Friends of Music – Kathy Waugh:

In deepest sorrow, in loss, in grief, in joy, in celebration, in wonderment, in thanksgiving, in many untold moments of humanity, there is one universal prayer, “The Lord’s Prayer”. On Sunday, May 6th, Grace Church is having an Ascension Evensong. If you have never attended an evensong, this would be a wonderful time to experience the music, the chanting, the readings, and the spirit of God among us. The Grace Church Choir is singing “The Lord’s Prayer”; inviting the congregation to join in.

There are five versions of the sung Lord’s Prayer in Lift Every Voice and Sing II.

1 – Music by Lena McLin, Eucharist of the Soul; 2 – music by Albert Hay Malotte, arr Fred Bock and the version we are singing; 3 -music by Carl Haywood from Mass for Grace; 4 – music by Betty Carr Pulkingham, Freedom Mass and based on traditional Africa Melodies; 5 – music by Garfield Rochard. While some of the composers/arrangers are unfamiliar to me, there are two that I immediately recognized. Betty Carr Pulkingham arranged “I Am the Bread of Life” and Carl Haywood arranging “There is a Balm in Giliad”, “Wade in the Water’, and the familiar civil rights song, “We Shall Overcome”.

“The Ascension of our Lord which celebrates the day on which the risen Christ, in the sight of His apostles, ascended bodily into Heaven (Luke 24:51; Mark 16:19; Acts 1:9-11), is a moveable feast. Like the dates of most other moveable feasts, the date of the Ascension depends on the date of Easter. Ascension Thursday always falls 40 days after Easter (counting both Easter and Ascension Thursday), but since the date of Easter changes every year, the date of Ascension does as well.” (Wikipedia)

What better way to honor our Lord then to sing The Lord’s Prayer as part of the Ascension Evensong?

“Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debt as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen”