Minor Key for a Major Season

For me, Easter always conjures up the image of a sanctuary draped with white and gold cloth, filled with fragrant lilies, packed with people wearing their finest pastels, singing out at the top of their lungs the best and most exuberant music the hymnal (or Handel) has to offer.

Now this music I imagine is generally in a major key. After all, a major key is usually associated with happy emotions. This is how many people learn to distinguish a major key from a minor key: Does it sound happy or sad/angry? Though initially a useful pedagogical tool, this distinction does not always reflect musical reality. I think, for example, of music in the Jewish and Irish traditions. Some of the liveliest music from these traditions is rendered in a minor key (think klezmer, or an Irish reel). By the same token, much Irish and Jewish music expresses intensely sorrowful emotions in a major key.

I have listed below four of my favorite “minor” Easter hymns found in The United Methodist Hymnal (1989). I have only heard one of these hymns used with any regularity in United Methodist congregations (“O Sons and Daughters”) – the rest seem to be neglected in favor of bombastic Easter standards. I find, though, that the minor key can heighten a sense of longing for Christ’s return and evoke the intimacy that permeates stories of resurrection appearances. Try them out and see what you think – if not on Easter Sunday, then some other time during the Easter season.

Camina, Pueblo de Dios (Walk On, O People of God), UMH 305
Words: Cesareo Gabaraín, trans. by George Lockwood, 1987
Music: NUEVA CREACIÓN, Cesareo Gabaraín; harm. by Juan Luis García, 1987
Three stanzas in both Spanish and English

On the Day of Resurrection, UMH 309
Words: Michael Peterson, 1984
Music: EMMAUS, Mark Sedio, 1984; harm. by Charles H. Webb, 1987
Text is based on Luke 24:13-35, the walk to Emmaus.

Cristo Vive (Christ is Risen), UMH 313
Words: Nicolás Martínez, 1960; trans. by Fred Kaan, 1972
Music: CENTRAL, Pablo D. Sosa, 1960
Text is based on 1 Corinthians 15, which addresses resurrection
Three stanzas in both Spanish and English
Performance note: I like to take the eighth note C in the bass down an octave (the second eighth note of most measures in the first half of the hymn). It punctuates the offbeat and gives the effect of a large bell tolling.

O Sons and Daughters, Let Us Sing, UMH 317
Words: Jean Tisserand, 15th cent.; trans. by John Mason Neale, 1851, alt.
Music: O FILII ET FILIAE, 15th cent. French carol; harm. by Charles H. Webb, 1987
Stanzas 1-5 suggested for Easter Sunday, stanzas 1, 6-9 suggested for the following Sunday

Moravian Stars

I was attempting to sermonize last Saturday on the topic of disenchantment. The fact that I had just finished a stressful week of reading and writing (“academizing,” if you will…) meant that my few functioning synapses were running on empty. I ended up being disenchanted with the sermon and much more enchanted with the Apartment Therapy website. Now that the sermon has been preached, I thought I might try to combine some of my liturgical and home deco interests into one blog entry. Ready?

The image above comes from the Moravian Bookshop website. I learned about Moravian stars when I first became interested in Moravian influences on Methodist hymnody. This particular type of star was first crafted around 1850 in a handiwork class at the Moravian boys’ school in Niesky, Germany. The design became quite popular and for many years was produced exclusively in Germany.

Glass stars make excellent Advent/Christmas gifts, while paper stars would serve as cheery, homespun additions to Christmas trees in either home or sanctuary. Lighted plastic stars could brighten a house or apartment year-round, especially in a nursery or a child’s bedroom.

For additional info:
www.moravianbookshop.com
www.moravianstars.com
www.lenox.com Even Lenox now sells a small, lighted Moravian star. Incidentally, it’s the least expensive one I came across.

Faithful Food

Several years ago, I served as co-coordinator of the Methodist student group at Yale Divinity School. One of my favorite responsibilities of this position was planning and leading worship every few weeks. While I was a student at YDS, there happened to be several individuals in the student body who were interested in food. I mean REALLY interested in food, especially the connection between food and faith. It was this gastronomic dynamic combined with my love of the annual "Hearty Eucharist" that gave me the idea to throw a biblical feast. I searched the scriptures for references to food, noting how and by whom the food was used. I then put together a service which essentially consisted of an alternation of scripture readings and the partaking of a biblical food. We sampled pomegranates, cheese, bread, olives, etc. We had great attendance, including quite a few non-Methodist students (mostly Lutherans... I don't know what that means). I imagine that such a service would work well for family-oriented worship, or perhaps as an expanded version of a love feast.

