THE MUSIC MINISTRY OF COLONIAL HEIGHTS UMC!

APRIL, 2010

Music Notes
Our camp meeting songs reflect
Charles Wesley: the pilgrima ge and personal
Music & Religion
Music had always been inseparable from
Lost in Wonder, responsibility that our early
religious expression, since, like religion at
Love and Praise settlers experienced. A freedom
its best, music marks the “limits of reason.”
in a better land led slaves to sing
Overstatements make us think. Because a territor y is defined by its
songs depicting a promised land;
“We are what we eat.” extremities, it follows that music must be
Beulah land and better times in
“We are what we think.” “definitively” rational. It is the most
God’s arms and in the freedom of
“We are what we sing.” corporeal of the arts: it is produced by
a heavenly place. The turn of the
It is within our hymns, songs and breath, voice, horsehair, shells, guts and
20th century saw the grand and
anthems that we find our skins and reaches “resonances in our bodies
stately hymn tunes and texts
theology that has, does and will at levels deeper than will or consciousness.”
yearning for stability and a never
shape our faith. Charles Wesley’s But it is also highly cerebral, requiring the
changing God in the midst of an
faith was expressed in the cruelty balance of intricately complex energies and
ever-changing society with a
he witnessed in American during form-relations, and is intimately connected
quickening pace of change. The
his brief ministry in Georgia. with mathematics. Yet this intensely
last decades of the century have
Slaves whose ears were nailed to rational activity segues into transcendence.
given birth songs with a more
the wall then whipped, beaten Music goes beyond the reach of words: it is
personal God, a friend, even a
and dosed with scalding water not about anything. A late Beethoven
buddy to whom we converse. At
over their backs. In England, he quartet does not represent sorrow but
the same time songs and hymns
saw the oppressed in the streets elicits it in hearer and player alike, and yet
are asking questions about the
and witnessed the rough life of it is emphatically not a sad experience. Like
ever present questions posed in
the coal miners laboring hours tragedy, it brings intense pleasure and
theodicy or the problem of a
upon end in ruthless conditions. insight. We seem to experience sadness
omni-powerful God that allows
Many of his hymn texts reflect directly in a way that transcends ego,
evil in the world; i.e., Job–why do
the themes of f reedom and because this is not my sadness but sorrow
b a d t h i n g s h a p p e n to g o o d
equity among people of faith. itself…Every day, music confronts us with a
people (see Rabbi Kushner ’s
mode of knowledge that defies logical
book with the same title.)
analysis and empirical proof. It is “brimful
of meanings which will not translate into
Music has always been a vital part
logical structures or verbal expression.”
of any faith and religion. It
Hence all art constantly aspires to the
reflects the cultures theology.
condition of music; so too’ at its best, does
New songs and styles of music
theology.
must be mixd with the old in
–from Karen Armstrong’s “ The Case for
order to reflect our experienced
God” (2009)
theology even today!
EASTERTIDE – THE GREAT FIFTY DAYS
As Lent is and historically has been about preparing our gifts, connect with our God-
converts to take up the covenant and receive the given passion, hone our skills into
sacrament of baptism, Eastertide has an inner excellence, and are commissioned
missional logic for disciple-making as well. Eastertide into ministry in the power of the
is about finding and claiming our identity in the Risen Holy Spirit at the Feast of
Lord and preparing for our ministries in the body of Pentecost.
Christ. While in Lent the congregations larger role is
as midwife at new birth, during Eastertide the –Taylor Burton-Edwards
congregations role might be described as life coach.
Born anew in baptism on Easter Sunday, we discover

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 THE MUSIC MINISTRY OF COLONIAL HEIGHTS UMC!
MEMBER AND FAMILY NEWS
(If you have information to share about
yo u o r yo u r fa m i l y, p l e a s e s e n d
information in email jimlyon@mac.com.
If we inadvertently omit your name on
the birthday list or omit information you
have submitted, contact Jim. )
Ha p p y A p r i l
Birthdays
A belated Happy
Birthday to Sybil
Smith (3/14), Pat
Rickman (4/2),
Helen Taylor (4/8), Sam Wiles
(4/20), Doris Whitson (4/28)
Wonder” (Haugen)
Brain Power
Sam Hiester (Audio Technician
for the Front Porch), son of
Andy and Lynn (Front Porch
s i n g e r ) H i e s t e r, h a s b e e n
awarded a full scholarship to
East Tennessee State University
beginning the fall semester of
2010. Congratulations!
A New “Ding-a–ling”
We welcome Kathy Smith to
our handbell ringers! Kathy’s
first ringing with the Colonial
Ringers will be on Easter as we
present two anthems.
Eastertide Hymn – “The
Day of Resurrection”
John of Damascus, 8th century, translated
by John Mason Neale, 1862.
This text and “Come, ye
faithful, raise the strain” (UMH
#315) are hymns of praise freely
translated from the Easter Companion to the United Methodist
“Golden Canon,” also called the Hymnal, Carlton Young-Editor, 1993
Available online @ HTTP://.CHUMCKPT.ORG!
APRIL, 2010
“Queen of Canons,” linking the April Anthems
mighty acts of God: the April 4 (Easter)
Hebrews’ exodus and Jesus’ Life Is Given, Hallelujah! (Nagy)
The Third Day (Pote)
resurrection. Roll, Roll the Stone (Martin)
What Wondrous Love Is This (arr. Larson)
Fred D. Gealy has provided this COLONIAL RINGERS
commentary: Happy Land (arr.Wagner)
COLONIAL RINGERS
In the introduction to his April 11
translation, Neale in Hymns of God Is My Rock (Horman)
Just a Closer Walk with Thee (arr. Schraum)
t h e E a s t e r n C h u r c h, 1 8 6 2 , WOMEN’S ENSEMBLE
recounts how a modern writer April 18 (Community Visitation
Week)
describes the day the hymn is My Soul’s Gonna Rise (arr. Okun)
used in Athens, Greece. At We Come to Praise Him (Devinney)
SNL! CHILDREN’S MUSIC
midnight on Ea ster Eve a
April 25
cannon shot announces that Let the Redeemed of the Lord Say So! (Butler)
Job/Where Is Your Mercy? from “Tales of
Easter Day has begun. At that
moment the Archbishop, I’m Just a Poor Wayfarin’ Stranger (arr. Morris)
elevating the cross, cries out, COLONIAL RINGERS &
SAXOPHONE
“Christ is risen.” Instantly the
vast multitude, waiting in long
silence, bursts forth in a shout
of indescribable joy, “Christ is
risen!” Christ is risen!” The Remember Now
oppressive darkness is
succeeded by a blaze of light
from a thousand tapers. Bands
of music strike up their gayest
strains. Everywhere men clasp
each other’s hands and embrace
with countenances beaming
with delight. And above the
mingling of many sounds the
priests can be heard chanting,
“The day of resurrection/Earth,
tell it out abroad.”
The hymn entered our hymnals
in 1878 with Neale’s translation
slightly altered from The Parish
Hymn Book, 1863.
The tune was composed for the New Life for a New
300th anniversar y of the Day
English Reformation set to
Re g i n a l d He b e r ’s “ Fr o m
England’s icy mountain.” –'om
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