God of Grace and God of Glory! What a wonderful Hymn of the Day to sing this weekend at our 8:30 and 11:00 worship services! And we will sing a contemporary hymn titled "God of Wonders" at 9:45 worship. Both of these pieces of worship music bring to life again how blessed we are to have a God who created the wonders of creation, the universe, the stars and our world - as well as humanity and all life!
This God does stretch beyond our galaxy and yet, we find comfort in the familiar songs and hymns that remind us of God's love and mercy. If you can't worship on site, I hope this week you will watch one of our 3 services online - 9:45 with Donna leading "God of Wonders" or the 8:30 or 11:00 Services - where each Choir brings a simple, yet lovely version of "Dona Nobis Pacem" to the offertory time, with a light accompaniment that brings out the sparkle in the translation - Grant Us Your Peace.
"God of Wonders" is written Steve Hindalong and Marc Byrd, of the Christian rock group "The Choir". The song was originally recorded by Mac Powell with Cliff and Danielle Young. It is the first track on the 2000 compilation album, City on a Hill: Songs of Worship and Praise. It has been recorded as a cover many times by a variety of artists. This song helps us sing of the wonder of the God of creation, of the universe - the Lord of heaven and earth; reminding us that we on earth are loved by the God of heaven.
Dona Nobis Pacem is a short prayer for
peace from the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) of the Latin mass. The Agnus Dei, which comes
from the St. John - 1:29, was one of the last items to be added to the
Mass Ordinary – or as we say in protestant churches, the Holy Communion
Service. It was originally sung while the priest breaks the bread or host (called
the Fraction of the Host) to prepare to serve holy communion. Thought to have come from a folk melody, the melody/round
of Dona Nobis Pacem is believed to have surfaced in its “round” form in
the 16th or 17th century in Germany. The melody has
traditionally been attributed to Mozart, but that is not proven. English-language
hymnals usually mark it "Traditional".
This setting comes from St. James Music Press and is arranged
by Barbara Wallace, (died 2005) a Canadian Composer. The Accompaniment quotes The
First Noel and Silent Night.
I hope the music speaks to you along with God's spoken Word from scripture and from worship - and that you hear how marvelous God is, and how much God loves us - loves you and offers to bring his presence and peace to you and our world, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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