2 Chronicles 5:12-14 (…it was the duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the Lord), and when the song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments, in praise to the Lord,
“For he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever,”
the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, 14 so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.
When Solomon had completed the temple and the Ark of the Covenant was brought into the temple, the singers and musicians praised God with voice and instrument, and the temple was filled with the Glory of God.
Throughout the bible, God gives us examples of worship. In the Old Testament we see the directions God gave for worship first in tents as the Israelites wandered in the wilderness and then in the temple. In the New Testament we see John’s vision of the worship that we will one day join in God’s kingdom. Music is always an important part of this worship, and it is so important that we raise up our children to make music to the Lord.
This summer we will again have a bell camp on Tuesday mornings, starting June 18th, from 9-12:30 in the fellowship hall and music room downstairs.
VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED to provide lunch for the youth each Tuesday. And to be present to assist with set up, leading devotions, monitoring the youth and handling surprises that always seem to pop up. If you are willing to assist in any way, please call Angela.
It is almost time for our chancel choir to break for the summer. Thank you to everyone who has worked so hard this year to bring us a cantata, lead worship and share their talents in praise and worship of God. The choir will lead worship again this summer from the pews giving them a chance to sit with their friends and family. We will reconvene at the end of the summer.
Worship and Music Archive
Music Notes
Posted May 8, 2024 By adminWorship at Generations
Posted May 1, 2024 By adminEvery other Sunday, Pr. David leads worship for the residents of Generations Assisted Care of Chapin. This ministry has made a great difference in the lives of many folks who are not able to attend worship at their home church. The congregation is invited and certainly encouraged to share this experience with our friends just down the road. Our next worship opportunities will be on Sunday, May 12th and May 26th at 1:00 PM. Join us in the lobby at Generations.
Music Notes
Posted April 10, 2024 By adminPsalm 150
Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens!
2
Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his excellent greatness!
3
Praise him with trumpet sound;
praise him with lute and harp!
4
Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe!
5
Praise him with sounding cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
6
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!
Teaching our children and youth to use their voices and instruments to praise the Lord is one of my favorite things. I think we can all agree that our youngest choristers did a wonderful job on Palm Sunday sharing the message, Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We learned again the story of Palm Sunday as we got messy with paint and sang. They even started ringing bells. We look forward to them helping to lead worship through song in the future.
Our youth handbell choir are hard at work as well. We have been invited to participate in worship at the annual Carolina’s Mission District convocation the first weekend in May. The 2024 convocation
is being held at Holy Trinity in Little Mountain. Our youth handbell choir is playing the prelude for the Saturday morning worship service.
We are also gearing up for our summer handbell camp which will be held on Tuesdays this summer. There will be more information in the May newsletter
Music Notes
Posted March 7, 2024 By adminZephaniah 3:14, 17
Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; Shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart!
The Lord your God is in your midst,
A mighty one who will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness;
He will quiet you by his love;
He will exult over you with loud singing.
I recently came across this verse during bible study and that last sentence immediately caught my attention. I can think of so many wonderful reasons to sing out to the Lord especially as we come out of this Lenten period of reflection on our need for a savior. God is with his us, he has saved us. What a beautiful message that he quiets us by his love, but then He exults over us with loud singing. I’ve never thought of God singing over us. I know that God loves our song. It appears in scripture so many times. But to think that God is singing over us thrills me. So this Easter morning as we rejoice again and give thanks for the most important gift we have ever been given let us raise our voices in song and sing aloud with the Lord.
Our youngest choristers have begun choir practice on Sunday afternoons preparing to sing on Palm Sunday. Children’s choir is from 3-3:30 every Sunday afternoon. We look forward to singing to the Lord Palm Sunday morning and in the future. Children’s choir is open to all children under 4th grade.
Midweek Lenten Worship Series
Posted February 9, 2024 By adminThus It Is Written
Our Wednesday Evening Lenten Vespers will feature monologues delivered in first-person presentations from Gospel writers, Mark, Luke, and John. Hear from them why they wrote about our Lord Jesus Christ, his passion and crucifixion.
These services begin on Ash Wednesday, February 14th and continue through the Wednesdays during Lent preceding Holy Week. Below is the schedule for our Lenten worship. All services begin at 6:30 PM.
