Sunday, August 6, 2023

 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 Piano Music:

Holy, Holy, Holy - Jim Martinez 

(c.2019, Hope Publishing)

Reginald Heber  (1783-1826) wrote this text for Trinity Sunday, the day for which lectionary in the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer prescribes the reading of Revelation 4. Using reverent and apocalyptic language, "Holy, Holy, Holy!" alludes to Revelation 4:6-11; 5:13; 15:2-4; and Isaiah 6:1-3 to sing the great majesty of the triune God. Note the cosmic scope of the text: human beings (st. 1), saints and angels in glory (st. 2), and all creation (st. 4) praise the name of the Lord. Though God's holiness, love, and purity are cloaked in mystery, we can still experience God's mercy and mighty power, and we can participate in praising God.  It references the Sanctus, which is often called the "Holy holy holy" in English. The name is a tribute to the First Council of Nicaea which formalized the doctrine of the Trinity in 325.

It was first published in the third edition (1826) of  A Selection of Psalms and Hymns for the Parish Church of Banbury  and was also published posthumously in Heber's Hymns Written and Adapted to the Weekly Church Services of the Year (1827). The unusual single rhyme (all on the "ee" sound) and the uneven number of syllables in some lines have not detracted from the hymn's popularity.  It was soon adopted by hymn-book compilers, and is the best known and most widely used of the author's hymns.

John Bacchus Dykes composed the tune NICAEA for this hymn in 1861. The tune name is a tribute to the First Council of Nicaea which formalized the doctrine of the Trinity in 325.

Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty!

Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee;

Holy, Holy, Holy! Merciful and Mighty!

God in Three Persons, blessed Trinity!

Holy, Holy, Holy! All the saints adore Thee,

Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;

Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee,

Which wert, and art, and evermore shalt be.

Holy, Holy, Holy! though the darkness hide Thee,

Though the eye of sinful man, Thy glory may not see:

Only Thou art holy, there is none beside Thee,

Perfect in power in love, and purity.

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!

All thy works shall praise Thy name in earth, and sky, and sea;

Holy, Holy, Holy! merciful and mighty,

God in Three Persons, blessed Trinity!

Jim Martinez (b. 1966) is a Steinway Piano Artist and has performed/recorded with Jazz notables Lionel Hampton, Christian McBride, Roy Hargrove, Cheryl Bentyne (of the Manhattan Transfer), and many others. His performances have taken him from New York to Sydney, Australia. Martinez worked as pianist/musical director for Joan Rivers and Bob Newhart at Harrah’s in Lake Tahoe. He is the founder, Executive and Artistic Director of the Roseville Jazz Festival, which takes place annually near Sacramento, CA.

About the Choral Music:

Spirit Song - Tom Fettke 

(c.2019, Mercy/Vineyard Publishing)

John Wimber (1934-1997), one of the 20th century's leading charismatic pastors, is known primarily as a founder of the Vineyard Christian Fellowship. He was educated at Fuller Theological Seminary and graduated from Azusa Pacific University. He served first as pastor to the Society of Friends in Yorba Linda, Calif., beginning in 1970, and then moved in 1978 to Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa, Calif.  In 1982, he became senior pastor of the Vineyard Fellowship in 1983. 

"Spirit Song," written in 1979, is the most lasting musical contribution from Wimber. It appears widely in hymnals and is one of the more popular new hymns in The United Methodist Hymnal.  The song encourages an intimate relationship between the singer and Christ through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. If the singer will surrender "all the things that hold you," the Holy Spirit will descend "like a dove... upon your life and make you whole." 

