08/27/2026
“Take Up Your Cross” by Austin C. Lovelace is the anthem the Chancel Choir will sing this Sunday morning in worship. It complements this Sunday's scripture, Matthew 16:21-28. In verse 24, Jesus says to the disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”
When thinking about this anthem, I think about all the different styles of music there are out there that we sing in church. I’m not referring to contemporary or traditional musical styles, I am referring more to the technical methods used by the composer of a piece to help convey the message. Some pieces are very light and flowing. Some are very bombastic and triumphant. Some rely on the tune or melody to stick in our minds, while others rely on the text to speak to us. The latter is the style of the anthem for this Sunday. It is very much a text-driven style. You will not hear a lot of flowing melodies or interludes of piano or some other instrument. The focus of the piece is the text and all the musical elements that come from this piece are based solely on the text. So, when you go out from worship, please do not be upset with yourself if you can’t hum the tune of the choir’s anthem this Sunday. That’s not the important thing. But make sure to listen carefully to God’s word, as the Chancel Choir shares it with the congregation. Blessings to you all, Dan Phillips
