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First Congregational Church
Sunday, December 28, 2014 First Sunday after Christmas Rev. Dinah Haag, preaching As I’ve come to know various families in this part of the world, I’ve also come to realize that part of their “together” time often includes singing. Whether it’s bonfires or driving or whatever the vehicle, I’ve seen/heard family singing pops up at weddings, funerals, or even sitting on the front porch. So it makes sense to celebrate our “together” time as a family today with the singing of some of those songs that love to be sung. On top of the love of singing these beloved old friends, there are the stories behind them that can make them come alive even more. That being said, our opening hymn was most commonly known by its Latin name, “Adeste Fidelis.” Although it’s not our oldest hymn today, it is over 260 years old and there may be a possibility that the words could be 700 years or older. So “Come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,” and let us sing our opening hymn - just these four of the total eight verses, and in English. “O Come, All Ye Faithful” #249 Our next song set is what I thought of in terms of being more bawdy or rowdy. It is so easy to think of the sacred hymns as being softer and more serene, and the secular carols as more “fun.” For those who have come to know me a bit, you know I appreciate flipping expectation on its head. "Good King Wenceslas" may not seem fitting for use in church - at first. But it is based on a real person, a duke from Bohemia, who died well over a thousand years ago, said to have risen from his bed at night, and with only a single servant, would go to local churches to give generous alms to widows, orphans, prisoners and those afflicted by every difficulty. To honor his efforts, the Holy Roman Emperor Otto posthumously made him a king. The reference in the song to St. Stephens is to December 26th, the day after Christmas, the day some countries call Boxing Day, since servants and tradesmen would receive gift “boxes” from their bosses or employers. It is a fitting relationship between Wenceslas and Stephen, because of Stephen’s encouragement and example to help the lesser abled among us. Good Christian Men, Rejoice” fits well with “Good King Wenceslas” because it is a true Christmas carol, rather than a Christmas hymn. True hymns are poems which have been taken from the book of Psalms, sung by the whole congregation for God, in public worship. Carols are festive songs that are religious in nature but may or may not be sung during worship and sometimes have a loose relationship to dance. “Good King Wenceslas” S 47 “Good Christian Men, Rejoice” #273 The next two songs were paired together for a purely musical element. (This is the part that makes our worship different from probably every other service in the world today.) Both songs contain melismas. Melismas, although they may be highly infectious, are not deadly in any way, so be not afraid. A melisma is singing a sustained vowel, like “o,” through a lengthy rising and falling melodic line. The second in the next pair is one of the most famous examples of a melisma and another musical M term: macaronic, which is the mixing of two languages, usually Latin and English. I am so looking forward to hearing the town buzz about those Congregationalists that heard about macaroni today. Like our last two songs, “Ding Dong Merrily on High” is a true carol, and was originally used as a secular dance tune. Composer Mr. Woodward had a particular love of church bell ringing, which you pick up when you sing it. It was first recored in 1959, and has since been recorded by Roger Whittaker, The Wiggles, The Chieftains, Julie Andrews, The Muppets and numerous others. Although most all of us can sing at least the first verse of “Angels We Have Heard on High” by heart, I wonder how many know that “Gloria in Excelsis Deo” is Latin for "Glory to God in the highest.” Although I have personally sung this song about a billion times, it wasn’t until this week’s research that I was introduced to, and so I - you, the idea of the rising and falling of the refrain phrases resembling in our perception, the beating of angels’ wings. It was also the how the shepherds would spread their holiday message and cheer from points faraway to one another. From hillside to valley, the melismatic phrases of the refrain are a perfect shepherds’ song echoing angels calling to one another. “Ding Dong Merrily on High” S 31 “Angels We Have Heard on High” #278 I know that some of you have been stretched in the choices of hymns and carols thus far, but worry not, we end in good stead. Our last two songs are also linked by a musical M word, but this time by the composer Mendelssohn, Felix, that is. “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear” was written by Richard Storrs Willis, a composer who studied under Mendelssohn. “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” comes from the second chorus of a cantata created by the illustrious composer himself. It’s interesting that “It Came upon the Midnight Clear” may be the only commonly sung Christmas carol in our hymnals that does not mention the birth of Christ. The focus is rather on the song of the angels, “Peace on the earth, good will to men,” taken