“Resurrection” by Arne Haugen Sørensen (Danish, 1932–) highlighted by Victoria Emily Jones on her blog Art and Theology
It is Friday morning, and I am about to record another worship opportunity for Sunday morning. And I am struck how bitter-sweet is this new context for Christian faith.
I long for the day we can be together again in the sanctuary, but in the meantime I am encouraged by the way so many more of us are able to join in worship together online than we ever were at one time at the corner of Princess and Clergy.
I am moved as the online images and sounds of the sanctuary scroll across the screen, but they only increase in me a yearning to be again amongst the stained glass windows, to hear the organ and choir, to sing and pray together, to greet friend and visitor in the name of Christ, all of which I realize I have taken too much for granted for too long.
And as real as the anxieties and uncertainties of these days are, they seem to open me to new depths of perspective and understanding in the life of Christian faith.
Bitter-sweet indeed, and so be it. As one of you keeps telling me, ‘God is in it’. Yes, that is our faith, and that is our witness.
On this first Sunday after Easter, with contributions by members of the congregation and our Director of Music, and wonderfully edited by Christopher, we are invited to gather together the homes and neighbourhoods of our city in praise of God and to receive strength from reflecting upon God’s Word (John 20:19-22).
The air remains cool. The moon still hangs overhead. There are shadows, there is silence. Early in the morning, three women journey out from the city to the burial place where they intend to care for the dead body of Jesus. They still cannot believe that the Anointed One has been crucified. But when they arrive at the end of the road, at the tomb, these three most loyal friends and followers are the first to hear the words that have changed human history and our lives – ‘You seek Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here; see the place where they laid him’ (Mark 16:6).
The painting above is the only one by the renown German painter Caspar David Friedrich with an explicit biblical theme. Devoutly Christian in the Lutheran tradition, Friedrich reminds me that journeys through shadows and sadness to places where we expect only endings can also bring us to places of wondrous new beginnings … by the grace and work of the Holy One … and it all begins here with the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
This Easter morning we take up the gospel declared to the women, and the celebration of the generations. This Easter, not gathered together in one place at the centre of the city but in our homes and apartments spread throughout the city, we will shout out ‘Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!’. Let us join together in prayer, in hymn, in reflection … and in joy! Youtube video (available Sunday morning from 6 a.m.) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzEy41z3sqfRm8X_lLfKGUA
It is the Lord, in the dawning in the renewal, in the arrival, in the new day.
It is the Lord, in the crowd, in the home, in the conversation, in the crisis.
It is the Lord, in our joys, in our sorrows, in our sickness, in our health …
It is the Lord, risen and returned, alive for evermore, giving me new life, saving me in strife.
Patricia Brintle (Crucifixion– it Is Finished, 2009)
Judas, slave of jealousy, where are you? Peter, slave of fear, where are you? Thomas, slave of doubt, where are you? Women and men of Jerusalem, ruled by public opinion, where are you? Pilate, slave of expediency, where are you?
We are here. This is Good Friday. A time to remember the passion of Jesus Christ in solidarity with us, for us and our salvation. A time to remember that to follow Christ is to be servants of all. A time to pray, that as we watch and wait with Christ, we may have courage in the hour of our testing.
I invite you to join an online combined Good Friday service, bringing together the congregations of St. Mark’s Lutheran, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian, Chalmers-Syndenham Street and Princess Street congregations. It will feature the reading of John 18-19 and some of the great hymns of the Christian faith, and will be available Friday morning from 8:30 a.m. at Youtube video – https://youtu.be/Tz6f8vtU2sI and as Podcast – https://anchor.fm/dashboard/episode/ecj900
This is our first attempt at putting together a pre-recorded service for Good Friday and I am very happy that we were able to include the participation of readers and clergy from other churches. It is very disappointing however, that we could not put our choirs together for some anthems. There are several hymns included in the service, which were sung thanks to the generosity and talents of my immediate family members. This was recorded a few weeks ago before the pandemic situation became so serious. It was very awkward even then for the five of us to be spread out in the choir loft and to try to sound like a choir. The hymns were accompanied by the St. Andrews pipe organ. The organ music at the beginning and at the end was recorded at Chalmers United Church and performed by Aurora Dokken, the organist of Chalmers and Sydenham St. United Churches. Chalmers and the other churches have some beautiful stained glass windows which are quite inspiring and some are very appropriate for this service. However, since St. Andrews is in a way hosting this event, we are confining our visuals to what this church has to offer. Along with this, I discovered in the choir room an old bible printed in 1855 and presented to St. Andrews in 1892. It contains some remarkable engravings which are shown during the Postlude. Christophers violin solo is a hymn tune from Walkers Southern Harmony of 1835 and I asked him to play it in the style of that period.
We live in a marvellous new age of technology with devices that too often get misused. But what a blessing that we have recording and broadcast tools in this time of crisis. I think that although we are not able to get together for worship this year, you will still find the service very meaningful. (John Hall, Director of Music, St. Andrew’s)
The Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem – Pietro Lorenzetti c. 1320 Basilica of St. Frances of Assisi, Assisi Italy
This is Palm Sunday, and this year it is different. This year we will be found neither gathered with the followers of Jesus, nor with neighbours and family pouring out into the streets of the city on a holy-day weekend. This year we are ‘alone, together’.
But perhaps this year I may understand more deeply than ever before how this Jesus who once rode into that city of old is now the Risen Lord approaching me, challenging me and this whole tired world, to consider a new way of living, with a gracious opportunity to reset our priorities and recover our humanity.
