Christ is risen! Indeed, He is risen! is the traditional Orthodox Easter greeting. My community has spent many hours sitting vigil with each other over the last few days starting with Morning Prayer on Holy Thursday through to the celebrations this morning. We've prayed 21 psalms (my mathematical and theological personae notes this is the product of two biblically significant numbers - 3 and 7!) together over these days.
The last psalm my community prayed before the great night vigil began was this psalm -- 150, anticipating the joyous, wall-shaking noise we made last night. This modern setting for voice, percussion and shofar is in Hebrew. It makes me wonder what the Resurrection sounded like to Christ?
What did resurrection sound like for your community? Were there trumpet blasts? cymbals? voices that shook the walls? Share with us in the comments, so we can hear your voices move 'round the earth!
You can find a beautiful professional recording of Halleluyah (Psalm 150)
here. Full disclosure - my son is singing in the version you are hearing here!
Our choir sang, as the Prelude - William Albright's, Petrus, for the hymn Look there! the CHrist our Brother comes resplendent from the gallows...it's a ragtime piece played with piano, tamborines, and bells from our bell choir -it was awesome!!!!!
ReplyDelete(Episcopal Hymnal 1982 #196) re my comment above
ReplyDeleteMompriest, I love that piece! Our choir does it every once in a while, and I'd be delighted to hear it again. We had everything from traditional hymns to gospel music, a classical mass setting to contemporary praise songs, along with trumpets, organ, and our fabulous woodwind quartet of very talented high school students. What a glorious day!
ReplyDeleteI love the scent of lilies and the sight of a formerly purple draped cross that is now draped in shining white...There was a glorious Jewish-flavored liturgical dance done to Hebrew words about the risen Messiah...a moving dramatic monologue by my daughter to the old song "He's Alive" (Don Francisco) and much joyful singing to contemporary Easter songs. I missed "Christ the Lord is Risen Today" but one cannot have everything.
ReplyDeleteWe had several standbys and our new organist really did our gorgeous pipe organ proud with the Widor Toccata -- ALONG WITH the brass quartet. The end makes the walls tremble. Woo!
ReplyDeleteWidor Toccata says "EASTER" to me, for certain. (I loved it so much I asked for it as the recessional for our wedding. Our friend looked at me and said, 'you would!' but then -- I knew he would have it under the fingers since we were married a week after Easter!)
ReplyDeleteWe didn't sing this one, but it's been on my heart all day:
Chris Tomlin's
Exalted
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwuylsFsBB8
Deb
OK - probably every kid does this, or maybe it's an old joke... but I seriously laughed until I cried when a mom told me her kid responded after the Easter litany (Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!):
ReplyDelete"But I thought Jesus was raised in Jerusalem. Where's Deed?"
Where, indeed...
And on that note, I am done procrastinating after sorting papers into piles for tax completion tomorrow... so I'm going to bed.
:)
Deb