from Luke 2. This may be because of the the social strife that plagued our country as the Civil War approached at the time of the carol’s composition. Verse three may strike you differently with that bit of context. As many times as any of us have sung “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing,” I wonder how many of us realize this carol was written to recognize Johann Gutenberg and the influential invention of his printing machine. But the big names associated with this song don’t just stop there. Charles Wesley, of Methodist church fame, wrote the words, and the original opening line that started, "Hark, how all the welkin rings, glory to the king of kings.” Welkin comes from Old English, Dutch and German roots, meaning people of the cloud/sky or “vault of heaven.” Along came the great Congregational evangelist, George Whitfield, or “touchdown George” as we spoke of him at the Boston Congregational Library, and yes, there is such a thing. Anyway, George never bothered to ask permission; he just changed the words to the ones we sing today, and Wesley never forgave him. Not only are all these carols a delight to sing and a joy to hear, they remind us that out of difficulty can come good, if our spirituality is about our whole being, then it would naturally include dance, and although we were primarily blessed with the birth of Christ all those years ago, we have been given many good people with talents that make our lives richer and fuller than Mary, Joseph or any of the shepherds and wisemen thought possible. So shall we sing! “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear” #251 “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing” #277 First Congregational Church
December 24, 2014 Christmas Eve Rev. Dinah Haag, preaching Long ago, there was a book series that caught the nation by storm, called “Chicken Soup for the Soul.” The books are still around, but some stories stand out more than others, as this one from Candy Chand. She wrote, “Each December, I vowed to make Christmas a calm and peaceful experience. I had cut back on nonessential obligations - extensive card writing, endless baking, decorating, and even overspending. Yet I found myself exhausted, unable to appreciate the precious family moments, and of course, the true meaning of Christmas. So far, this could be a lot of us, at various times in our lives. My son, Nicholas, was in kindergarten that year. It was an exciting season for a six year old. For weeks, he'd been memorizing songs for his school's "Winter Pageant.” I didn't have the heart to tell him I'd be working the night of the production. Unwilling to miss his shining moment, I spoke with his teacher. She assured me there'd be a dress rehearsal the morning of the presentation. All parents unable to attend that evening were welcome to come then. Fortunately, Nicholas seemed happy with the compromise. So, the morning of the dress rehearsal, I filed in ten minutes early, found a spot on the cafeteria floor and sat down. Around the room, I saw several other parents quietly scampering to their seats. As I waited, the students were led into the room. Each class, accompanied by their teacher, sat cross-legged on the floor. Then, each group, one by one, rose to perform their song. When my son's class rose to sing, "Christmas Love," Nicholas was aglow, as were all of his classmates, adorned in fuzzy mittens, red sweaters, and bright snowcaps upon their heads. Those in the front row- center stage - held up large letters, one by one, to spell out the title of the song. As the class would sing "C is for Christmas," a child would hold up the letter C. Then, "H is for Happy," and on and on, until each child holding up his portion had presented the complete message, "Christmas Love.” On any given year, this might be on stage at Frankfort Elementary, or any other elementary school. The performance was going smoothly, until suddenly, we noticed her; a small, quiet, girl in the front row holding the letter "M" upside down - totally unaware her letter "M" appeared as a “W". The audience of 1st through 6th graders snickered at this little one's mistake. But she had no idea they were laughing at her, so she stood tall, proudly holding her “W". Although many teachers tried to shush the children, the laughter continued until the last letter was raised, and we all saw it together. A hush came over the audience and eyes began to widen. In that instant, we understood the reason we were there, why we celebrated the holiday in the first place, why even in the chaos, there was a purpose for our festivities. When the last letter was held high, the message read loud and clear: "CHRIST WAS LOVE.” After four weeks of waiting, the time has arrived: the celebration of carols and scriptures, our togetherness and an infant born so long ago. As the evening continues to unfold, allow your whole being to enter into all that has been prepared - love - for you, and me and all the other people in this world and through the ages. You may remain seated, but let us continue with the Christmas Eve Unison Prayer in your bulletin. The children brought the message in their personages and in simplicity - of God's love that came as a baby. It continues to be a really wonderful message!
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