Sunday, June 26

 Each week, you may find information here about the music in the traditional worship services at First United Methodist Church in Lewisville, Texas.  Some of this information is original; most of it is copied from other websites such as Wikipedia, GBOD, and hymnary.org.  It is my hope that this information will enhance your understanding and enrich your worship experience.   

About the Organ Music:

In Christ There is no East or West - Anthony Giamanco 

(c.2019, Lorenz Publishing)

William Arthur Dunkerley (1852-1941) was a prolific English journalist, novelist and poet. He was born in Manchester, spent a short time after his marriage in America before moving to Ealing, west London, where he served as deacon and teacher at the Ealing Congregational Church from the 1880s, and he then moved to Worthing in Sussex in 1922, where he became the town's mayor.  He wrote under his own name, and also as John Oxenham for his poetry, hymn-writing, and novels. His poetry includes Bees in Amber: a little book of thoughtful verse (1913) which became a bestseller. He also wrote the poem "Greatheart." He used another pseudonym, Julian Ross, for journalism. Dunkerley was a major contributor to Jerome K. Jerome's The Idler magazine.

The poem, “In Christ There is no East or West”, was originally part of a libretto, “Darkness and Light,” prepared in 1908 for an exhibition for the London Missionary Society on the theme “The Orient in London.” He then included this poem in his collection, Bees in Amber (1913). This popular volume was rejected by publishers; when Oxenham self-published it, the book sold 285,000 copies. From here the hymn found its way into many English-language hymnals, beginning with England’s Songs of Praise (1931).  English literary scholar and hymnologist J.R. Watson states that the hymn takes its opening idea from Rudyard Kipling’s famous lines, “Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet” from “The Ballad of East and West,” published in Barrach-Room Ballads, and Other Verses (1892). However, Oxenham’s hymn is the antithesis of Kipling’s verse.   As UM Hymnal editor Carlton Young observes, “The theme of Oxenham’s hymn, one of the most durable hymnic statements of Christian unity in the twentieth century, is from Galatians 3:28: ‘There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ.’” 

Composed by Alexander R. Reinagle (b. Brighton, Sussex, England, 1799; d. Kidlington, Oxfordshire, England, 1877), ST. PETER was published as a setting for Psalm 118 in Reinagle's Psalm Tunes for the Voice and Pianoforte (c. 1836). The tune first appeared with Newton's text in Hymns Ancient and Modern(1861); it is now usually associated with this text, for which it is a better match than for Psalm 118. The tune was named after St. Peter-in-the-East, the church in Oxford, England, where Reinagle was organist from 1822-1853.

Little is known of Reinagle's early life. Of Austrian descent, he came from a family of musicians and became a well-known organ teacher. A writer of teaching manuals for string instruments, Reinagle also compiled two books of hymn tunes, the 1836 collection and A Collection of Psalm and Hymn Tunes(1840). He also composed a piano sonata and some church music.

In Christ there is no east or west, in him no south or north, 

but one great fellowship of love throughout the whole wide earth.

In Christ shall true hearts ev’rywhere their high communion find.

His service is the golden cord close binding humankind.

Join hands, then, people of the faith, whate’er your race may be.

All children of the living God are surely kin to me.

In Christ now meet both east and west, in him meet south and north.

All Christly souls are joined as one throughout the whole wide earth.

Anthony Giamanco (b. 1958), born in Detroit, Michigan, has been a professional church musician since the age of 17. Currently he serves as music director at St. Mary Catholic Parish in Pinckney, Michigan, where he oversees an adult choir, two children's choirs, a handchime ensemble, instrumental ensembles, and two contemporary ensembles. Anthony's many choral, organ, and piano works are featured in the catalogs of numerous publishers, including GIA, for whom the octavo "Love Comes Trick-a-lin' Down" was a top ten seller in 2007.

About the Piano Music:

A Place at the Table - Paul Tate 

(c. 2006, GIA Publications)

In recent decades, an influential and significant force has developed within the world of congregational song. That force is Shirley Erena Murray (b. 1931), who has written some of the most convicting and challenging hymns of this era by addressing issues and concerns relevant to modern-day audiences through the paradigm of the Christian tradition. In her hymn, “A Place at the Table” (1998), Ms. Murray presents a Christian equivalent to the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” drafted by the U.N. General Council, thus connecting the global concern of Christianity with the global concerns of the United Nations and, indeed, all humanity. She notes: “I couldn't find anything to reflect a broad overview of human rights in any hymnbook. You can see that I have used some of the very basic ideas of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – the right to shelter, safety, food, and later, the right to a job, to freedom of speech and worship. I've tried to put them in a context which relates directly to the Gospel, but without excluding those who are not of the Christian faith. . .. “

A close examination of the hymn reveals thematic connections with the Declaration, thereby demonstrating the relevance of Christianity with contemporary affairs.

