This past Saturday several ministries at FLC came together to celebrate Thanksgiving and the last Sunday of the church year with a traditional Thanksgiving dinner followed by a Vespers service. Our blind ministry, Boston Light of the World, led by Charles Goumas and his wife Rosie, held their monthly dinner a little earlier than usual so that the rest of the congregation could join them. The food was excellent and the company was even better, with children getting underfoot and opportunities to meet new people.
After dinner it was time for our spiritual food – a Vespers service in the style of the time of Bach, with harpsichord, stringed instruments, and of course, our baroque organ. Music included Bach’s cantata BWV 140 “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme” (Awake, the Voice Calls to Us), a Magnificat by Hans Leo Hassler, and psalms and hymns in both German and English. From our children, to our blind members, to members of the Boston musical community, the beautiful music, written to speak God’s Word to the world, spoke to our hearts and minds.
If you missed it, please consider attending the next Vespers, which will be held on February 2, 2019 at 5pm (prelude at 4:30, reception following) to celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of our Lord and the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The service will feature a setting of the Song of Simeon entitled “Herr, nun läβest du deinen Diener” by Franz Tunder, the predecessor to Dieterich Buxtehude at the Mariankirche in Lübeck. Or, for a whole day of Bach’s music, join us on March 23, 2019 for our tenth annual Boston Bach Birthday celebration, including a special children’s presentation in the morning and concluding with another Vespers service with cantata.
