Sing with All the People of God

A Handbook for Church Musicians

Chad Fothergill

• Publisher: Augsburg Fortress
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN: 9781506469232
• eBook ISBN: 9781506469560
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Denominations

Sing with all the People of God by Chad Fothergill will be especially valuable for church musicians as well as pastors and other rostered leaders. It addresses topics such as skillful preparation, planning, and leadership of assembly song, working with volunteer musicians and staff, navigating questions of musical style, and more.

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The cantor and assembly song: applications

The preceding chapter offered suggestions for ways pastors, cantors, and worship leaders can ap-proach the task of selecting assembly song. But how does this actually work in practice? After discuss-ing one specific lectionary example, this chapter takes a closer look at the musical richness of two addi-tional opportunities for assembly singing: the chanting of psalms, and music during communion.

Hymns and songs for the Baptism of Our Lord

Let’s return to the beginning of this book and the cantors who were preparing to lead assembly song for the Baptism of Our Lord. What considerations might guide choices for assembly singing on this day across all three cycles of the Revised Common Lectionary?

The day and its readings

Just as a preacher’s sermon begins with the study of text, so, too, does the selection of assembly song. Consider these key questions or others like them:

• What are the texts for the day?
• What are some notable keywords, verbs, actions, rituals, or other images in these stories?
• How do these readings connect with our own lives, communities, and ministries?
• What insights are offered by commentaries such as Sundays and Seasons: Preaching?

A scan of the Propers section in the front of Evangelical Lutheran Worship (p. 22) indicates that the texts for the Baptism of Our Lord are:

Year A	Year B	Year C
Isaiah 42:1-9	Genesis 1:1-5	Isaiah 43:1-7
Psalm 29	Psalm 29	Psalm 29
Acts 10:34-43	Acts 19:1-7	Acts 8:14-17
Matthew 3:13-17	Mark 1:4-11	Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

To begin, what can we observe in the texts themselves?

Justice is a prominent theme in the readings for year A. Isaiah tells how God’s servant will “bring forth justice to the nations” (Isa. 42:1, 3), and in the second reading this is precisely what Peter tells the Ro-man centurion and his household of the congregation that proclaim God’s justice in the world.

In the readings for year B, the Spirit is a central character. The Spirit is present in the wind sweeping over the primordial waters (Gen. 1:2), at baptisms Paul performed in Ephesus (Acts 19:6), and at Jesus’ own baptism by John in the Jordan (Mark 1:10). Perhaps on this day choices about assembly song can be guided by consideration of how we sing about the presence and work of the Spirit—not just at bap-tism but also in our vocations, in times of discernment, in worship, and throughout our lives, both as individuals and as communities.

The power and splendor of God’s voice (Ps. 29) is woven throughout the readings for year C. God’s voice calls us by name (Isa. 43:1) and calls all people—from north, south, east, west, and all the ends of the earth (Isa. 43:5-6). With vivid verbs the psalmist recounts the strength and glory of the Lord’s voice: it thunders, breaks, shakes, bursts forth in lightning flashes, and strips the forest bare. Like the gospel readings from Matthew and Mark in years A and B, Luke recounts the voice of God declaring at Jesus’ baptism: “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22). The triune God knows us by name and promises to be with us always.

Images in the readings

After reading and contemplating the lectionary readings, begin thinking about sections of Evangelical Lutheran Worship that best relate to the day’s themes and actions. For exam-ple:

• What sections of the hymnal contain stanzas that resonate with these readings, themes, and images?
• What keywords from the topical index (ELW, pp. 1178–1188) yield compelling choices for this day and its readings?
• Are there hymns and songs that also bring the day’s ritual actions into perspective?

In year A, a scan of the Holy Baptism (ELW 442–459) and Commitment, Discipleship (ELW 796–818) sections may yield suggestions such as the following:

• “We are baptized in Christ Jesus” (ELW 451) for the mention of water, witness, and new beginnings, as well as the breaking of bread
• “Rise, shine, you people!” (ELW 665) not only for its “light” imagery appropriate for the Time after Epiphany, but also for its progression toward new creation in stanza 4
• “We raise our hands to you, O Lord” (ELW 690), for combined imagery about springs, new creation, and ministry
• “Let justice flow like streams” (ELW 717)
• “In Christ called to baptize” (ELW 575), which sings of both holy baptism and holy communion
• The refrain in “Lord, you give the great commission” (ELW 579), which reminds us of our baptismal calling: “With the Spirit’s gifts empower us for the work of ministry”

In year B, the Holy Baptism (ELW 442–459) and Pentecost, Holy Spirit (ELW 395–407) sections might provide fruitful options such as these:

• “Crashing waters at creation” (ELW 455) for a connection to the Genesis reading
• The image of the descending dove in stanza 3 of “Praise and thanksgiving be to God” (ELW 458)
• “This is the Spirit’s entry now” (ELW 448)
• The mention of baptismal waters in “O living breath of God” (ELW 407)
• “When Jesus came to Jordan” (ELW 305), which also invokes the Day of Pentecost in stanza 3, a con-nection that is surely worth singing about

And in year C one could consider options from the Holy Trinity (ELW 408–415) and Creation (ELW 730–740) sections. For example:

• The rousing text of “I bind unto myself today” (ELW 450) is a wonderful confluence of the day’s themes; its Irish melody sings at both stately and brisk tempos, perhaps accompanied by organ, by guitar and fiddle, or even by both in alternation.
• Three stanzas of “Go, my children, with my blessing” (ELW 543) recall the splendor and power of God’s voice sung in the day’s psalm, and stanza 1 offers a fitting connection (and conclusion) to the day’s liturgy: “In my love’s baptismal river I have made you mine forever.”
• The song “Many will come,” in Music Sourcebook: All Saints through Transfiguration, re-peats all of the cardinal directions heard in the Isaiah reading: “Many will come from east and west, and from north and south, to be washed in the waters of life.”
• The sturdy and vigorous melody of “Many will come” is fitting for a procession to or from the font, perhaps at the Thanksgiving for Baptism (ELW, p. 97) during the beginning of the liturgy or at the Affirmation of Baptism (ELW, p. 234) after the hymn of the day is sung. In addition to these options, perhaps you, your pastor, staff colleagues, or choir members can think of many oth-ers—hymns and songs you have sung time and time again whose language, imagery, and text-tune pairings have taken hold in the assembly’s imagination and heart.

Additional hymns and songs

After developing a list of preliminary options, it may be helpful to consult other resources such as Indexes to Evangelical Lutheran Worship, Choosing Contemporary Music: Seasonal, Topical, Lectionary Indexes, and Sundays and Seasons: Guide to Worship Planning. From a scan of these resources, the preceding lists could be expanded to include additional styles and images in hymns and songs, such as:

Year A

“Christ, when for us you were baptized” (ELW 304)

“Come to the water” (MSB2 S562)

“Jesus, the light of the world” (TFF 59)

“Songs of thankfulness and praise” (ELW 310)

“The only Son from heaven” (ELW 309)

“When Jesus came to Jordan” (ELW 305)

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Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Table Of Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Epigraph
• Prelude
• The cantor and assembly song: principles
• The cantor and assembly song: applications
• Leading assembly song
• Cantors and community
• Calling a cantor
• Postlude