Tom Fettke earned degrees from Oakland City College and California State University at Hayward. He holds a California Lifetime Music Credential in Secondary Music. For many years, he taught vocal music in California's public school systems. He served as church choir director and minister of music in churches large and small for over thirty years. While at the Redwood Christian School System in Castro Valley, California, Fettke held the positions Director of Choral Activities and Supervisor of Music.  A high demand calls for Fettke as a guest conductor, clinician and workshop leader. In addition, he is a composer, arranger and producer of music and recordings for the church and school. His published works and recordings number in the hundreds. Thousands of church and school choirs throughout the world sing his classic choral work, The Majesty and Glory of Your Name.  Fettke was the creator and Senior Editor of The Hymnal for Worship and Celebration. Fettke also is Senior Editor of The Celebration Hymnal.

Oh, let the Son of God enfold you With His Spirit and His love;

Let Him fill your heart and satisfy your soul.

Oh, let Him have those things that hold you, And His Spirit like a dove

Will descend upon your life and make you whole.

Jesus, oh, Jesus, Come and fill Your lambs;

Jesus, oh, Jesus, Come and fill Your lambs.

Spirit of the living God, fall fresh on me.

Spirit of the living God, fall fresh on me.

Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me.

Spirit of the living God, fall fresh on me.

Jesus, oh, Jesus, Come and fill Your lambs;

Jesus, oh, Jesus, Come and fill Your lambs.

About the Modern Band Music:

Beautiful Things - Michael and Lisa Gungor

(c.2010, BMG Rights Management, Capitol Christian Music Group, Capitol CMG Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC)

Formerly known as The Michael Gungor Band, the socially active, Denver-based foursome is comprised of Michael Gungor, his wife Lisa, as well as friends Brad Waller (guitar) and Josh Harvey (bass). Gungor hits the scene with a different perspective than most bands as the lead singer is perhaps best known for co-writing distinguished songs like “Friend of God” and “Say So,” made famous by Israel Houghton.  The music is not the only impressive thing about Gungor, as likewise the band is also incredibly involved in missions both in their hometown and abroad. Michael and his wife moved to Denver and eventually founded a community of believers called Bloom. The connection between worship and social justice became concrete in Denver with regular involvement with the homeless & needy of that area, and the outcome is evident on "Beautiful Things".

This bigger story of God shows up on Beautiful Things in songs born of an honest journey of faith and a struggle with what should result from worship.  “If leading worship is just about bringing a group of people into a room so we can get goose bumps and sing songs together, there’s not much value in that," explains Michael Gungor. "But if leading worship is a means to an end, that we leave this place as a different kind of people, as part of a new humanity that God wants to create--the people that are caring for the widows and orphans, that aren’t bound by the systems of this world but becoming free, becoming fully engaged in our world--then that matters.”

“My wife Lisa and I wrote this song together based on experiences at our local church. We were seeing our friends going through suffering and pain. This song is an expression of hope that God will make beautiful things out of the dust in our lives, and God will somehow use us, use our obedience and love, our feeble human effort, and build Himself a kingdom. I see that God is using suffering to bring us closer to Him….It is easy to get caught up in our daily circumstances, and we need to know that one day all of the angst and suffering we have now will be ‘made new.’ God is present even in our difficulties. If we lift our eyes up to God, we can have the hope that He has promised in His Word. He is the source of our strength and hope.”

Inspiration for “Beautiful Things” was drawn from two scriptures: 

Isaiah 2:4: He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.

Revelation 21:4-5: And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”

All this pain - I wonder if I’ll even find my way;

I wonder if my life could really change at all.

All this earth - Could all that is lost ever be found?

Could a garden come up from this ground at all?

All around, Hope is springing up from this old ground;

Out of chaos, life is being found in You.

You make beautiful things.

You make beautiful things out of the dust.

You make beautiful things out of us.

You make me new, You are making me new.

You make beautiful things out of the dust.

You make beautiful things out of us.