Suggested hymns from The United Methodist Hymnal:

97 "For the Fruits of This Creation"

599 "Break Thou the Bread of Life"

621 "Be Present at Our Table, Lord"

629 "You Satisfy the Hungry Heart"

632 "Draw Us in the Spirit's Tether"

Suggested hymns from The Faith We Sing:

2061 "Praise Our God Above (Harvest Song)"

2132 "You Who Are Thirsty"

2265 "Time Now to Gather"

George Herbert and Lent

I have just recently become interested in the connection between John Wesley (18th century Church of England priest and founder of Methodism) and George Herbert (17th century Church of England priest and famed poet). In my own studies, I tend to focus on the Germanic influences upon John Wesley, especially as they play out in Methodist hymn and tune books. But as I was investigating the sources of texts for early Methodist hymn books, I was surprised to learn just how much Wesley relied on Herbert's poetry. As many of Herbert's poem's were written in poetic meters unsuitable for singing, John Wesley tweaked the text to make them fit within standard hymn meters. Wesley also used the opportunity to inject his own preferred theological flavor. Below is a comparison of Herbert's "Dialogue" from The Temple (1633) with Wesley's revision.

Herbert original:

Sweetest Savior, if my soul
Were but worth the having,
Quickly should I then control
Any thought of waving.
But when all my care and pains
Cannot give the name of gains
To thy wretch so full of stains;
What delights or hope remains?

What (child) is the balance thine,
Thine the poise and measure?
If I say, Thou shalt be mine;
Finger not my treasure.
What the gains in having thee
Do amount to, only be,
Who for man was sold, can see;
That transferr’d th’accounts to me.

But as I can see no merit,
Leading to this favor:
So the way to fit me for it,
Is beyond my savor.
As the reason then is thine;
So the way is none of mine;
I disclaim the whole design:
Sin disclaims and I resign.

That is all, if that I could
Get without repining;
Any my clay my creature would
Follow my resigning.
That as I did freely part
With my glory and desert,
Left all joys to feel all smart-
Ah! no more: thou break’st my heart.


Wesley revision:

1. Saviour, if thy precious Love
Could be merited by mine,
Faith these Mountains would remove;
Faith would make me ever Thine
But when all my Care and Pains
Worth can ne’er create in Me,
Nought by me thy Fulness gains;
Vain the Hope to purchase Thee.

2. (C.) Cease, my Child, thy Worth to weigh,

Give the needless Contest o’er:
Mine Thou art! While thus I say,
Yield Thee up, and ask no more.
What thy Estimate may be,
Only can by Him be told,
Who to ransom Wretched Thee,
Thee to gain, Himself was sold.

3. (S.) But when All in Me is Sin,
How can I thy Grace obtain?
How presume Thyself to win?
God of Love, the Doubt explain—
Or if Thou the Means supply,
Lo! To Thee I All resign!
Make me, Lord, (I ask not why,
How, I ask not) ever thine!

4. (C.) This I would—That humbly still
Thou submit to my Decree,
Gladly subjecting thy Will,
Meekly copying after Me:
That as I did leave my Throne;
Freely from my Glory part;
Die, to make thy Heart my own---
(S.) Ah! No more—Thou break’st my Heart!

If you are interested in exploring more of Herbert's poetry, the CCEL website provides a daily Lenten devotional based on Herbert's texts. Some of the language has been modernized, but each devotion includes a link to the original.

http://www.ccel.org/h/herbert/temple/LenTreeFrames.html

Hymn text

I regret that I have been somewhat negligent in my blogging over the past two weeks. A new semester has begun, and once again my routine has been turned upside down. But such is the life of an academic! In my attempt to catch up, I'll start by offering a hymn text of mine that I recently rediscovered by accident. I do not consider myself a poet by any stretch of the imagination, and I am much more comfortable creating tunes as opposed to texts, but I am also a firm believer in the practice of sharing liturgical resources, however meager they may be. With that, I offer you exactly one half of my life's textual output.

O Divine Mystery who gave birth to all of creation,

Your reconciling grace joins us in holy relation.

Blest unity! God's binding love sets us free to live as one congregation.

We on earth struggle to recognize you in each other.

Grant us the courage to treat all as sister or brother.

Age, gender, race - distinctive vessels of grace, incomplete without another.

Humbly we ask for your blessing on each land and nation.

Praying that one day we'll join in the great celebration;

singing your song, each voice resounds clear and strong, echoes the cry of salvation.

Copyright 2008, Erika K. R. Hirsch

Suggested tune: LOBE DEN HERREN ("Praise to the Lord, the Almighty")

Wholly Holy

O Christ, the healer, we have come

to pray for health, to plead for friends.

How can we fail to be restored,

when reached by love that never ends?

How strong, O Lord, are our desires,

how weak our knowledge of ourselves!

Release in us those healing truths

unconscious pride resists or shelves.

