Welcome to Sundays at Home
Good morning and welcome to Trinity! So glad you are tuning in virtually for today’s service. Each week you’ll find Sundays at Home with Trinity Episcopal Church. We feature the full service recording, as well as the sermon and anthem on their own.
In-person services are held at Trinity Church each Sunday at 8:00am & 10:30am and at 12:00noon each Wednesday. And join us for Christmas Events and Services!
Once again, thank you for tuning in and for being faithful with your time, talents, and treasures.
Grace and Peace!
Rev. Jonathan V. Adams
Worship for December 12, 2021
The Third Sunday of Advent
Please view the embedded video of our service below by clicking on the grey arrow in the middle of the image.
Our Trinity Kids series is currently featuring previously recorded episodes.
About the Music:
The Third Sunday of Advent, known as Gaudete Sunday in the liturgical calendar of Western Christianity, takes its name from the Latin word Gaudete (“Rejoice”), the first word of the Introit (opening) of this day’s mass in the Roman church - “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice”. Gaudete Sunday provides a break in an otherwise more penitential season similar to Lent, and is when we light the pink candle on the Advent wreath. Also known as “Rose Sunday”, this day symbolizes the joy and gladness in our promised Redemption. The readings for this Sunday talk about rejoicing in the Lord as well as the mission of John the Baptist and his connection to Advent.
The opening voluntary, “Fanfare and Aria on Picardy” by Albert Zabel (1935-2017) is based on hymn #324, “Let all mortal flesh keep silence”. This text is set to a French folk melody from the 17th century, and is named for the province of France where it is thought to have originated. Mr. Zabel was a church musician for many years in Huntington WV, and is a published composer of handbell music, organ music, and children’s musicals. The “Fanfare” is a dialogue between the front and back trumpets of the organ, and has a joyful, rejoicing quality that provides a fitting opening for this day. The “Aria”, a song-like movement with a melody and accompaniment is more subdued. Both movements hint at the hymn melody but do not quote it directly.
The text of the opening hymn, #68, “Rejoice, rejoice, believers” dates from the 17th century and is married to the 19th century Welsh tune “Llangloffan”, set in the minor mode. Although the hymn is in the Advent section of the hymnal, it alludes to the marriage of the Bride (the church) and the Bridegroom and the second coming of Christ.
Hymn 65, “Prepare the way, O Zion” was written by Frans Mikael Franzen from Finland/Sweden in the 19th century. The text was set to a Swedish tune, “Bereden vag for Herran”, already 150 years old by then. “Zion” is mentioned in all 3 verses. First, that literally refers to a mountain near Jerusalem, and figuratively to the people of God, or the city where God dwells. In the New Testament, “Zion” refers to the Kingdom of God for which we wait in Advent expectation and hope. It also refers to the heavenly city descending from heaven, the New Jerusalem which we long for and wait for in anticipation for the Wedding Feast of the Lamb as the Bride of Christ.
“Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence” is the basis of the Offertory Anthem by English composer Gustav Holst (1874-1934), best known for his orchestral suite “The Planets”. Holst was also noted as a great trombonist and trombone teacher. The mystical qualities of this hymn are brought out in the sparse writing of the first 3 verses, but in the 4th verse the organ peals forth gloriously while the choir sings “Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Lord most high”.
Hymn 72, “Hark the glad sound! The Saviour comes” is an Advent hymn by Philip Dodderidge (1702-1751), who belonged to the Non-conformist church in England and wrote some 400 hymns. We sing it to the tune “Richmond”, composed by Thomas Haweis in 1792.
Finally, the concluding voluntary is a festive postlude called “Gaudeamus” (“Let us rejoice!”) by English composer Sidney Campbell (1909-1974), who held many church positions within the Church of England. Like the prelude, it opens with a Fanfare, which passes to a joyful fugal section and comes to a huge conclusion.