For example, in the first stanza, “clean water and bread, a shelter, a space, a safe place for growing” stems from Article 25: “Everyone has the right to a standard of adequate living for . . . health and well-being . . . including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services . . ..” The next phrase, “a star overhead,” relates, according to the poet, to Article 26 and the aspiration for education.

A fourth generation New Zealander, Murray holds a master’s degree with honors in Classics and French from Otago University. Her awards and honors include the New Zealand Order of Merit (2001) and an Honorary Fellow of the Royal School of Church Music (2006). Her hymn "God, In Your Grace" was chosen as the theme song for the IX Assembly of the World Council of Churches in Porto Alegre, Brazil (2006), and she has been honored as a Fellow of the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada (2009).  Shirley Erena Murray describes her ecclesial affiliation as ecumenical in nature. Though born to a Methodist family, she later became Presbyterian through her marriage to a Presbyterian minister. As she writes in one of the collections of her hymns, “The Methodist tradition nurtured me, the Presbyterian tradition claimed all my adult life, and the ecumenical movement called me out of both.” Murray describes her identity and perspective as “that of a woman, a mother, a grandparent, a citizen, [and] a layperson.”

Shirley Murray began writing hymns in the 1970s to accompany her husband’s sermons, because he had difficulty finding traditional hymns that truly captured and articulated his messages with language relevant to contemporary life. The fruit of her labor resulted in a plethora of Christian hymns that poignantly address modern concerns in a relevant way. Fellow New Zealander and Methodist hymn writer Colin Gibson notes that the most common themes of her hymns address “peace, justice, human rights, inclusiveness, gender equality, environmental concerns, and social responsibility.” Her work is included in more than 100 different collections and has been translated into several different languages. Additionally, she contributed to the groundbreaking hymnal Sound the Bamboo (2000), wherein she collaborated with Dr. I-to Loh, an ethnomusicologist from Taiwan, to provide English lyrics for Asian Christians with a distinctly Eastern-Asian style of music.

In this hymn, Shirley Murray finds a way to incorporate the Christian imperative of equality and justice for the entire world. In the first stanza, she begins with the statement, “For everyone born, a place at the table … for everyone born, a star overhead.” At first glance, the song appears as if it will address global hunger, which indeed it does. But on a metaphysical level, she clearly expresses that the justice and equality humanity needs actually comes as a result of the birth of Jesus Christ. Here, she has flipped our understanding of what “the table” actually means. The table does not simply represent the proverbial dining table or the political forum (such as the United Nations), but also stands as a metaphor for the Kingdom of God. The table embodies a world where everyone has a place, because God became human in Jesus Christ, expressed by the star on Christmas night. “The table” of abundance and equality is the prophetic expression of God’s will manifest in creation.

She continues her theme of justice and equality in the subsequent stanzas by providing a series of binary expressions, thereby articulating the need for Christians to extend justice and joy across the diversity of humanity: “for woman and man” (stanza 2), “for young or for old” (stanza 3), and “for just and unjust” (stanza 4). In the fourth stanza, Murray presents us with perhaps a more difficult challenge by including both “abuser” and “abused” at the table. She draws the language of “abuser/abused” from the Lord’s Prayer: “forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors,” acknowledging that all humanity stands in need of God’s grace, love, and mercy: even those who have committed acts of abuse in its many forms.

The author states her theological premise in the introduction of the collection, A Place at the Table: "I have used the words of the hymn 'A Place at the Table' as title for this book, because there are still Christian people not welcome, either at the communion table or at the common table of society. . ..” Such hospitality, however, is already apparent in the Invitation to the Table found in The United Methodist Hymnal: “Christ our Lord invites to his table all who love him, who earnestly repent of their sin and seek to live in peace with one another.” The invitation is extended to all regardless of gender, cultural background, social class, or sexual orientation. Here she challenges us to recognize the sacrament as a place of unconditional inclusivity.  According to the refrain, we understand the Christian’s role to play in offering “justice and joy” because paradoxically, “God will delight when we are creators of justice and joy.” In this way, the Creator expresses delight when humanity “creates” justice and joy.  Murray’s hymn gives new voice to Christians crying out for God’s justice and joy as they enact God’s will “on earth as it is in heaven.”

