Up early and to St. Paul's for choir practice. Bells also played. We sang in addition to Introit, Gradual and Tract, a Händel piece "Glory to God." Carlo has also been urging us to sing the liturgy in parts, and I've just about got the tenor part down to Divine Service III. Pr. Ball preached a powerful and comforting sermon to us, mostly on the Epistle for Quinquagesima: 1 Cor. 13.
After service, grabbed a cup of coffee and dashed off in the pouring rain to get to Trinity to play for their Divine Service (which meant I had to miss Savanah's baptism...grr!). Am definitely becoming more comfortable on the organ there. Pr. Curtis likewise had a fine homily and used the epistle as the basis.
Came home and then Meaghan and David, Bekah and Shawn joined Cindi and I for a late breakfast (blueberry pancakes, carrot cake, fresh bacon, fried eggs, blue berries, back berries, apples and lot of fresh coffee). Then we cleared the table and had a HORRIBLE game of liverpool, which Cindi won. I suppose she deserved it after last night. One hand I got stuck with more than 300 points. How is that even possible???
David asked me to get a fire going, and so we've been listening to the crackle of the wood and the wind in the chimney. We face-timed a bit with Lauren and Sawyer - and Sawyer did a great one today. Unlike us who are wrapping up pre-Lent, Dean uses the three-year series. Today was Transfiguration. Apparently right as he was reading the Gospel, almost as if on cue to the words "This is my beloved Son," Sawyer got loud. They all chuckled. When Dean got himself together again, he went on: "Listen to him" at which Sawyer got even louder. That was it. The church was in stitches.
After Shawn, David and Meaghan headed out, I snoozed by the fire, huddled under the quilt the dear ladies of St. Paul had given us. I think that a movie might be in our future this afternoon. Just a wondrously relaxing sort of day.
Fr. Weedon,
ReplyDeleteI've always wondered this and I've never been able to get a good answer: What is the Lutheran obsession with bell choirs? I've always found them to be very annoying and in no way aesthetically pleasing or even relevant to the day. Where did this practice originate? Was it Lutheran or was it adopted from non-Lutheran practices. PErsonally, I think it would be better if Lutherans played or learned to play "Real" instruments like the strings or oboes and bassoons so that way Bach would not be so absent from modern parishes.
It's not an obsession, Chris. It's right there in our hymnody, though: "Singing, ringing!" Bells ring in our steeples to announce the divine services, calling to prayer, and sometime in the mid 20th century they became popular (much as the organ) as a way to evoke texts we sing or to play along with the congregation's music. This week at St. Paul', they played the music that evoked "Be Thou My Vision" or "Christ be My Leader" and then played along with the organ for the congregational singing of "Praise the One Who Breaks the Darkness." I love singing along with the bells. And if you don't think they're real instruments, you should give a shot at trying to ring them sometime!!!
ReplyDeleteHear,hear! I play bells-no easy task! I definitely feel that they enhance worship.
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