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Choir Notes

Posted December 12, 2022 By admin

Still, Still, Still,

Thy heart with joy I’d fill.

I’d sing thee a song and watch by thy manger,

Guard thee from harm and keep thee from danger.

Still, Still, Still,

thy heart with joy I’d fill.

As I am rushing around making sure everything is “perfect” for our family Thanksgiving celebration, this carol is running through my head. It is one that our choir will sing on Christmas Eve. I can just imagine the mother Mary singing this lullaby to her precious baby Jesus in the still of the night. The peacefulness and love she must have felt as she quieted her baby and sang him to sleep is a beautiful image.

But as I sing this carol I realize nothing in life feels still at the moment. There are so many bulletins to help prepare and proofread, a newsletter article to write, music to choose for bells and children and choir besides the fact that my house is a wreck. I am hardly prepared to welcome my family for Thanksgiving let alone the Christ child. But reflecting on the other meaning of still, not just peacefulness and calm but continuing, I realize that Christ still chooses to come to me in my chaos even though I am not deserving. He is still willing to come to me with forgiveness and grace and everlasting life. And suddenly all the chaos doesn’t seem to really matter anymore.

 

During this Advent season I recognize my need to be still and spend time with Jesus in my bible read[1]ing and in prayer. To meet him on “my road to Emmaus” on Sunday mornings as he opens the scriptures for me and feeds me with his precious body and blood that Mary once sang over. And in response I sing praise and thanksgiving that Jesus still comes to me.

Still, Still, Still,

Within thy holy will.

To thee, great God, my voice I’d raise,

With awe and wonder sing thy praise.

Still, Still, Still,

Within thy holy will.

We would love to welcome you to the choir for the Christmas Eve service. If you can’t commit full time to the choir but would like to add your voice of praise on Christmas Eve, we will be rehearsing on Wednesday evenings from 7-8 after the Advent mid-week service.

Filed in Choir Notes, Other Happenings, Worship and Music

Choir Notes

Posted October 31, 2022 By admin

Our St. Jacob’s choirs continue to gather and grow. Our youth members in grades 4 and up have been rehearsing handbells each Sunday and have enjoyed playing during our Sunday services.

Our Children’s Choir, (grades K-3) have been busy learning new songs. As they continue to gain confidence they too will share their gift of music with the congregation during worship.

And finally, our adult Chancel Choir continues to rehearse on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 and always has room for more.

I would like to encourage members of our church family of all ages to consider how you might participate in the music ministry of St. Jacob’s. Even if you are only able to share your musical talent from time to time, there are many opportunities for special music.

Anyone who might be interested in learning Hand Bells is strongly encouraged to contact me so we might explore this opportunity.

Please come and join us.

Filed in Choir Notes, Fellowship, Lutheran Church Youth, Worship and Music, Worship Service

Choir Notes

Posted October 5, 2022 By admin

The days are cooling, everything pumpkin spice is on the menu and that means all our choirs are back in practice. This year there are a few changes to our St. Jacob’s choirs. Our youth in grades 4 and above are rehearsing hand bells each Sunday afternoon at 4 pm. We have started a new choir for our youngest St. Jacobs family members. Children in kindergarten through 3rd grade are meeting at 3 pm on Sunday afternoons for Children’s Choir. There are even changes for our adult choir. The Wednesday evening service will be held at 6:30 each Wednesday starting the first of October which allows our adult choir to practice from 7-8 pm starting immediately following the service. Please come and join us.

I’ve seen Christmas merchandise being put on the shelves in stores, so it is not too soon to be thinking about our Christmas music. If you would be willing to participate in special Christmas music for the season, please let me know. I would love to have a small hand bell group, and this would be a great time for you to participate in choir on a limited basis. Come learn the music for Christmas with us.

Filed in Choir Notes, Other Happenings, Worship and Music, Worship Service

Choir Notes

Posted September 5, 2022 By admin

Psalm 98:4-6
4 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music;
5 make music to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing,
6 with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn—shout for joy before the Lord, the King.

