Fifth Sunday in Lent
March 25, 2007
9:00 a.m.
(Click Here for Standard Order of Worship in PDF file)
&
11:00 a.m. Service (Order of Worship below)
A Congregation of the United Church of Christ
The Old South Church in Boston
Gathered 1669
THE GATHERING
PRELUDE at 10:45 am by the Cherry Creek Meistersingers
Sanctus from the Missa Aeterna Christi Munera G.P. da Palestrina
Prayer for Peace Benjamin Harlan
Lost in the Night arr. Kyle J. Haugen
Enosh (Psalm 103, vv. 15-17) Louis Lewandowski, arr. J Jacobson
*HYMN 386 The Church’s One Foundation Aurelia
*A SIGN OF OUR UNITY AND RECONCILIATION Quinn G. Caldwell
We invite you to greet those around you, wishing them “peace” or “the peace of Christ.”
WORDS OF WELCOME
HYMN OF REFLECTION (seated) Finlandia
Teach us to build; upon the solid rock
We set the dream that hardens into deed,
ribbed with fine steel, both time and change to mock,
the unfailing purpose of our noblest creed.
Teach us to build; O Maker lend us sight
to see the towers gleaming in the light.
REFLECTION PART 1 The Cloud of Witnesses Nancy S. Taylor
ACT OF REMEMBRANCE
One: Heaven is here, and earth.
Many: And the space is thin between them.
One: Distance may seem to divide us,
Many: but Christ’s promise unites we who are bounded by time
One: and those blessed by eternity. And so let heaven be glad:
Many Let the whole earth cry Glory!
One: Heaven is here, and earth,
Many: and the Church above and below is one.
One: Peter is here, and Paul
Many: Martha and all the Mary’s,
One: Bach and Bonhoeffer, Luther and King,
Many: the saints from far back and those who left us not long ago.
One: It is only our own dim sight that prevents us from seeing them …
Many: Yet they are one with us on the other side.
One: Let heaven be glad and let all the earth rejoice!
Many: Let the whole creation lift voices in praise!
REQUIEM Sung in Latin Gabriel Fauré
INTROIT & KYRIE
Rest eternal grant them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine on them.
To thee praise is due, O God, in Zion,
and to thee vows are recited in Jerusalem.
Hear my prayer; unto thee all flesh shall come.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
OFFERTORIUM
Lord Jesus Christ, King of glory, deliver the souls of the dead
from punishment in the inferno, and from the infernal lake.
Deliver them from the mouth of the lion, lest the abyss swallow them up,
lest they fall into the darkness.
Sacrifices and prayers to thee, O Lord, we offer with praise.
O receive them for the souls of those whom today we commemorate.
Make them, O Lord, to pass from death to life,
as thou of old hast promised Abraham and his seed.
SANCTUS
Holy, holy, holy,
Lord God of hosts.
The heavens and earth
are filled with thy glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
PIE JESU
Merciful Lord Jesus,
grant them rest,
rest everlasting.
AGNUS DEI
Merciful Lord Jesus,
grant them rest,
rest everlasting.
Let light eternal shine on them,
O Lord, with thy saints forever,
for thou art merciful.
Rest eternal grant them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine on them.
LIBERA ME
Deliver me, O Lord, from eternal death, on that fearful day
when the heavens are moved and the earth,
when thou shalt come to judge the world through fire.
I am made to tremble, and I fear,
when the desolation shall come, and also the coming wrath.
That day, the day of wrath, calamity, and misery,
that terrible and exceedingly bitter day.
Rest eternal grant them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine on them.
IN PARADISUM
May the angels lead you into paradise,
may the martyrs receive you
in your coming, and may they guide you
into the holy city, Jerusalem.
May the chorus of angels receive you
and with Lazarus once poor
may you have eternal rest.
REFLECTION PART II … and the Quick Nancy S. Taylor
*HYMN OF REFLECTION Finlandia
Be still my soul: for God will undertake
to guide in future days as in the past.
Your hope, your confidence let nothing shake;
all now mysterious shall be clear at last.
