Sunday, May 17th, 2015

Rite I, Seventh Sunday of Easter

Themes from the Readings: Jesus’s final prayer for his disciples, or the Ascension

Prelude: Fuga in C Major, by: Dieterich Buxtehude

Processional Hymn: 495 Hail thou once despisèd Jesus

Gloria: S204, Scottish Chant

First Reading: Acts 1:15-17, 21-26

Psalm: Psalm 1

Second Reading: 1 John 5:9-13

Before the Gospel: Alleluia 7

Verse: “I will not leave you as orphans, Alleluia! I will come to you and your hearts will rejoice, Alleluia!” -John 14:18

Gospel: John 17:6-19

After the Gospel: Alleluia 7

Offertory Anthem: Halleluja, the Saviour Lives, by: David Moritz Michael

Choir: Halleluja, the Saviour lives, the Saviour lives! His blessed peace he Leaves us. Arise, ye saved ones, and rejoice. Sing to the Lord your Saviour, sing Him your praises. Let heaven and let earth resound with countless voices rejoicing in one accord: “We are, we are redeemed!” To Christ the Lamb be glory. Praise, praise, praise to the Lamb, praise, laud and glory, be glory! Halleluja, His name be praised, blessed His name, His name be blessed! Adororation, worship Him, sound your song of praise, now and forever, amen. Adore Him, sing a song of praise, now and for ever, amen!

Doxology: Hymn 380, stanza 3

Holy: S114, Willan

Lord’s Prayer: S119, Plainsong

Fraction Anthem: S154, Hurd

Communion Anthem: Sing Ye to the Lord, by: Everett Titcomb

Choir: Sing ye to the Lord who ascended to the heav’n of heav’n to the sunrising. Alleluia.

Communion Meditation: Llanfair, arranged by: Rebecca te Velde

Communion Hymn: 218 A hymn of glory let us sing

Recessional Hymn: 214 Hail the day that sees him rise

Postlude: Paean, by: John Marsh

Music Notes by Ashley Sosis:

A joyous Seventh Sunday of Easter to you and your family! It has been the goal of the music ministry to keep the thrill of Easter Sunday going up to this Sunday and beyond to the next two special Sundays: Pentecost and Trinity. After Trinity Sunday, the choir will be on their summer recess until mid-August. During this time, we welcome vocal or instrumental soloists to present music in lieu of our wonderful choir. (We will miss them!) Please see the Parish news for my full-length call for Summer Musicians.

Even though we officially celebrated Ascension this past Thursday, we have a few Ascension-themed hymns in today’s service. The final hymn, 214 “Hail the day that sees him rise”, is Charles Wesley’s “Hymn for Ascension Day”. As you can see in the credits in the hymnal 1982, the text has been simplified and the hymn has been shortened. The original hymn is beautiful, and worth at least a read-through as a devotion, so I reprinted it below.