There is no doubt that God loves our music. Throughout scripture we are told to offer songs to God. In 1Chronicles, we are told that after David’s armies had subdued Israel’s enemies, the people were able to settle and David assigned duties to the Levites, the clan chosen to be priests and care for all things related to worship. In 1Chronicles 23, David chooses 4000 men to be in charge of the music used in worship. David knew that our offering of music was pleasing to God.

In the book of Revelation, John is given a glimpse into heaven where he sees the heavenly host gathered around the Lamb of God singing. Verse 4 tells us that each of the elders holding a harp fell down before the Lamb and they sang a new song. Then angels numbering thousands upon thousands and ten thousand times ten thousand encircled the throne and sang. And finally John heard every creature in heaven and earth and under the earth and on the sea singing. There is no doubt that God loves our music. The music of our worship service is an offering to God. Just as we bring our gifts of money, and offer prayers and praise to God each Sunday, we also give an offering of music to God. Some of the songs of our worship are old familiar hymns that we love. Some of the hymns are newer and we may not be as familiar with them. But all of the hymns are an offering of music to our God and we join those elders, and angels and all the host of heaven and earth singing new songs and much loved songs to our Lord. On Sundays, sing out with gusto. If you can’t carry a tune, sing out with gusto, God will hear the beauty of your voice in offering to Him. If you aren’t familiar with the song, sing out with gusto. God will accept your offering with pleasure. If you are afraid to sing, sing out with gusto and join your voice to all those voices in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and in the sea. God will hear your offering and there is no doubt that God loves our music.

Filed in Choir Notes, Fellowship, Other Happenings, Worship and Music, Worship Service

Choir Notes

Posted March 31, 2022 By admin

Before our service even truly begins, spoiler alert, the start of the communion service is the opening hymn, we usually have the brief order of confession and forgiveness. These words are so familiar to us that it can be easy to say them without giving a lot of thought to what we are saying. Our worship service comes to us from scripture, from glimpses of heavenly worship shown to man in Revelation and the prophets, and from our early church fathers. The words we hear each week in the confession, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us…” comes from 1 John 1:8-9. There is something very comforting to me in knowing that the words of our liturgy have been said by so many worshipers before me and were given to us by God.
I thought it would be interesting to see where in scripture some of the other elements of our weekly service are located. So, I challenge you to a matching game. Look up the scriptures below to match them to a few of the parts of our worship service. There are many other scriptural references for liturgies we use at different times of the year.

Joel 2:13 Sanctus- Holy, holy, holy Lord…
Matthew 6:9-13 The Blessing- The Lord bless you and keep you…
Isaiah 6:3 and Matthew 21:9 Words of Institution- In the night in which he was betrayed…
Luke 22:19-20 Lenten Gospel Acclamation- Return to the Lord your God…
John 1:29 Lord’s Prayer
Numbers 6:223-27 Agnus Dei- Lamb of God… Read the remainder of this entry »