For everyone born, a place at the table,

for everyone born, clean water and bread,

a shelter, a space, a safe place for growing,

for everyone born, a star overhead,

For woman and man, a place at the table,

revising the roles, deciding the share,

with wisdom and grace, dividing the power,

for woman and man, a system that's fair,

              

For young and for old, a place at the table,

a voice to be heard, a part in the song,

the hands of a child in hands that are wrinkled,

for young and for old, the right to belong,

              

For gay and for straight, a place at the table,

a covenant shared, a welcoming space,

a rainbow of race and gender and colour,

for gay and for straight, the chalice of grace,

For just and unjust, a place at the table,

abuser, abused, with need to forgive,

in anger, in hurt, a mindset of mercy,

for just and unjust, a new way to live,

For everyone born, a place at the table,

to live without fear, and simply to be,

to work, to speak out, to witness and worship,

for everyone born, the right to be free,

                and God will delight when we are creators

                of justice and joy, compassion and peace:

                yes, God will delight when we are creators

                of justice, justice and joy!

This setting also quotes the hymn “Fresh as the Morning”, a hymn of praise celebrating God’s faithfulness by Shirley Erena Murray. The poet’s inspiration comes from scripture and from life itself. It is a personal hymn of praise in the tradition of psalmists through the ages. If we want a specific text that serves as inspiration, it is the Book of Lamentations. The Book of Lamentations, whether written by Jeremiah or someone else, is both a personal and a community’s outburst of lament because Jerusalem, God’s chosen city, has been ransacked by invading armies. The city, its leaders and its people have been taken captive. Many will now face a long and painful exile. Many of the Psalms are laments. There are passages of lament in the writings of the prophets.

Suffering, alienation and devastation are written into our family, community and global narratives. We often seek closure, or are counselled to seek closure, when heart and soul need lament, and lament that others will share. The heart that has not been broken, that has not endured personal or communal agony, is unlikely to sing of God’s faithfulness nor feel the need to. Faith, hope, and trust grow despite hardship. The light shines in the dark, and the dark does not overcome it.  Faith, hope and trust spring to life within the context of God’s love and faithfulness. Their coming to life allows room for love to take root, to claim and empower us so that we can choose life and blessing, we can believe it possible that we can play a part (for ourselves and others) to create new and good day.

This hymn asserts that God is our home in our times of imprisonment as much as in our times of celebrated freedom. God is in our struggles and our hungers.  This hymn comes from a heart that understands emptiness and exile. It is the lament and praise of a woman who knows the hurt of a Mothering God who weeps for a suffering and alienated people. Despite the hurt and the hurting there is yet hope joyfully affirmed.

The tune, TRAYNOR, was written by Ron Klusmeier for this text.

God of the Bible, God in the Gospel, hope seen in Jesus, hope yet to come,

you are our center, daylight or darkness, freedom or prison, you are our home.

God in our struggles, God in our hunger, suffering with us, taking our part,

still you empower us, mothering Spirit, feeding, sustaining, from your own heart.

Those without status, those who are nothing, you have made royal, gifted with rights,

chosen as partners, midwives of justice, birthing new systems, lighting new lights.

Not by your finger, not by your anger, will our world order change in a day,

but by your people, fearless and faithful, small paper lanterns, lighting the way.

Hope we must carry, shining and certain, through all our turmoil, terror and loss,

bonding us gladly, one to the other, till our world changes, facing the Cross.

Fresh as the morning, sure as the sunrise,
God always faithful, you do not change.

Paul A. Tate, a graduate of the University of Georgia, is a professional musician living in Sugar Hill, Georgia. As an active workshop presenter and concert performer, Paul has released a dozen recordings and published over 100 original songs and arrangements. His liturgical compositions appear in a number of hymnal resources, and his voice has been heard around the world on Sirius Satellite Radio.

About the Vocal Solo Music:

Orphans of God - Joel Lindsey & Twila LaBar 

(c.2006 Bridge Building Music, admin by Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing)

Joel Lindsey is one of the most celebrated and award-winning writers in the genres of Contemporary Christian music and Southern Gospel. He has penned over 800 songs for a “who’s who” list in both genres. Over the years he has earned a staggering twenty No. 1 songs on Christian radio. His songs have been recorded by mainstream artists like Chris Mann, Clay Aiken, and The Backstreet Boys. 

