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"Hither
bring in one consent heart and voice and instrument.
Alleluia!"
The portion of George Wither’s hymn quoted above charges us to
do, in a sense, what we didn’t have time to do on Easter Day
– celebrate the completion of our new organ and dedicate it to
the glory of God. The Great Vigil set the stage dramatically for
the organ’s first full workout, but the real focus – rightly
so – was the paschal mystery of Christ’s passion and
resurrection.
Just as a church building, altar, or baptismal font is
consecrated, the objects and furnishings in the church used in
worship should be dedicated to God, reminding us that "all
things come of thee." Although there will be recitals as
part of the dedication to demonstrate the sonic capabilities of
the organ, the first and most important event is the
congregation coming together to recognize and receive the organ
into our worshiping life together, "in one consent."
Therefore, the service of dedication
was held on Sunday, August 24, our church’s Feast of Title – St. Bartholomew’s Day. The
service was in the context of Holy Baptism and Holy Eucharist,
with a portion of the liturgy focused on the blessing of the
instrument. All of our the adult choirs participated, and there
were brass and percussion to add to the festivities. Richard Webster, one of the finest musicians
and composers working in the Church today (currently, he serves
as Organist/Choirmaster at St. Luke’s Church in Evanston, IL),
was commissioned to compose the music for the actual dedication text. The chairs
in the nave were turned to face each other, in the manner of
a cathedral quire or collegiate chapel, in order to follow the
flow of the liturgy from the altar to the organ. A reception in
the Parish Hall followed the service.
Below are thumbnails of
photos from two photographers. You can see the larger image by
clicking on the thumbnail.
From Henry Batten:
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