About the Hymns:

Soul on Fire - Brenton Brown, David Carr, Mac Powell, et al

 (c.2018, Songs From The Quarry (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing), Thankyou Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing), and Sony/ATV Tree Publishing

Brenton Brown, born in South Africa, is a Christian songwriter and worship leader. He left South Africa for Oxford, England in his early twenties on a Rhodes Scholarship. While studying politics, philosophy and theology he joined the Vineyard music (UK), serving as worship pastor at the Oxford Vineyard, UK, and eventually as coordinator of the Vineyard (UK) Worship Development Team. His songs, "Lord Reign in me," "All who are thirsty," "Humble King," "Hallelujah [Your love is amazing]" and "Holy" were recorded on the popular Vineyard UK projects during this time. He has since left the UK and now lives in Malibu, California with his wife, Jude. He is a worship leader at Calvary Community Church in Westlake Village, CA and is an artist on the worship label Survivor. In 2006, he released his first solo album, Everlasting God with Survivor in the UK and rest of the world, and with Sparrow in the United States and Canada.

Lord restore the joy I had

I have wandered bring me back

In this darkness lead me through

Until all I see is You

God I'm running for Your heart

I'm running for Your heart

'Til I am a soul on fire

Lord I'm longing for Your ways

I'm waiting for the day

When I am a soul on fire

Lord let me burn for You again

Let me return to You again

Lord let me burn for You again

And let me return to You again

God I'm running for Your heart

I'm running for Your heart

'Til I am a soul on fire

This is a Day of New Beginnings

(c.1987, Hope Publishing)

Brian Arthur Wren (b. 1936) is Emeritus Professor of Worship, Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, Georgia. He is a writer, preacher, worship and workshop leader, and internationally published hymn-poet, with entries in most recent denominational hymnals in North America, Britain and Australia. Some of his hymn-poems have been translated into Finnish, French, Japanese, Mandarin, Spanish and Korean. Brian holds undergraduate and doctoral degrees from Oxford University. He is a Minister of the United Reformed Church (UK). Wren provides an account of the composition of this text in notes provided in one of the collection of his texts, Faith Looking Forward (1983). The hymn was “written for a New Year’s Day service [1978] at Holy Family Church, Blackbird Leys, Oxford. In itself, the new year is an arbitrary convention, its newness a mere mark on the calendar. The recurrent awakening of life in nature is not a strong enough foundation for hope of real change. Yet by faith in the really new events of the Christian story, a day, or a month, or an hour can become charged with promise, and be a springboard to a changed life.”

As one of the leading hymnwriters of our time, Dr. Wren has contributed more hymns to the UM Hymnal (1989) than any other hymnwriter currently living. This text is supported by the melody  BEGINNINGS, composed by Dr. Carlton Young (b. 1926), one of the leading tune writers of this day.

This is a day of new beginnings, Time to remember and move on,

Time to believe what love is bringing, Laying to rest the pain that’s gone.

For by the life and death of Jesus, God’s mighty Spirit, now as then,

Can make for us a world of difference, As faith and hope are born again.

Then let us, with the Spirit’s daring, Step from the past and leave behind

Our disappointment, guilt and grieving, Seeking new paths, and sure to find.

Christ is alive, and goes before us, To show and share what love can do.

This is a day of new beginnings; Our God is making all things new.

In faith we’ll gather round the table, To taste and share what love can do.

This is a day of new beginnings; Our God is making all things new.

Live stream link

First United Methodist Church, Lewisville, Texas

A Community of Everyday People Learning to Love Like Jesus

Sunday, July 30, 2023

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:

Though I May Speak - Dale Wood

(c.1995, Sacred Music Press)

Among the most prominent New Testament texts is the discourse on love found in I Corinthians 13. Hal H. Hopson has paraphrased part of this beautiful text in what has become one of the most popular late 20th-century hymns, appearing in many major hymnals published in the U.S. since 1980. "The Gift of Love" first appeared as a very popular anthem in 1972. Both the text and the music are effective paraphrases -- the text of I Corinthians 13:1-3 and the melody as an adaptation of the beautiful folk melody "O Waly, Waly." The original tune was collected by American folksong specialist Cecil Sharp and published in his Folk Songs from Somerset (1906).  "The Gift of Love" is very flexible and, according to Hope Publishing Co., is Mr. Hopson's most popular composition -- widely used as an anthem, solo and as a hymn. Speaking of the popularity of his hymn, Hopson said: "The first 'Gift of Love' was a two-part choral arrangement. Years later, at the suggestion of George Shorney at Hope Publishing Company, I cast it in a form to be used as a congregational hymn. Since then it has become a standard hymn to be included in many hymnals. It is noteworthy that The United Methodist Hymnal, 1989, was the first hymnal that included 'The Gift of Love.' I was once surprised to be introduced at a seminar as the Gift-of-Love-Man."

