and eastern European sources and popularizing them wi...

Sunday, January 12, 2020 The First Sunday after the Epiphany: The Baptism of Our Lord Jesus Christ The Magi have come and gone. This Sunday, we dip our toes into the Jordan River and watch as Jesus is baptized by John. In Matthew's gospel, the dramatic scene unfolds:  ... suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” Peter Hallock, composer Our hymns and anthems this morning focus on Jesus' baptism, the beginning of his earthly work and ministry. Our offertory anthem is Peter Hallock's "The Baptism of Christ," an evocative and mysterious choral setting of an anonymous Medieval text. Hallock (1924-2014) served as organist/choirmaster at St. Mark's Cathedral, Seattle from 1951-1991.  In this setting, the choir sings an opening, trumpet-like fanfare: "Today, Jesus returns to the Jorda...

The Second Sunday after Christmas Day January 5, 2020 Trinity Cathedral Choir members  portraying the Three Kings On this twelfth day of Christmas, we celebrate by singing joyful carols of Christmas and Epiphany. The words and music of "We three kings of Orient are" were written by John Henry Hopkins, Jr. in 1857. Described by hymnologist Erik Routley as "the first modern American Christmas carol," it is popular in both the United States and England.  We sing this carol in the manner that Hopkins intended it to be sung: the three kings sing the opening stanza and three solo verses, and the congregation joins in singing the refrain ("O, star of wonder..."). Hopkins also composed the musical interlude that provides a transition from the major key refrain to the minor key stanzas. It is interesting to note that Matthew's gospel only identifies the Magi as "from the East" - the number is never identified. Western Christianity...