The Episcopal Church of Saints Andrew and Matthew. Jazz Vespers. Sunday, June 7, :00 p.m. In memory of Rev. Rod Welles D R A F T

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1 The Episcopal Church of Saints Andrew and Matthew Jazz Vespers Sunday, June 7, :00 p.m. In memory of Rev. Rod Welles ON THE IMPORTANCE OF JAZZ... Jazz speaks for life... Modern jazz has continued in this tradition, singing the songs of a more complicated urban existence. When life itself offers no order and meaning, the musician creates an order and meaning from the sounds of the earth which flow through his instrument. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Berlin, 1964

2 Jazz Vespers PRELUDE CALL TO WORSHIP Make a joyful noise unto the Lord all the whole earth. Worship the Lord with gladness and come before his presence with singing. (Psalm 100) OPENING PRAYERS O Lord God Almighty, as you have taught us to call the evening, the morning, and the noonday one day; and have made the sun to know its going down; dispel the darkness of our hearts, that by your brightness we may know you to be the true God and eternal light, living and reigning for ever and ever. O God of grace and glory, we remember before you this night, our brother Rod. We thank you for giving him to us, his family and friends; to know and to love as a companion on our earthly pilgrimage. In your boundless compassion, console us who mourn, D especially Sue, R Kirsten and Roddy. A We commend our F friend Rod into Tyour loving care and ask that your presence be with those who grieve his loss. May the beauty of the music this night transform our tears of sorrow into tears of joy and appreciation for having had the pleasure of knowing Rod. We ask this in the name of One God: Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier. Please remain standing for the lighting of the candles and the Psalm. MUSIC FOR THE CANDLE LIGHTING PSALM 150 (spoken) The Message Hallelujah! Praise God in his holy house of worship. Praise him under the open skies! Praise him for his acts of power. Praise him for his magnificent greatness! Praise him with a blast of the trumpet. Praise him my strumming soft strings. Praise him with castanets and dance. Praise him with banjo and flute. Praise him with cymbals and a big bass drum. Praise him with fiddle and mandolin! Let every living thing, breathing creature praise God! Hallelujah! -2-

3 OPENING CANTICLE (sung by the choir) In the Beauty of Holiness READING Ecclesiastes 12: 6-7 (The Message) Life, lovely while it lasts, is soon over. Life as we know it, precious and beautiful, ends. The body is put back in the same ground it came from. The spirit returns to God, who first breathed it. READING I John 4:7-13 (The Message) God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we are free of worry on Judgement Day our standing in the world is identical with Christ s. There is no room in love for fear. Well formed love banished fear. Since fear is crippling, a life lived in fear fear of death, fear of judgement is a life not yet fully formed in love. We, though, are going to love. Love and be loved. First we were love. Now we love. He love us first. If anyone boasts, I love God, and goes right on hating D his brother or sister, R thinking nothing A of it, he is a liar. F If he won t love Tthe person he can see, how can he love the God he can t see? The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You ve got to love both. READING John 14: 12-17, (The Message) The person who trusts me will not only do what I am doing but even greater things, because I, on my way to the Father, am giving you the same work to do that I have been doing, you can count on it. From now on, whatever you request along the lines of who I am and what I am doing, I ll do it. That s how the Father will be seen for who he is in the Son. I mean it. Whatever you request in this way, I ll do. If you love me, show it by doing what I ve told you. I will talk to the Father, and he will provide you another Friend so that you will always have someone with you. This Friend is the Spirit of Truth. The Godless world cannot see the Spirit, doesn t know what to look for. But you know the Spirit already because she has been staying with you, and will even be in you. I am telling you these things while I am still living with you. The Friend, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send at my request, will make everything plain to you, reminding you of all the things I have told you. I am leaving you well and whole. That is my parting gift to you. -3-

4 WELCOME MUSICAL SELECTION PRAYERS The Lord be with you. And also with you. Let us pray. 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. (From White Eagle) We thank you O God for the light of the sun and for the gentle rain, the fruits and flowers of the earth and the bread of life, which sustains both the physical and spiritual needs of humanity. For all your bounty and blessings, O God, we thank you. We pray that we may learn how to use your gifts wisely and well, so that in the end, we may come to you full of grace, returning a rich harvest of physical experience and spiritual life. (From The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.) Keep us, we pray, in perfect peace, help us to walk together, pray together, sing together, and live together until that day when all of God's children -- Black, White, Red, and Yellow -- will rejoice in one common band of humanity in the kingdom of our Lord and of our God, we pray. Amen -4-

5 PRAYERS (A Prayer for the Evening) O Lord, support us all the day long, until the shadows lengthen, and the evening comes, and the busy world is hushed, and the fever of life is over, and our work is done. Then in thy mercy, grant us a safe lodging, and a holy rest, and peace at the last. O God, we give you thanks and praise for all great and simple joys. For the gift of wonder and the joy of discovery; for the everlasting freshness of experience; for artists, musicians, poets, and artisans; for all who work in form and color to enhance the beauty of life; for the likeness of Christ in ordinary people, their forbearance, courage, and kindness, and for all humble lives of service. For these and all your blessings, we thank you and praise BLESSING DISMISSAL you O God. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Let us bless the Lord. Thanks be to God. HYMN We ve Come This Far By Faith POSTLUDE -5-

6 PARTICIPANTS IN THE SERVICE The Reverend David T. Andrews, Jr., Rector The Reverend Canon Lloyd S. Casson, Rector Emeritus The Adult Choir of The Episcopal Church of Saints Andrew and Matthew with Guest Singers David Christopher, Organist, Director of Music and Associate for Liturgy Jonathan Whitney, Artist-In-Residence Tina Betz, Vocal Soloist INSTRUMENTALISTS Jonathan Whitney, Drums Dennis Fortune, Keyboards Rob Swanson, Bass Vernon James, Woodwinds READERS USHERS ACOLYTES A RECEPTION in the Auditorium following the service -6-

7 About Jazz Vespers I grew up with jazz. My mother, Elinor Welles, was a self-taught amateur jazz pianist. She was good. She was often invited by professionals to sit in on their gigs at night clubs and road houses. Frequently, the professionals, together with other amateur musicians, would gather at our house in the late afternoon after their day jobs and sometimes very late on Saturdays after their gigs. We had two pianos in our living room, a Steinway baby grand and a Kimball spinet. In our enclosed side porch, we warehoused instruments that were hard to transport such as drums (the traps, ) bass viol (the dog house, ) and marimba (the woodpile. ) All this took place regularly in the quiet, sedate neighborhood of Wawaset Park. Neighbors never complained, even in the summer with windows and doors wide open (no AC then!) Often people would ask if they could please come in, sometimes bringing a plate of snacks as a sort of ticket of admission. Jazz is in my blood, and I have always believed that jazz has a legitimate place in worship. I have been pleased to note that in recent times, other church persons seem to agree. But there is work to be done. It does not come naturally, given our training as clergy and church musicians or even our exposure as congregants. For example, I know of no courses in liturgical jazz in any of our seminaries or conservatories. Jazz is music from the heart, driven by the Spirit. Jazz is triumphant music. As in the Spiritual and Gospel traditions, even its most somber and melancholy themes sound notes of redemption and triumph. My hope is that everyone who participates in this memorial jazz service musicians and congregants alike will experience an authentic, appropriate service of worship and will want to experience it, or something like it soon again and more often after that. Rod Welles -7-