St. Matthews Episcopal Church

Episcopal Church in Snellville, GA

I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. John 13:34

Morning Prayer And the Canticles

Written and compiled by Kyle Osborne, Director of Music at St. Matthew’s

The office of Morning Prayer was created by Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, for the 1549 Book of Common Prayer.  Cranmer combined the offices of Matins (the nighttime vigil), Lauds (which took place at Dawn) and Prime (which took place around 6am) from the Liturgy of the Hours (also known as the Divine Office which marked the hours of each day with prayer) to create Morning Prayer.

Invitatory and Psalter
At the Invitatory, the Venite (Psalm 95) or the Jubilate (Psalm 100) are said or sung. The Venite, a carryover from the office of Matins (Vigil), is an invitation to worship. The Jubilate, which was used as an entrance song in The Temple, is a song of thanksgiving and praise. The Jubilate was also the opening Psalm at Lauds (Dawn Prayer). This coming Sunday we will be singing a setting of the Venite (S-35).

Venite     Psalm 95:1-7
Come, let us sing to the Lord; *
let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving *
and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.

For the Lord is a great God, *
and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the caverns of the earth, *
and the heights of the hills are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it, *
and his hands have molded the dry land.

Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, *
and kneel before the Lord our Maker.
For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. *
Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice!

Jubilate      Psalm 100
Be joyful in the Lord, all you lands; *
serve the Lord with gladness
and come before his presence with a song.

Know this: The Lord himself is God; *
he himself has made us, and we are his;
we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise; *
give thanks to him and call upon his Name.

For the Lord is good;
his mercy is everlasting; *
and his faithfulness endures from age to age.

Canticles
After the first and second lesson at Morning Prayer a Canticle is said or sung. A Canticle is a song of praise with a biblical or biblically inspired text. Perhaps the most famous Canticles are the Gloria (Glory to God in the highest) and the Magnificat (Song of Mary). See BCP pages 85-96 for a list of Canticles 8-21. Canticles 1-7, which use traditional language, can be found on BCP pages 47-52. Many different musical settings of the Canticles can be found, including chant, choral, organ, and metrical paraphrase.

We will be using metrical paraphrases for both Canticle 12 – A Song of Creation (Benedicite, omnia opera Domini), and Canticle 21 – You are God (Te Deum laudamus) this coming Sunday.

A Song of Creation is from the Greek Septuagint version of the book of Daniel. This Canticle is often referred to as the Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men (Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were the three young men who praised God even after being placed in the fiery furnace during the Babylonia Exile). A Song of Creation was originally used in Christian worship as a canticle at Easter Vigil and Thomas Cranmer suggested its use as an alternative to the Te Deum during Lent.

Our setting for Canticle 12 comes from Wonder, Love, and Praise #885. The metrical paraphrase of the text is by Carl Daw. The music is by Williams Bradley Roberts and was written specifically for the text.

Let all creation bless the Lord,
till heav’n with praise is ringing.
Sun, moon, and stars, peal out a chord,
stir up the angels’ singing.
Sing, wind, and rain! Sing, snow and sleet!
Make music, day, night, cold and heat:
exalt the God who made you.
All living things upon the earth,
green fertile hills and mountains,
sing to the God who gave you birth;
be joyful, springs and fountains.
Lithe waterlife, bright airborne birds,
wild roving beasts, tame flocks and herds:
exalt the God who made you.

O men and women everywhere,
lift up a hymn of glory;
let all who know God’s steadfast care
tell out salvation’s story.
No tongue be silent; sing your part,
you humble souls and meek of heart:
exalt the God who made you.
Carl P. Daw, Jr.

The Te Deum is one of the oldest hymns of praise. Dating from c. 387 the authorship was traditionally ascribed to Saint Ambrose (d. 397) but is now considered to be by an unknown author. Traditionally, the Te Deum was said at the end of Matins on all days that the Gloria was said at Mass.

Our setting for Canticle 21 is #366, verses 1-4, from The Hymnal 1982. The text is attributed to Ignace Franz and translated by Clarence A. Walworth. The music GROSSER GOTT is from Katholisches Gesangbuch, Vienna, c. 1774.

