VERITAS,
CARITAS, ET RISUS
I
recently attended a performance of Bach’s Mass in B Minor at Sanders Theater in
Cambridge. During a preliminary lecture
on the piece and its origins, the presenter rather quickly remarked that the
work was primarily not in B minor but, more accurately, in D major. Similarly, there has been a strenuous debate
as to whether the very Lutheran Bach would have penned a Catholic Mass, the
existence of the piece obviously notwithstanding. Fortunately, we moved on to the music—too
much analysis can dampen the spirit.
I
am not a music person per se, but the performance was grand. The trill of flutes was followed by the thrum
of cellos. Hidden somewhere beyond our
view, the kettle drums boomed while the oboes and bassoons circled about our
heads like rising birds. And the violins
sighed and soared through it all. There
were scores and scores of choral singers arranged around the orchestra, dressed
in a harmony of black on the rich dark wood of the ancient stage. The glorious sounds blossomed as the mood of
the Mass drifted from the sorrows of the cross to the glories of God—Gloria in excelsis Deo.
It is
difficult to describe music with words.
The lyrics on a page offer but one piece of the performance, the story
flattened so the eye can see what the ear should hear. Description is only shadow, the merest
outline of what it meant to be among these sounds. These many voices coming together, each
perhaps wonderful on its own, were woven together into a fabric of words and
music, into an experience of sound upon the body.
Our regular
church year draws to a close on June 13.
Summer services will continue in the parish hall, but our sanctuary will
for a brief time be silent. I do not
make this observation out of a sense of regret.
Silence is the canvas upon which music is painted, and we need some
silence in our lives. Bach’s Mass in B
Minor was a wonder, but as a nightly activity it would be wholly exhausting for
the audience and the marvelous performers alike, and a time of rest will prime
both for performances anew.
Summer will hopefully be a time for relaxation so that we may unburden our bodies and uncoil our minds, at least for a little while. Some may travel; others will stay closer to home. But the activity is not as important as the willingness to enter into a restful mindset. Even if we are busy with work or other pursuits, it is advisable to take that holiday of the mind, that inward silence. As one minister remarked to me this year, “I try to take an hour per day to pray or to meditate, unless of course I am busy. Then, I take two hours per day.”
I
recall times when I had stuffed my life full with so many events and
obligations that I began to resent anything new. How could I spend two or three hours on one
more thing? It did not matter if that new thing was Bach’s Mass in B
minor. It did not matter if it was an
hour for family, friends, or church.
When a life is filled to the brim, what often spills out and is lost may
be the very things we need the most. The
music of the spheres becomes so much noise when we can no longer hear the
notes.
Take
some time. Enjoy the cathedral of the
outdoors or the solitude of your favorite haunt. Do the things you forgot you love, and seek
out the people you forgot you knew. Once
you are rested and refreshed, please come back to the expectant silence of our
sanctuary. Come hear it painted with
notes of music, the strains of scripture, and an occasionally interesting
remark by the minister.
When
you return, you might try to bring a few of your fellow summer refugees, the
people in need of the same rest and relaxation you sought out. Sunday can be a weekly vacation, the day of
rest we often deny ourselves. Share that
time of prayer and reflection with someone who might need a break from the
fullness of a too-busy life. Just as the
repose of the summer season can bring us new strength, so the rest of a Sunday
morning can carry us forward renewed and refreshed and, perhaps, even
singing.
God bless, Mark
OUR SCRIPTURES FOR
THIS SEASON
Last regular Sundays of the
church year:
June 6: 1
Kings 17:8–16; Galatians 1:11–24; Luke 7:11–17, Psalm 31.
June 13: Psalm
32; Galatians 2:15–21; Luke 7:36–8:3; Psalm 5.
Summer services:
June 20: Isaiah
65:1–9; Galatians 3:23–29; Luke 8:26–39; Psalm 22.
June 27: 2
Kings 2:1–2, 6–14; Galatians 5:1 and 13–25; Luke 9:51–62; Psalm 77.
July 4: (No
service.)
July 11: Amos
7:7–17; Colossians 1:1–14; Luke 10:25–37; Psalm 82.
July 18: Genesis
18:1–10a; Colossians 1:15–28; Luke 10:38–42; Psalm 15.
July 25: Genesis
18:20–32; Colossians 2:6–19; Luke 11:1–13; Psalm 138.
GUEST
MINISTER ON JUNE 6
On Sunday, June 6, we welcome a guest
minister, Rev. Mark Harris of the First
Parish in Watertown. Rev. Harris will be filling in for Rev. Caggiano, who is celebrating his son's
graduation from Exeter. A historian as
well as a minister by training, Rev.