Hopson (b. 1933) is a native of Mound, Texas, and now resides in Dallas. He has an international reputation as a clinician and composer, and has published more than 1,300 compositions, which comprise almost every musical form in church music. With a special interest in congregational song, he continues to make a significant contribution to the new repertoire of hymn tunes and responsorial psalm settings as evidenced by the proliferation of his settings that are included in newly published hymnals and psalm collections.

Though I may speak with bravest fire,

And have the gift to all inspire, 

And have not love; my words are vain 

As sounding brass and hopeless gain.

Though I may give all I possess,

And striving so my love profess, 

But not be given by love within, 

The profit soon turns strangely thin.

Come, Spirit come, our hearts control.

Our spirits long to be made whole.

Let inward love guide every deed.

By this we worship and are freed.

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.

Toccata on St. Anne - Frank Ferko

(c.2002, E.C.Schirmer Music Co., div of ECS Publishing)

“Our God, Our Help in Ages Past” is a hymn by Isaac Watts which paraphrases Psalm 90. It originally consisted of nine stanzas. In present usage, however, the hymn is usually limited to stanzas one, two, three, five, seven and nine. In 1738, John Wesley in his hymnal, Psalms and Hymns, changed the first line of the text from "Our God" to "O God." Both Watts' wording and Wesley's rewording remain in current use.  The hymn was originally part of The Psalms of David Imitated in the Language of the New Testament, published by Watts in 1719. In this book he paraphrased in Christian verse the entire psalter with the exception of twelve Psalms which he felt were unsuited for Christian usage.

The hymn tune "St. Anne" to which the text is most often sung was composed by William Croft in 1708 whilst he was the organist of the church of St Anne, Soho.  It first appeared anonymously in the Supplement to the New Version of the Psalms, 6th edition in 1708. It was originally intended to be used with a version of Psalm 62. It was not until sometime later when set to Watts' text that the tune gained recognition.

The complete nine verses are as follows:

Our 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 Still may we dwell secure;
Sufficient is Thine arm alone, And our defense is sure.

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

Thy Word commands our flesh to dust, Return, ye sons of men:

All nations rose from earth at first, And turn to earth again.

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

The busy tribes of flesh and blood, With all their lives and cares,

Are carried downwards by the flood, And lost in following years. 

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

Like flowery fields the nations stand Pleased with the morning light;

The flowers beneath the mower’s hand Lie withering ere ‘tis night.

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

Frank Ferko (b.1950) played piano from childhood, and worked as an organist and conductor in his teens. His first compositions were primarily liturgical in nature. He attended Valparaiso University, where he took particular interest in early music and the compositional and theoretical output of Olivier Messiaen.  He received a bachelor's from Valparaiso in 1972 in piano and organ performance, and then took his master's at Syracuse University in music theory. Ferko served as Director of Music at various midwestern churches before entering Northwestern University to pursue a PhD in composition. He is currently on the staff of the Archive of Recorded Sound at Stanford University.  As a composer, Ferko began receiving critical acclaim and commissions in the 1980s, including the Holtkamp Award from the American Guild of Organists in 1990 for the song cycle A Practical Program for Monks. He has also worked as composer-in-residence with the Dale Warland Singers.    

About the Vocal Solo Music:

Lord, I Would Follow Thee - Danielle Isaacson

(c.2023, Intellectual Reserve, Inc.)