Holy God, we praise your name;
Lord of all, we bow before you;
all on earth your scepter claim,
all in heav’n above adore you.
Infinite your vast domain,
everlasting is your reign.

Hark, the loud celestial hymn
angel choirs above are raising;
cherubim and seraphim
in unceasing chorus praising,
fill the heav’ns with sweet accord:
“Holy, holy, holy Lord.”

Lo! the apostolic train
join your sacred name to hallow;
prophets swell the glad refrain,
and the white robed martyrs follow;
and from morn to set of sun,
through the church the song goes on.

Holy Father, Holy Son,
Holy Spirit, Three we name you;
while in essence only One,
undivided God we claim you,
and adoring bend the knee,
while we sing this mystery.

I encourage you to take time to read, explore, and meditate on the Canticles. Listen to different musical settings and be refreshed.

Blessings,
Kyle Osborne
Director of Music and Organist

Links for listening:
Te Deum in alternatim – The Te Deum sung by the Maîtrise de Notre-Dame-de-Paris led by Cantor Jehan Revert, in alternatim with Pierre Cochereau at the Grand Orgue of Notre-Dame. The choir sings the first half of the verse. The organ, representing the Heavenly Choir of Angels, plays the second half of the verse.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohDqL6pjpjY

Te Deum for Solo, Chorus and Orchestra by Marc Antoine Charpentier https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxZQ1ODN1iU

 Coronation Te Deum by William Walton
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_lfKdAHgGw

 Jubilate Deo by Benjamin Britten
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_lfKdAHgGw

 Te Deum by Anton Bruckner
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgDBhcF8mus

 Magnificat from Collegium Regale by Herbert Howells
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpB9mQHORlg

 Nunc Dimittis in C by Charles Villiers Stanford
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e17kukPiXz8

 Let all Creation bless the Lord – A song of creation by Alice Parker
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hB6UxsYRwXQ

 Glory to God in the Highest
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBWbAmKr5OU



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Families Attend St. Matthew’s Virtual VBS

FAMILIES ATTEND ST. MATTHEW’S VIRTUAL VBS
This year’s Virtual VBS invited the whole family to participate. VBS consisted of exploring “Godly Joy in Worship,” by creating and enriching a family’s Home Altar Space. Families enhanced their Home Altar Space through the ministries of Altar Guild, Flower Guild, Music, and Bread Guild and learned how to incorporate nature in their Sacred Space. Thank you to all who worked to put this VBS together. To view these videos, check out our StMattsSnellville YouTube videos from the week’s Worship presenters.
If you were not able to attend or would like to create or enrich your Home Altar Space we have posted all the videos on our website. We also have additional Activity Bags for those interested. Please contact Fr. Tommy to coordinate.



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Musings: What Will On-Site Worship Look Like At St. Matt’s In 2020?

As found in my article last week, Bishop Wright is allowing worship on campus beginning with the first Sunday in July, but with policies and procedures in place to create a safe worship service for those who attend. Putting a system in place to meet these requirements means that we will not have in-sanctuary worship until sometime in August or September. However, we WILL be continuing services online and that will be true even after we open.

When we do open the sanctuary for worship, the service will look very different from what it was in January and February. Let me share some of the significant details:

1. We can only have a maximum of 50 people in the sanctuary at one time, including those leading worship, the ushers, greeters, lectors, etc.
2. To comply with the limited attendance, you will need to sign up to attend a service, either on-line or by calling the office (for those who are uncomfortable trying to make reservations on-line), and will either be assigned seating or allowed a selection of seats. We are required to keep every other row empty and to seat singles, couples or family groups at least six feet apart. And we are required to wear masks during the service.
3. It will be very important that you sit in your assigned seat for contact-tracing purposes, should that become necessary.
4. So once we get here, what will the service look like?
a. Entering the church will look a lot like entering many retail stores during this time, with one-way markings to come in and go out. Ushers will help us maintain social distance in the courtyard and narthex until we are able to enter and be seated.
b. To avoid cross-contamination we will not be able to use prayer books, hymnals or service bulletins, so we are exploring the temporary use of video screens, or perhaps providing instructions on downloading the service bulletin to your phone or tablet.
 c. At this time, the bishop is not allowing Holy Communion, so worship will either be Morning Prayer or Ante-Communion, such as we are doing on-line right now.
d. Due to the risks of spreading the virus by singing, we will not be able to sing the hymns for a while. We will still have Kyle at the organ, and beautiful music WILL occur on Sunday.
e. Passing of the Peace will be from where you are seated.

