Time for the summer vacation . . . will resume posting in about one month. In the meantime – love each other as we all have been loved!!!

Grace and peace!

The psalmist writes:

By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion.
On the willows there we hung up our lyres.
For there our captors required of us songs,
and our tormentors, mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land? Psalm 137:1-4 (ESV)

For me – this is exile:

People have conversations with you – they smile – they tell you how wonderful you are – they tell you that no one will ever be able to replace you when when you are gone – and on and on and on.

And then later you discover that what you have been told to your face is the complete opposite of what the same people are saying about you to others – that is exile – that is captivity in a foreign land!!

Home is where both of those conversations are the same – where people have the courage to honestly speak their mind – where the value of another child of God is not determined by whether we agree or disagree – where we hear God’s call to love one another – remembering that God’s call to love one another does not mean that we all need to be of one mind on everything (or anything) – or – that truth may only be spoken if it is convienient, pleasant, and socially polite.

I am so grateful to be back home!!

It seems to me that a lot of people are very conflicted in their living. I believe that many people truly want to let the commandments spoken by Jesus as recorded in Matthew 22:37-40 be the guiding standard for their living. It appears to be so simple and straightforward: love God with all your heart, soul, and mind – and – love your neighbor as yourself.

I have known a great number of people who would willingly and happily live by these guiding principles – IF – and this is a huge IF – IF they were able to genuinely love self – without fear of the unknown, the future, or the past. Further, I acknowledge that this is not just a present day issue – in some form it has been part of our human experience since the days following the beginning of creation.

Today – for reasons that I am not sure – I felt compelled to re-visit the website that offers the church-wide letter written by leaders of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) around the time of the passing of “Amendment 10-A.” That letter, dated May 10, 2011, may be found at http://www.pcusa.org/news/2011/5/10/churchwide-letter-concerning-amendment-10-/. The primary content of the site is followed by the posting of a large number of comments. As might be expected the comments offer a very wide range of responses. I took the time to read many of them today. I really did not expect to find anything that I had not already heard or read – and, in fact, that was the case. The statements ranged from overwhelming joy, relief, and gratitude to overwhelming fear, disappointment, and condemnation.

Then I read again the text of the letter – and – was particularly struck by the following:

However, as Presbyterians, we believe that the only way we will find God’s will for the church is by seeking it together – worshiping, praying, thinking, and serving alongside one another. We are neighbors and colleagues, friends and family. Most importantly, we are all children of God, saved and taught by Jesus Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit.

It is Jesus Christ who calls individuals to ordained ministries, and all those who are called to ordained office continue to acknowledge Jesus as Lord of all and Head of the church. It is this same Jesus Christ who is the foundation of our faith and to whom we cling.

I am deeply saddened that some have chosen to no longer be part of our denomination. I have listened as many of them have cited that their actions are a result of a “crisis of conscience.” With deep respect I respond that this entire situation has also resulted in a “crisis of conscience” for me as well. I have struggled a great deal with the idea that some – including a significant number of colleagues and dear friends – believe that the only remedy is division and separation. I also have deep regrets that my relationship with a number of these people has either become very distant or no longer existent.

So it seems to me that what I must do is continue to pray that God’s will be done on earth – this very day and every day – as it is, always has been and always will be in heaven – and – that I practice in all things that I do and say hospitality that is welcoming, inclusive, and loving. It seems to me that is the intention of the words of Jesus in Matthew 22.

So let us live in love!!

It seems to me that relevance is more than a matter of style!!

Over the years – I have observed with curiosity a number of changes in the music and language of worship – and – at least for the most part – a majority of those changes have been made at the superficial level of style. I have heard people say that the “old traditional hymns” are stodgy – they are like funeral dirges – they are not “peppy” enough to be accepted by the current generation – and so they have been tossed aside for music that mimics the current popular culture – a sort of “top of the charts” music. And the result: now people are observing that people no longer sing in worship – it must be a matter of generational preference. I don’t think that is the case. Much of the music that people now “listen to” in worship was never conceived to be music for participation – it was written as music for presentation – by a solo artist or group. And the result: worship has evolved from a liturgy of participation to a liturgy of presentation.

Some years ago – a colleague of mine observed that in many churches on many Sunday mornings all of the hymns were offered at the same tempo (generally too slow) and at the same volume (in many cases led by an organ played by an organist who seemed determined to “win” the competition with the congregation – and – often the crowning blow of that competition was a free-hymn accompaniment on the final stanza, following an extravagant and extended interlude of epic performance proportions) that wandered into harmonic tonalities that left even the most experienced singers wondering how they should attempt to sing the familiar tune against a tonal progression that seemed to have as its primary goal the creation of an environment that would prohibit even those with perfect pitch from being able to sing the tune.

