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Musical Reflection
Sarabande for an Easter Morning, Herbert Howells

Sarabande for an Easter Morning was composed during May 1940. It was issued in 1953 as the second number in ‘Six Pieces for Organ’. The entire volume was dedicated to the organist and composer Herbert Sumsion. Howells wrote that “In 1940, after a severe illness, I found a new way of making use of convalescence. In those days and in that time, in sheer affection and admiration of Dr. Herbert Sumsion of Gloucester, I wrote this set of six pieces.” The Sarabande for an Easter Morning is written in the form of a Baroque stylized sarabande. All the ancient dance’s characteristics are present, including the slow majestic triple meter, accented first and second beats, regular four bar phrases and a melody characterized by considerable written out ornamentation. The chords are dense, giving the work a power and strength. Enjoy!

Hymn Of The Day
"I Know That My Redeemer Lives!" #619
Text: Samuel Medley (1738-1799) Tune: Duke Street, attr. John Hatton (1710-1793)

First published anonymously in Henry Boyd's Select Collection of Psalm and Hymn Tunes in 1793, DUKE STREET was credited to John Hatton in William Dixon's Euphonia (1805). Virtually nothing is known about Hatton, its composer, other than that he lived on Duke Street in St. Helen's and that his funeral was conducted at the Presbyterian chapel there. A sturdy and much loved tune, DUKE STREET has a generic resemblance to TRURO and to the African American gospel-style doxology.

Samuel Medley's hymn texts have been very popular in his own Baptist denomination, particularly among the more Calvinistic churches. Their charm consists less in their poetry than in the warmth and occasional pathos with which they give expression to Christian experience. This text is found in G. Whitefield's Psalms & Hymns 1775, in 9 stanzas of 4 lines, and in De Courcy's Collection, 1793, but in each case without signature. Medley included it in the London edition of his Hymns, 1800. In an abbreviated form it is in somewhat extensive use, and is easily known by the frequent repetition of the words "He lives!" The cento, "The Saviour lives, no more to die," is also popular; but that in the American Baptist Praise Book, 1871, "He lives, my kind, wise, heavenly Friend," is limited in use. Both forms of the text are in common use in Great Britain and America.

Musical Reflection
Rockingham (When I Survey the Wondrous Cross)
Rosalie Bonighton (1946-2011)

Edward Miller (1735-1807) composed the tune, ROCKINGHAM, adapting it from an earlier tune published in 1780. ROCKINGHAM has long associations in Great Britain and North America with Isaac Watts' "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.” The tune title refers to a friend and patron of Edward Miller, the Marquis of Rockingham, who served twice as Great Britain's prime minister. Miller was active in the musical life of the Doncaster region and composed keyboard sonatas and church music. ROCKINGHAM (or ROCKINGHAM OLD) is one of the finest long-meter tunes in the history of church music and is much loved by those who sing in harmony.

Born in Ballarat, Australia, Rosalie Bonighton was raised among organs as her parents ran an organ technician business. Bonighton's compositions consistently display a strong academic foundation and dedicated craftsmanship. Her musical style shows influences of plainchant modes, British and Celtic folk song, the richness and complexity of late German Romanticism, and more recently, the harmonies and rhythms of jazz.

Hymn of the Day
“There in God’s Garden”, #342
Text: Pécseli Király Imre, Translator: Eric Routley (1917-1982) Tune: Shades Mountain, K. Lee Scott (1950)

“There in God’s Garden stands the tree of Wisdom, whose leaves hold forth the healing of the nations.” Kiraly Imre von Pecselyi wrote these words sometime in the early 1600’s. Erik Routley translated them into English in 1976, and in 1987 K. Lee Scott put them to music in hymn #342. In this brief sentence we are taken from the Garden of Eden through the entire Bible to the book of Revelations. The tree of Wisdom which was temptation to Adam and Eve has been transformed by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus into life and healing for all nations. The story of God with us is full of grace from the beginning into eternity.