Be still my soul: the waves and wind still know
how Jesus power ruled them long ago.
CALL TO THE OFFERING Quinn G. Caldwell
OFFERTORY MUSIC Sicilienne Gabriel Fauré
*SONG OF PRAISE Old Hundredth
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Christ the Word in flesh born low;
Praise Holy Spirit evermore;
One God, Triune, whom we adore. Amen.
*PRAYER OF DEDICATION & BIDDING TO MISSION
One: The cross …
Many we shall take it.
One The bread …
Many we shall break it.
One The pain …
Many we shall bear it.
One The joy …
Many we shall share it.
One The Gospel …
Many we shall live it.
One The love …
Many we shall give it.
One The light …
Many we shall cherish it.
One The darkness …
Many God shall perish it.
*HYMN 391 In the Midst of New Dimensions New Dimensions
*BENEDICTION Nancy S. Taylor
POSTLUDE Fanfare in D Jacques Lemmens
Those participating in the Congregational Spiritual Discernment Summit are
urged to make their way to Mary Norton Hall (on the second floor) as soon as
possible following worship.
Make sure to view the Lenten Art Exhibit, entitled Requiem, in the Gordon
Chapel. The exhibit is built around Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem being performed
today.
CHERRY CREEK MEISTERSINGERS William Erickson, Director
Meistersingers is an honor choir at Cherry Creek High School, stressing not
only the aesthetics in performance, but an understanding of the basics of
music. They have been consistently regarded as one of the best high school
choirs for the past 30 years. The Meistersingers have appeared at Regional
and National Conventions for the American Choral Directors Association
(ACDA) and at State and National Conventions for Music Educators National
Conference (MENC). The Meistersingers have toured around the world,
including China, Australia, New Zealand, Canada (twice), Mexico, the former
Soviet Union, the British Isles, England (twice), Scandinavia, Spain,
Hungary and two tours to Germany, Austria, the Slovak Republic and the Czech
Republic.
ORCHESTRA
Violin: Guiomar Turgeon
Viola: Frank Grimes
Scott Woolweaver Michelle Rush
Philip Rush
Bass: Pascale Feldman
Organ: George Sargeant
Cello: Guy Fishman
Leslie Moye
Emmanuel Feldman
Robert Bethel
Horn: John Aubrey
Sheffra Spiridopoulos
Harp: Franziska Huhn
TODAY AT OLD SOUTH
Welcome to Old South Church in Boston. Our faith is over 2000 years old, but
our thinking is not! Old South opens its doors to the city, to tourists from
near and far, to the needy, to an array of building users, and to a
congregation (of members, friends, and family—both the curious and the
committed) who call this their church home. Join us for fellowship and
refreshments in the Gordon Chapel after worship.
The flowers today are given by Bettina Blake in memory of her parents, Bill
and Betty Blake.
The soloists this morning are Harry Baechtel, baritone, and Adriana Repetto,
soprano.
Today more than twenty volunteers are extending hospitality to visitors and
parishioners. In addition, some thirty volunteers sing in the choir, while
others are teaching in the Church School. If you’re interested in
volunteering for hospitality tasks, please call Betty Smith at 781/721-7777;
to get involved with the choir, call Brian Jones at 617/425-5146; or to find
out more about the church school, call Tricia Hazeltine at 617/536-1970.
Thank you!
Please wear your name tags! This is a great way to facilitate community and
make newcomers feel welcomed. If you don’t see a tag with your name on it,
just let us know—there will be one waiting for you next Sunday!
CD recordings of today’s service may be obtained by calling Rhoda Harding at
617/536 1970 or emailing <reception@oldsouth.org>. Sunday sermons are also
available on the Web and as podcasts at <www.oldsouth.org>.
Immediately following worship you are invited to join Docent Eleanor Jensen
at the front of the Sanctuary for a tour of the Sanctuary.
NOTES ON TODAY’S MUSIC
Perhaps the most loved of all the famous requiem settings, Gabriel Fauré’s
has a more complicated history than one might suspect. Originally conceived
as a five movement work, it was first heard on January 16, 1888 at the
magnificent Church of the Madeleine in Paris, where Fauré was choirmaster.
