October 22-23, 2011
Prelude- I Love You, Lord Medley
To set the tone for this mass, I will sing a medley of songs of adoration and love for God. This week's Gospel focuses on the first of the two greatest commandments, to "love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." Our love for God forms how we love one another, and so I chose to begin with these love songs to God, including the worship songs I Love You, Lord and I Love You Lord, Today, as well as Richard Smallwood's I Love the Lord, which was featured in the movie, The Preacher's Wife, in 1996.
Choral Anthem- Love Comes From God Allen Pote (b. 1945)
Originally from Kansas, Allen Pote has become one of the most successful composers of church music in America today, especially in our region. Currently living in Pensacola, Florida, he has been directing the music ministries for 26 years in churches throughout Texas and Florida. This piece speaks of the source of our love, and urges us to share that love with others around us. This reflects Jesus' response to the Pharisees in this week's Gospel, in which he outlines the two greatest commandments- to love the Lord and to love your neighbor as yourself. God is the source of our love and strength, and, if we allow, it can flow through us so that we can show that love to others, that we may be united in His love.
Communion Hymn- Ubi caritas
Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est. | Where charity and love are, God is there.
This 4th-century Latin hymn was originally used as a Holy Thursday antiphon. In 1978, Jacques Berthier composed this chant setting for the Taizé community in France, an ecumenical monastic order that is known world-wide for its inclusive musical tradition. Simple Taizé chants are easily learned without written music and are meant to be repeated numerous times, with slight variations. The idea is that, through repetition, the worshipper is able to let go of distractions and immerse him- or herself in true sung prayer, similar to praying the Rosary or the Jesus prayer. The use of Latin is meant to unify people of different languages in a single, uncommon language.
Closing Hymn- They'll Know We Are Christians
Peter Scholtes wrote this hymn in 1968 and its popularity grew so much that it made its way to hymnals of different denominations across the country, as well as to albums by several Christian bands and artists, including Jars of Clay and Rebecca St. James. Scholtes, who died in 2009, was, at the time of composition, a Catholic priest at St. Brendan's on Chicago's South Side. He was very active in the Civil Rights movement, even working with Dr. Martin Luther King, and this song draws on his experiences. The text reminds us that the world will recognize us as Christians by our love, not by our rhetoric or our politics. As we leave the mass, it is important to go forth recognizing that it is not enough for us to love God, that it must also be an outward sign. Following the hymn, I will improvise a Toccata on this theme.
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Will Buthod
Director of Music
Church of St. Mary
(918) 749 2561, ext 120
1347 E. 49th Pl.
Tulsa, OK 74105
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