A SERVICE OF LESSONS AND CAROLS FOR ADVENT

Transcription

1 A SERVICE OF LESSONS AND CAROLS FOR ADVENT God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. We love because God first loved us... The commandment we have from God is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also. These words, from the First Letter of John, state a central tenet of our faith, and sum up in a few words much of the message of the Bible. The story of the Bible is the story of the Advent of Christ, the gradual unfolding of our understanding of God s message of love and redemption. The readings tonight were chosen to illuminate this process. The first law given by God was given to Adam and Eve, which they transgressed when they ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge. This disobedience condemned them to lives of toil, pain, and sorrow, and set the stage for all that was to come. A mere generation later, Cain murders his brother Abel in a time when there were no recorded rules against murder, when the Bible s matrix of morality and conscience was still unrevealed, a formless void. It is in this void that humankind Cain first chooses violence, a SUNDAY, DECEMBER 3, :OO PM INTRODUCTION decision with consequences bequeathed to every generation since. God voices displeasure at Cain s act, and in Leviticus gives Moses the great commandment: to love neighbor as oneself. Isaiah sees that the nation of Israel will be able to realize God s redemption to break the grip of sin, violence, and murder only through great suffering endured by an innocent servant (to many readers the nation of Israel itself). This servant will become the receptacle for all violence, an atoning human scapegoat. Isaiah envisions redemption for Israel through suffering that is God s will (Isa. 53:10). (With the coming of the Christ, it becomes clear that redemption is for all humankind, and that the servant Jesus suffers not because of God s will for suffering, but because a world wedded to violence will have it no other way). Finally, the coming of the Christ is announced to Mary, who reconciles herself to the angel s message and to the stupendous role she agrees to undertake. And here ends the first part of the story. Our Christmas lessons and carols service will pick up the thread on December 17. Please join us.

2 Please help create a prayerful and meditative atmosphere in the church before the service by refraining from conversation. Directions to stand should be understood as a request of only those able to do so comfortably. ORDER OF SERVICE ORGAN VOLUNTARY Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland BWV 659 Johann Sebastian Bach ( ) Please rise when the clergy and choir enter the church. MATIN RESPONSORY Sung by the choir. Adapted from Palestrina ( ) by David Willcocks ( ) I look from afar. And lo, I see the power of God coming, and a cloud covering the whole earth. Go ye out to meet him and say: Tell us, art thou he that should come to reign over thy people Israel? High and low, rich and poor, one with another? Go ye out to meet him and say: Hear, O thou shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a sheep, Tell us, art thou he that should come? Stir up thy strength, O Lord and come, to reign over thy people Israel. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. HYMN Come thou, Redeemer of the earth Stanzas 1-4 sung by the choir, in procession. 1 Come thou, redeemer of the earth, 2 Begotten of no human will, And manifest thy virgin birth: But of the Spirit, thou art still Let ev ry age adoring fall, The Word of God in flesh arrayed, Such birth befits the God of all. The promised one to all displayed. 3 From God the Father he proceeds, 4 Thy cradle here shall glitter bright, To God the Father back he speeds; And darkness breathe a newer light, Defeating both the cross and grave, Where endless faith shall shine serene, At God s right hand he lives to save. And twilight never intervene. 6 - Unison

3 3 THE BIDDING PRAYER Said by the Officiant Beloved in Christ, as we await the great festival of Christmas let us open our hearts and minds that we might perceive its true meaning. Let us hear, in lessons from Holy Scripture, the tale of God s loving purposes from the first days of our disobedience through the annunciation of our great Redeemer s coming, in the words of prophets and evangelists, apostles and poets. Let us rejoice in our carols and hymns, that the good purpose of God is being mightily fulfilled. Let us celebrate the promise that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, will bring all people and all things into the glory of God s eternal kingdom. The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor receive ministry and hope. But first, let us pray for the world which God so loves; for those who have not heard the Good News of God, or who do not believe it; for those who walk in darkness and the shadow of death; and for the Church in this place and everywhere, that it may be freed from all evil and fear, and may in pure joy lift up the light of the love of God. All, together These prayers and praises let us humbly offer to God, in the words which Christ himself taught us Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen. The people may be seated.