Susan Evans McCloud (b.1945), the lyricist of the hymn “Lord, I Would Follow Thee” says that while she was writing the hymn one of the things that she learned is that the Lord’s timing is not our timing, and His ways are not our ways. He often has a plan that is far different than our own. During the period in the early 1980s, Michael Moody was the chairman of the Church Music Committee of the Latter Day Saints and encouraged her to send him some of her hymn lyrics.  McCloud received a telephone call from Michael Moody, asking her to write some lyrics for a song about the Savior that would be tender and powerful – about loving Him and striving to emulate Him in her life. With very little time to write the lyrics as they were needed for a Monday morning meeting, she spent many quiet hours in writing and in prayer on Saturday evening, with one last final effort on Sunday. On Sunday evening, she telephoned Moody and read the lyrics to him as he had requested. After a moment of silence, he said, “I knew you were the one.”  One week later, Newell Dayley was given her lyrics and asked to compose the music.  

Danielle Isaacson is an LDS composer who has written many piano, vocal solo, and choral works which she shares without charge to anyone wishing to use them in worship.

Savior, may I learn to love thee, Walk the path that thou hast shown,
Pause to help and lift another, Finding strength beyond my own.
Savior, may I learn to love thee— Lord, I would follow thee.

Who am I to judge another When I walk imperfectly?
In the quiet heart is hidden Sorrow that the eye can’t see.
Who am I to judge another? Lord, I would follow thee.

I would be my neighbor’s keeper; I would learn the healer’s art.
To the wounded and the weary I would show a gentle heart.
I would be my neighbor’s keeper— Lord, I would follow thee.

Savior, may I love my neighbor As I know thou lovest me,
Find in thee my strength, my beacon, For thy servant I would be.
Savior, may I love my neighbor— Lord, I would follow thee.

About the Hymns:

Just As I Am

At the age of 32, Charlotte Elliott (1789-1871) suffered a serious illness that left her a semi-invalid for the rest of her life. Within a year, she went through a spiritual crisis and confessed to the Swiss evangelist Henri A. Cesar Malan that she did not know how to come to Christ. He answered, "Come to him just as you are." Thinking back on that experience twelve years later, in 1834, she wrote “Just as I Am" as a statement of her faith.  Hymn writing provided a way for Elliot to cope with her pain and depression – she wrote approximately 150 hymns, which were published in her Invalid's Hymn Book (several editions, 1834-1854), Hymns for a Week (1839), and Thoughts in Verse on Sacred Subjects (1869). Many of her hymns reflect her chronic pain and illness but also reveal that faith gave her perseverance and hope.

“Just as I Am" was first published in the 1836 edition of Invalid's Hymn Book with the subheading "Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37). She added a seventh stanza that same year, when the hymn was also published in her Hours of Sorrow Cheered and Comforted (1836). Widely translated, this hymn has brought consolation to millions.

Sixty years later, in 1931, a 31-year-old man riding in the sidecar of his brother's motorcycle in England finally came to the end of his internal struggle against whether Christ was indeed the Son of God. He finally knew in his soul that indeed Jesus was just who He said He was! He realized that God calls us to Him "just as we are".  When C.S. Lewis stepped out of the sidecar, he was a new man, saved by grace! 

Ninety-nine years after Charlotte Elliott penned her words, and 3 years after Lewis’ conversion, the 16-year-old son of a dairy farmer listened intently as he heard the message of salvation preached at a revival service in Charlotte, NC. When the song, “Just As I Am,” was sung at the end, young Billy Graham went forward to accept Christ. 

Twenty years later, Billy Graham had become a successful evangelist and was invited to speak at Cambridge University in England. His nervousness over the event nearly led him to cancel it. But he was introduced to a kind man named C.S. Lewis who encouraged him to disregard the critics who had spoken out against him, and to continue with the revival. Rev. Graham went on to speak to an overflow crowd of 2,000 each night of the revival, and when he returned to England in 1989, he addressed a crowd of 80,000 at England’s Wimbley Stadium! As always, he closed the event with the same song that brought him to Christ, “Just As I Am.”

