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Dec 05 2019

A Festival of Nine Lessons & Carols

Childcare will be available for ages 0–4. RSVP is requested for childcare, but not required.

“Let us read and mark in Holy Scripture the tale of the loving purposes of God from the first days of our disobedience unto the glorious Redemption brought us by this Holy Child; and let us make this church glad with our carols of praise.” Music sung by the Sanctuary Choir and Congregation, and accompanied by the Park Street Orchestra.

Seating will be limited to sanctuary capacity; we recommend arriving 30 minutes early in order to be sure of getting a seat. Overflow seating will be available in the Fellowship Hall.

HISTORICAL NOTE

The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols was first sung in a wooden building which served as the first Truro Cathedral; it is said that the Rt. Reverend Edward White Benson, who originated the service in 1880, chose the time of 10:00 PM on Christmas Eve in order to “get the men out of the pubs early so they would not be drunk for the midnight service.” In 1918, Eric Milner-White, Dean of King’s College, Cambridge, adapted the service for use in the chapel at King’s. The service has remained virtually unchanged since that time, and has spread through all the world. The hymns and carols vary in each service (though it is traditional to begin with Once in Royal David’s City), but the readings and other spoken portions are always the same, even, traditionally, retaining the well-loved King James translation. The sound of the same words, year after year, becomes an echo of the unchanging significance and reality of the story. The music takes the role of reflecting on each text and exhorting the congregation. The tone of this worship service is both solemn and joyful, reflecting the intimidating grandeur of the story—from Fall to Incarnation—and rejoicing in the love of God and the redemption that is ours through Christ.

Written by Andrew Walker · Tagged: beacon hill, Christmas, concert

Feb 12 2019

Mystic Chorale sings GOSPEL 3/2 and 3/3

The Mystic Chorale, one of Greater Boston’s favorite community choruses, presents its annual Gospel concert. Led by award­-winning gospel director Jonathan Singleton, the 250­-voices­-strong chorale and 5-piece band presents two joyful and spirit-filled performances featuring a mix of music rooted in the African American gospel tradition.

This year’s exciting program includes an eclectic mix of gospel sourced from all around the world, including the Soweto Gospel Choir’s Woza Meli Wami, Irish composer Brian Houston’s So That I Can Walk In Your Way, and American Gospel composer Hezekiah Walker’s Better! The chorus will continue its celebration of Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin’s enormous contribution to gospel music by singing the inspirational Never Gonna Break My Faith.

This program of songs of love and hope is guaranteed to lift your spirits!

 

WHEN: Saturday, March 2nd at 7:30 pm and Sunday, March 3rd at 3:30 pm

WHERE: Converse Hall, Tremont Temple, 88 Tremont Street, Boston (one block from Park Street T)

TICKETS: $20 (children under 10, free) available at www.mysticchorale.org

 

Written by Andrew Walker · Tagged: beacon hill, boston, concert, gospel, music

Apr 26 2018

Selma to Soweto: Songs of Power

MYSTIC CHORALE SINGS WITH YSAYE BARNWELL!!

Come share the joy as 200 singers of the Mystic Chorale, led by Nick Page,  perform SELMA TO SOWETO, songs of community, power and hope from the ongoing Civil Rights movements of South Africa and the US. Ysaye Barnwell, who has spent three decades singing with Sweet Honey In The Rock and building communities of song throughout the world is this season’s featured guest. Her central message—that together our voices matter—is sagely conveyed in the lyrics she wrote for Step by Step: “Many stones can build an arch, singly none.”

 

The chorus will also be joined by South African friends Nthabi Thakadu, Phakamani Pega, and Pumla Bhungane, as well as pianist extraordinaire Jonathan Singleton.

 

All of the songs—past and present, South African and American—deliver powerful and relevant messages for today’s world!

WHEN: May 19 at 7:30pm; May 20 at 3:30pm

WHERE: Converse Hall at Tremont Temple, 88 Tremont St, Boston (one block from the Park Street T station)

TICKETS: $20, available at mysticchorale.org and at the door on the day of each concert

 

Enjoy this video of Mystic singing Usiletheal Uxolo (Nelson Mandela, You Bring Us Peace) at a past concert.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPTdZPbyONw

Written by Andrew Walker · Tagged: back bay, beacon hill, concert

Mar 26 2018

Easter Sunday Services

Easter Sunday marks the conclusion of a three-part worship service which begins with Maundy Thursday (the Lord’s Supper), and continues through Good Friday (a service marking the death of Christ). After a long and quiet Saturday Jesus’s disciples awoke to find that the tomb was empty—He had risen from the dead!
We mark this momentous occasion with a loud and joyous celebration. Join us in the morning for worship with the choir and orchestra at 8:00 AM, 9:30 AM, or 11:00 AM, and in the afternoon for worship led by the Sunday Night Band at 4:00 PM.
There will be nursery for children ages 0-2, and relevant activity books for children ages 3-7 as they join us in our service.

