Bay Shore Church - Sermons and News from Bay Shore Community Congregational Church in Belmont Shore, California.

The prelude will be a piano arrangement of a favorite hymn to many: “How Great Thou Art” (Chalice Hymnal No. 33). Although the hymn originated in Europe, it was not widely known until 1957, when the Billy Graham Crusade in New York City began using the hymn. S. K. Hine brought this hymn to America after 70 years of literary activity, involving several different writers and translators.  In 1885 or 1886 Rev. Carl Boberg, a Swedish preacher, wrote the hymn O Store Gud (O Great God).  In 1907 it was translated into German, and in 1912 into Russian.  In 1927, the English missionary Hine found it and started using it in his ministry in the Ukraine.  When W.W. II broke out, Hine brought the English translation with him to England.

He added the fourth stanza just after W.W. II, when many refugees from eastern Europe were streaming into England.  The refugees were always asking: “When are we going home?”  Hine’s response was: “In the day we reach our heavenly home will we proclaim with the hymn, ‘My God, How Great Thou Art’.” Every time we hear a bird sing, hear the thunder roll, or see a babbling brook, may we be reminded of God’s greatness.

Alicia Adams

October 19   – The postlude will be an arrangement by Mark Thallander of the hymn “Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee” (Chalice Hymnal No. 2).  The hymn tune is from Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and is so appealing that it has been said that the melody is “one of the greatest in the world.” The words were written by Henry van Dyke in 1907 and are powerful statements and expressions of Christian feelings and desires. What better prayer than “Melt the clouds of sin and sadness, drive the dark of doubt away,”; “Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day.”; “wellspring of the joy of living”; and, “Lift us to the joy divine.”  Mark Thallander is a Southern California organist with a strong faith that has been his strength as he overcame the loss of his left arm.  Recently, I heard him speak about his terrible automobile accident, adjustments as an organists, and his faith.  He said that prior to the accident he was the driver and God was the passenger, but now, God is the driver and he is the passenger.

May our worship together bring us to a stronger faith and realization of the promises of God’s love.

Alicia  Adams

With the Long Beach Marathon closing off the streets around the church, we have an opportunity to worship at the ending of the day. We will gather in the chapel for a quiet and meditative service with communion. The piano prelude will begin at 4:45 with a collection of sacred pieces written in the 21st century. The arrangements were written by Mark Hayes, who is widely acclaimed and performed across the nation. He is well-known for his unique settings which draw from such diverse styles such as gospel, jazz, pop, folk, and classical to achieve a truly “American sound.” The service will be in the style of Taizé with music and words providing a venue for prayer and reflective thought. Come let us worship together as the sun sets on the day and night comes as we leave refreshed and renewed.

Alicia Adams

The prelude will be a piano arrangement of the hymn “Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us” (Chalice Hymnal No. 558) originally written for children and published in 1836. The composer, William Bradbury (1816-1868), was a prolific hymn writer and passionate about tunes that were melodious, lighter in spirit and easily sung. Prior to Bradbury’s writings, hymns were heavy, noble, and stately. Bradbury led the way for the introduction of gospel music. His tunes, although inspired to encourage children to sing hymns, adults across the country lift their voices to sing such favorites as: “He Leadeth Me,” “The Solid Rock,” “Just As I Am,” “Jesus Loves Me,” “ Sweet Hour of Prayer” and of course, “Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us.” May our worship together bring us to a closer relationship with God and each other.

Alicia Adams

The prelude will begin at 9:15 with music from the baroque era of music. Michelle Haun on flute and I on Bay Shore’s harpsichord will play pieces by Telemann and Händel. The term “baroque music” has been applied to music written in the 17th and early 18th centuries. The music of this period is lively and melodious and has been said to be so constructed as to reflect the “perfect order” of the universe. Two major barqoue composers were George Frederick Händel (1685-1759) and Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767). Händel’s father intended that be become a lawyer, but his musical genius was not to be ignored. Few would disagree that at the time of Händel’s death he was considered England’s greatest composer. Telemann was born into a family of Lutheran clergyman and as a child, exhibited considerable musical talent, much to his mother’s displeasure as she disapproved of music. Telemann became the most famous musician in Germany, in part largely to his sense of humor and likable personality. He was extremely prolific with an estimated 3,000 compositions written. May our worship together bring us to a closer relationship with God and each other.

