August 3, 2025

We are fortunate to have Ben Smith playing cello with the prelude, hymns, and during communion.  The prelude is "Priere" (French for "Prayer), by Camille Saint-Saens (1835-1921), the famous French romantic composer and organist.  "Priere" was written in 1919.

Our processional hymn is the well known "Praise to the living God" (372), the Hebrew melody turned hymn in the 19th century.  At the Gospel we will sing "Where cross the crowded ways of life" (609), one of my favorites and from the early 19th century as you may note.

We will have a choir for this special Sunday, and the anthem will be "They Shall Soar Like Eagles", the text based on Isaiah 40: 29-31.  The music and paraphrase of the text are both by Laura Manzo, 20th century American.  Linda Wozniak will be playing flute with the anthem.

During communion we will first sing hymn 660, "O Master, let me walk with Thee", after which Ben and I will play arrangements of 2 hymns. "It is well with my soul" and "Jerusalem, my happy home".  

Closing, we will sing the great hymn, "Love divine, all loves excelling" (657).

The postlude will be the "Psalm XIX" of Benedetto Marcello, the famous Italian composer from J.S. Bach's time, Marcello living from 1686-1739 (Bach, 1685-1750).