Sometimes it is just a simple uninformed seemingly insignificant matter that can undercut the best of intentions. For example – I once was approached by a very well-meaning head usher who informed me that I needed to make certain that all of the choir’s anthems from that time forward would be of sufficient length to make certain that adequate time was allowed for the ushers to receive the tithes and offerings from the congregation. My “evil twin” arrived just in time to suggest that the addition of a couple of more ushers would likely solve the problem – and that the selection of the anthem could continue to be based on the criteria of what might best contribute to the overall content of the worship experience.

These stories and observations could go on and on and on – and – I know a multitude of musical coleagues who could easily extend the list even further – probably approaching a point of true infinity.

So what are we to do? It seems to me that the content of the language of worship is far too important to be relegated to a place in line behind any logistical consideration or any personal preference for style. I once heard Brian Wren observe that inclusiveness involves much more than just gender neutral pronouns.

Also I will never forget attending a Session meeting where the primary subject of discussion became the difference between the business world and the church (a subject that was not even an agenda item on the printed docket for the meeting). After a signficant amount of time had passed (an amount that I am sure was not actually as long as it seemed) – one of our wise elders finally raised a hand and began to speak: “It has been my experience (he happened to be the senior excecutive vice president of a major national company) – that there are two kinds of people in the world – those who care about other people and those who do not – and – I have known some of each of those two kinds of people both in business and – in the church.”

It seems to me that we are called to love God with ALL of our heart, soul, mind, and being – and – to love ALL people at ALL times. And so it seems to me that inclusive love should be the first and only criteria for the language – liturgy – and music that we utilize when we gather for worship!

Often when I write something – I go back and read it and wonder to myself – what authority do I have to make statements like these? Everytime I have that experience – with a sigh of relief and great joy – I remember the words that Thomas L. Are used to open the concluding section of his book Faithsong: A New Look at the Ministry of Music*:

“The song we sing is good. It is called grace.

I have often felt that if I just had five days, or even five hours in which I were free to listen, God would surely speak to me. It would have been important to me if he had done so. I would have listened and now I would have been able to say, ‘Hear the new word from God.’

However, nothing like that has happened. I have had many hours free. God has had ample time to tell me anything he wants me to know. I have been more quiet than usual and God has been terribly silent.

This disappoints me. His silence has pushed me back to the old recourses of friends, books, and memories that have always sustained me. I won’t give an authoritative new chapter but will reaffirm the same old word I have already said, done, thought, experienced, and half-believed all my life.

For the prophets, the only requirement for writing a book was to begin by saying, ‘Thus saith the Lord.’ Later the church fathers would write: ‘The church has always said. . . .’ But the most I can say about the gospel we sing is, ‘It seems to me.’ I can’t say, ‘Thus saith the Lord,’ because he doesn’t alwyas speak to me. Nor can I say, ‘The church has always said . . ,’ for the church has seldom had enough unity to have always said anything. The most honest thing I can say is, ‘It seems to me.'” (93)

And then – just a few paragraphs later – Are concludes his brilliant volume with these words:

“This love of God created the church as a community of persons who love God and one another. This free love, from God, for God, and among us is the foundation for the choir’s song, and the choir’s practice. The song is good. It is about grace.” (96)

Thanks be to God!

*Are, Thomas L. Faithsong: A New Look at the Ministry of Music. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1981.

It seems to me that a person is only able to offer and receive love. When you offer love there is absolutely no guarantee that it will be received and/or returned. Likewise, when you desire love it cannot be demanded. Love – very much like grace – is a gift!

Recently I have remembered times in my life when people – friends and colleagues – have revealed their own fears through the remarks they have made about particular choices I have made for my own life. Two particular situations come to my mind as I sit to write this post today. One was the time around when I made the decision to attend Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, and the other was when I made the decision to accept the opportunity to become Director Music at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church here in Austin.

I have been amazed and saddened by some of the “facts” about these two places that have been reported to me by others. I admit that I have also been curious how people who made these remarks – or – posed their very pointed questions to me – learned the information they were anxious to make certain that I know that they know. My reflections on these remarks and questions – joined together with my own observations about these places gained by the fact that I have willingly become part of these communities have created an interesting process and an opportunity for my own learning about life. Over and over and over – I have generally come to the same conclusion – people often make a judgment about a place, an institution, a community of faith, etc. not by first-hand experience but, rather, by what they have heard from others (who often also are without any first-hand experience), what they have imagined, or their own fear of the unknown, the different, or the potential for lack of the comfort provided by the status-quo.

Also – I have often made choices for my life based on my own fears – and – often those choices led me on a path that proved not to be the path that God intended for me to follow – times when my willfulness became more powerful than my willingness to let go of my plans and listen for and follow God’s voice – times when I have said “I have a good idea” rather than hearing and responding to the call “Follow me.”

