It scarcely seems possible, but the calendar does not lie. It was twenty years ago this month that I first unveiled to the good people of Holy Communion Lutheran Church a folk liturgy I composed for them titled “O the Joy in Knowing Jesus” – or “O the Joy” for short. Pastor Jeff Barrow (our senior pastor at the time) is the one who planted the seed in my mind that it might be nice for the congregation to have an alternative to the two folk services we were alternating between at that time: the Chicago Folk Service as well as Ray Makeever’s “With Heart and Voice.” Not that there was a thing wrong with either of them, but it’s always good to keep things as fresh as possible – and Jeff thought that a liturgy all our own might be a really exciting and invigorating element in our worship life. Intrigued by the challenge, I got to work. I knew that I wanted to work within the basic framework of a standard Lutheran worship service, but wasn’t averse to tweaking it a bit. I knew that I wanted to create something that would be uplifting and would leave people with a smile on their faces. And more than anything, I wanted to write something that would be very singable, and that people of all ages would enjoy. But that meant writing music that was simple but not boring. That was probably the toughest challenge of all.
I vividly remembering sitting down to write the opening song but discarding my first several attempts because they sounded perky and juvenile. Out of sheer frustration, I decided to base the music of the song on an existent hymn tune – drawn to the notion of blending old and new – and settled on a jazzed up version of the hymn tune Ripley, which was one of the melodies in the old Service Book and Hymnal used for the text “Lord, with glowing heart I praise Thee.” (That must have been one of my dad’s favorite hymns, because I feel like we sang it all the time when I was growing up.) It matched my words perfectly, and somehow figuring out that first song got my creative juices flowing, and the rest of the liturgy practically wrote itself. Well. through the rose-colored glasses of reminiscence, the liturgy wrote itself. In fact, I labored over it for a number of weeks- and the crafting of the accompaniment parts took longer still. But although it was challenging and stressful, it was also one of the most fun and exciting projects I have ever undertaken- and it was nothing less than thrilling to see it finally come together.
The service was officially unveiled on Reformation Sunday 1995, and my wife ended up delivering a stupendous surprise for that first Sunday morning (aided by her frequent partner in mischief, Kate Potter Barrow) by assembling a bunch of our closest friends from out of town to augment the choir. I had no clue until I walked into the choir room that day that she had been planning that surprise for weeks – and that certainly ratcheted up the excitement factor for me by at least ten-fold. And during the service itself, I had a really good feeling when I looked out at the congregation and saw some of the older members of the congregation singing with gusto. That’s what I wanted more than anything – to write a service that would connect both with 9-year-olds and with 99-year-olds, and most people in between. Which is not to say that every single person at Holy Communion loves “O the Joy.” There are some people who stay home whenever it (or any other folk liturgies) are done, and probably for more than a few people who still come, it’s not their favorite. But I am happy to say that most of the congregation warmly embraced it from the start and still seem to appreciate it all these years later.
I’ve received a lot of nice compliments about “O the Joy” over the years, but I think the single sweetest compliment came to me just a couple of months ago when a member of our congregation named Sue asked me to play and sing for her wedding in mid-September. When we got together to discuss what music she wanted to have, she spelled out several requests before she paused …. made a little face …. and then asked me if it would be completely weird if the opening song from “O the Joy” were played as their recessional. She said that she and her fiancee loved my liturgy and really wanted something from it to be part of their service. I was incredibly touched by her request- and if I do say so myself, it worked out very nicely as a recessional. And this is what made that moment even sweeter: as Sue and her new husband began walking out, Sue looked over to me and to two teachers from her school (they sang a beautiful duet earlier in the wedding) and threw us a big appreciative kiss. I have played for hundreds of weddings over the years, but that is the first time I’ve ever been the recipient of such a gesture. It was a lovely reminder that the reason any of us do music is for the chance to make a difference for someone else ….. and in that moment, it was so nice for the three of us to know that we had helped make dear Sue’s wedding an even more joyous occasion for her. And I was truly moved that “O the Joy” was part of it.
In that same spirit of gratitude, some thank you’s are in order. 1) My former voice student, Nick Barootian, played a crucial role in putting together the colorful “O the Joy” bound booklets pictured above that were created a couple of years after the service was premiered – and this was back in the days before there was such a thing as cut and paste ….. except literal “cutting and pasting.” He spent many, many weeks in our home – huddled over our computer and printer and pressing on in the face of many frustrations. Nick was paid for his time- and rather generously- but he deserved to be paid even more. Thank you, Nick, for your devoted efforts. 2) Right from the start, I have been blessed to have a bevy of fine musicians assisting with the service- and at today’s 20th anniversary service, there were two guitarists, two flutists, two cellists, and four violinists playing- maybe the most musicians we’ve ever had play at one time. Thank you, everyone, who has ever played for “O the Joy.” You’ve added a lot of joy to the proceedings. I’m especially gratified that young musicians have often been a part of the proceedings. The first time we did “O the Joy” 20 years ago, the musicians up front included flutist Crystal Clement and violinists Justin and Lindsay Smith (soon to be joined by Sarah Rouse.) And yesterday for this special 20th anniversary Sunday, three of the musicians up front were 14 years old – or younger! How cool is that?!? Very special thanks to Cheryl Belland, Elaine Lewis, and Lynn Helmke, who played for the first “O the Joy” services 20 years ago and are still at it, all these years later. 3) I am also thankful for those congregations beyond Holy Communion who are doing “O the Joy.” I’ve actually lost track but believe that about ten different congregations have arranged to do the service- including a couple of different congregations in and around Milwaukee as well as my dad’s congregation in Madison. I wrote it for Holy Communion, but I am delighted that it is also having an impact in other churches as well. That makes me smile like nothing else can. 4) I dedicated this service to the memory of my mom, Beverly June Berg – and I think it embodies something I really loved about her: her love of tradition coupled with her openness to new things. She had that in perfect balance in her own life and I like to think that “O the Joy” is a reflection of that same sort of balance of old and new. And most of all 5) I am thankful for the people of Holy Communion for whom I wrote this liturgy. They are the reason this service was written in the first place and they have everything to do with how it took shape. And the fact that they still enjoy and appreciate the service after all these years is the best gift they could give me. And the congregation’s open-heartedness is still very much in evidence. Earlier this fall saw the premiere of a new liturgy put together by Kate Potter-Barrow, a service even more decidedly contemporary than mine – and it went over like gangbusters. It’s really nice to know that the church I call home is still a vibrant worship community that venerates the tried-and-true traditions of the past even while embracing exciting new things. It’s a great place to be.
Thanks we bring to God above …. for the blessings of His love ….
shown to us in countless ways! That is why we give God praise.
Let us thank the Lord! Let us thank the Lord!