Park Cities Presbyterian Church (PCA)

Welcome all wonders

By J. Marty Cope

Published February 1, 2010 in Witness

PCPC’s Christmas concert, A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, presented the Chapel, Covenant, High School, and Chancel choirs with symphony orchestra. We also featured baritone Donnie Ray Albert and our own Billy Park, tenor. It was an evening of firsts. We premiered Christopher Adkins’ new piece, ”Noël des Animaux.” Chris wrote both the music and text, which tells the story of an ox, donkey, and lamb who are traveling to see the Incarnate Christ. It ends with a call to all of us to respond to this Babe in the manger:

Come now, every name and nation, rank and station, tongue and tribe,
prostrate fall in adoration, to the Babe all laud ascribe!
For the King doth freely offer, prodigal, thy pardon pure,
coin of grace from royal coffer, priceless pearl, salvation sure!

Jonathan Smith’s new orchestration of his “In the Bleak Midwinter” arrangement poignantly began the program. The choir sang from the aisles as their candlelight illuminated the darkness. The promise of redemptive hope found reiteration in Brian Piper’s captivating new setting of “O Come, Emmanuel” for congregation and tenor soloist (Billy Park).

Toward the end, the Chancel Choir sang, “Welcome All Wonders.” The contemporary music of Richard Dirksen accompanied Richard Crashaw’s 17th-century text:

Welcome all wonders in one sight! Eternity shut in a span;
summer in winter, day in night, heaven in earth, and God in man.

That He, the old Eternal Word, should be a Child and weep.
Each of us his lamb will bring, each his pair of silver doves,
till burnt at last in fire of Thy fair eyes, ourselves become our own best sacrifice.

Since Christmas carols are some of the very few songs sung both in churches and in the culture, this concert is one of our great PCPC outreaches. Many guests attend each year. The outward effect will be felt for some time as the generous offering of $13,258.60 will be distributed to local urban ministries with which we partner.