And something special for this special Palm Sunday … Last year Christina M., a member of St. Andrew’s, prepared a series of reflections for Holy Week. Now they can be shared, at a time when perhaps we have more time and inclination to join Christina and other Christians in reflection …
During these weeks when we cannot gather physically, members of the congregation are sharing personal thoughts and prayers as a way of maintaining community and encouraging faith. If you would like to receive a brief reflection from a member of the St. Andrew’s family each morning, just send me an email to be placed on the distribution list – [email protected]
So what was Béatrice doing this week with a pot of red cabbage leaves in one hand and a pot of brown onion skins in the other? You will have to listen the podcast or video to find out! But the main point is that … Easter is on the horizon, and this morning we return to our preparations by tackling some of the hardest-to-hear yet also most-hope-filled words of our Lord (Mark 8:31-37).
A big ‘thank you’ to John Hall, our Director of Music, and family for their contributions of music and digital recording that allow us to ‘join together, separately’ in Christian worship this day (and with services already in the works online for Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday).
During these weeks when we cannot gather physically, members of the congregation are sharing personal thoughts and prayers as a way of maintaining community and encouraging faith. If you would like to receive a brief reflection from a member of the St. Andrew’s family each morning, just send me an email to be placed on the distribution list – [email protected]
This morning I noticed the snowdrops against the limestone of St. Andrew’s. Being plants that wait not for spring to flower, they have been symbols of strong hope for many through the centuries.
These snowdrops greeted me with gospel assurance as I joined John and family to record a brief time of praise and prayer in the sanctuary, as a witness of strong hope in this time of challenge. We pray you will join us and join together in Christian worship (with thanks to Jeremy, Meghan, Danielle, Margaret, Greg and special thanks to Christopher and John for offering this gift to us).
A few updates on congregational life conclude this post.
It has always been my hope that providing a bit more information about the music presented at St. Andrew’s services will add to its understanding, appreciation and impact. And so with this the first recorded presentation, as a substitute for an actual service, I felt compelled to tell you a bit more about the music. In 1535, a German hymn book printed a hymn with a text by Lazarus Spengler about Adam’s fall and the resultant redemption by Jesus Christ. A tune which had its origin in a secular song sung by the soldiers at the Battle of Pavia, was provided for the text and first appeared in the Gesangbuch of 1536. Durch Adam’s Fall ist ganz verderbt has inspired composers like Telemann and Buxtehude to make arrangements. Franz William Zachau (1663-1727) was the teacher of G. F. Handel and composed a little chorale prelude based on the tune. The original tune followed by Zachau’s piece are presented as a Prelude. Yesterday, March 21, was the 335th birthday of Johann Sebastian Bach, born in the same year as Handel. We can often look a little deeper into Bach’s music and find some musical patterns which are based on the text. In his chorale prelude based on Durch Adam’s Fall , Adam’s fall is represented by a recurring falling interval in the pedal part. A translation of the first verse appeared in a Moravian Hymn Book of 1826:
When Adam fell, the frame entire Of nature was infected; The source whence came the poison dire Was not to be corrected, The lust accurs’d, indulg’d at first, Brought death as its production’ But God’s free grace hath sav’d our race From mis’ry and destruction.
The motet which we were able to do with our little group of singers, was probably composed by Richard Farrant (1530-1580) but other composers such as Christopher Tye have been credited. The beautiful text comes from a prayer book of 1566. The text is as follows:
Lord, for Thy tender mercies sake, lay not our sins to our charge, But forgive that is past, and give us grace to amend our sinful lives, To decline from sin and incline to virtue, That we may walk with a perfect heart Before Thee now and evermore.
We put together this little service with some sadness that you could not be with us. This is a challenging and I am sure a lonely time for many of you and I hope that this recording will be of some help and comfort.
Recording the tower bellsRecording the music and prayers inside
If you would like to subscribe to future posts on this webpage, please provide your email address in the box of the right hand column of this page, under ‘Subscribe via Email’. Beginning tomorrow, a daily email will be sent, sharing thoughts by various members of the congregation. If you would like to receive this, please send your request with your name, entitled ‘Daily Thoughts’, to [email protected]
Updates – all congregational and community group activities within the St. Andrew’s facilities have been suspended until further notice – the interior plastering and painting of the sanctuary around the tower doors is now complete! – the Kingston Lionhearts are now distributing packaged dinners seven evenings a week in Skeleton Park, 6-7 p.m. – two youth of the congregation have delivered groceries within the congregation: if you would find this helpful, contact [email protected] – a member of the congregation who works for Canadian Blood Services mentions that the response to a call for donors this week has been amazing!
We are not sure what form the next Sunday contribution will take, but stay tuned!
In response to the COVID-19 public health appeals, Gill Hall has been closed to the community groups that call it home. As Sunday evening approached, we were afraid that our friends and neighbours would be left without the weekly community meal that St. Andrew’s offers, thanks to teams from across the city who cook up a storm in the kitchen and serve with Christian care. But Marilyn of the Kingston Street Mission put Bev of Special Meals in touch with the Kingston Lionhearts … et viola, a feast delivered for take out! Driving a refrigerated van, David pulled into the St. Andrew’s lot with 150 amazing restaurant-quality meals – pork with potatoes and cauliflower, fish fillets with rice and mixed vegetables, vegetable chilli and pasta, pierogis and cheese, along with granola served with dessert bars and fresh fruit. Lionhearts, you are amazing!https://lionhearts.ca Thank you, on behalf of everyone serving and served at St. Andrew’s Sunday evening!