Grant that we all, made one in faith,

in your community may find

the wholeness that, enriching us,

shall reach the whole of humankind.

vv. 1, 3, 5

Text: Fred Pratt Green, 1969

Suggested tune: Conditor Alme

A few years ago, I came across a church website that advertised a program called “Tai Chi for Jesus.” Upon first glance, I thought it was the most ridiculous thing I had ever seen. I knew about Tai Chi, and I knew how strongly connected it was to Chinese philosophies, Taoism and Confucianism, as well as Buddhism. It seemed somehow wrong to link this ancient art with the purposes of Jesus. I imagined the traditional tai chi movement names being replaced by biblical themes: “parting wild horse mane” becomes “Moses parting Red Sea,” and “white crane spreading wings” becomes “Holy Spirit descending like dove.”

I recently attended a church-sponsored women's retreat. We were blessed with the presence of a qualified Tai Chi instructor who taught us a few exercises from Qigong, another Chinese art that complements Tai Chi. The basic aim of Qigong, as I understand it, is to increase awareness of the breath and of the energy that flows through the body. If a Christian were to do Qigong, she could very well use the exercises to increase awareness of God and of the movements of the Holy Spirit – which is what many of us attempted to do. After completing the exercises, we all agreed that we felt different. Some said they felt calm and relaxed. Others felt energized and ready to take on the world. For me, it was as though I had done something good for my whole self. I stretched my physical body, I relaxed my mind even as I used it to focus, and I invigorated my soul by tuning in to God’s movement in the world. For once, all the parts were working together.

In the course of our weekly worship, we often acknowledge that we are God’s creation – that God has formed us in God’s image. But for some reason, we tend to forget that God created not only our minds and spirits – the parts unseen – but also our physicality. We come to church to renew our spirits and to edify our minds, but can the church also encourage us to maintain our physical bodies? As members of the body of Christ, the one body made up of many parts, we are called to care for our bodies - our sacred vessels through which God works in mysterious ways. We are also called to care for one another, to encourage each other to treat our bodies well.

The more I think about it, the more I am convinced that it is the church's responsibility to encourage a spirituality of the body – an understanding of our God-given humanity with all the parts working together. After all, an evening walk isn't just something that takes us away from the television, or distracts us from work, but an opportunity to breathe fresh air into the lungs that we use for singing hymns and for speaking justice, a chance to strengthen the legs that carry us out into the world to do God’s work.

I don't think that we necessarily have to trade in our fellowship time cookies for carrot sticks, but I do think we must take care to offer food that benefits both the body and the soul, including the bodies and souls of those who labored to produce it. Perhaps the church could compile a book of nourishing recipes collected from members of the congregation., or begin a meditative walking group, or start a lunch group to discuss ways of staying mentally and spiritually healthy in the work place. Perhaps our liturgies could address the care of the body in terms of wellness, not only in terms of illness.

Our God is not an invisible God who works only in ways unseen and unheard. Our God works in and through tangible things – through ordinary substances like bread and water, in ordinary acts of cleansing and feeding. And to accomplish God’s most stunning miracle, God took on the form of a human body. Echoing the final verse of "O Christ, the healer," I invite you to seek wholeness in your local faith community.

e-piph-a-ny

+ a Christian festival, observed on January 6, commemorating the manifestation of Christ to the gentiles in the persons of the Magi; Twelfth-day.

+ an appearance or manifestation, esp. of a deity.

+ a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience.

Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 2006

At the heart of the festival day we call Epiphany is a most supreme manifestation of honor and gratitude - the three Magi appear at the stable to offer royal gifts for the newborn Christ child. But the term "epiphany" also means something similar to a revelation, or an "aha" moment. In the spirit of the season, I would like to share a recent epiphanic moment of mine.

I made it my Advent goal to fully appreciate the wait - to let my eyes adjust to the darkness so that I could experience the slow growth of light from a single flickering flame. I paid special attention to songs of preparation, both sacred and secular. Of course there are countless songs anticipating the arrival of Santa Clause, and a decent number of Advent hymns preparing the way for the birth of Jesus. It occurs to me (and this is the epiphanic moment) that while there are many songs that express excitement about Santa's visit, and many songs and rituals that communicate to Santa the many gifts that both little and big hearts desire, I can't think of a single song that thanks Santa Clause for the gifts that he brought. I cannot imagine that the North Pole post office is flooded with letters of gratitude on December 26.

A former pastor of mine told me a story about his own birth. After all the preparation for his arrival, after the excitement of the actual birth, his relatives finally got to bring him home. They entered the house, set the infant down, looked at one another and exclaimed, "Now what?" That simple phrase of bewilderment must have flown through the minds of the holy parents. The same phrase summarizes my thoughts about this period immediately following Christmas. Before we move on to commemorate Jesus' baptism some 30 years after his birth, what do we do? For weeks we have awaited the moment of birth, and now that it has arrived, what do we do with it?

Perhaps this is the time when we should sing our boisterous carols. Perhaps this is the time to decorate our homes and sanctuaries. What if we watched our holiday movies now? What if we held our holiday festivities now? And why don't we worship with liturgies of thanksgiving and adoration now? After all, isn't this the time when we ought to be rejoicing?

Let us continue our merriment and holy revels. Let us seize our time of celebration. This is the moment - may it not pass us by!