Filed in Choir Notes, LCY, Other Happenings, Worship and Music, Worship Service

Choir Notes

Posted January 31, 2022 By admin

Part of worship planning is choosing the liturgy that we will use during the different seasons of the church year. I grew up Lutheran like most of you. I know that we are a liturgical church. We follow a liturgy in our worship each Sunday, and our church year and lessons are based on the liturgical seasons. It all got me thinking about liturgy, what it means and where it comes from. Like all good Lutherans, I have learned about this throughout the years, but I could use a refresher. I’ve always heard that liturgy means “the work of the people” so, I was prepared to ask myself “how hard am I working?” I mean do I show up each Sunday ready to give one hundred and ten percent or am I keeping my head low hoping the boss doesn’t realize that I’m just not feeling it this week? Being a retired librarian, I decided I ought to do some research. To my surprise I found that the word liturgy does not mean the work of the people.
The word liturgy comes from the Greek, and it translates as “work done for the people.” What? Well, there goes the newsletter article I’ve been composing in my head for the last two weeks! On the bright side, I’m off the hook. I don’t need to worry if I’m praying fervently enough or listening closely to the sermon. If someone else is doing the work, does it really matter if I am there or not? And whose job is it anyway, the pastor’s?
No. The work done on behalf of the people is done by Christ. Christ leads our worship. He comes each Sunday and opens the scriptures for us just as he did for the two disciples on the road to Emmaus after his resurrection. Luke 24:27 tells us that “beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the scriptures concerning himself.” We gather on Sunday on our own road to Emmaus weighed down by all our fears and confusion just like these disciples, and Christ is right here at St. Jacob ’s. He opens the Word for us and helps us to understand all that God has promised and done for you and me. And then he breaks the bread and opens our eyes.
Does this mean that I am off the hook? Not at all! Each Sunday do I give my full attention to Christ on that road as he talks to me or do I walk away thinking that Christ ’s words left me flat this Sunday, I couldn ’t really follow what he was saying? And just like those two disciples, do I rush to tell my friends of the encounter I have had with Christ? Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 12 that through our baptism we have been made a part of the body of Christ. Every part of the body works together and not one part can be left out. We are all essential to the work of God. Christ has saved us, Christ opens our eyes and explains God ’s word to us. United with each other and Christ we roll up ours sleeves to get the work done for the people, all of God ’s people.

Filed in Choir Notes, Other Happenings, Worship and Music, Worship Service

Choir Notes

Posted January 3, 2022 By admin

“Music is one of the fairest and most glorious gifts of God” Martin Luther.
Beginning on Christmas Eve, we are returning to singing hymns during the administration of communion. Although many think of the Rite of Communion as a very private, personal encounter with God, we actually need to look at the name of the rite itself, communion, to see that it is actually a time of community. It is the moment in our service when we join not just with the other members of our congregation but also with the saints of all times and in all places. We meet each other at the table as one body of Christ with our hands outstretched to receive our Lord’s body and blood which he so selflessly gave to us all. The purpose of singing during communion which starts with our singing of Lamb of God is to unite our spirits through the unity of our voices as we go forward to the table. We continue to sing throughout the distribution joining our voices with those gathered around the throne of heaven.
Luther tells us that “next to the Word of God, music deserves the highest praise…After all, the gift of language combined with the gift of song was only given to man to let him know that he should praise God with both word and music.”
So please raise your voice during communion. Join the hymn and sing along with all your loved ones who have gone before you, all your friends and family scattered around the world giving praise to God for his gift of salvation.
God bless you,
Angela

Filed in Choir Notes, Worship and Music, Worship Service

Choir Notes

Posted November 30, 2021 By admin

Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive its King.
We will soon be singing these words once again, and this year we have so much to be joyful about.
As I write this, I am thinking of all I need to do to prepare for my family coming for Thanksgiving. It is the first time since the pandemic started that I will be gathering with all my children to celebrate the holidays. I am indeed filled with joy. As a church family, we will gather on Christmas eve to celebrate the birth of our Lord without having to sit apart from each other and we will be able to sing boldly our praises to God. So please join us for caroling, for our children’s program, and on Christmas eve to thank and praise God for all his blessings, most especially the gift of his son.
Let every heart, prepare him room, and heaven and nature sing!
Dates to remember:
December 5th
Children’s choir rehearsal 4:00-5:00 PM.
Christmas program rehearsal 5:00-5:30 PM.
December 12th
Children’s choir rehearsal at 3:00 PM.
Christmas caroling at 4:00 PM.
December 18th
Christmas program rehearsal 9:00 AM.
December 19th
Children’s choir rehearsal 4:00-5:00 PM.
Children’s Christmas program 6:00 PM.

Filed in Choir Notes, Fellowship, Other Happenings, Worship and Music, Worship Service
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