Notes for Sunday, February 18

Sunday is Transfiguration of the Lord Sunday.

It is the 3rd Sunday that we celebrate Black History Month with music.

SCRIPTURE:

The Psalm: Psalm 99
The Hebrew Scripture Reading: Exodus 34:29-35 The Gospel Reading: Luke 9:28-36

The sermon title is: The Mystery on the Mountains

ANTHEMS:

We will sing Tandi Tanga Jesus right after the Welcome and News, and right before the Invitation to Worship.

We will sing Freedom Come after the Hebrew scripture and before the Gospel.

So far, we have sung traditional African-American sprituals each Sunday in February. This week, we turn to two African songs.
Tandi Tanga Jesus is a traditional Namibian and Tanzanian tune, which we sing first in Otji-vambo (from Namibia), then in Swahili (from Tanzania), and then in English.

We should indeed thank Jesus from the bottom of our hearts.

This is the last Sunday before lent. We will let the joyful Hallelujahs rip with Freedom Come! And then they will be heard no more, until Easter, when we celebrate their return.

HYMNS:

#446, Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken
#73, Swiftly Pass the Clouds of Glory
#481, Praise the Lord, God's Glories Show

OTHER ITEMS:

Prelude: When the Saints Go Marching In, African American Spritual
Offertory: Adagio, Mozart
Postlude: The "Fanfare" Fugue, Bach

The prelude will "swing," though a bit harder than we will swing Tandi Tanga Jesus. A few people asked me what it means to "swing." The genre of swing music developed in the 20s-40s, and features the syncopated timing of African American and West African music. Swing features a hybrid concept of time and rhythm - which produces a mixing of triple meter (from West Africa) and Western European duple meter. With swung notes the duration of the initial note in a pair is generally augmented and that of the second is diminished.

"To swing is when an inidivdual player or ensemble performs in such a rhythmically coordinated way as to command a visceral response from the listener (to cause feet to tap and heads to nod); an irresistible gravitational bouyancy that defies mere verbal definition." Which I suppose is just a fancy way of saying, "It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing."

The offertory was written for the glass armonica - Mozart apparently loved the instrument. I don't have enough glasses for it, so I will play it on the organ. (The piece is often found in organ as well as piano books.)

I will try to remember to announce on Sunday: There is indeed dinner on Wednesday evening - at 5:45.

Until Sunday, Bonnie