I would imagine by this time you might be wondering, “what’s left?”
1. We will be able to see and greet each other.
2. We will be able to see the sunlight coming through the St. Matthew’s window and the colors reflected on the altar.
3. We will have time to sit quietly and breathe in the Spirit that we feel when we are in the sanctuary.
4. We will have beautiful music to lift our spirits and our hearts.
5. We will be able to see our beautiful gardens, blooming in all of God’s glory.

Thank you for your continued prayers for St. Matthew’s as we strive to move forward during this pandemic. Please continue to pray for those working to “open” the church building and plan services that are both meaningful and safe for the those attending.

Beloved, I know that the times we are in are challenging. There will be a time when this has passed and we will be able to come together in full community again. Until then, we will use the technology available to keep us connected, remembering that the church has not closed because the church is US. And we WILL continue to be church!
God’s Peace,
Mother Liz+



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Bishop Wright Announces Phase One Reopening of Churches

On Wednesday, Bishop Wright announced to the clergy that churches in the Diocese of Atlanta may begin holding services in the church after July 1, with the first services being held on or after July 5. While this is good news, it also comes with a series of very specific requirements designed to ensure that when we meet together in the sanctuary for worship, we offer the safest space possible for all concerned.

The Advisory Committee met last night to discuss how we might move forward, now that we have the diocesan requirements and guidelines. There is a lot of planning and preparation required before we come together again as community, balancing our desire to worship together with creating the safest space possible for all our members.

While we have been given the permission to begin worship in the sanctuary, it will be awhile until we will be ready, and there is much to be done.

While we have been given the permission to begin worship in the sanctuary, it will be awhile until we will be ready, and there is much to be done. Consideration must be given to such stipulations as limited attendance and safety spacing, contact tracing, disinfection of the space, the challenge of worshiping without bulletins, hymnals or prayer books, and for a time, no Communion. As we review the diocesan requirements with various groups that help plan worship, we will get a better idea of the timeline. When we know more, we will share that information with you, with regular updates both in the Messenger, on our website and on our Facebook page. We can also use the Zoom coffee hour to give you the latest information.

While we long to worship together again in the sanctuary, it’s good to remember that the Church is not “closed”. WE are the Church, and we continue to do God’s work in God’s Kingdom. I ask your prayers for those who are engaged in the project to get us ready for on-campus worship. I know how anxious I am to see everyone again, and I’m sure that you feel the same way. However, the times in which we live means we must always err on the side of safety.
Blessings, Mother Liz+



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St. Matthew’s Listening Library: Music From Our Choirs

A compilation of recordings from our Music Ministry that includes: Handbell Choir; Sanctuary Choir; Hymns; piano and organ music for meditation. Kyle Osborne, Director of Music

Music for Meditation

It is well with my soul with Moonlight Sonata
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROxxBs5ybkE

Meditation on a Folk Song (O Waly, Waly)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2Dce3KjudM

Meditation on Resignation (My Shepherd will supply my needs)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TE7v_Rv2H2Q&t=64s

The peace may be exchanged
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkbSMNXOVD0

Meditation on Veni Creator Spiritus
https://youtu.be/Cla2CDoDkUM

Improvisation on Holy God we praise your Name
https://youtu.be/h43g-a1_9aI

Crucifixion from Symphonie Passion
https://youtu.be/0s_N9e32bcw


Hymns

Morning has broken
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukpZpw6U3zc&t=33s

All Glory, Laud and Honor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QZw2km2z8o&t=2s

My Shepherd will supply my needs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVNPvQT32UA&t=2s

Come my way, my truth, my life
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-wTC7-P36s

Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0uCnAQaamw&t=77s

All people that on Earth do dwell
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BalJEkf0Kw

I bind unto myself today
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKrH6m27yN8