4 4 MOTET Sung by the Choir William Byrd (c ) Rorate caeli desuper, Drop down ye heavens from above et nubes pluant justum and let the skies pour down righteousness. Aperiatur terra Break, O earth, a Savior yield, et germinet salvatorem. the fairest Flower of the field. Benedixisti terram tuam, Lord, thou art become gracious unto thy land, avertisti captivitatem Jacob. thou hast turned again the captivity of Jacob. Gloria Patri et Filio, Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, et Spiritui Sancto : and to the Holy Ghost : Sicut erat in principio et nunc et semper as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be : Et in saecula saeculorum. Amen. world without end. Amen. Isaiah 45:8, Psalm 85:1, THE FIRST LESSON Genesis 3:8-15 Reader: Dylan C., A Gentleman of the Choir God tells sinful Adam and Eve that they have lost the life of Paradise. CAROL Boris Ord ( ) Adam lay ybounden, bounden in a bond, Four thousand winter thought he not too long, And all was for an apple, an apple that he took, As clerkès finden, written in their book. Ne had the apple taken been, the apple taken been, Ne had never our Lady abeen heavené Queen. Blessed be the time that apple taken was, Therefore we moun singen, Deo gracias. HYMN Sung by all, standing Sloane MS (modernized), 15th c. English

5 5 The people may be seated. THE SECOND LESSON Genesis 4:1-16 Reader: Bailey Curran, Interim Youth Ministry Coordinator After Adam and Eve are expelled from Eden, Cain murders his brother MOTET Edward Cuthbert Bairstow ( ) Let all mortal flesh keep silence, and stand in fear and trembling, for the King of kings and Lord of lords, Christ our God cometh forth to be our oblation, and to be given for food to the faithful. Before him come the choirs of angels, with every principality and pow r: the cherubim with many eyes and wingèd seraphim, who veil their faces as they shout exaltingly the hymn: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. Liturgy of St. James THE THIRD LESSON Leviticus 19:1-4, 9-18 Reader: John Abdenour, Director of Music God gives the people the Great Commandment ANTHEM Sung by the Choir Anthony Piccolo (b. 1953) Love is the key of life and death, of hidden, heavenly mystery; of all Christ is, of all he saith, Love is the key. As three times to his saint he saith, He said to me, he saith to thee, Breathing his grace-conferring breath: Love st thou me? Ah, Lord, I have such feeble faith, Such feeble hope to comfort me; But love it is strong as death, And I love thee. Christina Georgina Rossetti ( )

6 6 THE FOURTH LESSON Isaiah 50:4-11 Reader: John Ogletree, Senior Warden The Prophet Isaiah speaks of the Lord s atoning Servant. HYMN 59 Hark! a thrilling voice is sounding Sung by all, standing The people may be seated. Merton, arr. Alan Gray ANTHEM John Abdenour (b. 1962) People look East, the time is near of the crowning of the year, make your house fair as you are able, trim the hearth and set the table. People look East and sing today: Love the Guest is on the way. Furrows be glad, though earth be bare, one more seed is planted there. Give of your strength, the seed to nourish, that in time the flower may flourish. People look East, and sing today: Love the Rose is on the way. Birds, though ye long have ceased to build, guard the nest that must be filled. Even the hour when wings are frozen, he, for fledgling time has chosen. People look East and sing today: Love the Bird is on the way. Stars keep the watch, when night is dim, one more light the bowl shall brim. Shining beyond the frosty weather, bright as the sun and moon together. People look East and sing today: Love the Star is on the way. Angels announce to man and beast him that cometh from the East. Set every peak and valley humming with the word: The Lord is coming. People look East and sing today: Love the Lord is on the way. Eleanor Farjeon ( ) THE FIFTH LESSON Isaiah 52:13 53:12 The Rev d Edrice Viechweg, Deacon The Prophet Isaiah speaks of the sufferings of the Lord s Servant. HYMN Sung by the Choir Gottes Sohn ist kommen Once he came in blessing, all our ills redressing; came in likeness lowly, Son of God most holy; bore the cross to save us, hope and freedom gave us. Still he comes within us, still his voice would win us from the sins that hurt us; would to Truth convert us not in torment hold us, but in love enfold us. Thus, if thou can st name him, not ashamed to claim him, but wilt trust him boldly nor dost love him coldly, he will then receive thee, heal thee, and forgive thee. Jan Roh ( ), tr. Catherine Winkworth ( ), alt.

