Music Notes

Along with the New Year, this January brings the liturgical season of Epiphany, beginning with the celebration of how the Wise Men sought Jesus by following a star. I think that it is sometimes easy to gloss over Epiphany, since it is often overshadowed by Christmas and New Years, with presents and resolutions. One sign that I saw the other day on my way to work, though, reminded me of the significance of this season. “Wise Men Still Seek Jesus,” it said, announcing the title of an upcoming sermon on a church’s sign. It made me stop and think, first that it was a clever saying, but then it stuck with me. How true it is.
The Bible talks about how the Gospel appears to be foolish to the world, and to those who do not know God. That’s why so many Christians were persecuted and martyred, following the example of what first happened to Christ. But as His followers, we know that there was, and is, something more to Jesus. Though the Gospel may be considered by some to be foolishness, we know that there is depth, healing, and salvation in the message; and wisdom.

Seeking for Jesus is not just a one-time expedition from a foreign place, but a lifetime of discipleship. Epiphany reminds us that those who would be wise still do and must seek Jesus. A wonderful way in which to do this is through music. It flows from our heart and soul. In the Psalms, we have wonderful examples of those who were seeking God through song. Whether in anger, frustration, jubilation, peace, joy, or times of questioning, they sought God with all of their heart. I pray that whatever comes in this new year, we will continually seek Jesus, whether in song, in solitude, in silence, or in shouts of praise – growing in wisdom, in our knowledge of Him, in our relationship with Him, in all of the ups and downs that life brings.

It is truly an exciting season at Sewickley United Methodist Church for music. This month brings the Christmas Pageant, on which the Children’s Choir has worked very hard. This year’s pageant is “The Christmas Chronicles” and follows some reporters for a Bethlehem newspaper as they uncover the greatest story of all. It will be during the morning service on December 14th, and it is not something you want to miss!

Also, our musical Christmas service will be taking place the following week, on December 21st. The chancel choir and handbell choir will present a number of selections as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ. Come ready to sing carols and give thanks to God for the precious and incomparable gift of His Son!

Another exciting thing that is fast approaching is something entirely new and different for SUMC. Starting on Februrary 1st, we will be moving to two Sunday morning services. The second will remain the same, at 10:45, but the first will start at 8:30. This will be a contemporary worship service, where the music will be provided by a praise team, singing songs that are more recent and leading the congregation in a new style of worship. Even if you will not be regularly attending this earlier service, I encourage you to come and join us at least once during the new season, so you can see what the Contemporary Service is all about. Our hope is to meet a need that members of the congregation have for a different style in music and worship, as well as draw in new members for whom this is a more familiar or comfortable setting. Please keep this service in your prayers as we iron out details and prepare for our February start.

As we look around during the season of Autumn, we are reminded of change. From the changing of the leaves to the frost on the ground, we see that things are different. It almost seems as if the world is slowing down, preparing for the cold to come. As I sit at my window and write, viewing this scene of beautiful creation, I am reminded of changes that occur in our lives. As we grow in our walk with Christ, our old self begins to change and fall off, making way for Christ to mold and shape us, as a potter forms a beautiful ceramic jar. During this season of Thanksgiving, I hope that we may remain mindful of this. I hope that we will truly give thanks in our hearts for the change that Christ can bring to our character, for the hope of new, abundant life that He offers us – and may this drive our worship and praise. May the fact that God is concerned with every aspect of each of our lives bring us to give thanks, as we proclaim, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever!”

All is in full swing with the music program at Sewickley UMC. The choir has started out sounding superb, if I might say so, and we have seen a few new faces in the chancel, as well. Any others of you who would like to join are most welcome, too! In October, we will be led in worship, in addition to our chancel choir, by our children’s choir, bell choir, and the Last Psalm. The children are very excited to sing, and we have even started working on some things for this year’s Christmas pageant. The Last Psalm is also anxious to sing up front again as we lead the congregation in praising the Lord. God has provided us with a truly great gift with music, as it allows us to open up our hearts to Him. We can praise Him for the things He has done, we can cry out to Him with questions and emotions, and we can just marvel at who He is, all through music. I hope that next time you sing, or hear music, that you, too, will lift up a prayer of thanks for the gift that God has given us.