Jesus shall reign where’er the Sun
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mufRV5VCVys&t=3s

He who would valiant be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dbj5OOltP1w

We know that Christ is raised and dies no more
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC3_2mgN3Ic

We walk by faith and not by sight
https://youtu.be/MqgguZqIDgA

Alleluia, Alleluia, give thanks to the risen Lord
https://youtu.be/ROTlNIYKNP0

He is risen, He is risen
https://youtu.be/fb0siz4wbDA

Now the green blade riseth
https://youtu.be/Shp7uO6sAnQ

We the Lord’s People
https://youtu.be/0zThai_9IHU

Come Holy Spirit, Heavenly Dove
https://youtu.be/ta23_zO6Kcg

Come down O Love divine
https://youtu.be/j2e0HuM1v4s


Sanctuary Choir

Ave verum corpus – Mozart
https://youtu.be/xldgxOH6a0Q

The Souls of the Righteous
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMu0JJOFwLE

The Lord’s my Shepherd (Brother James’ Air)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgWBs_9Na-w&t=3s

Through all the World below
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kuqSbiHXk8

The Road Home
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_XEYYJzMEM

There is a Land of pure delight
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sq1WhEX7xMA

O love that will not let me go
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Cj8GByktLI

Handbell Choir

Simple Gifts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQE_XDobwGs

I sing the mighty power of God
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWP9JjciUxk

Trumpet Sinfonia
https://youtu.be/2kY7EMoLEPM



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Monday, June 1, Designated as a Day of Mourning and Lament

Monday, June 1, Designated as a Day of Mourning and Lament

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry has joined other faith leaders in calling for a national day of mourning and lament on June 1 as the United States exceeds 100,000 documented deaths from COVID-19. In response to this, St. Matthew’s WILL NOT begin the summer schedule on Monday, but will hold special services of mourning and lament at 8:00 a.m.  and 6:00 p.m.

The summer schedule will start on Tuesday, June 2, with a single service at 8:00 a.m.



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Letter To the Parish From Mother Liz+

5/23/2020
To the St. Matthew’s Community:
I pray this note finds you safe and well and enjoying the fine weather of this Memorial Day weekend. I am writing to clarify some information that has come my way.
Last week, the Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta announced that, with recommended safeguards in place, their churches would be able to hold in-person daily masses beginning Monday, May 25, with Sunday masses available on the following weekend (Pentecost). Some folks reported to me that in the new announcement they heard about this, the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta was included.
Below is a note sent out by Bishop Wright and posted on his Facebook page yesterday (5-22-20):
Brothers and Sisters, at this time let us remember that worship has both a vertical and horizontal component. To gather and say the words of faith without caring for our neighbors is not worship that pleases God, according to the Bible. Instead, let us say our prayers and meditate on God’s word in the safety of our homes until such time as it is safe and smart to resume in person worship. Therefore this means our worship, meeting and teaching in the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta will remain online. I look forward to the day that we can reconnect in person but until then let us ask the Holy Spirit to make us the liberated and courageous church Jesus sought to start.
While I am grateful that technology and the commitment of St. Matthew’s clergy and staff have allowed us to continue worshiping together on-line, many of us are anxious to be back in the sanctuary on Sunday. Your rector is one of those people. However, I trust the bishop, and I trust the advice he is receiving from his advisors. If he feels the time is not yet, I am going to trust that as well.
A soon as we have clearance to return, we will send out a dedicated note like this one. And please also know that, even though we are not yet allowed to return, work is going on in the background to determine what church worship will look like in Phase 1 of the opening (and there will be phases; we will not initially return to what church worship was like in February). Whenever we are given permission to return, we want to be ready.
I ask that you continue to pray for the healing of sick, the medical community and first responders who take care of them, and the scientists who are working non-stop to find treatments and a vaccine. And I humbly ask your prayers for your St. Matthew’s clergy and staff, as we strive to keep you updated with the latest information, and as we work to find creative ways to keep members of St. Matthew’s connected one to another.
God’s Peace,
Liz+



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Summer Online Weekday Worship Schedule Effective June 2

SUMMER ONLINE WEEKDAY WORSHIP SCHEDULE

The new schedule, effective June 2nd is as follows:

Monday 6:00 p.m. – Father Tommy

Tuesday at 8:00 a.m. – volunteer needed

Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. – Healing Service, Mother Liz and Father Tommy will alternate

Thursday at 8:00 a.m. – Mother Liz

Friday at 6:00 p.m. – Family Compline

(Sunday Online worship continues to be at 10:00 a.m.)

