Today’s offertory anthem is another favorite of mine, although I have historically used another arrangement of this well-known spiritual. I hope to introduce you to the other arrangement of Precious Lord, by Arnold Sevier. Part of the reason why I didn’t choose that particular version this morning is because it requires the choir to divide into more than 8 parts, but as you can see, we’re a little shorthanded during the pandemic!

If you have a moment, go on YouTube and check out Arnold Sevier’s arrangement of this spiritual. It’s sure to speak to your soul.

The communion anthem, God So Loved the World, is not the version of this text many of you know. The one that most church choirs know, is the version by John Stainer. Again, check that out on YouTube to make a comparison of that version, and the one we are singing this morning, by John Goss. Goss lived a generation earlier than John Stainer, although both of them were English Composers.

When comparing different versions of music that have the exact same text, it amazes me how much different the meaning of the words become. When you hear both versions side by side, new meanings emerge. I notice a similar phenomenon in choral music. You can have one choir that is conducted by two different people, and the choir sounds totally different! It must be that our presence makes an impression on the world, no matter what we do. For example, as “mighty” as our Fisk organ is, it’s only as mighty as the organist who touches it. As beautiful as the lyrics of a song are, they are only as beautiful as how the composer sets them. Words can change meaning when two different composers interpret them.

In many ways our lives are exactly the same. They are limited by how we interpret life itself. Life cannot be defined universally, nor can it be objectified. This is where the brain has severe limits, it wants to know what life is. It wants to “find” solutions for every so-called problem, and it wants to predict the outcome. The mind wants to “know” certainty, but life never provides that. God provides certainty. Music helps us to remember the fluidity of life, and the stability of God. Both anthems remind us that God’s power works through us, not in spite of us, and often in directions that surprise us. And just when you think you know what life is all about, disaster ensues, and you find yourself seeking God’s guidance once again. It’s the school of life, and it’s why we’re here. Let these anthems remind us of that universal need for taking hold of the hand of God.  Soli deo Gloria!