Harris is an adjunct professor at
SUMMER SERVICES AT THE
Summer
services will begin on Sunday, June 20, and run through Sunday, July
27—except Sunday, July 4. There will be no services Sunday, August 1,
through Sunday, September 5; then regular worship will resume on Sunday,
September 12.
Our short summer
services start at 9:00 a.m. in the
parish hall. They give us an opportunity
to worship in an informal setting first thing in the morning, then enjoy the
summer days. Often, too, new neighbors
or visitors to the area stop by.
GOOD-BYE AND MANY THANKS
Many thanks to Elizabeth Moran for her
wonderful work with the children over the past year and a half. She will be missed, and we wish all the best to
her and her family, who surely will be as grateful for her presence on Sundays
as we were having her in Chestnut Hill.
We are of course now looking for a new Director of Religious Education, please
visit this link
for information. Please feel free to contact Rev. Mark or members of the Religious Education
Committee with questions or any referrals for the position.
BIBLE STUDY
Bible study meets in the parish hall at 10:00 a.m. each Thursday. We are finishing our study of the First
Letter of Paul to the Corinthians; in the autumn we will begin the Book of
Psalms.
COFFEE
HOUR AFTER THE SUNDAY SERVICE
After
the morning services on June 6 and 13, there will be the usual coffee hour with
light refreshments. All are welcome, and
setup and cleanup volunteers are warmly invited.
ALTAR FLOWERS FOR JUNE 2010
June
6: The
flowers are given in loving memory of Anne Parker Batchelder by her family.
June 13: The flowers are
given in loving memory of Isabelle Marckwald Bushnell by her family.
RELIGIOUS
EDUCATION
“For everything there is a season, and a time
for every matter under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1).
The
season of Pentecost is always a sign that we are ending the Sunday school year,
with June 13 being our last day. We are
celebrating with our annual church picnic, and a sign-up sheet will be in the
parish hall. We hope that you will all
be able to join us. For the summer
months of worship, child care will be provided as it was last year.
With
sadness, this will be my last article for the newsletter. Most of you have heard, I am sure, that I
will not be returning next year. Many of
you have come to me with kind words, which are much appreciated. Invariably people will say, “I
understand. It is such a trek for
you.” But 50 minutes door to door on an
early Sunday morning is not such a trek as you might imagine. My decision is not so much about the trek as
it is about the journey.
It
has been a wonderful year and a half with all of you. I have learned a great deal, and hopefully
the children have as well! Bright and inquisitive as they are, I have often
felt politely challenged by their questions, impressed by their talents, and
delighted at their insights. This, I
believe, is a true reward for any Sunday school teacher.
I
have enjoyed working with my colleagues as well. Brian was always there with musical additions
to our worship, as well as helpful suggestions and feedback. Joan always answered my questions, lent me an
ear, and calmed my fears. Dana patiently
cleaned up after us—though he was quite happy when the sandbox went! Sam diligently and patiently worked with us
on the Christmas Pageant. Mark was
always willing to brainstorm with me when questions or problems arose.
My
own journey now takes me back to Charlton, as you continue yours with your new
pastor. It is my season to spend more
time with my two elderly mothers, finish my graduate work, enjoy two-day
weekends—and, what I am most looking forward to, return to my place by my
husband in the pews of our home church, where we have worshipped together for
many years.
Thank
you all for a wonderful 18 months. I
will always hold in my heart my time at the First Church in Chestnut Hill, my
lovely season with you.
Peace,
USHERS
June 6: Isabelle
Cazales-Evans June 13: Isabelle Cazales-Evans
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Music for june 2010
June
6 (Second Sunday after Pentecost)
Preludes: “Siciliano” ― Bach
Variations
on “O Christ who art the light and day” ― Bach
Anthem: “Sing me to heaven” ― Gawthrup
Response: “O Christ who art the
light and day” ― Bach
Anthem: “These are they which
follow the Lamb” ― Goss
Choral Amen: “Threefold” ― Traditional
Postlude: “If thou but suffer God
to guide thee” ― Bach
June 13 (Third
Sunday after Pentecost)
Preludes: “Folk Tune” ― Whitlock
“Air” (Suite in D Major) ― Bach
Anthem: “Have mercy on us” ― Copland
Response: “O come let us worship
and bow down” ― Persichetti
Anthem: “Thou O Jehovah abideth
forever” ― Copland
Choral Amen: “Threefold” ― Persichetti
Postlude: “Trumpet Tune” ― Johnson