Alicia Adams

The prelude will be an arrangement of the hymn “Hark! Ten Thousand Harps and Voices” written in the 1800s. The words were written by Thomas Kelly (1769-1854) who as a young man aspired to be a lawyer, but when he was converted to Christ became an Anglican minister in 1792. The music was written by Lowell Mason (1792-1872) who lived in Savannah, Georgia working as a bank clerk and pursued his true love of music on the side. In 1826 he moved to Boston after his music was published selling over 50,000 copies. He became the director of music at the Hanover, Green, and Park Street churches, alternating six months with each congregation. He co-founded the Boston Academy of Music and became the music superintendent for the Boston school system. Lowell Mason is often called the “father of American church music”. The arrangement of this gospel hymn was written by Diane Bish, and a favorite hymn and arrangement of Al Watts.

May our worship together bring us to a closer relationship with God and each other.

Alicia Adams

The offertory will be an arrangement of the hymn “I Need Thee Every Hour” (Chalice Hymnal No. 578 ). The words were written in 1872 by Annie Sherwood Hawks as a young wife of 37 years of age. The following Sunday, she gave the words to Dr. Robert Lowry, a Baptist minister, who wrote the melody while seated at the small organ in the living room of his Brooklyn parsonage.  Mrs. Hawks gives this history to the poem: “I remember well the morning . . . when in the midst of the daily cares of my home . . . I was so filled with the sense of nearness to the Master that, wondering how one could live without Him either in joy or pain, into my mind, the thought at once taking full possession of me . . . For myself the hymn was prophetic rather than expressive of my own experience at the time it was written, and I do not understand why it so touched the great throbbing heart of humanity.”

May we be renewed through our worship together.
Alicia  Adams

In recognition and celebration of the choir’s return, the postlude will be an uplifting piece written by Jacques Lemmens (Belgium.1823-1881). The son of a village organist, sexton and teacher, Lemmens climbed all the rungs of the musical world.  In 1840 his organ performance skills renewed the art of organ playing in Belgium, and his desire was to conquer the musical world with virtuoso playing.  His compositions are not well known, but his “Fanfare” is fun to play and hopefully, will be inspiring.

May we rejoice in the Lord and find spiritual renewal through our worship together.

Alicia  Adams

The postlude this morning will be an exciting piano arrangement of the spiritual “Joshua Fit The Battle Of Jericho”. The metaphorical text of the song is drawn from the Biblical story of Joshua, the leader of the Israelite tribes after the death of Moses. Joshua lead the tribes westward across the Jordan River to invade Canaan and under his leadership the Canaanites were conquered and they gained control of the Promised Land. One of the battles that the song depicts is the famous demolition of the walls of Jericho. Joshua and his band of musicians who, bearing the ark of God, brought down the walls of Jericho through the spirited use of trumpets and other musical instruments. The song was written during the years of American slavery providing motivation and inspiration during the struggle for freedom. It has been said that the writer of this song conveyed a message that “(i)f Joshua could achieve victory over evil through the blowing of trumpets, then we can ultimately achieve victory over evil [slavery] through the singing of our song!” May our worship together provide inspiration and guidance for a closer walk God.

Alicia Adams

J. S. Bach (Germany.1685-1750) was a composer producing an astounding number of works. It took the Bach Gesellschaft forty-six years to gather and publish all his music which filled sixty huge volumes.  It has been said that a present-day copyist, writing out all the parts as Bach did, would require seventy years for this task alone. However, Bach wrote all this music while fulfilling many other duties – organist, conductor, musical director of church services, and teacher.  And yet, Bach greatly enjoyed  transcribing works of other composers.  The prelude will be a concerto written by Prince Johann Ernst when he was 15 years old. Bach embraced the piece and transcribed it for organ between the years of 1711 and 1714.  The natural melodic lines and dancing rhythms lend themselves to the sounds of Bay Shores’ pipe organ.

As we come together and  worship, may we leave with a closer relationship to God and each other.

Alicia  Adams