The Call of Ash Wednesday

Passion – from Latin, an undergoing

 Ash Wednesday begins the season of Lent for the church. It is a time when we sing aloud to the God who is our protector and provider. It is a time when we are drawn to God through an introspective look at our own lives in Christ. Most importantly, it is a time when we look at our Christian lives and our faith and try to discern what it means to us.

 For this reason, most of what we do in churches during this season tends to be very emotionally exhausting. Everything is brought down to its most simplistic forms, from what we talk about in service to what we sing in hymns and anthems. We sing songs and speak words of deep longing, of regret for our separations from each other, and of mourning of the losses in our world. We think of our closeness to God in Christ and Christ’s gifts to us in going to the Cross. When things are so simplified, there is no place to hide the emotions that the season pulls you through.

 The music we use during Lent, both congregationally and with the choir, is intended to give you the space to experience those quiet places of the soul that are only available to us when open ourselves up to the message that God sends us in the body of Christ. Often the music is very sparse, many times with no accompaniment at all. It also tends to not have many surprises; the music leads you exactly where your ear wants it to go. Also, the music tends to be in minor keys or modes – which reflect feelings of longing and contemplation.

 Throughout this season, beginning with Ash Wednesday, I encourage you to use the times of music in our service to listen to the messages there and to feel how they reflect the sense of “passion” moving in our lives.

Yours in Faith,

Anissa Bacon

Director of Music

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A look ahead at what’s coming up in the Music Ministry…..

This year, on Maundy Thursday, the choir will be participating in a Tenebrae service here at the church. Tenebrae is another name for the service which we normally hold on Maundy Thursday. In church history, this was a service what was predominantly sung, somewhat similar to a Lessons and Carols service at Christmastime. In honoring that tradition, we will be incorporating a Passion Cantata entitled, Lenten Canticles, into the Maundy Thursday service. This cantata is full of opportunities for the choir and congregation to take part in the presentation of the Passion story. Please put it in your calendars for Thursday, April 8, 2004 @ 7PM. Don’t forget to check out the newsletter next month for more history on the sung Tenebrae service.