Jesus at the Jordan
Sunday, January 12, 2020
The First Sunday after the Epiphany:
The Baptism of Our Lord Jesus Christ
...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.”
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 Jordan." A soloist serves as a narrator, telling the story of Christ's baptism. The choir and soloist, singing in Latin, portray the voice of God: "This is my Son, in whom I am well pleased." The poem concludes with a remarkable turn of phrase:
Now Jesus, as thou art both God and man,
and were baptized in from Jordan,
at our last end, we pray thee, say then:
Hic est filius meus, ipsum intende.
(This is my Son, in whom I am well pleased.)
In these profound words, the poet reminds us that, in our baptism, we become God's sons and daughters, surrounded by God's all-encompassing love. See a score and hear a recording (click on the blue "Preview" button): The Baptism of Jesus
For more information on our communion anthem, including an interesting Nebraska connection, please see this previous post: Baptism of Christ
Music for Sunday, January 12, 2020
Hymns
135 Songs of thankfulness and praise (Salzburg)
121 Christ, when for us you were baptized (Caithness)
124 What star is this (stanza 5) (Puer nobis)
490 I want to walk as a child of the light (Houston)
448 O Love, how deep, how broad, how high (stanzas 1-3, 6) (Deus tuorum militum)
Service Music
Gloria in excelsis S-277 New Plainsong, David Hurd
Psalm 29 St. Martin's Psalter, Thomas Pavlechko
Sanctus S-125 A Community Mass, Richard Proulx
Memorial Acclamation S-138 McNeil Robinson II
Great Amen S-146 Robinson
Fraction Anthem S-154 New Plainsong, Hurd
Anthems
The Baptism of Christ Peter Hallock
I Come, the Great Redeemer Cries English folk tune, This Endris Night,
arr. Ralph Vaughan Williams
Organ Voluntaries
Organ chorales: Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam Dietrich Buxtehude
(When Jesus went to Jordan's stream) Johann Sebastian Bach
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 |
In this setting, the choir sings an opening, trumpet-like fanfare: "Today, Jesus returns to the Jordan." A soloist serves as a narrator, telling the story of Christ's baptism. The choir and soloist, singing in Latin, portray the voice of God: "This is my Son, in whom I am well pleased." The poem concludes with a remarkable turn of phrase:
Now Jesus, as thou art both God and man,
and were baptized in from Jordan,
at our last end, we pray thee, say then:
Hic est filius meus, ipsum intende.
(This is my Son, in whom I am well pleased.)
In these profound words, the poet reminds us that, in our baptism, we become God's sons and daughters, surrounded by God's all-encompassing love. See a score and hear a recording (click on the blue "Preview" button): The Baptism of Jesus
For more information on our communion anthem, including an interesting Nebraska connection, please see this previous post: Baptism of Christ
Music for Sunday, January 12, 2020
The First Sunday after the Epiphany:
The Baptism of Our Lord Jesus Christ
Hymns
135 Songs of thankfulness and praise (Salzburg)
121 Christ, when for us you were baptized (Caithness)
124 What star is this (stanza 5) (Puer nobis)
490 I want to walk as a child of the light (Houston)
448 O Love, how deep, how broad, how high (stanzas 1-3, 6) (Deus tuorum militum)
Service Music
Gloria in excelsis S-277 New Plainsong, David Hurd
Psalm 29 St. Martin's Psalter, Thomas Pavlechko
Sanctus S-125 A Community Mass, Richard Proulx
Memorial Acclamation S-138 McNeil Robinson II
Great Amen S-146 Robinson
Fraction Anthem S-154 New Plainsong, Hurd
Anthems
The Baptism of Christ Peter Hallock
I Come, the Great Redeemer Cries English folk tune, This Endris Night,
arr. Ralph Vaughan Williams
Organ Voluntaries
Organ chorales: Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam Dietrich Buxtehude
(When Jesus went to Jordan's stream) Johann Sebastian Bach
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