K. Lee Scott is an internationally known teacher, musician, conductor and composer of sacred music, choral music and hymns, and resides in Birmingham, Alabama. Scott has been recognized, during the past twenty plus years, as one of America's foremost composers of music for the church. His hymns are published in eight hymnals. He has published over 300 compositions including anthems, hymns, works for solo voice, organ, brass, and major works.

Erik Reginald Routley was an English Congregational minister, composer and musicologist. He was educated at Lancing College and Magdalen and Mansfield Colleges in Oxford. He held positions in England as chaplain and minister before becoming Professor of Church Music at Westminster Choir College, Princeton, New Jersey in 1975.

His publications include critical and historical works on hymnody, church music and carols. Routley also wrote hymn texts, including the translation "There in God's garden stands the Tree of Wisdom” from the Hungarian hymn ‘Paradicsomnak te szép élö Fája’ (‘You beautiful living tree of Paradise’) by Pécselyi Király Imre (c.1585-c.1641). It was at that time, in Routley’s own words, ‘just about all that is yet available from Hungarian Protestantism’ (A Panorama of Christian Hymnody, 1979, p. 216). Routley translated this hymn, which is entitled ‘The Tree of Life’ as part of his editorial work on Cantate Domino, the World Council of Churches’ hymnal.

Organ Piece
"Calvary" (from Seven Reflections on African American Spirituals), Richard Billingham

Often sung as a somber processional for the Good Friday Service, the hymn “Calvary“ is effective in helping sustain a reflective meditative mood. That is, unless, you are hearing today’s organ setting with its slightly jazzy overtones.

Richard Billington (1934) worked for many years as Associate Professor of Music at the University of Illinois and Organist at the First Methodist Church, Chicago.

HYMN OF THE DAY Great God, Your Love Has Called Us #358
Text: Brian Wren (1936) Tune: Ryburn, Norman Cocker (1889-1953)

Brian Wren has been a strong proponent of the view that hymns are poetry and theology, instead of simply music. He has stated, "a hymn is a poem, and a poem is a visual art form. The act of reading a hymn aloud helps to recover its poetry and its power to move us—the power of language, image, metaphor, and faith-expression.” It is through this power that he defined theology, in his book Praying Twice: The Music and Words of Congregational Song, as "done when anyone attempts, by artistic skill and creativity, the interplay of intellect and imagination, and/or the methods of reasoned enquiry, to grasp, know and understand the meaning of God’s creating, self-disclosing and liberating activity centered and uniquely focused in Jesus Christ.” A major part of Wren's work has been with inclusive language as well. In 1978, he began to look more closely at "he-man language" and began using language inclusive of women and oppressed or subordinate groups in his hymns. He has since sought to challenge the church to adopt this inclusive mindset. He writes that the vocation of a poet in the church is to not only "to write poems of faith which people will pick up and sing," but to also "speak truth by stepping beyond the church's limits of comfort and convention".

Ms. Angie has posted a message for the children of RELC. Click below to view!

Palm Sunday through Easter—enjoy the show!

Dear members of the family of God at Resurrection Church,

The following enclosed items are resources for you and those with whom you live to use for praying together on the three central days of the Christian year. While Easter is every Sunday, these Three Days are like one great annual Sunday. But because of the pandemic, we cannot do these important services together in church. While Easter is a joyful festival, we keep it now in a time of difficulty and world-wide sorrow. Still, we believe that Christ is with us in his word, by his Spirit drawing us together as one before God. And we believe that the gospel of Christ gives us strength amid distress and comfort in the face of our sufferings.

These three services are really one event, stretched over three days. As a sign of our unity you might consider using these three resources for prayer on each of the three nights at 7:30pm, the very time at which we would have gathered in our church building.

On each occasion you will need to set out one or more physical symbols: first, a bowl of water and a clean towel; then a cross or crucifix; and finally a bowl of water and a candle.