If you are interested in leading one of the Tuesday morning services, please let Father Tommy or Mother Liz know, and we will get you on the schedule.  We are also looking for families who would lead Family Compline on Friday nights at 6:00 p.m.



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Musings With Mother Liz: Maundy Thursday

Musings from Mother Liz:
A Meditation for the Triduum
Maundy Thursday, April 9, 2020

In the Gospel reading from Mark appointed for the Daily Office today, Jesus is in the upper room celebrating Passover with his disciples, when he institutes the last supper, by sharing bread and wine and profound words of these simple foods being more than that.

If this were like previous years, we would gather tonight at the church; we would share our last Eucharist together; we would wash feet and hands; we would follow the procession as the reserve sacrament is placed in a space where meditation on the significance of Jesus’ act could be contemplated in silence while we maintained vigil. We would watch as the altar and chancel slowly become bare; the symbols of what we do in this space removed, one by one. When there was nothing else to say that could be said, the lights would be turned down, few people would remain for the Vigil, and the rest of us would leave in silence, feeling the air grow thick around us, walking more slowly; more heavily than we did when we entered.

But this year is not like any other year. This year is different. Tomorrow, we will contemplate Good Friday at home, When we awake, we will sense that the day is different, but we will not be sure if it is because it is Good Friday, or another day of forced isolation because of COVID-19. Since we cannot go to the church for Good Friday services, we look forward to the service posted on our Facebook page, but some of us will create our own silent space. We will turn off the television and the iPad, and put our cell phones on mute, – acts that will intentionally disconnect us from our only contact with the outside – hoping we can mark this day as different from the isolated days before it. As we sit in the silence, the memories of previous Good Fridays float through our consciousness. In so short a time, so much has changed.

Perhaps we sit in the quiet, and think about Jesus, and we find that there is a new level of understanding for us in how alone he was. Betrayed by one of the twelve, denied by Peter, deserted by all of them – Jesus stands in front of the Sanhedrin leadership alone; in front of Pilate, alone. He will walk to the cross alone. As he cries out from the cross the first verse of Psalm 22, we realize that even God seems absent.
It might lead us to think about the false charges made against Jesus by the Sanhedrin; and our question could be, “why did Pilate have to condemn him to death?” Pilate found no guilt in him; no cause to hold him; he is even warned by his wife to have nothing to do with this man Jesus. But he gives in to political pressure and the demands of an angry crowd. Our hearts hurting at the blatant injustice, our thoughts turn to those who have died from COVID-19; “injustice” has many faces. We hang our heads in sorrow at the large numbers of people infected with this virus, and we mourn those who have died.

It is a sad fact that nothing can change the past; wishes and anguish change nothing.
But if there is a purpose to our sadness and mourning at all, it is to connect the suffering of Jesus with the suffering in the world today. As we sit in sorrow over the injustice of Jesus’ death, and tears prick our eyes when we consider the painful way he died, we remember what is occurring around us, as this virus moves indiscriminately through countries, states, towns, homes, families – and even our friends.
The grace that lies deep in the sorrow and pain we suffer is the knowledge that God suffers with us. How else would we be able to get out of bed in the morning, if we believed we had to carry this sadness and pain alone? In the person of Jesus, God suffers with us. And through it all, God loves us. In his letter to the Romans, Paul writes this:

“If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else….Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword…No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord”.

Trust this, as you move slowly through this dark time. God, too, knows what suffering means. God wept on that Friday so long ago, and God weeps today. God’s heart breaks for us and with us. But God does not leave us. We claim the promise. We are not alone.



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At St. Matthew’s, our MISSION is to continue the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ, by serving the greater community through loving its children, caring for the unfortunate and witnessing to the healing power of God’s love.

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