Written by Andrew Walker · Tagged: beacon hill, worship

Sep 03 2014

Healing the Land: Strategic Prayer for Boston

Over the past six years, Christ Otto and a team from his ministry Belonging House have been doing strategic prayer in Boston. They have seen a series of dramatic answers to prayer in the South End and in the area near the Massachusetts State House.

Today’s blog post is an excerpt from Christ’s report on these prayer initiatives called “Healing the Land.” The following points are the foundation of transforming prayer in cities and regions.
1. Listen to the Lord and Do what He tells you.
Effective prayer is a dialogue, and He who knows all is your best guide for each situation. We begin with scripture. Taking time for silence, waiting on God, and journaling has been helpful. I have found that God’s simple direction is better than a thousand strategic planning meetings.

2. Teamwork is essential.
The biggest breakthroughs have happened when someone gave me an insight I never considered. No one has all the answers and working in a team has helped us all hear God more clearly. The most helpful insights have come from people who live outside of Boston. Their fresh perspective often brought the breakthrough.

3. This is a ministry of healing and reconciliation.
Most of what we have done is address the specific things that release curses on the land–the shedding of innocent blood, sexual immorality, breaking of covenants, moving of boundary stones, and the breaking of relationships. When these sins are confessed and forgiven we can then invite God to heal the brokenness. You will notice that we did not hold large “reconciliation events.” Although we often had one person who represented the parties involved, we did not focus on trying to get parties together to have an event. All of the prayer has been strategic and precise, and often in almost secret.

4. There are no magic bullets.
One interesting aspect of this ministry has been hosting groups from outside Boston to pray in the city. Many times these visitors have come with the attitude that they have the “answer” and that if we would apply their “method” things would be done “right.” Most of the gimmicks have produced little or no lasting fruit. We have found that the long, low, humble road of obedience has been the game changer.

5. Being weird is not intercession.
My ministry Belonging House and the people I work with have a supernatural worldview. Sometimes we have had to depend on the simple direction of the Holy Spirit. Because I work with many groups I have seen how some have felt they needed shofars, flags, victory shouts, swords, or complicated “rituals” while they pray. Right up front, we have done all of these things at different times, but they are not the center. Sometimes prophetic acts are part of what we are doing as an expression of what God has already done.

6. The Cross of Jesus makes everything possible.
It is the finished work of the cross and applying of the Blood of Christ to the sin of the past that real change happens. As we openly confess sin, and our current agreement with it, and apply the forgiveness of the gospel, shifts begin to happen.

7. Listen to the Land.
We pray with our eyes open. We have taken time to learn the real history of where we are– and that means going into the library and doing research. It means getting to know the streets and terrain. It means knowing where and when things happened. Some of the delays in this process were because I did not do the right research in the beginning, and I trusted local “folklore” and polemical versions of history rather than accurate sources. Listening to the land has also involved noticing things like wildlife behavior, odd topography, and the wind. For example, we have noted dramatic gusts of wind during important breakthrough moments.

8. Praise and worship are our chief weapons.
Many times we have asked those with us not to enter into “intercession.” Most of this kind of prayer only reinforces the negative beliefs and judgements about a place or a situation. Praising God shifts the atmosphere in a given place and opens up our ability to pray and hear God. Entering into praise also gets us in tune with heaven, and God’s perspective. In praise we are able to pray from a place of triumph.

9. Authority comes from honor.
God directed me to spend almost two years giving honor to the people who prayed for me to come into New England, even though neither they nor I understood this at the time. I also sought permission to be on the land from the first nations people. By honoring and receiving this blessing, I have walked in a base level of authority that many ministries lack. Rebellion is the root of witchcraft. A culture of honor breaks this.

10. A large part of this ministry has been about “going low.”
We have taken the directions of Jesus to take the lower place at the banquet seriously. In praying on Beacon Hill, we chose to not take the road of political activism, and we have chosen not to build a ministry. We have simply walked and prayed. This story is a report of the outcome.

—-
Christ Otto has recently published a book entitled An Army Arising and is also available to lead prayer tours of Boston and to share how prayer and creativity is transforming New England. Learn more about Christ’s ministry at belonginghouse.org

Written by jasonjclement · Categorized: Blog · Tagged: beacon hill, belonginghouse, jesus in boston, jesus in the city, pray new england, prayer walk, reconciliation, transformation, uniteboston10


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