Sunday Drive: Shall We Gather at the River?

The Lessons Appointed for Use on

All Saints' Day

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The beloved old hymn as performed by Sean Dietrich, prolific novelist, columnist, musician, and humorist:

Actually, the hymn  is about Christian faith, not the Civil War. Complete lyrics can be found here.

For a bit of inspiration, read today's story from Sean's blog:  

The Only Prayer You'll Ever Need.

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Good Friday 2026

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Murillo, The Crucifixion, circa 1675.
Click to enlarge.

Fernando Ortega gives a deeply moving performance of the well-known hymn from Bach's St. Matthew Passion.

The Lessons Appointed for Use on

Good Friday

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Sunday Drive: Be Still, My Soul (Finlandia)

Police state?  Evil empire?  Amerika?  Or just a horrible dream?

My heart is heavy with grief at all that is happening in our country and being done by our country in other lands. We have come to the darkest chapter in our national history - and I fear that things will get very much worse before they get better. I am too old and weary to make a difference; all I can do is offer a song of hope and inspiration - a little candle in a deepening night.

David Archuleta sings the well-known hymn to the tune of Finlandia by Sibelius. There are other, secular lyrics which do not come to hand at the moment.

God help us all.

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Sunday Drive: Amazing Grace

'Twas grace that brought me safe thus far,

And grace will lead me home.

The beloved hymn, sung a cappella by six Irishmen known as Celtic Thunder in 2010:

The Lessons Appointed for Use on the Feast of the

First Sunday after Christmas Day

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Sunday Drive: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

Emmanuel means "God is with us."

The ancient hymn as performed by Enya in English and Latin, with stunning choral effects:

The Lessons Appointed for Use on the

Fourth Sunday of Advent

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Sunday Drive: The Magnificat

Also known as The Song of Mary, as performed in Latin by Il Volo in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, last September:

English version from the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer (1979):

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

My spirit rejoices in God my Savior;

For he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:

The Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm,

He has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,

And has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,

And the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel,

For he has remembered his promise of mercy,

The promise he made to our fathers,

To Abraham and his children for ever.

The Lessons Appointed for Use on the 

Third Sunday of Advent

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Sunday Drive: In the Bleak Midwinter

James Taylor sings the poignant Christmas carol writen by Christina Rossetti:

The Lessons Appointed for Use on the

Second Sunday of Advent

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Sunday Drive: Once in Royal David's City

The famuliar carol, as performed by the Choir of King's College, Cambridge:

The Lessons Appinted for Use on the 

First Sunday of Advent

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Sunday Drive: Come, Ye Thankful People, Come

The beloved hymn of thanksgiving as performed by renowned organist Diane Bish:

Be still and know that I am God.  --Psalm 146

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Sunday Drive: Shall We Gather at the River

Prayers for

All Souls Day

Father of all, we pray to you for those we love, but see no longer: Grant them eternal rest; let light perpetual shine upon them; and in your loving wisdom and almighty power, work in them the good purpose of your perfect will; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Almighty God, Father of all mercies and giver of comfort: Deal graciously, we pray, with all who mourn; that, casting all their care upon you, they may know the consolation of your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

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The beloved old hymn, as used in seven films by director John Ford:

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Sunday Drive: Jesus Loves Me

The beloved hymn that I learned in kindergarten has been a comfort to me throughout my life, and an anchor of my faith.  Here it is performed by Miss Brenda Lee, accompanied by Emmylou Harris.

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Sunday Drive: What God Hath Promised

By Annie Johnson Flint, 1919, as performed by the Mennonite Hour Singers:

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Sunday Drive: The Lord's My Shepherd

The Good Shepherd, 1880 magazine illustration
via Wikipedia.  Click to enlarge.

A metrical version of Psalm 23 from the Scottish Psalter of 1650, sung by the choir of Winchester Cathedral.  This hymn was a favorite of the late Queen Elizabeth II, and was sung at her funeral in 2022.

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Sunday Drive: Holy, Holy, Holy!

The Lessons Appointed for Use on the

First Sunday after Pentecost:

Trinity Sunday

Lyrics are found here.