Just as I am, without one plea, but that thy blood was shed for me,
and that thou bidd'st me come to thee, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, and waiting not to rid my soul of one dark blot,
to thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, though tossed about with many a conflict, many a doubt,
fightings and fears within, without, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

    Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind; Sight, riches, healing of the mind;

    Yes, all I need, in Thee to find, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, thou wilt receive, wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
because thy promise I believe, O Lamb of God, I come, I come. 

    Just as I am, Thy love unknown broken every barrier down;

    Now, to be Thine, yea, Thine alone, O Lamb of God, I come, I come!

We Sing the Glorious Conquest

John Ellerton (1826-1893) was educated at King William's College on the Isle of Man and at Trinity College, Cambridge, England.  He was ordained in the Church of England in 1851. He served six parishes, spending the longest time in Crewe Green (1860-1872), a church of steelworkers and farmers. Ellerton wrote and translated about eighty hymns, many of which are still sung today. He helped to compile Church Hymns and wrote its handbook, Notes and Illustrations to Church Hymns (1882). Some of his other hymn texts were published in The London Mission Hymn Book (1884).  “We sing the glorious conquest” was written for the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul in 1871 and published in Church Hymns.

We sing the glorious conquest before Damascus’ gate,

when Saul, the church’s spoiler came spreading fear and hate.

God’s light shone down from heaven and broke across the path.

His presence pierced and blinded the zealot in his wrath.

O Voice that spoke within him; O strong, reproving Word;

O Love that sought and held him a prisoner of his Lord;

help us to know your kingship that we, in every hour,

in all that may confront us, will trust your hidden power.

Your grace, by ways mysterious our sinful wrath can bind,

and in those least expected true servants you can find.

In us you seek disciples to share your cross and crown

and give you final service in glory at your throne.

Live stream link

First United Methodist Church, Lewisville, Texas

A Community of Everyday People Learning to Love Like Jesus

Sunday, July 23, 2023

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:

The People of Israel Shall Keep the Sabbath - Charles Ore 

(c.2002, Concordia Publishing House)

The song V'sham'ru is a biblical quotation about Shabbat from the book of Exodus. The verses, Exodus 31:16-17 are recited several times over the course of the Sabbath Day. Most notably, they are sung as an introduction to the kiddush on Shabbat morning. 

Elsewhere in the Torah, Shabbat is described as a remembrance of God's creation of the world and of God's rest on the seventh day of creation. Shabbat is described in other parts of the Torah as a day to remember the exodus from Egypt and as a day of giving just and necessary rest to workers. 

This passage, however, is unique in the Torah for describing Shabbat as a sign of God's covenant with the Jewish people from one generation to the next. In the passage, God states that Shabbat "shall be a sign for all time between Me and the people of Israel." Observing Shabbat, according to this idea, is not just a way to remember what God has done for us in the past, it is a way of keeping the relationship between God and the Jewish people alive forever. 

This is the meaning behind a famous statement by the early Zionist writer Ahad Ha'am (1856-1927). He wrote, "More than the Jewish people have kept the Sabbath, the Sabbath has kept the Jews." By observing Shabbat, we maintain our identity as Jews and sustain our relationship with the God of every Jewish generation.

Visham'ru venei Yisrael et haShabbat,

la'asot et haShabbat I'dorotam brit olam.

Beini uvein b'nei Y israel ot hee l'olam.

Kee sheshet yamim ash Adonai

et hashamayim vet ha'aretz.

Uvayom hashvi'i shavat vayinafash. 

The people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the 

Sabbath in every generation as a covenant for all time. 

It shall be a sign forever between Me and the people of 

Israel, for in six days the Eternal God made heaven and 

earth, and on the seventh day God rested.