7 7 MOTET Sung by the Choir Francis Poulenc ( ) Vinea mea electa, ego te plantavi O my chosen vineyard, it is I that have planted thee. quomodo conversa es in amaritudinem, How art thou become so bitter, ut me crucifigures et Barrabbam dimitteres. that thou shoudst crucify me and dismiss Barabbas? Sepivi te, et lapides elegi ex te, I have hedged thee in, and picked the stones out of thee, et ædificave turrim. and have built a tower. Responsory for Good Friday, Roman Missal and Breviary THE SIXTH LESSON Luke 1:26-38 Reader: The Rev d Curtis Farr, Rector of St. Paul s The angel Gabriel salutes the Blessed Virgin Mary. ANTHEM Sung by the Choir John Abdenour (b. 1962) Wakened from a peaceful sleep Young Mary viewed the stranger: Who are you? Your purpose here? Why stand you in my chamber? Mary, the stranger said in peace, Mary, all heaven sings your praise; I bring news that God has chosen you to bear a Son, who shall redeem the earth. Fear not, for I am but God s lowly herald of this birth. As heaven is high, and earth is low, And God s ways are not man s; I God s servant true shall be, The vessel of this plan. Mary, O child of noble mind, You shall enable God s design. Know this: in joyous praise of your courageous soul the angels sing above; It pleases God that you shall give this Babe your heart of love. Why should I believe this tale, I surely must be dreaming; Sir, you now must leave this place or soon I should be screaming. Mary, O child of earthly mind, Who could imagine God s design? Know this: the angels guard your person no man shall you defame; [without rest, The child you bear shall be of God, Emmanuel his Name. Sir, your words have calmed my heart, but leave me in perplexion: I, a maid who s yet to wed seem odd for this selection. Mary, O child of earthly mind, Who could imagine God s design? Know this: God means to visit earth in human form, and join the human race; And you shall be Theotokos, Gr.: God-Bearer, Mother of God all purity and grace. Words: John Abdenour, based upon Angelus ad Virginem (13 th cent.) Let us lift our song to her, the Mother of all renown, she who birthed the Babe that turned the whole world upside down. Hail Mary, full of heavenly grace; (Ave Maria) We see your love in Jesus face. (Ave Maria) Praise to the living God: Creator, Paraclete, Redeemer, Three in One; whose love shall reign for ever more, while endless ages run.

8 8 VESPER RESPONSORY Sung by the choir, the congregation standing. Judah and Jerusalem, fear not nor be dismayed. Tomorrow, go ye forth, and the Lord will be with you. Stand ye still, and ye shall see the salvation of our God. Tomorrow, go ye forth, and the Lord will be with you. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. Tomorrow, go ye forth, and the Lord will be with you. John Abdenour THE COLLECT FOR ADVENT SUNDAY Priest People The Priest says the Collect. We wait for thy loving-kindness, O God: In the midst of thy temple. Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. THE BLESSING The Priest blesses the people. GO FORTH into the world in peace, be of good courage; hold fast that which is good; render to no one evil for evil; strengthen the faint-hearted; support the weak; help the afflicted; honor all people; love and serve the Lord, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit. And the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be upon you and remain with you for ever. Amen. HYMN 1 & 4 Unison

9 9 ORGAN VOLUNTARY Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland BWV 661 Johann Sebastian Bach ( )