Bonus:  Father David's sermon for today has a profound message for believers and unbelievers alike.  I recommend it to all my truckbuddies.

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Sunday Drive: In the Garden

The old familiar hymn, often heard at funerals in the South because - "it was Mama's/Daddy's favorite." Alan Jackson has just the right warm, rich baritone for it.

Hymology Archive provides a well-researched essay on the origin of the hymn.

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Sunday Drive: Peace Prayer

To honor the memory of Pope Francis

 

John Michael Talbot is a Grammy-award-winning Catholic musician and some kind of Franciscan monk.  His rendition of the Peace Prayer, which appears at the top of the sidebar of this blog, is a great favorite of your Head Trucker's.

In his funeral sermon for Pope Francis yesterday at the Vatican, Cardinal Re recalled the late pope's persistent concern for the poor, the suffering, and the outcasts of the world, on the model of his namesake saint.  This concern is at the heart of the Christian faith, as Jesus expressed it in Matthew 25:31-46, and is neatly summarized in what Catholics call the Seven Works of Corporal Mercy:

1. Feed the hungry
2. Give drink to the thirsty
3. Clothe the naked
4. Shelter the homeless
5. Visit the sick
6. Visit the prisoners
7. Bury the dead

(This Episcopalian thinks it would not be amiss to add "and comfort the living" to that last point.)

Whether you are a Christian or not, this is a handy checklist if you find yourself wondering just what you can do to make a difference in the world.  You don't have to save the whole world; just do what you can for those nearest you.  I believe that the smallest act of sincere kindness - even just a friendly smile - counts for something in the scheme of the universe. 

And God needs workers in other areas besides those seven.  Your Head Trucker thinks He would be better pleased if you spent just an hour a week on the phone with your lonely old Aunt Sally, who always talks your ear off, than sitting and squirming for an hour in a church service you can't wait to get away from.  Aunt Sally has a real hunger for human company, and it costs you nothintg but a little time and patience to give a needed lift to her spirits.  That is the sort of service with which God is best pleased.  But who am I to say?

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

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Easter 2025: Jesus Christ Is Risen Today

Christus Consolator, Bloch, 1881

The Lessons Appointed for Use on

Easter Day 

After two gray, drizzly days, today we awoke to high blue skies, puffy white clouds, soft breeezes, and brilliant sunshine,  Perfect.

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M.P. enjoyed these sermons very much.

In his Easter sermon, Father David has an unusual take on Jesus's appearance to Mary Magdalene:

And the Bishop of Washington, the Right Reverend Mariann Budde, recounts what she told a Dutch TV crew about the meaning of Easter:

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Palm Sunday 2025: All Glory, Laud, and Honor

The Entry of Christ into Jerusalem, by Hippolyte Flandrin.

The Lessons Appointed for Use on the

Sunday of the Passion:  Palm Sunday

The ancient hymn very prettily sung by the choir of St. John's Episcopal Church, Portsmouth, New Hampshire:

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Nearer, My God, To Thee

An old favorite of your Head Trucker's -- as sung by Nathan Pecheco:

The Lessons Appointed for Use on the

Fifth Sunday in Lent

Bonus:  The service of Evening Prayer from the Book of Common Prayer as used in England.  This service of prayers and readings (no Eucharist) has been used daily for centuries in the Church of England and throughout the Anglican Communion.  It seems particularly fitting now, in the season of Lent, in this frightful modern world.

When hymns are sung, especially by a choir, at this service, it is known as Evensong:  a lovely thing on a tranquil Sunday evening.

Tip:  Turn the playback speed down to 90 or 85 percent for a more thoughtful pace.

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Sunday Drive: Amazing Grace

What grace is meant to do is to help good people, not to escape their sufferings, but to bear them with a stout heart, with the fortitude that comes through faith.

--St. Augustine, The City of God

Alan Jackson, one of the grand old men of country music, sings the one hymn that it seems every American knows and loves, believers and unbelievers alike.  It seems particularly fitting today.

For the record, a frigid blast has settled over the land.  The wind chill here was 14 when I got up this morning.  It will turn even colder overnight.  Florida's doing all right, though.  Figures.

Click to enlarge.

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