Twila LaBar is an award-winning songwriter with songs recorded by Avalon, (Orphans of God), Point of Grace, Jeff and Sheri Easter with Vince Gill, Dottie Peoples, Karen Peck and New River, and more.  Twila's extensive background in songwriting and music production made transitioning into filmmaking a natural next step. Twila made her narrative film directorial debut in the independent feature film "Blanche." Twila received "Best First Time Filmmaker" and "Best Woman Filmmaker" awards in the Royal Wolf Film Awards. Twila is also the recipient of the Hollywood Gold Awards Silver Award for Best Original Song for "The Miles Don't Even Matter." In 2020 and 2021 “Blanche”received 16 film festival awards.  In addition to directing Blanche, Twila composed background music for the film and wrote and recorded two songs for the “Blanche” soundtrack, "Saddle Up" and "The Miles Don't Even Matter." Country artist Jordan Kirkdorffer, a contestant on The Voice 2018, is featured on "The Miles Don't Even Matter."  “Blanche” is available on Amazon, iTunes, and Vimeo on Demand.  Twila is currently in post-production on the documentary film "Where the Horses Heal the Soul."

“Orphans of God" is a song of hope by Joel Lindsey and Twila LaBar that was first performed by Avalon, a contemporary Christian music group.  “Orphans of God” was recorded and released as a single by country artist Ty Herndon and singer and actress Kristin Chenoweth, going to #1 on the iTunes Christmas Songs chart. 

Who here among us has not been broken?

Who here among us is without guilt or pain?

So often abandoned by out transgressions,

If such a thing as grace exists, then grace was made for lives like this.

There are no strangers, there are no outcasts,

there are no orphans of God.

So many fallen, but, hallelujah,

There are no orphans of God.

Come ye, unwanted, and find affection,

Come all ye weary, come and lay down your head.

Come, ye unworthy, we are a family.

If such a thing as grace exists, then grace was made for lives like this.

There are no strangers, there are no outcasts,

There are no orphans of God.

So many fallen, but, hallelujah,

There are no orphans of God.

O blessed Father, look down upon us,

We are Your children, we need Your love.

We bow before Your throne of mercy,

and seek your face to rise above.

There are no strangers, there are no outcasts,

There are no orphans of God.

So many fallen, but, hallelujah,

There are no orphans.

There are no strangers, there are no outcasts,

there are no orphans of God

So many fallen, but, hallelujah,

There are no orphans of God.

There are no orphans of God.

About the Hymns:

Help Us Accept Each Other

(c.1977, Hope Publishing Co.)

Fred Kaan (1929-2009), though ordained in the United Reformed Church and serving in England, was a native of Haarlem, The Netherlands.  Carlton R. Young, editor of The UM Hymnal, says of Kaan, “His linguistic ability, ecumenical service, and fervent concern for the powerless are apparent in his hymns, numbering more than 200.”   Collections of his hymns appear in this country as The Hymn Texts of Fred Kaan (1985), Planting Trees and Sowing Seeds (1989) and The Only Earth We Know (1999). He was elected Fellow of the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada in 2001. His hymns have been translated into more that 15 languages. Kaan died at the age of 80 after a long struggle with cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. Though one of the most prophetic and vigorous voices in 20th-century hymnody has been silenced, we shall continue to sing his hymns.Kaan explains the origins of the hymn, “Help us accept each other”: “This text was set in motion upon reading a Bible study article Mrs. Jackie Mattonen had written for the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in the USA. . . . It was almost accidentally and at the last moment included in the fourth edition of Cantate Domino [an ecumenical and cross-cultural hymnal published by the World Council of Churches in 1974], … and it so happened that my “Hymn of acceptance” was just the right length to fill the two blank pages that needed filling.”   The text appeared in Kaan’s collection Break Not the Circle (1975) for the first time in the U.S. This is one of the most powerful hymns on reconciliation and forgiveness composed in the last half of the 20th century. Romans 15:7 provides a scriptural basis for stanza 1: “Receive one another, then, just as Christ also received you, to God’s glory.” The hymn also reflects Ephesians 4:15: “But practicing the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ, who is the head.” 

The hymn tune ACCEPTANCE, by John Ness Beck (1930-1987), was originally published as a four-part anthem to "Help Us Accept Each Other" (1977) by Fred Kaan. The tune features a consistently syncopated rhythmic pattern in each of its four lines.

Help us accept each other as Christ accepted us;

teach us as sister, brother, each person to embrace.

Be present, Lord, among us and Bring us to believe:

we are ourselves accepted and meant to love and live.

Teach us, O Lord, your lessons, as in our daily life

we struggle to be human and search for hope and faith.

Teach us to care for people, for all - not just for some,

to love them as we find them or as they may become.

Let your acceptance change us so that we may be moved

in living situations to do the truth in love;

to practice your acceptance until we know by heart

the table of forgiveness and laughter's healing art.

Lord, for today's encounters with all who are in need,

who hunger for acceptance, for justice and for bread,

we need new eyes for seeing, new hands for holding on:

renew us with your Spirit; Lord, free us, make us one!