I am now convinced of the importance of living life in a manner defined by the first three steps of the famous Twelve Steps in the tradition of Alholics Anonymous:

1. Admitting that my life is unmanageable when I am determined to be the one in control, the one making all of the decisions, the one who is not willing to trust – because I am afraid.

2. Coming to believe (Yes, it is a process for most people rather than a single moment or event in time) that a power greater than me exists and is able to restore sanity to my life.

3. Making the conscious decision to turn my life over to that greater power which means overcoming the fear of letting go (something that sounds so simple – but – in reality can be very difficult).

Today, I am happy to report that my life has been greatly enriched and truly blessed by my willingness to find out from being present as part of the communities at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary – and – more recently and continuing – part of the vibrant and loving community of faith known as St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Austin. In no way am I making the claim that these communities are perfect because they are not – but they certainly are not places that need to be feared.

It reminds me of a powerful line from one of the songs in the extraordinary musical Children of Eden – “the hardest part of love is the letting go.”

I am certain that I will be writing more about this in the coming days as I continue my preparation to teach a four week class at St. Andrew’s on the Sunday mornings during the coming month of July. I have titled the class “Singing the Music of Creation” – and I very much look foward to letting go of my fears and listening for God’s voice as I prepare and as I teach.

Grace, and peace, and love . . .

It is not possible to conclude this series of posts in honor of people blessed with the gift of lyrics without paying tribute to two incredibly gifted authors who had a profound influence on me, my writing, my theology, and my life. It was my privilege to work with both of these saints during the years I served as Director of Music Ministry for Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church in Houston. Now – in retrospect – what seemed very normal to me at the time I now know was a gift from God that allowed us to be on the cutting edge of inclusive language of love in a manner that was quite ahead of the times.

First – was Jim Wharton – who was serving Memorial Drive as Senior Pastor and Head of Staff when I first arrived in Houston in August of 1980. Jim loved opera!! One year he suggested that we write an “opera” based on the book of Ruth during the weeks that coincided with a Lenten study on Ruth. I agreed to compose the score for a “music drama” to go with his “opera libretto.” Ruth received its first and only presentation on Palm Sunday evening at Memorial Drive. Jim asked for a prologue that utilized the text from Micah 5:2-5a which later was published separately as an anthem with the title “Advent Prophecy.” Ruth was a remarkable and memorable experience and one of the highlights of my many years of music making!

Second – was Boyd Lien – who also served Memorial Drive as Associate Pastor for Christian Education durng the years I was there. Boyd is Norwegian! – and – until I met Boyd I never realized that Norwegian Independence Day was a major day in the liturgical calendar. Boyd’s writing gifts were easily matched by his ability as an artist and his seemingly endless gift of all things creative. It was during those years that I learned to properly celebrate Pentecost thanks to Boyd’s wonderful ways of bringing the day to life for all who were present. Boyd provided lyrics for numerous anthems for choirs of all different ages – but – the pinnacle of our collaboration – at least for me – was a full-length musical “Transformations” – written for and about the high school choir at Memorial Drive that toured each summer with a completely staged musical presentation. Together we created two incarnations of “Transformations” – and, happily and much to my surprise – some of it returned to life on the occasion of my retirement from Covenant Presbyterian Church in January, 2013.

My one regret about “Transformations” was – around the time it was written it seemed too sophisticated and difficult for most youth choirs – while not in the style that would be appreciated by most adult choirs. However, times have changed and I now believe that I am currently serving a congregation that would fully embrace “Transformations” – so I am beginning to dream about a possible third incarnation of this superb statement of Reformed theology and the inclusive nature of love. Oops! I think I may have just let the proverbial cat out of the bag as I have not yet shared my dream with Boyd – perhaps a fitting way to celebrate Norwegian Independence Day next year! Stay tuned . . .

I conclude this tribute to my two dear friends with the text for the first two stanzas of a song that runs throughout the musical “Transformations”:

Open our eyes Creating God that we may come to see your power in giving life and breath to all humanity.
Open our eyes to see your love transforming all around – throughout our world, in every heart, may love and peace abound.

Open our eyes Transforming God that we may come to see your power that breaks all barriers down, that forms community.
Open our eyes to see your love transforming all around – in life, in death, in life beyond, may love and hope abound.

May this be our prayer. Amen and Amen!

In an earlier post I made reference to Isaac Watts being remembered as the “Father of English Hymnody” – today we honor Erik Routley known by many as the driving force behind the “Hymn Explosion” of the 1970s.

Following is a brief biographical sketch for Routley:

ERIK REGINALD ROUTLEY (1917-1982), was a scholar and an authority with keen insight, wit, grace and style. Pastor, musician and hymn writer in his own right, he was the catalyst for much that helped produce “The Hymn Explosion” of the 1970s. His influence as an editor, beginning with Congregational Praise (1951), Dunblane Praise (1962), Cantate Domino (1968), New Church Praise (1972), Ecumenical Praise (1977), and Rejoice in the Lord (1985), was profound.