In 1893, Faure added two more movements, the Offertoire and Libera Me,
Domine. In subsequent years, Fauré re-orchestrated the work, presumably to
make it more attractive to symphony orchestras and larger concert venues,
and possibly because of the popularity of the piece. The version used at Old
South today makes use of the new edition in which John Rutter has put the
orchestration back to the 1888 version, which uses lower strings (violas,
cellos, bass) together with horns, harp, and organ. A violin is heard only
once, as a solo obligato in the Sanctus. The Pie Jesu, for soprano solo, is
arguably the most famous movement of the work. Fauré’s incomparable use of
harmony and melody is heard throughout the music, and in spite of some of
the forceful texts of the Requiem, the composer clearly prefers the milder
and more serene moments, conveying a sense of hope and consolation.
Sicilienne, heard as this morning’s offering organ solo, is another of
Fauré’s most beautiful melodies. In 1898, Fauré composed the incidental
music for the London production of Maeterlinck’s play, Pelléas et Mélisande,
Op.80. He also made a four movement suite of pieces selected from this
score, and the Sicilienne has become famous on its own, most often played by
flute and piano, but also often heard in the beautiful arrangement for full
orchestra. The arrangement for the organ heard here is by Byron Hesford.
Jacques-Nicolas Lemmens (1823-1881) was born in Belgium and was a highly
respected and well-known organ teacher whose students included French
organists Charles-Marie Widor and Alexandre Guilmant. Lemmens was admired
for his ability to teach organists to play with German clarity, as well as
with French color and sensitivity. He was promoted as a teacher by the
famous French organ builder Aristide Cavaillé-Coll. His Fanfare in D is a
brief work which uses the resources of the organ with drama and flair.
OLD SOUTH CHURCH IN BOSTON
MINISTERS, OFFICERS AND STAFF
Nancy S. Taylor, Senior Minister
Quinn G. Caldwell, Associate Minister
Brian Jones, Interim Director of Music and Organist
Patricia Hazeltine, Church School Director
Tadd Allman-Morton, Ministerial Intern - Rolanda Ward, Youth Worker
George Sargeant, Assistant Organist and Choir Director
Willie Sordillo, Jazz Service Music Director
Peter Coulombe, Interim Director, Old South Ringers
Calvin Genzel, Wedding Outreach Minister - James W. Crawford, Minister Emeritus
Jeff Makholm, Moderator v David Clark, Clerk
James Monsma, Treasurer v Dwight Crane, Chair, Board of Trustees
Betty Smith, Senior Deacon v Susan T. Campbell, Historian
Vicki A. Newman, Pledge Secretary
Helen McCrady, Senior Church Administrator
Amy Perry, Administrative Assistant v Rosemary Clarke, Accountant
Elias Perez, Senior Sexton v Ozo Nwodo and Robert Blenman, Sextons
Rhoda Harding, Rubia Reyes and Jim McDonnel, Receptionists
Carolyn Davis, Director, Old South Preschool
www.oldsouth.org - 617/536-1970
A NOTE ON THE INCLUSIVE DIMENSIONS OF GOD’S GRACE
The Old South Church in Boston, in the name of its host, Jesus Christ, and
in the spirit of Christ’s invitation carved into the stone of this church’s
portico, “Behold I Set Before You an Open Door,” welcomes all who seek to
know God.
Following the One who we believe is Sovereign and Savior, we affirm that
each individual is a child of God, and recognize that we are called to be
like one body with many members, seeking with others of every race,
ethnicity, creed, class, age, gender, marital status, physical or mental
ability, and sexual identity to journey together toward the promised realm
of God.
We invite everyone to join in the common life and mission of our reconciling
community through participation and leadership in this congregation, and by
fully sharing in the worship, rites and sacraments of this church.
As we all move forward with the work of this church, we commit ourselves to
making justice and inclusivity a reality in this congregation and in the
world. On the threshold of Christ’s open door, we rely upon the healing,
unconditional nature of God’s love and grace to be our help and guide.