Where Charity and Love Prevail 

(c.1961, World Library Publications)

Omer Westendorf (1916-1997) was one of the leading composers following the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council.  Beginning at age 20, he received his master’s degree in music at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, and for most of his professional musical career served as organist and choirmaster at St. Bonaventure Church in Cincinnati. Under his direction the Bonaventure Choir sang concerts and recorded sacred music for several decades.  One of his greatest achievements was the founding of the World Library of Sacred Music in 1950 and World Library Publications in 1957. These organizations have been primary distributors of music for the Mass in the United States and beyond.

Westendorf was also known for his lectures and seminars on sacred music, consultations on liturgical music and as a hymn writer.  Westendorf’s People’s Mass Book, 1964, was the first vernacular hymn and service book to implement the Catholic liturgies decreed by Vatican Council II. He wrote Music Lessons for the Man in the Pew to teach the art of sight reading choral music.

“Where charity and love prevail” (1961) provides an English hymn version of a 9th-century Latin hymn, “Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est” (Where there is charity and love, God is there) based on 1 John 4:16. Traditionally, this is the final hymn on Maundy Thursday, called in the Latin tradition Mandatum novum (New Commandment), referring to the act of washing of the disciples’ feet initiated by Jesus.

Scholar H. Myron Braun comments on this ancient ritual: “[The Latin chant] is said to date from the ninth century . . . with its emphasis on community within the faith, on Christians holding one another in love and concern . . . It is appropriate for . . . [Maundy Thursday] when we note the “new commandment” that we love one another, and also several times in Eastertide when the lectionary leads us to reading on love from the Gospel and the epistles of John.”

The text draws directly on John 13:34, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” This version appeared first in Westendorf’s People’s Mass Book (1976). 

Composed by Alexander R. Reinagle (1799-1877), ST. PETER was published as a setting for Psalm 118 in Reinagle's Psalm Tunes for the Voice and Pianoforte (c. 1836). The tune first appeared with Newton's text in Hymns Ancient and Modern (1861); it is now usually associated with this text, for which it is a better match than for Psalm 118. The tune was named after St. Peter-in-the-East, the church in Oxford, England, where Reinagle was organist from 1822-1853. Little is known of Reinagle's early life. Of Austrian descent, he came from a family of musicians and became a well-known organ teacher. A writer of teaching manuals for string instruments, Reinagle also compiled two books of hymn tunes, the 1836 collection and A Collection of Psalm and Hymn Tunes (1840). He also composed a piano sonata and some church music.

Where charity and love prevail, there God is ever found;

Brought here together by Christ’s love, by love are we thus bound.

With grateful joy and holy fear His charity we learn;

Let us with heart and mind and soul now love him in return.

Forgive we now each other’s faults as we our faults confess;

And let us love each other well in Christian holiness.

Let strife among us be unknown, let all contention cease;

Be His the glory that we seek, be ours His holy peace.

Let us recall that in our midst dwells God’s begotten Son;

As members of His body joined, we are in Him made one.

No race or creed can love exclude, if honored be God’s name;

Our family embraces all whose Father is the same.

First United Methodist Church, Lewisville, Texas

A Community of Everyday People Learning to Love Like Jesus

Sunday, June 19, 2022

 Each week, you may find information here about the music in the traditional worship services at First United Methodist Church in Lewisville, Texas.  Some of this information is original; most of it is copied from other websites such as Wikipedia, GBOD, and hymnary.org.  It is my hope that this information will enhance your understanding and enrich your worship experience.   

About the Organ Music:

A Trumpeting - Dale Wood 

(c.1996, Sacred Music Press)

Dale Wood (1934-2003) was a prominent composer, organist, choral director, and clinician.  He was honored many times by the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) for his “very important contribution towards the creation and development of contemporary American church music”.  He wrote many collections of organ works, most of which are based on both old and new hymn tunes.  Over eight million copies of his publications have been purchased in over 50 countries.

About the Piano Music:

Amazing Grace - Craig Curry 

(c.1999, Glory Sound)

"Amazing Grace" was written by the English poet and clergyman John Newton (1725–1807).  With the message that forgiveness and redemption are possible regardless of sins committed and that the soul can be delivered from despair through the mercy of God, "Amazing Grace" is one of the most recognizable songs in the English-speaking world.

Newton wrote the words from personal experience. He grew up without any particular religious conviction, but his life's path was formed by a variety of twists and coincidences that were often put into motion by his recalcitrant insubordination. He was drafted into the Royal Navy, and after leaving the service became involved in the Atlantic slave trade. In 1748, a violent storm battered his vessel so severely that he called out to God for mercy, a moment that marked his spiritual conversion. However, he continued his slave trading career until 1754 or 1755, when he ended his seafaring altogether and began studying Christian theology.