Sometime in the course of the Three Days, take the opportunity to send your support to Resurrection Church, using the “Donate Now” function at the top of the first page at www.relcarlington.org or using the US Mail. And sometime during the Three Days, consider how you can connect with and help other people in need.

After the last prayers on Saturday evening, do celebrate. It is Easter. Have at least one piece of chocolate or something else you love.

Christ is risen!

Pastor Gordon Lathrop

Worship materials for Maundry Thursday:

Home Worship Bulletin for Maundy Thursday, April 9, 2020

Pastor Linman's Sermon for Maundy Thursday, April 9, 2020

The following have been posted to YouTube; here is the YouTube Playlist for Maundy Thursday:

• Barbara Verdile, Psalm 116
• Pastor Linman's recorded sermon
• Hymn #358, "Great God, Your Love Has Called Us"
• Barbara Verdile, Psalm 88
• Organ piece, Richard Billingham, "Calvary"

Worship materials for Good Friday:

Home Worship Bulletin for Good Friday, April 10, 2020

Pastor Linman's Sermon for Good Friday, April 10, 2020

The following have been posted to YouTube; here is the YouTube Playlist for Good Friday:

• Barbara Verdile, Psalm 22
• Pastor Linman's recorded sermon
• Hymn #342, "There in God’s Garden"
• Choral Piece, "God So Loved The World"
• Organ Piece, "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross"

Worship materials for the Easter Vigil:

Home Worship Bulletin for the Easter Vigil, April 11, 2020

Pastor Linman's Sermon for the Easter Vigil, April 11, 2020

The following have been posted to YouTube; here is the YouTube Playlist for the Easter Vigil:

• Pastor Linman's recorded sermon
• Hymn #362, "At The Lamb's High Feast We Sing"
• Organ meditation: Meditation on the "Crucifier"

Stuck at home? Why not take a

Journey through Holy Week. 

Come on, Let’s GO!

Grab your family and then your children’s bible or even a bible your parents might use. Each day you will find a short story to read that will take you on a Journey through Holy Week. After your reading, there is a fun activity just waiting for you to further explore Holy Week. Many thanks to my friends from the Birthing Cross+Gen Community with your GR8 ideas!

Ms. Angie has posted a message for the children of RELC. Click below to view!

Hymn of the Day #351, "O Sacred Head, Now Wounded"
Tune: Hans Leo Hassler (1564-1612)
Text: Paul Gerhardt (1607-1676), based on Arnuf of Louvain

Originally from a Latin poem beginning "Salve mundi salutare" and attributed to either Bernard of Clairvaux (twelfth century) or Arnulf von Loewen (thirteenth century), "O Sacred Head" is one of seven sections to be used for meditation during Holy Week. Each section focuses on one aspect of Christ's dying body. Paul Gerhardt translated "Salve caput cruentatum," the seventh section of the Latin poem "Salve mundi salutare," into German as "O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden." James W. Alexander then translated the German into the English "O Sacred Head Now Wounded.” Deeply devotional, the text makes a very personal application of Christ's atoning death and confesses our gratitude and commitment to Christ.

This tune was originally a court song by the great Renaissance composer Hans Leo Hassler. The isorhythmic (all equal rhythms) setting was adapted from one of the harmonizations composed by Johann S. Bach for his St. Matthew Passion (1729). Many composers have written organ music based on this tune; various melodic and rhythmic versions exist. "O Sacred Head" has enjoyed great popularity since 1656; the hymn appears in all modern hymnals, in many languages and translations, and with various numbers of stanzas.

Introduction to Hymn #351
Taken from Chorale Prelude on O Sacred Head Sore Wounded, Sigfrid Karg-Elert (1877-1933)

Sigfrid Karg-Elert was a German composer who enjoyed considerable fame in the early 20th century. He is best known for his compositions for organ and harmonium.

