At the root of the church’s worship is this day, this remembrance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is what makes Christian worship distinctly Christian, and it is at the pivot of what happens at all other times of the year.

In our service, the story is captured in Matthew 28:1-10. This marvelous event is one of the ways God continues God’s faithfulness and makes manifest an everlasting love, as spoken in Jeremiah 31:1-6. “Everlasting” means that it is for us too, just as Paul exhorts the early church to be raised with Christ and to set hearts and minds on the ways of Christ. (Colossians 3:1-4)

So for us it is a day of unbridled rejoicing, with sights and sounds to magnify and amplify the splendor of this good news. Awake, dear hearts, with gladness.

Choral Music:

• Introit: “Awake My Heart with Gladness” – J. S. Bach — This chorale sets a 20th century text by Laurence Davies to Bach’s 18th century harmonization of Johann Cruger’s 17th century tune of Auf, auf mein Herz. (How’s that for a collaboration?) Davies’ text is similar in character to Paul Gerhardt’s text by the same name, which may be more familiar to some readers. Its two stanzas waken us first to rejoice, and then to rise up to tell the story to others. It is sung by the Chancel Choir from the balcony.
  
• Song of Praise: “Mighty Resurrection Day” – Nancy Gordon — Our Kingdom Kids sing one of their Easter songs with us today, helped along by the Chancel Choir. The song tells the story of the shake and the rattle and the stone that was rolled away.
• Anthem: “The Risen Conqueror” – Hartsough/Handel — This is the 107th consecutive performance of this anthem on Easter morning at SRC, whose Chancel Choir has sung this anthem from the inception of the congregation. It borrows music from Handel, and sets to it a text by Palmer Hartsough, apparently by an arranger by the name of Foxwell.
  
• Introit: “Alleluia! Christ Is Risen!” – William Mathias — This late 20th century anthem typifies Mathias’ style of rhythmic and percussive chord clusters alternating with staccato melodic counterpoints to the vocal material, which is essentially a chorale sung in distinct phrases. Mathias alters the harmonies from verse to verse, particularly in the descending lines of the third strophe.
  
• Chorus: “Hallelujah” – G. F. Handel — This year we revive a tradition of singing this popular chorus from Messiah to close the service. Members of the congregation may join us.
  

Instrumental Music:

We are very fortunate to have many talented individuals as part of this community of faith. I am grateful to all who offer their talent, time, and energy to providing special music today. These include Brent on the piano for the prelude; Chad and Zach on guitars and Micah on piano for the Kingdom Kids; Amanda on flute; and Kaitlin, John, and Jim in the brass trio. Thank you to all.

• Prelude: “Rigaudon from Le Tombeau de Couperin” – Maurice Ravel — This suite is a collection of movements that Ravel wrote to memorialize several of his friends and associates, some of whom had perished in war. It is not so much a memorial to Couperin, but appears to have been inspired by a visit to his tomb. This movement of the suite might capture what we might experience on a visit to the Empty Tomb.
  
• Interlude and Offertory: “Victimae paschali laudes” – Theophane Hytrek — The 11th century hymn is one of the earliest hymns of the resurrection, and one that endured with great reverence and affection. Its plainsong melody can be recognized in other materials as well (including a local favorite, the entry of the flute into the fervent pleas of the “Agnus Dei” of John Rutter’s Requiem). “Christians, to the Paschal Victim offer your thankful praises — a Lamb the sheep redeeming, Christ, who only was sinless, reconciling sinners to the Father.”
  Theophane’s meditation on this ancient hymn begins quietly, then crescendos to an exuberant finish at the closing Alleluia. With some apology to Hytrek, I have broken up his piece a bit, borrowing its beginning to play as the Interlude, and then to play the full piece as the Offertory.
• Postlude: “Finale from Fifth Symphony” – Charles Marie Widor — This toccata is a favorite to many, and Easter Sunday would not be the same without it.

April 29th, 2011 Subscribe to the RSS feed!