Dr. Brown's sermon title this week is "Do You Like the Opera?" I have it on good account that the theme of the sermon is not actually about the opera we all know and either love or hate. (The scripture passage from James 2 gives away the true theme, which is about the need for both faith and works in our Christian walk.) However, I couldn't resist playing a tongue-in-cheek prelude of operatic highlights to begin our worship!
In his plans for his memorial service he had requested that selections from Verdi's Nabucco and Wagner's Tannhäuser be played during the prelude. Surely Dwight will be smiling broadly from above, relishing this coming together of two things which meant the world to him – the opera house and Marble Collegiate Church.
Prelude: Largo from Xerxes by George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) What better way to begin worship than with an ode to a tree? The authentic title of Handel's 1738 opera is
Serse, and although it was deemed a failure – with only five performances following its London premiere – the opening aria,
Ombra Mai Fu has become one of Handel's best-loved melodies.
[LISTEN] The aria is sung here by the magnificent American mezzo-soprano Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, whose life was tragically cut short by breast cancer at the age of 52. The words to
Ombra Mai Fu translate: "Never was the shade of a tree more delightful or cherished." Is not Marble Church like a 157-year-old tree under whose shade decades of wear-worn New Yorkers have found delightful shade and comforting refuge? Is not Jesus like a great spiritual tree, offering us shelter beneath His extended arms with the words, "Come unto Me all ye who are weary and heavy laden, and I shall give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)
The remainder of Sunday's prelude features two selections from the one-act opera Cavalleria Rusticana by Pietro Mascagni (1863-1945). The first is the famous chorus, Regina Coeli. As villagers begin to gather in the town square on Easter Sunday, the faint sound of an organ is heard coming from within the church, along with a choir singing a hymn in praise of the Resurrection. The music builds in a long, steady crescendo, culminating in the villagers' entrance into the sanctuary. To conclude this opera trilogy I’ll play a transcription of the beautiful Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana.
A Majestic Entrance
Hymn: Open Now Thy Gates of Beauty (Unser Herrscher) [LISTEN] This Sunday's opening hymn is one of the most noble and majestic tunes in our hymnal. It was composed by Joachim Neander (1650-1680), who was considered to be one of the greatest German-Calvinist Reformed hymn writers. The tune name appears in some hymnals as
Unser Herrscher, and in others simply as
Neander, named after its composer. In the Episcopal Church we sing an Easter text to this hymn-tune,
He Is Risen, He Is Risen! Here is an inspiring rendition from St. Paul’s Parish, K Street, in Washington, D.C
. [LISTEN] Of particular note is the expansive tempo maestoso which heightens the transcendent, regal feeling of the tune. Despite his short life, Joachim Neander was a noted scholar in theology, literature and music, and pastor of the Reformed Church in Dusseldorf. He also composed another of my favorite hymn tunes,
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty (Lobe Den Herren).
To Love and to Work
Hymn: Awake, Awake to Love and Work (Morning Song) An American Shape-Note hymn from the Kentucky Harmony (1806) serves as our middle hymn in worship. Here is a choral arrangement of the tune that I wrote for Marble a few years ago; it was recorded but not released on our Sanctuary Choir CD.
[LISTEN] The text is by the English poet Geoffrey Anketell Studdert-Kennedy, but the three verses printed in the Marble hymnal are merely the final three stanzas of his six-verse poem. The poem appeared in a 1921 collection,
At a Harvest Festival, and it is an ode to nature, the changing seasons, and to rebirth. It is also a call to faith and to service. The words beckon us to live lives of praise, joining our voices with all of creation. Ultimately, however, it is not enough just to voice our adoration. In the words of Studdert-Kennedy we must also "let the love of Jesus come and set thy soul ablaze to give and give and give again what God hath given thee, to spend thyself, nor count the cost, to serve..." The Christian life cannot be evaluated in terms of risk vs. reward, cost vs. return-on-investment. We are called to spend our lives in the service of others, expecting nothing in return.
Anthem: All Works of Love by Joan Szymko (b. 1957) In thinking of those who have put their faith in action it would be difficult to top Mother Teresa (1920-1997). She founded the Missionaries of Charity in 1950 in Calcutta, India to serve "the unwanted, the unloved, and the uncared-for." Today, over 4500 sisters carry out their vow to give "Wholehearted and Free service to the poorest of the poor" in over 133 countries.
Two quotes of Mother Teresa serve as the text for this thought-provoking anthem. The first comprises the opening section of the anthem: "If we have no peace it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other."
[LISTEN] In Joan Szymko's own words, this section was composed "in colors of uneasiness and grief. Grief, because peace is not in our grasp; uneasiness, because of the guilt and disgrace of having forgotten something so key to our humanity." A middle section then follows, based on one word: "Remember." Szymko writes: "In remembering lies the possibility of redemption."
The final section provides the title for the anthem: "All works of love are works of peace."
[LISTEN] Here the music turns more hopeful and flowing, or, as the composer describes it, "buoyant with renewed optimism and in remembering that peace begins with individual acts of love and compassion – and is possible." Be forewarned: this anthem isn't a crowd pleaser! Its profound text and ethereal musical setting combine to create a mystical mood. Truly it is a sermon in itself – a poignant call to let these words of Mother Teresa become a reality in our lives.
What Can I Do?
Closing Hymn: Hark, the Voice of Jesus Calling (Rex Gloriae) [LISTEN] We end our worship with a musical call to action. As the familiar benediction says, "The worship has ended; the service begins." In my mind, every worship service should enable two things to take place: Divine Encounter and Transformation. Some might say that if we leave worship just the same as when we arrived we haven't really been there.
The author of this hymn text, Daniel March (1816-1909) was born in Massachusetts. Following his 1843 graduation from Yale he went on to serve as a Presbyterian and Congregational minister. He was serving as a pastor in Philadelphia in 1868 when he was invited to speak at a meeting of the Christian Association. Wanting to inspire his listeners to dedicate themselves to service, he chose as his text the words of Isaiah 6:8, "I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?' Then I said, 'Here am I! Send me.'" Not finding a suitable hymn for his chosen text, Daniel March took it upon himself to write Hark, the Voice of Jesus Calling. As far as we know it is his only hymn.
Daniel March's second verse parallels the words to the old African-American Spiritual, There Is a Balm in Gilead: "If you cannot preach like Peter, if you cannot pray like Paul, you can tell the love of Jesus and say He died for all." As Dr. Brown preached last week, we each have been blessed with unique gifts. We may not have the same gifts as the person next to us, but we all can put our faith in action and answer God's call to serve.
Let none hear you idly saying,
"There is nothing I can do,"
While a human soul is dying,
And the Master calls for you;
Take the task He gives you gladly;
Let His work your pleasure be;
Answer quickly when He calleth,
"Here am I, my Lord, send me."