The chromaticism in Karg-Elert’s compositions displays his profound knowledge of music theory which allowed him to stretch the limits of traditional harmony without losing tonal coherence. Listen for the intricate 3-part imitation of the tune, beginning with the first note in the pedal and continuing in the uppermost and finally middle voices.

Notable composers who influenced Karg-Elert’s work include Johann Sebastian Bach, Edvard Grieg (a personal friend and mentor), Claude Debussy, Alexander Scriabin and Arnold Schoenberg.

Organ piece
Ride On, King Jesus, Robert Greenlee

Because of their often brutal treatment, the slaves easily identified with Jesus’ suffering in a very personal way. Jesus was the Savior and a friend, human-and-yet-divine and yet the Son of God. While this spiritual has limited use in hymnals in comparison to others in the evolving canon of African American Spirituals, it has become well known through concertized arrangements, both for solo voice and for choir. Though the spiritual appears in several African American hymnals in the United States, there is no standard version. In her book In Their Own Words: Slave Life and the Power of Spirituals (St Louis: MorningStar Music Publishers, 2016) Eileen Guenther offers this narrative:

… sometimes they would let you come in the evenings to church and then you would take the front seats, with the padderollers [slave patrollers] behind, so that if the preacher said something he shouldn’t say, they would stop him. One time when they were singing, ‘Ride on King Jesus, No man can hinder Thee,’ the padderollers told them to stop or they would show him whether they could be hindered or not.

Robert Greenlee has a varied career as organist, accompanist, singer, teacher and director. His articles on singing have been published in Early Music and other journals, and his award-winning compositions are published by the Hinshaw, Warren, and Bock publishing houses. He teaches courses in choral and instrumental conducting, choral literature, music theory and history, and in addition to choral music he performs drumming and vocal music of Africa, Latin America, and West Asia. He believes that music has the potential to serve as a common language for the world, bringing diverse and seemingly antagonistic cultures and personalities into communion.

Dear members of God’s family at Resurrection Church:

To our considerable sorrow, worship remains cancelled at our church, even for this Holy Week. It is extremely important, in caring for our larger community, that we continue to observe a total absence of gathered assembly. Because we cannot meet together face-to-face, here is a resource to help us join nonetheless in shared prayer. If you wish, use these materials at 10am on Sunday along with everyone else who can do so. In the next days, do watch for resources to help in our common observance of Holy Week in our homes.

Yours in Christ, Pastor Gordon Lathrop

The following worship materials are available for this Sunday:

Home Worship Bulletin for Palm Sunday, April 5, 2020

Sunday of the Passion Children's Bulletin

Pastor Linman's Sermon for Palm Sunday, April 5, 2020

We have also published the following to YouTube, all of which are available in a YouTube playlist:

• Hymn #344, "All Glory, Laud, and Honor"
• Barbara Verdile, Psalm 31
• Pastor Linman's recorded sermon
• Hymn #351, "O Sacred Head, Now Wounded"
• Organ Piece, "Ride On King Jesus" by Robert Greenlee

Music notes for the Hymn of the Day and the organ piece are available here.

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Gordon Lathrop

Hymn of the Day
Wondrous Love, #666
Text: Anonymous
Tune: WONDROUS LOVE, Southern Harmony

The author of the text of this hymn remains anonymous, but it’s known as a traditional American folk song, first published in 1811. The text has remained basically untouched since it was first made popular by the Sacred Harp shape singers in 1844. Some hymnals leave out the stanza: “When I was sinking down,” and others include a verse that repeats the first verse with the last two lines “That Christ should lay aside his crown for my soul –What wondrous love is this, O my soul!”