Charles W. Ore (b.1936) was born in Winfield, Kan. A 1958 graduate of Concordia University in Seward, he was awarded a master of music degree from Northwestern University in. Evanston, Ill., and a doctor of musical arts degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  From 1966 to 2001, Charles was professor of music and chair of the Music Department at Concordia University in Seward, Nebraska. He was also the cantor of Pacific Hills Lutheran Church in Omaha, Nebraska from 1975-2001 and Associate Organist at First-Plymouth Congregational Church, Lincoln, Nebraska from 2001-2006. Charles is an accomplished organ recitalist, composer of organ and choral music, and is a leader in the use and development of improvisation in organ playing.  Charles Ore is best known for his organ compositions. His nine volumes of 11 Compositions for Organ, which appeared from 1971 to 2012, comprise the longest-running series in Concordia Publishing House history.

Dies sind die heiligen zehn Gebote - Johann Christoph Bach

"Dies sind die heilgen zehn Gebot" (These are the holy Ten Commandments) is a hymn by the Protestant reformer Martin Luther based on the Ten Commandments. Luther wrote the hymn in twelve stanzas of four lines each as a catechetical setting of the Ten Commandments.  In 1524, Luther published the hymn in the Erfurt Enchiridion with a hymn tune, Zahn No. 1951, based on an older melody ("In Gottes Namen Fahren wir”).  The hymn is a "Leise", concluding each stanza by "Kyrieleis" (Lord, have mercy.)

An early English translation was titled "That men a godly life might live". It was published in Richard Massie's M. Luther's Spiritual Songs in 1854, and in the Ohio Lutheran Hymnal in 1880.  Another English translation, used in various Lutheran hymnals since the 1950s, is titled "These Are the Holy Ten Commands.”

These are the holy Ten Commands
Which our Lord God placed in our hands
Through Moses, His own servant true,
When he to Mount Sinai drew. Kyrieleis! 

I am alone thy God the Lord,
Thou shalt false worship not afford;
Put thy whole confidence in Me
And love Me right faithfully. Kyrieleis! 

Thou shalt not take My name in vain
By idle word or speech profane,
And praise but that as good and true
Which I Myself say and do. Kyrieleis! 

Thou shalt the day which God hath blest
Keep holy, that thy house may rest;
Keep hand and heart from labor free,
That God may thus work in thee. Kyrieleis! 

Thou shalt give love and honor due
To father, and to mother too,
And help them when their strength decays;
So shalt thou have length of days. Kyrieleis! 

Thou shalt in sinful wrath not kill,
Nor hate, nor render ill for ill;
Be patient and of gentle mood,
And to thy foe do thou good. Kyrieleis! 

Thou shalt respect thy marriage vows,
Thy heart give only to thy spouse;
Thy life keep pure, and lest thou sin,
Use temp’rance and discipline. Kyrieleis! 

Thou shalt not steal; thou shalt abhor
To wring their life-blood from the poor;
But open wide thy kindly hand
To all the poor in the land. Kyrieleis! 

Thou shalt no faithless witness be,
Nor neighbor harm with calumny;
Defend his innocence from blame;
With charity hide his shame. Kyrieleis! 

Thou shalt not seek thy neighbor’s house,
Nor wife, nor servants, nor aught else,
But wish that his such good may be
As thy heart doth wish for thee. Kyrieleis! 

God hath giv’n us all these commands
That thou thy sin, O child of man,
Might know, and also well perceive
How unto God man should live. Kyrieleis! 

Help us, Lord Jesus Christ, for we
A Mediator have in Thee.
With works we’d perish from the path;
They merit but endless wrath. Kyrieleis!

Johann Sebastian Bach’s life was surrounded by Johann Christophs:  an uncle, a cousin, an older brother, and a son.  Here we have a chorale prelude by his 1st cousin once removed, who became the town organist in Eisenach in the year 1665 and court chamber musician there in 1700.  Prior to Johann Sebastian, Johann Christoph (1642-1703) would have been considered the most famous musician of the Bach family. His work is of the highest quality and, in some instances, has been improperly attributed to Johann Sebastian himself (e.g. the motet Ich lasse dich nicht). Johann Christoph composed choral works (motets and cantatas) and works for organ (preludes and fugues). Johann Sebastian described his cousin as "the great and expressive composer," and performed his works often as did Carl Philipp Emanuel. 