Ordained in the Church of England in 1764, Newton became curate of Olney, Buckinghamshire, where he began to write hymns with poet William Cowper. "Amazing Grace" was written to illustrate a sermon on New Year's Day of 1773. It was first printed in 1779 in Newton and Cowper's Olney Hymns, but settled into relative obscurity in England. In the United States however, "Amazing Grace" was used extensively during the Second Great Awakening in the early 19th century. It has been associated with more than 20 melodies, but in 1835 it was joined to a tune named "New Britain" to which it is most frequently sung today.

The melody sung to John Newton’s 1779 hymn “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound” is, without a doubt, America’s best-loved hymn tune. Unlike Lowell Mason’s “Nearer, my God, to thee,” the “Amazing grace” tune is of unknown origin. It first appeared in print in 1829 without any composer attribution, and there were thought to be no earlier surviving instances of the tune. However, an 1828 manuscript by Lucius Chapin (1760-1842), who was famous in his day as a hymn tune writer, raises the possibility that Lucius was its composer.

Lucius and his brother Amzi (1768-1835) were among the first and most influential composers to harmonize American folk hymns, using principles they had absorbed from New England and English church music, and perhaps from the oral tradition as well. They also composed hymns in a similar style. The brothers came from a large, musical Massachusetts family. Their mother was an exceptional singer, though she did not read music, and two of their brothers also became singing masters. Lucius and Amzi moved south and west as young men and taught singing schools throughout their lives. In 1828, Lucius was living in central Kentucky and Amzi in western Pennsylvania.  The 1828 manuscript was mentioned in passing in James Scholten’s 1972 dissertation on Lucius and Amzi Chapin. On July 25, 1828, Lusius’ son Cephas died from typhus in Oxford, Ohio en route home to visit his parents. There are three tender expressions of paternal love and grief on the back of Cephas’ last letter penned there by Lucius, the tunes AMAZING GRACE and BRAINARD and a brief poem.

The familiar melody had a number of titles in its early publications: ST. MARY’S, GALLAHER, HARMONY GROVE (Shenandoah Harmony), NEW BRITAIN (Sacred Harp), and more. The one title it did not have was AMAZING GRACE, though that title was used for at least two other melodies. The tune wasn’t paired with Newton’s text until 1835. The great nineteenth-century scholar W.E. Chute (1832-1900) attributed the melody to the Chapins. 

It is possible that NEW BRITAIN was added to the manuscript after 1828, or copied from a source that does not survive. However, the version here doesn’t exactly match any tune found, either published or in manuscript, in Nikos Pappas’ exhaustive index of over 60,000 early American hymn tunes (1700-1870). It is closest to the tune ST. MARY’S found in Shaw and Spilman’s Columbian Harmony (1829). Like Lucius, Shaw and Spilman lived in central Kentucky.

Even if Lucius were the first to notate the tune, the concept of “authorship” in this repertoire is difficult. Composers felt free to write arrangements of popular sacred or secular melodies in oral tradition and publish them, either as unattributed tunes or with their own names attached. They also made their own versions of tunes in books or manuscripts, appropriated and rearranged European classical music, and composed music from scratch in a folk idiom.

If Lucius didn’t compose NEW BRITAIN, then who did? The basic structure of the tune is ancient. NEW BRITAIN is a folk hymn—a sacred melody that existed, in some form, in oral tradition prior to being notated. It belongs to a recognized “tune family,” or group of tunes, sacred or secular, that share enough structure and melodic phrases that they seem to be descended from a common root. Other related tunes include Amzi Chapin’s TWENTY-FOURTH (written in the 1790s) and, more distantly, the African-American spiritual “Swing low, sweet chariot” (published in 1873, but definitely older). The folk hymn CONSOLATION (attributed to the Chapins when first published in 1812) has the same contour, but is in the minor mode. However, just because a tune is a folk hymn doesn’t mean that there wasn’t an originator for a particular variant of the tune family. There were at least ten slightly different versions of NEW BRITAIN written down from 1828 to 1840 in Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina. Three of these were from central Kentucky. This argues for oral transmission, but the fact that each version differs from the others only in the amount of ornamentation notated suggests that one person, perhaps an itinerant preacher or singing master, was the “vector” that spread the tune through this area in the late 1820s to 1830s.