The tune WONDROUS LOVE was first set to this text in William Walker's (PsH 44) second edition of Southern Harmony (1840). Publication of the hymn in B. F. White's The Sacred Harp (1844) further promoted the combination of text and tune. The meter of "What Wondrous Love" derives from an old English ballad about the infamous pirate Captain Kidd:

My name was Robert Kidd, when I sailed, when I sailed;
My name was Robert Kidd, when I sailed;
My name was Robert Kidd, God's laws I did forbid,
So wickedly I did when I sailed, when I sailed
So wickedly I did when I sailed

Organ piece
Southwell, Colin Hand (1929-2015)

The tune, Southwell is found in many hymnals and most often paired with the text “Lord Jesus, think on me,” by Synesius of Cyrene, Bishop of Ptolemais. The tune was composed by William Daman (1540-1591), a foreign composer resident in England. There are a few conflicting reports on his origins, but contemporary London records describe him as an Italian from Lucca, Italy who arrived in England circa 1566 as a servant of Sir Thomas Sackville. In 1576 he became a recorder player at the Court of Elizabeth I.

After a proposed career in biochemistry, Colin Hand, the composer of today’s organ piece, turned to music, studying organ at Trinity College, Dublin. He has composed steadily throughout his career and spent fifteen years as a lecturer in further education and another fifteen years as an examiner for Trinity College of Music, London. His works comprise choral, orchestral and chamber music, with several pieces for teaching purposes. In the late seventies he spent time in research on Taverner and Renaissance music for a PhD.

Ms. Angie has posted a message for the children of RELC. Click below to view!

Dear members of God’s family at Resurrection Church:

Once again, worship has been cancelled at our church this coming Sunday, March 29. Because we cannot meet together face-to-face, here is a resource to help you join us all in shared prayer. Please be careful yourselves. And do pray together with all of us for our needy world.

If you wish, join in at 10AM on Sunday, March 29, praying separately in our homes, but together.

The following worship materials are available for this Sunday:

Home Worship Bulletin for March 29, 2020

Children's Bulletin for the Fifth Sunday in Lent

Pastor Linman's Sermon for March 29, 2020

We have also published the following to YouTube, all of which are available in a YouTube playlist:

• Barbara Verdile, Psalm 130
• Pastor Linman's recorded sermon
• Hymn #886, "Oh, For A Thousand Tongues To Sing"
• Hymn #666, "What Wonderous Love Is This"
• Organ piece, "Southwell (Lord Jesus, Think Of Me)" by Colin Hand

Music notes for the Hymn of the Day and the organ piece are available here.

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Gordon Lathrop

Ms. Angie has posted a message for the children of RELC. Click below to view!

Run—don't walk—to the box next to our bench outside of our church doors on Potomac Street!

Colored bags have children's bibles, a seek and find book, booklet on Lent/Easter, and a "Jesus Loves You" bag with crayons. Geared for our youngest

White bags have an older children's bible, a bible story/activity book, booklet on Lent/Easter, and a "Jesus Loves You" bag with crayons. Geared for Elementary aged kids.

NRSV bibles are in the box too. If you prefer one of those and not a children's bible with pictures/stories, then please switch it out.

Devotional books are in the box too. Just take one per family and share!

Dear members of God’s family at Resurrection Church:

Once again, worship has been cancelled at our church this coming Sunday, March 22. Because we cannot meet together face-to-face, here is a resource to help you join us all in shared prayer. Please be careful yourselves. And do pray together with all of us for our needy world.

If you wish, join in at 10AM on Sunday, March 22, praying separately in our homes, but together.

The following worship materials are available for this Sunday:

Home Worship Bulletin for March 22, 2020

Children's Bulletin for the Fourth Sunday in Lent

Pastor Linman's Sermon for March 22, 2020

We have also published the following to YouTube, all of which are available in a YouTube playlist:

• Barbara Verdile, Psalm 23
• Pastor Linman's recorded sermon
• Hymn #779, "Amazing Grace"
• Hymn #324, "In The Cross Of Christ I Glory"
• Organ offering, David Chenwien, "Amazing Grace"

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Gordon Lathrop