Well, it is that time again. Summer has flown by, which means that the music ministry at SUMC is getting into gear. We were blessed this summer to have a number of special musical selections, including camp songs, some great singing, a little bit of rock, and even a harmonica. Thanks to all who shared these gifts with us, enhancing our worship experience.

This Fall, we will follow the same schedule as last year with our rehearsal. Adult Chancel Choir will rehearse Thursday evenings, from 7:30 to 9, beginning August 28th. The adult bell choir will resume rehearsals on Thursdays, as well, from 6:15 to 7:15, beginning September 11th, under the direction of Pam Mayo. The young adult hand chime choir will also start weekly on the 11th, from 6:30 to 7:15, under the direction of Barry Lewis. The children’s choir, geared for children between ages four and those in fourth grade, will also begin practicing on Thursdays, from 6:30 to 7:00, under the direction of Sandra Lane. And even though we will be starting our contemporary worship service this Fall, the Last Psalm will still be singing periodically during the Sunday morning worship service. We will resume our rehearsals on Sunday mornings, from 8:30 to 9:15, beginning on September 7th.

If you have not participated in these venues before, please feel welcome to join us this year. I must say that there were a few Sundays during the Summer, when I could count the number of choir members in attendance on one hand, due to travel and vacation – but the congregation sounded truly wonderful in their hymn singing. So, I know you’re out there, you singers! Consider joining us this Fall, as we make music with our voices and with our hearts to the One who is truly worthy of all of our praise.

As the season for the musical groups at SUMC comes to a close, I look back with wonderful memories on what the past year offered with music. As a the new Minister of Music, everyone has made me feel quite welcome, particularly those with whom I have worked. The chancel choir, the Last Psalm, and the Children’s Choir did an excellent job throughout this year, including putting on a marvelous Christmas pageant, singing in a great Christmas and Easter Celebration, not to mention doing an excellent job from week to week, getting Ready to Fly, and tackling other languages, from Zulu to Ibo. Not only have I enjoyed the musical aspect of all of these groups, but the Spiritual, as well. It has truly been a blessing to have choir members share from their own lives and relationships with Christ in weekly devotions and prayer, and I know from many in the congregation that the Holy Spirit has uplifted and encouraged you through the music these groups have shared. What an awesome God we serve to have given all of us such a wonderful gift!

As the Spring winds down, and we approach Summer, the music programs begin to wrap up at SUMC. It has certainly been a delightful year, filled with great music, and praises to God. This month see the last of the Last Psalm until next Fall. It has truly been a pleasure working with this fine group of people. We have had a marvelous time leading the congregation in worship in a more contemporary style, and it has been great for me, as someone new, to see how well the congregation has responded to this style of worship.

May also sees the end of the bell and hand chime choirs for this year. Another special thanks goes to Barry Lewis, for helping Pam Mayo with the hand chimes. Jack Moffett is another fellow who needs a special word of thanks, as he has taken on directing the adult hand bell choir at times this year, relieving Pam of her duties, and freeing her up to ring with the bells. They have practiced and worked very hard this year, and have certainly added much to our worship services.

The choir will continue to sing into June, and it is my hope, as we bring music during the worship service, that you are drawn closer to Christ. It has truly been a wonderful experience for me so far at SUMC, and the choir, as well as the other musical groups, has been a tremendous help in welcoming me as someone new. May we all continue to keep a song of praise in our hearts to the Lord as we serve Him day by day.

Dan

It was a true joy to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord together last month. As my first Easter at Sewickley UMC, it was certainly one to remember. I am especially thankful to the chancel choir for all of the work they put into the music – it definitely was heard and appreciated. Having brass players with us also added a wonderful dimension to the music as we heralded the victory that our King received over the grave. Another special word of thanks goes to those in the congregation who joined us for Handel’s Halleluia Chorus, and swelled our ranks. There is a seat reserved for you in the choir room whenever you would like to claim it.
April will see the last of the Children’s Choir for this season, as they bring to us the familiar “Jesus Loves Me” in another language again. This year, it will be Ibo—one of the languages of Nigeria—a challenge for the children, but one they have met very well. It has been a joy to work with them over the past few months, along with Sandra Lane, and to see the excitement they have in singing to Jesus. I look forward to what this month holds for the music and choirs at SUMC, and for what God has in store for us, as well.