Another interesting story, though tangential, is the Chapin family’s connection to the antislavery movement. If you’ve read the story of John Newton (the author of the words to “Amazing Grace”), you know that he was the captain of a slave ship who later rejected his past and advocated against slavery. The Chapin family lived in central Kentucky and some of their neighbors owned slaves, though there weren’t large plantations in the area. However, the diary of Cephas’ sister Harriet survives, and she was profoundly antislavery, though as a woman she didn’t have power to make decisions about her household. She thanks God that her father is “an Emancipator.” I don’t know if that means that he had slaves and set them free or if he didn’t believe in slavery and never owned slaves. Harriet considered it her duty to educate the two young African-Americans who worked for the family, an act that would have been illegal in many states. Harriet died in 1827, just a year before Cephas.

In general, the early revivals in Kentucky were far more democratic than were churches later in the 19th century. Both white women and African-Americans—even slaves—were called on to testify and even preach, and everyone participated in group singing, which was one of the hallmarks of these revivals. So the fact that this particular tune, whoever wrote it, is often associated with black spirituals and related to “Swing Low Sweet Chariot” is not surprising, as it was first popular in a mixed environment.

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now am found, Was blind but now I see.

Shout, shout for glory, Shout, shout aloud for glory;
Brother, sister, mourner, All shout glory hallelujah.

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved;

how precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed!

Through many dangers, toils and snares I have already come:

'tis grace has brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me, his word my hope secures;

he will my shield and portion be as long as life endures.

Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail, and mortal life shall cease:

I shall possess, within the veil, a life of joy and peace.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow, the sun forbear to shine;

but God, who called me here below, will be forever mine.

When we’ve been there ten thousand years, Bright shining as the sun,

We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise Than when we’d first begun.

Craig Curry is a composer/arranger and pianist based in Wichita, Kansas. He holds degrees from Wheaton College (B.M., Piano Performance) and the University of Miami (M.M., Media Writing and Production). For twelve years, Craig served as the worship pastor at First Baptist Church of Wichita, and he remains actively involved in church music. Craig serves as adjunct faculty at Friends University and directs the jazz vocal ensemble.

About the Choral Music:

Many Gifts, One Spirit  - Allen Pote

(c.1986, Coronet Press)

“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working but in all of them, and in everyone, it is the same God at work.”  I Corinthians 12:4–6 

The lyrics of Allen Pote’s beautiful song simultaneously describe the diversity and the unity of the church. While we walk on different paths, with different programs and services, there are many intersections as we all work to reach and uplift those most in need.

Allen Pote (b. 1945) was born in Halstead, Kansas, and educated at Texas Christian University, where his diploma was in Church Music. A Fulbright Scholar, he studied in Brussels, Belgium, and took advanced work at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. For twenty-two years he served as a full-time Director of Music in churches in Texas and Florida. He is currently a full-time composer living in Pensacola, Florida, where, with his wife Susan, he is co-director of the Pensacola Children's Choir, an organization of over 200 singers which has achieved national recognition.

Many gifts, one spirit, many songs, one voice
Many reasons, one promise, many questions, one choice.
O, God, we pray for unity, give guidance from above.
In our differences unite us in the circle of your love.
O, God, remind us we are not alone.
Though we move on different pathways, we are walking to your throne.

Help us learn to love each other, show us ways to understand.
We are members of one family, growing strong by joining hands.
Take our many ways of working, blend the colors of each soul into the 

beauty of a rainbow.
Give us life, Lord, make us whole.

About the Hymns:

Take Time to Be Holy

“Take Time to Be Holy” was written by William Longstaff (1822-1894) in 1882.  Longstaff, an English businessman, had often meditated on 1 Peter 1:16, “Be ye holy, for I am holy”, and considered it to be the heart of the gospel.  Upon hearing Dr. Griffith John, a missionary from China, speak and use the phrase, “Take time and be holy”, he was inspired to write this hymn.  Longstaff showed the hymn to Ira Sankey, who in turn passed it on to American songwriter George C. Stebbins (1846-1945) to set in 1882. Stebbins laid it aside and did not recall it until an evangelistic meeting in India, during which the theme of holiness was explored. Stebbins recalled Longstaff’s hymn and set it to music for the revival. He sent his tune “HOLINESS” to Sankey, who published the hymn in New Songs and Sacred Solos (1888).

Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord;

Abide in Him always, and feed on His Word.

Make friends of God’s children, help those who are weak,

Forgetting in nothing His blessing to seek.

Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;

Spend much time in secret, with Jesus alone.

By looking to Jesus, like Him thou shalt be;

Thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see.

Take time to be holy, let Him be thy Guide;

And run not before Him, whatever betide.