10 10 NOTICES A freewill offering received at this service will support the ongoing mission and ministry of Saint Paul s Church. ABOUT THE MUSIC Palestrina s Matin Responsory is based on a version of plainsong Tone 3. The hymn Come thou, Redeemer of the earth is from The English Hymnal; and the descant is by John Abdenour. Philip Ledger was Director of the Choir of King s College, Cambridge, from 1974 to 1982, and while at King s he composed numerous descants for hymns. Two of the best of these are O come, O come Emmanuel, and Lo, he comes with clouds descending. Philip Ledger died November 18, Ledger s predecessor Boris Ord was Director of Music from 1927 to Unlike Ledger, Ord s body of published works stands at exactly one: his elegantly restrained setting of Adam lay ybounden, which has become a staple of carol services worldwide for many years. The medieval text thanks God for the incident of Adam, Eve, the apple and the serpent, for although the eating of the apple opened humankind to sin and its horrible consequences, it also led ultimately to the incarnation of Jesus through Our Lady, Mary: The fall of mankind into sin, in and of itself a catastrophe, is redeemed by God and becomes the perfect vehicle of God s grace through the coming of Jesus. Scholars frequently note the propensity of Herbert Howells to account for the acoustical properties of the space in which a commissioning choir sang. It is worth mentioning, then, that the motets and anthems in William Byrd s Gradualia were composed not for performance in the soaring spaces of England s cathedrals and collegiate chapels but for someone s living room. In the early 1600 s the practice of Catholic faith in England was perilous business. Even Catholic families of the English nobility had to practice their faith very privately, not even utilizing the family chapel for worship, but most likely sitting around the kitchen table. Thus when William Byrd the favored composer of Elizabeth I, no less decided to compose a complete set of liturgical music for Catholic worship according to the new missal of 1570, it was an act of not only devotion but courage. Gradualia was published in 1605, shortly before the anti-protestant Gunpowder Plot erupted in England. In the anti-catholic backlash that followed, Gradualia was quickly withdrawn from publication (only one copy of this edition remains in existence today). A second edition was published a few years later. Although Byrd himself suffered no known consequences, a gentleman possessing a copy of Gradualia was arrested and imprisoned in London in the days following the Gunpower Plot. Rorate caeli desuper is a setting of the introit for the Votive Mass of the Virgin Mary for Advent. The quire (chancel) in York Minster is an immense space, with seating for several hundred. The choir stalls, arranged in the usual decani/cantoris formation, are widely separated: the trebles desks are almost as far apart as the walls of our chancel. Edward Bairstow, organist of York Minster from 1913 until his death in 1946, was intimately familiar with the acoustics of this space, and his compositions reflect it. Composed in 1925, Let all mortal flesh keep silence is a dramatic and deeply atmospheric setting of words from the Liturgy of St. James meditating on the coming of the Christ in blessing. The intimate dimensions and acoustics of our parish church are not the perfect setting for this music but its power comes through nonetheless. When the New York-based composer Anthony Piccolo was commissioned to create a meditation on the meaning of love, he chose a poem by Christina Rossetti, The Key. The poem is grounded in the story from the Gospel of John in which Jesus asks Peter three times (an echo of Peter s earlier tripartite betrayal of Jesus) Do you love me? Rossetti turns Jesus interrogatory on herself, and on us. Piccolo s setting of the poem perfectly frames the poet s words. John Abdenour s People, look east is a hymn anthem in which each verse of Eleanor Farjeon s evocative poem is treated on its own terms. The first verse, sung by the trebles, evokes the excitement of young people anticipating company coming ; the second verse is a jocular and earthy fauxbourdon sung by the lower voices of the choir. The third verse delicately suggests the flight and labor of birds at work on their nests. The fourth verse evokes the icy stillness of space, while the last verse is a sturdy shout of praise by all creation. Honoring the French origins of the People look east melody, the organ