February 14th, Service 1 – Thy Will be Done
(The Gospel according to Mark)
February 21st, service 2 – Truly The Son of God
(The Gospel according to Mark)
February 28th, service 3 – I Have Prayed for You
(The Gospel according to Luke)
March 6th, service 4 – Father, Forgive Them
(The Gospel according to Luke)
March 13th, service 5 – I Am He (The Gospel according to John)
March 20th, service 6 – Behold, Your King (The Gospel according to John)
Please join us as we hear these reflections and consider all Christ has freely done for those who believe that he is indeed the Son of God and Savior of the world.
Ash Wednesday and the Beginning of Lent
Posted February 8, 2024 By adminAs always, the season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday as we pray David’s words of Psalm 51.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and uphold me with a willing spirit (Psalm 51:10-12).
David’s prayer is our prayer too. Only through Christ are we saved. Even as we are reminded of our mortality, through God’s grace, mercy and love, Christ extends the promise of God’s kingdom to all who believe.
Our Ash Wednesday service will begin at 6:30 PM on Wednesday, February 14th .
Lenten Midweek Series
Posted February 6, 2024 By adminOur Lenten vesper services this year will feature a series of monologues entitled “Thus It Is Written.” These monologues will be delivered in the persons of three of the Gospel writers.
On Ash Wednesday, we listen to Mark telling about what he wrote in his gospel about Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Then in week two of Lent Marks speaks to the crucifixion of our Lord. In Weeks 3 and 4, Luke it will be Luke who tells us about the last days of Jesus’ life and ministry. And in weeks 5 and 6, we will hear from John.
Join us each Wednesday evening during Lent for this worshipful experience as we make our annual trek toward the cross of Good Friday and finally to the empty tomb of Easter.
And a Little Child Shall Lead Them
Posted February 2, 2024 By adminIn a desire to help the children of St. Jacob’s grow in their faith and discipleship, our choir director, Angela Nuottila has equipped the youth handbell choir members to lead worship services here at St. Jacob’s. Our older youth members have also been a part of this ongoing act of discipleship.
Each month with a fifth Sunday, our youth will be leading our services of worship. This is not to be confused with having a “Youth Sunday”, but it is a means to incorporate our younger church family members in the weekly worship of St. Jacob’s. Growing such faithful leaders for the church helps to ensure our youth remain engaged and connected to their faith throughout their lives. Please support these young Christians by attending and participating in weekly worship.
Choir Notes
Posted January 31, 2024 By adminPsalm 92:2-4 Let Us Sing to the Lord For His Steadfast Love
It is good to give thanks to the Lord, 2 to sing
praises to your name, O Most High; to
declare your steadfast love in the morning,
and your faithfulness by night, 3 to the music
of the lute and the harp, to the melody of
the lyre.
4 For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;
at the works of your hands I sing for joy.
February brings us Valentines Day and Ash Wednesday all on the same day. How fitting that we should come together to remember that God loves us so much that he sent Jesus to die for us. Though Lent is a time of remembering our sinfulness and need for a savior, it is also a time to thank God for his steadfast love in prayer and in song.
During Lent, we will begin a new psalmody that includes an antiphon. Antiphons are a rich part of traditional sacred music in liturgical churches and are used in many Lutheran congregations. Antiphons are short passages of scripture sung at various places in the service. During the psalm, the antiphon is a verse from the psalm of the day sung as a refrain. To introduce the antiphon for the day, the choir will sing the antiphon once and then the congregation will repeat the antiphon. The cantor and congregation will then sing the psalm responsively including the antiphon at designated places throughout the psalm. It will be a little different, but I think we will all catch on quickly. The psalm helps tie the message of all the readings for the day together. I hope this use of antiphons will enrich our worship and our understanding of the message for each Sunday.
Christmas Morning Worship
Posted December 15, 2023 By adminWe’ve all seen the signs, billboards and bumper stickers: “Keep Christ in Christmas!” The truth is, without Christ, it simply isn’t Christmas. Christians everywhere urge others to remember The “Reason for the Season.” But you know, even some churches find it difficult to “Keep Christ in Christmas”. Just take a look at the many churches standing idle and empty on Christmas morning.
St. Jacob’s offers everyone an opportunity to “Keep Christ in Christmas” beginning December 24 at 5:00P.M. with our annual candlelight service. The service will certainly be beautiful and inspiring. Then all are encouraged to gather on Christmas morning at 10:00 for an informal family Christmas celebration. Children are welcome to come in their pajamas and are invited to bring a gift they received for Christmas. Each child may share with all of us the joy this gift brings. Adults may “come as you are” and enjoy time for family and fellowship. Plan to attend these wonderful services of worship with your church family. Join us and “Keep Christ in Christmas.”