In joy or in sorrow, still follow the Lord,

And, looking to Jesus, still trust in His Word.

Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul,

Each thought and each motive beneath His control.

Thus led by His Spirit to fountains of love,

Thou soon shalt be fitted for service above.

Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee

Jesu Dulcis Memoria is often attributed to Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153). The name can refer either to the entire poem, which, depending on the manuscript, ranges from forty-two to fifty-three stanzas, or only the first part.  Three sections of it are used as hymns in the Liturgy of the Hours of the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus: "Iesu dulcis memoria" (Vespers), "Iesu rex admirabilis" (Office of Readings), "Iesu decus angelicum" (Lauds).  Several English hymns sung today are based on translations of Jesu Dulcis Memoria. These include "Jesus, Thou Joy of Loving Hearts" (1858 translation by Ray Palmer) and "Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee" (1849 translation by Edward Caswall).

Bernard of Clairvaux, saint, abbot, and doctor, was born at his father's castle on the eminence of Les Fontaines, near Dijon, in Burgundy. His father, Tecelin, or Tesselin, a knight of great bravery, was the friend and vassal of the Duke of Burgundy. Bernard was educated at Chatillon, where he was distinguished for his studious and meditative habits. One would expect the world to have had overpowering attractions for a youth who had all the advantages that high birth, great beauty, graceful manners, and irresistible influence could give, but, strengthened by night visions of his mother (who had died in 1105), he chose a life of asceticism and became a monk. He entered the monastery of Citeaux, the first Cistercian foundation, in 1113. Two years later he was sent forth, at the head of twelve monks, from the rapidly increasing and overcrowded abbey, to found a daughter institution in the Valley of Wormwood, about four miles from the Abbey of La Ferté on the Aube. On the death of Pope Honorius II., in 1130, the Sacred College was rent by factions, one of which elected Gregory of St. Angelo, who took the title of Innocent II., while another elected Peter Leonis, under that of Anacletua II. Innocent fled to France, and the question as to whom the allegiance of the King, Louie VI., and the French bishops was due was left by them for Bernard to decide. At a council held at Etampes, Bernard gave judgment in favour of Innocent. Throwing himself into the question with all the ardour of a vehement partisan, he won over both Henry I., the English king, and Lothair, the German emperor, to support the same cause, and then, in 1133, accompanied Innocent II., who was supported by Lothair and his army, to Italy and to Rome. When Lothair withdrew, Innocent retired to Pisa, and Bernard went to his abbey of Clairvaux. It was not until after the death of Anacletus, the antipope, in January, 1138, and the resignation of his successor, the cardinal-priest Gregory, Victor II., that Innocent II., who had returned to Rome with Bernard, was universally acknowledged Pope.  The influence of the Barnard now became paramount in the Church, as was proved at the Lateran Council of 1139, the largest council ever collected together. After having devoted four years to the service of the Pope, Bernard returned to Clairvaux. Bernard continued to exert strong influence on the appointment of bishops and cardinals and on doctrinal disputes.  He was also called upon to use his powers of persuasion over the people of France and Germany to join the second crusade.  The population seemed to rise en masse, and take up the cross. In 1147, the expedition started, a vast horde, of which probably not a tenth ever reached Palestine. It proved a complete failure, and a miserable remnant shared the flight of their leaders, the Emperor Conrad, and Louis, King of France, and returned home, defeated and disgraced. The blame was thrown on Bernard, and his apology for his part in the matter is extant. 

One of the hymns by which St. Bernard is best known as a writer of sacred poetry is "Jesu duicis memoria," a long poem on the " Name of Jesus"—known as the "Jubilus of St. Bernard," and among mediaeval writers as the " Rosy Hymn." It is, perhaps, the best specimen of what Neale describes as the "subjective loveliness" of its author's compositions. Many other hymns and sequences are attributed to St. Bernard.  Hymns, translated from, or founded on, St. Bernard's, will be found in almost every hymnal of the day.

Jesus, the very thought of Thee With sweetness fills the breast!

Yet sweeter far Thy face to see And in Thy Presence rest.

No voice can sing, no heart can frame, Nor can the memory find,

A sweeter sound than Jesus' Name, The Saviour of mankind.

O hope of every contrite heart! O joy of all the meek!

To those who fall, how kind Thou art! How good to those who seek!

But what to those who find? Ah! This Nor tongue nor pen can show

The love of Jesus, what it is, None but His loved ones know.

Jesus! our only hope be Thou, As Thou our prize shalt be;

In Thee be all our glory now, And through eternity.

First United Methodist Church, Lewisville, Texas

A Community of Everyday People Learning to Love Like Jesus