Following please find the program of a hymn festival I conducted at a small Baptist church on Sunday night. They let me pick the theme. Vividly in mind were all our recent conversations on the creeds, so I chose the Apostles' Creed and told how it related to early baptisms.
You know, every time we do a hymn festival, concert, or service for a small church, we have a choice about how much work we put into it. Nothing, of course, can ever be perfect, so there comes a point at which we have to call it "good enough." But balancing that there should be an attitude of reckless joy, of pouring perfume on Jesus' feet, of giving our very best for whom some may consider the very least--in this case, people who love Jesus but don't know much about the history of hymnody.
In choosing this program, I also tried to balance hymns from their own Baptist hymnal with unfamiliar tunes (most drawn from an Episcopal hymnal), both to show how the congregation's own heritage depicted themes from the Apostles' Creed and to expose them to some delightful material and fresh perspectives.
Another thought was to vary congregational with solo music; sung music with played music; and speaking with singing. On "For All the Saints," for example, I asked the congregation to keep their hymnals closed. I taught them just the refrain ("Alleluia, alleluia!") and then read the stanzas as a poem, with the congregation coming in on each refrain. (I did get carried away and sang the last stanza; irresistible.)
After each section, the congregation was instructed to declare the quoted part of the creed when I gave them a downbeat, like choir and choir conductor. After the resurrection, the congregation led ME in speaking the quoted part, while I responded with the appropriate music; they heard that it symbolized their authority because of the restoration of the image of God.
A further use of symbolism in this service was to have the congregation sit during the stanzas of "I Am the Bread of Life" and rather aerobically stand whenever they sang the refrain--"And I will raise them up...."--to show their belief and hope in the resurrection.
Enjoy.
#20 Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above (MIT FREUDEN ZART)
st. 1 and 2—soloist
st. 3 and 4—congregation
"I believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth."
* * *
#251 Of the Father's Love Begotten (DIVINUM MYSTERIUM)
st. 1—congregation
3 middle stanzas—soloist
st. 2—congregation
"I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord."
* * *
Tell Out, My Soul, the Greatness of the Lord! (WOODLANDS)
"He was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary."
* * *
Beneath the Cross of Jesus, arr. Ken Medema
As Jacob with Travel Was Weary One Day (JACOB'S LADDER)
"He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried."
* * *
1 Peter 3:18-20
Psalm 139:7-8
Leader: "Where can I go from Your Spirit?"
Congregation: "Where can I flee from Your Presence?"
Leader: "If I go up to the heavens…"
Congregation: "You are there."
Leader: "If I make my bed in the depths…"
Congregation: "You are there."
Ephesians 4:7-10 (Psalm 68:18)
"He descended into hell."
* * *
Lord of the Dance (SIMPLE GIFTS)
"The third day He rose again from the dead!"
* * *
"He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead."
At the Name of Jesus (KING'S WESTON)
* * *
"I believe in the Holy Spirit."
Le Soir, Reinhold Glière
O Breath of Life (SPIRITUS VITAE)
* * *
"I believe in the holy catholic church."
#384 We Are One in the Bond of Love
#383 We Are God's People
st. 1—soloist
st. 2, 3, 4—congregation
* * *
"I believe in the communion of saints."
#355 For All the Saints (SINE NOMINE)
* * *
"I believe in the forgiveness of sins."
What Wondrous Love Is This, arr. Larry Shackley
* * *
"I believe in the resurrection of the body."
Christ, the Victorious (RUSSIA)
I Am the Bread of Life (I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE)
And I will raise them up,
And I will raise them up,
And I will raise them up on the last day.
* * *
"I believe in the life everlasting."
#517 Jerusalem, My Happy Home
Simple Gifts, arr. Mark Hayes
* * *
(from #449 All Praise to You, My God, This Night)
Leader: "All praise to You, our God, this night, for all the blessings of the light. Keep us, O keep us, King of kings, beneath the shelter of Your wings."
Congregation: "Amen."
Leader: "Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; praise Him, all creatures here below; praise Him above, ye heav'nly host; praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!"
Congregation: "Amen and amen!"
4 comments:
This is a beautiful service. I think you did an excellent job in choosing the hymns to reflect many styles and traditions, yet remained true to the spirit of the creed.
I would have loved to have heard it, but with your detailed notes, I can almost reconstruct it in my imagination.
The symbolism is so rich.
What kind of feedback did you get from those who participated?
Have you planned any other services like this Before?
Thank you both for your comments!--and for passing on the themes to your parishes/churches.
Well, Nan, I got great feedback from the participants. Some of their comments included: "Thank you for exposing us to Scripture verses that we don't think about too often." "Thank you for introducing us to the hymns in our own hymnal!" Several people who couldn't stay for the reception gathered at the piano afterward to express their thanks and simply say they enjoyed the music. One woman asked for a copy of "Jacob's Ladder" (oops, that reminds me--have to send it to her!) to teach her 2-year-old daughter. It was a song that spanned the Old and New Testaments--a theme I can never get enough of, the vastness of God's story and how all the little details and all the images come into play again and again like leitmotifs.
In answer to your second question, Nan, yes, I have planned many services like this before! The Apostles' Creed idea actually began several years ago as a series of (poorly attended) services at a New England Congregational Church on Sunday evenings, one service per line, and included dramatic readings and various ages. I had found a compelling sung version of the Creed and was inspired! We sang the Creed every Sunday evening that season.
Other than that experience, I'm enchanted with the idea of hymn festivals and began writing them under the direction of R. Edward Zimmerman, an organ professor at Wheaton College.
The Hymn Society of the United States and Canada hosts many good hymn festivals, especially at their annual conference, which I plan to attend in Indiana this year.
Have you ever attended a hymn festival?
Hi Rebecca,
Thanks so much for your post! I am inspired by your creativity. Our lead pastor is beginning a sermon series on the Apostle's Creed and I as the Director of Worship am hunting around for ideas.
In your post, you mentioned a sung version of the Creed that you liked. Would you be willing to share it with me? Laurie
Yes, Laurie, there are actually many beautiful sung versions of the Creed. I'll dig in my files after hearing back from you. Are you non-denominational or within a particular denomination (if so, which one)? Are you looking for a word-for-word version or a summarizing song?
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