Sunday, March 29, 2020 

Rev. Douglas duCharme 

Eleanor Daley, Director Of Music

Please enjoy the music that was curated for today’s service by Eleanor Daley, Director of Music.

Opening Hymn  Throughout These Lenten Days and Nights

Throughout these Lenten days and nights
we turn to walk the inward way,
where, meeting Christ, our guide and light,
we live in hope till Easter Day.

The Pilgrim Christ, the Lamb of God,
who found in weakness greater power,
embraces us, though lost and flawed,
and leads us to his Rising Hour.

We bear the silence, cross and pain
of human burdens, human strife,
while sisters, brothers help sustain
our courage till the Feast of Life.

And though the road is hard and steep,
the Spirit ever calls us on through
Calvary’s dying, dark and deep,
until we see the coming Dawn.

So let us choose the path of One
who wore, for us, the crown of thorn,
and slept in death that we might wake
to life on Resurrection Morn!

Rejoice, O sons and daughters! Sing
and shout hosannas! Raise the strain!
For Christ, whose death Good Friday brings
on Easter Day will rise again!

Scripture  John 11:1-45 

Anthem           Eternal Light, Shine in My Heart      K. Lee Scott (b. 1950)

Eternal light, shine in my heart;
Eternal hope, lift up my eyes;
Eternal pow’r, be my support;
Eternal wisdom, make me wise.
Eternal life, raise me from death;
Eternal brightness, help me see;
Eternal Spirit, give me breath;
Eternal Saviour, come to me.

Until by your most costly grace,
Invited by your holy word,
At last I come before your face to know you,
My eternal God.

God, who commanded the light to shine in the darkness,
Has shined in our hearts,
To give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God
In the face of Jesus Christ.
(Christopher Idle, based on a prayer of Alcuin, 735-804, and 2 Corinthians 4:6)

Hymn              O God Beyond All Praising

O God beyond all praising, we praise you today
and sing the love amazing that songs cannot repay;
for we can only wonder at every gift you send,
at blessings without number and mercies without end:
we lift our hearts before you and wait upon your word,
we honour and adore you, our great and mighty Lord.

Then, hear O gracious Saviour, accept the love we bring,
that we who know your favour may serve you as our King;
and whether our tomorrows be filled with good or ill,
we’ll triumph through our sorrows and rise to bless you still:
to marvel at your beauty and glory in your ways,
and make a joyful duty our sacrifice of praise.

Offertory Anthem  We Are Not Alone          Pepper Choplin (b. 1957)

We are not alone, God is with us.
We are never alone, for God is with us.
Now, through all our days, always.
Forever and ever, we are never alone.
And God will make us strong, for God is with us.
We will press on, for God is with us now.
Our God is with us now.
(Pepper Choplin)

Closing Hymn  O God, Our Help in Ages Past

O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.

Under the shadow of Thy throne
Thy saints have dwelt secure;
Sufficient is Thine arm alone,
And our defence is sure.

Before the hills in order stood,
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting Thou art God,
To endless years the same.

A thousand ages in Thy sight
Are like an evening gone;
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.

Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
Bears all its sons away;
They fly forgotten, as a dream
Dies at the opening day.

O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be Thou our guard while life shall last,
And our eternal home.

This morning’s Anthem and Offertory texts are reprinted under onelicense.net #A-717945. Eternal Light, Shine in My Heart, © 2000 Hope Publishing Company. We Are Not Alone, © 2005 Harold Flammer Music. All rights reserved. All rights reserved.

♪Music notes ♪

K. (Keaton) Lee Scott (b. 1950) is an internationally known teacher, conductor and composer of sacred music, choral music and hymns, currently residing in Birmingham, Alabama. Recognized as one of America’s foremost composers of music for the church, his hymns are published in eight hymnals, including Voices United. He has over 300 compositions in publication, including anthems, hymns, works for solo voice, organ, brass, and larger choral works. Scott holds degrees in choral music and composition from the University of Alabama School of Music, and has travelled extensively as a guest conductor and clinician throughout the United States, as well as to Canada and Africa. In years past, the Senior Choir has presented the Canadian premiere of his Gloria, and the Toronto premiere of his Requiem.

Christopher Idle (b. 1938) is a British hymnodist and has written over 300 hymn texts. He was educated at Ethan College, St. Peter’s College, Oxford, and Clifton Theological College in Bristol, and was ordained in the Church of England in 1968. He has served various parishes in rural areas, but now resides in inner London, where he is involved in various hymn projects. Idle has served on several hymnal committees, and spoken and written widely on hymnody, including presentations to both the British and North American Hymn Societies. His “Eternal Light, Shine in My Heart” appears in a number of hymnals, including Voices United.

Pepper Choplin (b. 1957) is a full-time composer, conductor and humorist. He has gained a reputation as one of the most creative writers in church music today. With a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, he went on to earn a Master of Music degree in composition from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Much of Pepper’s creative energy goes into planning creative and vibrant service for Greystone Baptist Church in Raleigh, NC where he is Minister of Music. Many of his anthems are born out of a need at his own church. Pepper’s chief desire is “to create music that will lead people together in a dramatic way.”

Sources: Music
Throughout These Lenten Days and Nights – Voices United #108 -> Custom Music CD
Eternal Light, Shine in My Heat – YouTube SecondChurch -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XgoqI82ies
O God, Beyond All Praising – YouTube OCP Session Choir -> https://youtu.be/PnnQpC9oLxU
We Are Not Alone – YouTube SE Samonte -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiIE9iikIZk
O God Our Help in Ages Past – YouTube Francis1930 -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHEp08ESDi0&feature=youtu.be
Sources: Images
The Raising of Lazarus (after Rembrandt) Vincent van Gogh (1853 – 1890) -> https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/collection/s0169V1962
The Raising of Lazarus etching by Rembrandt – 1642 from the Rijksmuseun Museum -> https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en

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