About the Hymns:

Go Down, Moses

"Go Down Moses" is an American Negro spiritual. It describes events in the Old Testament of the Bible, specifically Exodus 8:1: "And the LORD spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me", in which God commands Moses to demand the release of the Israelites from bondage in Egypt.

This African American spiritual dates from before the Civil War. It was published in the Jubilee Songs(1872), made popular by the Jubilee Singers of Fisk University in their concert tours. Often known by its refrain line, "Go down, Moses," the spiritual was also published in J. B. T. Marsh's The Story of the Jubilee Singers with their Songs (1876). "When Israel Was in Egypt's Land" originally had twenty-four stanzas of which modern hymnals usually include four.  Commenting on the spiritual’s message, John Lovell, Jr., writes:

"Go Down, Moses" does not employ the undercurrent symbolism of "Steal Away to Jesus" and other such poems. Only a very obtuse listener can miss its point. It says flatly that Moses freed these Egyptian slaves boldly and justly because slavery is wrong. It clearly projects the principles of this experience to all the world: wherever men are held in bondage, they must and shall be freed. The "Let my people go!" refrain is thunderous. It does not argue economic, sociological, historical, and racial points. . . . It wastes no words and moves relentlessly toward its goal of filling every listener with a pervasive contempt for oppression and a resounding enthusiasm for freedom.”

A stanza omitted from modern hymnals makes his point:

We need not always weep and moan.  Let my people go!
And wear these slavery chains forlorn.  Let my people go!

Sarah Bradford's authorized biography of Harriet Tubman, Scenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman (1869), quotes Tubman as saying she used "Go Down Moses" as one of two code songs fugitive slaves used to communicate when fleeing Maryland.

When Israel was in Egypt's land, Let my people go, 
oppressed so hard they could not stand, Let my people go. 

The Lord told Moses what to do, Let my people go, 
to lead the Hebrew children through, Let my people go.

As Israel stood by the waterside, Let my people go, 
at God's command it did divide, Let my people go. 

When they had reached the other shore, Let my people go, 
they let the song of triumph soar, Let my people go. 

Lord, help us all from bondage flee, Let my people go, 
and let us all in Christ be free, Let my people go. 

Go down, Moses, way down in Egypt's land, 
    tell old Pharaoh: Let my people go. 

Blessed Be the Name

Charles Wesley wrote the hymn "O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing" in 1738 on the 1st anniversary of his conversion to Christianity. During the Great Revival camp meeting period, Ralph E. Hudson (1803-1901) was professor of vocal music at Mount Union College and was a well known hymn writer and music publisher.  He wrote and published nine Christian songbooks during the late 1800s.  In 1888, Hudson took lines from Wesley's hymn text, interposed them with the phrase "Blessed be the name of the Lord," and added a chorus. 

O for a thousand tongues to sing, Blessed be the name of the Lord!
The glories of my God and King, Blessed be the name of the Lord!

Jesus, the name that calms my fears, Blessed be the name of the Lord!
‘Tis music in the sinner’s ears, Blessed be the name of the Lord!

He breaks the pow’r of canceled sin, Blessed be the name of the Lord!
His blood can make the foulest clean, Blessed be the name of the Lord!

I never shall forget that day, Blessed be the name of the Lord!
When Jesus washed my sins away, Blessed be the name of the Lord!

Blessed be the name, Blessed be the name, Blessed be the name of the Lord!

Blessed be the name, Blessed be the name, Blessed be the name of the Lord!

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First United Methodist Church, Lewisville, Texas

A Community of Everyday People Learning to Love Like Jesus