Dr. Routley deserves full credit for halting the dreary practice of singing “Amen” at the end of each hymn sung in American churches. A collection of his texts and tunes was published in 1990 under the title Our Lives Be Praise (Hope Publishing Company). Two of his texts have become standard fare in all new hymnals. They are “All Who Love and Serve Your City” and “New Songs of Celebration Render.” Dr. Routley has seven hymn credits in The Hymnal 1982.

My earlier post about Isaac Watts included a story about a metrical setting of Psalm 98. Today we offer another metrical setting of this same Psalm from the pen of Dr. Routley in 1972. This text is paired with a sixteenth century tune by Louis Bourgeois in the 1990 Presbyterian Hymnal.

New songs of celebration render to God who has great wonders done;
Love sits enthroned in ageless splendor; come and adore the mighty One.
God has made known the great salvation which all the saints with joy confess.
God has revealed to every nation truth and unending righteousness.

Rivers and seas and torrents roaring, honor the Lord with wild acclaim;
Mountains and stones, look up adoring, and find a voice to praise God’s name.
Righteous, commanding, ever glorious, praises be sung that never cease:
Just is our God, whose truth victorious establishes the world in peace.

Copyright © 1974 by Hope Publishing Company.

Today – we turn our attention to the marvelous work of Brian Wren. Following is a brief biographical sketch for this gifted hymn writer:

BRIAN WREN (b. 1936) is an internationally published hymn-poet whose work appears in hymnals from all denominations and traditions. Ordained in Britain’s United Reformed Church, he lives in Decatur, Georgia, where he serves as the first holder of the John and Miriam Conant Professorship in Worship at Columbia Theological Seminary. A Fellow of the Hymn Society in the U.S. and Canada, Brian holds B.A. and D.Phil (= Ph.D.) degrees from Oxford University and an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from Christian Theological Seminary, Indianapolis. He is the author of PRAYING TWICE, the music and words of congregational song (Westminster John Knox Press, 2000), WHAT LANGUAGE SHALL I BORROW? (Crossroad, 1989 – now out of print), PIECE TOGETHER PRAISE: A THEOLOGICAL JOURNEY (1996), an anthology of his hymn poems (Code No. 1884), and six words-and-music hymn collections, of which the most recent are VISIONS AND REVISIONS (1998) (CODE No. 1590) and CHRIST OUR HOPE (2004) [Book Code No. 8222; CD Code No. 8222C]. Brian lives with his partner in marriage and ministry, Rev. Susan Heafield (“Hayfield”), a United Methodist Pastor and composer. Together they have published two worship song collections, WE CAN BE MESSENGERS [Book Code No. 8149, CD Code No. 8150] and TELL THE GOOD NEWS (Book Code No. 8171, CD Code No. 8172) distributed in the USA by Hope Publishing Company. Brian Wren’s hymn collections are published by Hope Publishing Company, which represents all his hymns in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Twenty five Brian Wren hymns appear in Hope’s new hymnal WORSHIP & REJOICE (2001). http://www.hopepublishing.com/html/main.isx?sub=307&search=107

A personal favorite of mine is his text “We Meet as Friends as Table” – paired with Hal H. Hopson’s tune MEAL OF LOVE by Hope Publishing Company in their 2001 publication Worship & Rejoice, hymn 704.

We meet as friends at table, to listen, and be heard, united by the Spirit, attentive to the Word.
Through prayer and conversation we tune our varied views to Christ, whose love has made us the bearers of good news.

Fulfilled, and glad to follow wherever Christ may lead, we journey from the table to love a world in need
with patience, truth and kindness, that justice may increase and all may sit at table in freedom, joy, and peace.

Copyright 1996 Hope Pubishing Company.

This post – and the following two – will focus on the contributions to hymnody of three very influential figures from England – Fred Pratt Green – Brian Wren – and – Erik Routley.

Today – Fred Pratt Green (1903-2000) – a British Methodist pastor and hymn writer. “His hymns reflect his rejection of fundamentalism and show his concern with social issues. They include many that were written to supply obvious liturgical needs of the modern church, speaking to topics or appropriate for events for which there were few traditional hymns available.”

One of those texts – “When in Our Music God Is Glorified”* – is generally matched to the sturdy hymn tune ENGELBERG composed by Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924).

When in our music God is gloified, and adoration leaves no room for pride,
it is as though the whole creation cried: Alleluia!

Let every instrument be tuned for praise! Let all rejoice who have a voice to raise!
And may God give us faith to sing always: Alleluia!

*Words © 1972 Hope Publishing Company.