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On an August 29 a number of years ago, as I was praying the collect for St. Augustine of Hippo, I could not help but hear strains of music emerging from amidst the very words of the prayer. I said “Amen” at the end of the prayer, closed the book, and allowed myself to be lost in a sacred music reverie.

I thought about all the music I had chosen and directed over the past several years, trying to determine the piece in question. And then, through an incense-filled haze, my mind led me to that sublime temple of Episcopal worship down the road, the Church of St. Michael and St. George in Clayton, Missouri. It was there, under the superb direction of Robert Lehman, that the assembled choirs sang “O thou that art the light” by Gabriel Jackson.

“O thou that art the light of the minds that know thee,
The life of the souls that love thee,
And the strength of the wills that serve thee:
Help us to know them that truly love thee,
And so to love thee that we might fully serve thee,
Whom to serve is perfect freedom. Amen.”

I recalled all of this with fondness earlier this year when I learned one of my colleagues, Zack, is to be ordained to the priesthood on the feast of St. Augustine.

The choir will sing for his ordination, and I could think of no better piece than “O thou that art the light.”

I searched the choir library for other music with texts by Augustine of Hippo and found only a single additional piece: a short motet, “Fecisti nos,” by Philip Radcliffe. This piece sets, in Latin, a familiar phrase from Augustine:

“You made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”

The collect for the feast, the one that brought Jackson's music to mind all those years ago, beautifully synthesizes these two texts: the minds, the souls, and the restless hearts (or wills, in the translation Jackson uses).

Lord God, the light of the minds that know you, the life of the souls that love you, and the strength of the hearts that serve you: Help us, following the example of your servant, Augustine of Hippo, so to know you that we may truly love you, and so to love you that we may fully serve you, whose service is perfect freedom; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Words and music come to us, sometimes unbidden, and help us to name the unutterable.

Over time, music can help to inscribe the words of our faith on our hearts—yes, those restless hearts, the ones prone to wandering.

In our duty, we find delight. In our service, we find freedom.

Labels: Gabriel Jackson, Philip Radcliffe, Robert Lehman, St Michael & St George (St Louis)

This evening I had the good fortune to be able to attend the "Passion Vespers: Meditations on the Passion of Christ" at the Church of St. Michael & St. George, St. Louis. It was billed as "service of the spoken word and music featuring readings selected from Scripture, the ancient Church Fathers, and modern-day poets interspersed with seasonal music, sung by the Choir, to illuminate the texts."

There is something compelling about the idea of worship on the Evening of Palm Sunday. The festivity of the morning being ended, Holy Week has entered its dark, preparatory intensity. A service on this day, or early in Holy Week, can draw is further in to the mystery and simply allow us a place to reflect, pray, and praise.

The service at St. Michael's was splendid and well appointed. It followed a pattern of non-biblical reading, anthem, versicle and response, collect. Two hymns were included.

The only comparison I have for this type of liturgy is the "Meditation on the Passion of Christ" service at St. John's, Cambridge. By comparison, I found this service to be much less noisy (the John's service begins with "All glory, laud, and honor" in procession) and more focused. The procession in and out of the church was done in silence.

I was concerned about the readings being entirely non-biblical, but they were so well chosen, and so compelling, I have to say I didn't mind at all.

Having been to the service, and with my leaflet still in hand, I can amend the published music list with a few more details. Most of the music was new to me, and all of it perfectly chosen for this liturgy. The cumulative effect was one of true meditation.

• Opening Devotions, including the said Kyrie and Lord's Prayer, collect
• Choral orison: "The Cross" by A. Fairbairn Barnes (a new name to me, some biographical info here)
• Meditation I, from John Chrysostom
• It is a thing most wonderful — Philip Moore
• Meditation II, from Julian of Norwich
• Lamb of God, most holy — Robert Lehman, the Organist & Choirmaster (a lovely piece, listen here)
• Hymn, "Alas, and did my Savior bleed!", sung to a haunting American hymn tune, LIBERTY HALL (a version here)
• Meditation III, from St. Bonaventure
• Drop, drop slow tears — Kenneth Leighton
• Meditation IV, from George Herbert
• Author of life divine — Peter Aston, another gorgeous miniature which would serve well as a communion anthem at any time of the year
• Meditation V, from the Orthodox Liturgy of Holy Saturday ("Today a tomb holds him who holds the creation in the hollow of his hand...")
• Give me that stranger — Michael McCarthy (a piece so compelling it has appeared on this blog previously)
• Meditation VI, from Thomas Traherne
• Ubi caritas et amor — Ola Gjeilo
• Hymn, "My song is love unknown"
• Ride on, ride on in majesty — Grayston Ives (a piece that I've only read through and never heard sung. I was glad that the effect of this piece in performance is as rich as it appears on the page. I think I need to order copies of this now.)
• Concluding Prayers

It was interesting that the mention of Jesus' triumphal entry appeared at the end of this liturgy, but in the words of Henry Millman, it is not Jesus' entry into Jerusalem that is ultimately the focus of Passiontide, but his entry into battle–"Thy last and fiercest strife"–which causes us to plead "Then take, O God, thy power and reign."

It's easy to see a service like this abbreviated on a music list and think that it must be a slapdash "Lenten Lessons and Carols". This service was nothing of the sort. This year the start of my Holy Week has been immeasurably enriched by the very thoughtful, carefully prepared liturgy held at St. Michael's.

O Lord, Christ, Lamb of God, Lord of Lords, 
  call us, who are called to be saints, 
    along the way of Thy cross: 
Draw us, who would draw nearer our King 
  to the foot of Thy cross:
Cleanse us, who are not worthy of approach, 
  with the pardon of Thy cross:
Instruct us, the ignorant and blind, 
  in the school of Thy cross: 
Arm us, for the battles of holiness 
  by the might of Thy cross: 
Bring us, in fellowship of Thy sufferings 
  to the victory of Thy cross: 
And seal us in the Kingdom of Thy glory 
  among the servants of Thy cross, 
    O crucified Lord; 
who with the Father and Holy Ghost 
  livest and reignest one God 
    almighty, eternal, 
      world without end. Amen.

            –Eric Milner-White

Labels: Robert Lehman, St John's (Cambridge), St Michael & St George (St Louis)