11 11 accompaniment is inspired by the organ music of Louis Vierne. One of God s most precious and costliest gifts to us is the gift of free will, our ability to make choices, including terrifically bad choices. Holy Scripture is chock full of references to the sorrow, pain, and (in the Hebrew scriptures) rage God feels at many of the decisions his people make. The words of the motet Vinea mea electa are a meditation on the pain Jesus suffered, in love, as the community he was sent to save chose Barabbas over himself at the crucial moment. Poulenc s brilliant setting is a picture of an anguished heart. The somber music of Anthony Piccolo s anthem The Key reminds us that real love is not for the faint hearted. The love Jesus taught the world through his ministry and passion is as real as it gets, and who was it who most likely taught Jesus how to love? His mother Mary. This vital role of Mary, implicit in the stories of the Annunciation and the Nativity, tends to fall outside the spotlight of church doctrine, and The Angel and Mary attempts to correct this oversight, depicting Mary not as passively obedient but possessed of the inquiring and discerning heart for which we pray in the Baptism rite. The vehicle is a 14 th century song, Angelus ad Virginem, fairly turned upside down and repurposed. The work was composed in PARTICIPATING IN TODAY S SERVICE The Reverend Curtis A. Farr, Rector The Reverend Edrice Viechweg, Deacon Music John R. Abdenour, Director of Music Jonathan Vaughn (Associate Director of Music, Christ Church Greenwich), Organist Acolytes Neal M., Matthew B., William B. Ushers Trish Garton, Neal Minto T H E S T. P A U L S C H O I R Cantoris Choir - Treble Madison Cl., Claire D., Julia H., Evan M., Josephine M., Olivia S.*, [Matthew B., Conor G., Corinne A.] Alto Cantoris: Robin Clark-Smith, Becket Greten-Harrison (Section Leader), Laura Mozier, Eva Uhrich Tenor Cantoris: Christopher McCormack (Section Leader), Colin S., Noah S. Bass Cantoris: Eric Andren, Gregory Sullivan (Section Leader) Decani Choir - Treble Olivia B., Fiona C., Madison Ch., Madeline C., Caitlyn G., Maya K., Emma L.**, Miranda S. [William B., Lucy J., Natalie F.] Alto Decani: Tracey Cranston, Constance Gomes, Benjamin McCormack (Section Leader), Sarah McCormack Tenor Decani: Jonathan Taylor (Section Leader) Bass Decani: Dylan C., Ryan C., Scott Cranston (Section Leader), Benjamin P., Philip Sidebottom *Head Chorister of the Choir **Associate Head Chorister of the Choir

12 12 A D V E N T A N D C H R I S T M A S W O R S H I P A T S A I N T P A U L S SUNDAY, DECEMBER 17 THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT Holy Eucharist at 8:00 AM and 9:30 AM Yule Café 4:00 PM A Festival of Lessons and Carols 5:00 PM Sung by the St. Paul s Choir, directed by John Abdenour SUNDAY, DECEMBER 24 FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT Holy Eucharist at 9:30 AM SUNDAY, DECEMBER 24 CHRISTMAS EVE FAMILY CRÈCHE SERVICE (HOLY EUCHARIST) AT 3:00 PM FESTIVAL HOLY EUCHARIST AT 5:30 PM CANDLELIGHT HOLY EUCHARIST AT 10:00 PM SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25 CHRISTMAS DAY HOLY EUCHARIST AT 10:00 AM ST. PAUL S EPISCOPAL CHURCH 661 OLD POST ROAD FAIRFIELD, CONNECTICUT web site: general info@stpaulsfairfield.org THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN CONNECTICUT The Right Reverend Ian Theodore Douglas, Bishop of Connecticut The Right Reverend Laura Jean Ahrens, Bishop Suffragan CLERGY The Reverend Curtis Farr, Rector The Reverend Edrice Viechweg, Deacon OFFICERS OF THE VESTRY John Ogletree, Senior Warden Linda Shaffer, Junior Warden Peter Osborne, Treasurer Janet O Donnell, Secretary of the Vestry STAFF John R. Abdenour, Director of Music Mary Ellen Clifton, Parish Administrator Cathy Comstock, Director of Finance & Communications Bailey Curran, Interim Youth Ministry Coordinator