The Lord is risen. As we enter into the time where we remember Christ’s death for us, there is a mix of joy and sorrow. With deep humility, we can recall God’s wondrous love for us in Jesus’ death on the cross. As the hymn states, “What wondrous love is this, that caused the Lord of bliss, to bear the dreadful curse for my soul….” We are reminded that the punishment of all of us rested on him. He was despised, rejected, and bruised for our iniquity—a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. The music for this Passion season reminds us of the passion—the unrequited love—that Jesus has for us in suffering as he did.

But this season is also one of joy and hope, with his resurrection and victory. He has conquered death and sin, and provided a way for us to be with him. The sound of the trumpets we will hear on Easter point not only to this triumph, but also to the moment we anticipate, when the trumpet shall once again sound, and the Lord shall return. Because Christ paid our sacrifice, and bore our griefs and sorrows, we are able to have victory with him not only in the future, but as we live from day to day. He has provided a way for us to live victorious lives, filled with His risen presence. What wondrous love, indeed. May the joy of new life fill our hearts this season, as we express this through our singing, music, and worship. The Lord is risen, indeed. Alleluia.

Dan

This year, February once again brings us into the season of Lent, when we are reminded of the sufferings of Jesus as He came to earth for our sakes. Although this is a more contemplative season of the church year, music plays a big role. You’ll notice a lack of processing music and postlude during this season, which can help to remind us of the lack of grandeur and majesty that Jesus experienced while here. He left His throne in glory to become a sacrifice for us.
It is often during times of contemplation, loneliness, or suffering that our hearts cry out to the Lord with the most beautiful songs. There are numerous illustrations of this with the Psalms, whose writers experienced various trials and valleys in their lives. Through these experiences, music was made as an expression of the heart’s longings. Out of these honest, earnest emotions, people lifted their voices and hearts to God in song.
The Last Psalm, singing on February 17th, will present the song “Here I Am to Worship,” with the opening lyrics: “Light of the world, you stepped down into darkness, opened my eyes, let me see…” What a powerful image for this Lenten season. It was Christ who first stepped down into darkness and walked a road of suffering and loneliness. But the things on His mind as He suffered and died were not His trials and hurts, but the love that He had for you and for me. What an awesome sacrifice, and what an unfathomable love that He has for us. In response, may we all be able to say, “Here I am to worship,” as we draw nearer to Christ during this season of Lent.

As we begin a new year, many of us will be making resolutions. (If any of those involve joining the choir or music ministry at SUMC, you are most welcome!) But it seems that every year, we get motivated and excited to start something new, or re-start something we failed to complete the previous year: diets, exercise programs, driving within the speed limit, the list goes on. I would venture to say that, more often than not, we are soon finishing up the Christmas leftovers, sleeping in, instead of exercising, and whizzing down Ohio River Boulevard at an easy 65 mph.
On a more serious note, though, it is good to know that when we do not follow through with more serious obligations, in our commitment and relationship to God, that He remains faithful to us. We are told of a “faithful saying” in II Timothy that reads, “If we die with Him, we shall also live with Him; if we suffer, we shall also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He will also deny us; but if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” It is a striking promise for us that, when we mess up, when we fail with our serious resolutions and commitments to God, that He remains faithful to us. We can still come to Him. It reminds me of the familiar hymn line “Great is Thy faithfulness, great is Thy faithfulness! Morning by morning, new mercies I see. All I have needed Thy hand has provided, great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.”
It is my prayer for you that as we enter into a new year, that you are aware of God’s new mercies that come day by day, and moment by moment. It is my hope that you are continually reminded of God’s faithfulness; and during this new year, may God put a new song in your heart – a song of praise to our God.