Lent 2023

From Ron...

A personal note of loss for all of us:

I lost another of my New Zealand mentors last month — just before Christmas. COLIN GIBSON was a true renaissance person for our times, a man whose multi-talented skills were exceeded only by his compassionate and encouraging heart. A professor of English at the University of Otago, an energetic educator who presented hymn-related lectures in New Zealand, Australia, United Kingdom, USA, Japan and the Philippines, a founding member of the New Zealand Hymnbook Trust and its editorial group, a researcher and author, he was also both a text writer and composer for nearly 200 hymns and songs.

Shirley Erena Murray and Colin were close friends and often collaborated. Although he lived in Dunedin on the South Island, Colin made frequent treks to the North Island. When Christina and I were in New Zealand in 2014, Shirley said to me, "You absolutely must meet Colin. You two would find yourselves in a conversational feeding frenzy!" As it turned out, I had the privilege on that trip of spending time with him in Aukland where he had come to work with a group of Chinese choir singers. I was totally mesmerized by his enthusiastic pedagogical skills.

Colin’s words and music appear in many hymnbooks and collections. Those who use Voices United will recognize hymns like [187] "The Spring Has Come", [224] "Sing a Happy Hallelujah", [307] "Touch the Earth Lightly", [359] "He Came Singing Love", [458] "Christ, Let Us Come with You", [495] "Lord of All Love".

One Christmas ago, a surprise package arrived which contained a freshly-published book and a touching note from Colin. "Knowing the Song" is an incredible 450-page companion to the publications of the New Zealand Hymnbook Trust. It is an encyclopedia-like resource containing background information for hymn words and music published in New Zealand beginning in 1993. Although intended to primarily be a New Zealand resource, I was deeply touched to learn that Colin had included reference to each of my settings of Shirley’s poetry.

Just a matter of months prior to his passing, we had dreamed together of including some of his research work on the Musiklus website. I look forward to those entries beginning soon.

Colin left all of us with a rich reservoir of knowledge and artistry. Rest in peace, dear friend.

Music Suggestions for Lent 2023 – Year A

REVISED COMMON LECTIONARY

Click on a title to view a melody line sample image,

available versions, comments about the song and more.

February 22

・Ash Wednesday

---"All That We Have"

---"At the Table of the World"

---"Dust and Ashes " (Wren/Klusmeier)

---"Gentle Is the Way of Jesus"

---"Here We Bring, Small or Great"

February 26

・1st Sunday in Lent

---"I'm Sure, My God, You Weep"

---"In Solitude"

March 5

・2nd Sunday in Lent

---"All That We Have"

---"Beloved"

---"Jesus on the Mountain Peak"

---"O God, to You I Cry in Pain"

---"Open Wide the Church's Door"

---"Pilgrims"

March 12

・3rd Sunday in Lent

---"All Who Thirst for Living Water"

---"Time of Dryness

------Has Passed from Us"

---"Wounded World

------That Cries for Healing"

March 19

・4th Sunday in Lent

---"Bathe Me in Your Light"

---"I Can on God Implicitly Rely"

---"Jesus, Teacher and Friend"

March 25

・Annunciation of the Lord

---"Woman of Favour"

March 26

・5th Sunday in Lent

---"Becoming Who We Are"

---"Come, Teach Us, Spirit of Our God"

---"In Solitude"-

April 2 – Palm/Passion Sunday

Liturgy of the Palms

---"Come into the Streets with Me"

---"Hosanna"

Liturgy of the Passion

---"Each Seeking Faith"

---"I Will Listen"

---"Lullaby for Judas"

---"When at This Table"

A Reminder... Roll over the little orange "i" symbols in front of the versions available for each title on the Musiklus website. Doing so will expose information

and helpful hints specific to the version to which each one is linked.

Instrumental Videos for Worship

We offer a new 'heritage hymn' as an instrumental video suitable for use as a prelude or musical prayer; arranged and played by Ron Klusmeier. Robert Lowry, working in the midst of an epidemic in Brooklyn, NY in 1864, wrote the words and music while pondering the description of the “river of life” in Revelations 22.

Click on the image at right to listen.

For a full list of available videos visit: https://vimeo.com/channels/ronklusmeier.

This year's programme prepared by the

World Day of Prayer Committee of Taiwan

for WDP 2023.

Click here to learn more about this year's theme painting; Taiwanese land, people and culture; and activities for children.

March 3, 2023

World Day of Prayer

"I have heard about your faith"

Ephesians 1:15-19

Observed on the first Friday in March each year, World Day of Prayer is a worldwide movement of informed prayer involving people of many denominations and languages in more than 170 countries. Each year the service is written by women in a different country who share the hopes and fears, joys and sorrows, opportunities and needs, of their country. It affirms that informed prayer and prayerful action are inseparable.

Music suggestions:

"A Minimal Hymn"

"Becoming Who We Are"

"Building on Faith"

"Each Seeking Faith"

"Faith While Trees Are Still in Blossom"

"Follow the Songlines"

"In Solitude"

Additional resources available at: https://worlddayofprayer.net/index.html

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