"Most high and holy God, pour out upon us your one and unifying Spirit, and awaken in every confession of the whole church a holy hunger and thirst for unity in you; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord."
(Evangelical Lutheran Worship, 2006)
The Incarnation Oratorio
The work is a ‘twin’ to ‘Mine Eyes Shall Behold Him’ Oratorio which was successfully performed in East Tennessee in October 2016 by an ecumenical Choir of Presbyterians, Methodists and Catholics.
‘The Incarnation’ tells in traditional oratorio form the Christmas story, and is composed in a similar format to “Mine Eyes”. In the original English Version it uses as its libretto passages from the Gospels of Luke and Matthew, using the Authorized version of the Bible.
In addition, and, in the style of Bach’s oratorios, it offers reflections on these texts with new settings of the hymns and poetry of famous Christian writers from different denominational backgrounds. These include Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, Non-conformist and Salvation Army writers. Some of these authors with their texts are:
Jesus Lover of My Soul.
(Charles Wesley 1707-1788)
"Jesus, lover of my soul,
Let me to Thy bosom fly,
While the nearer waters roll,
While the tempest still is high.
Hide me, O my Savior, hide,
Till the storm of life is past;
Safe into the haven guide;
Oh, receive my soul at last."
Jesus, the very thought of Thee.
(St Bernard of Clairvaux 1090-1153)
"Jesus, the very thought of Thee
With sweetness fills the breast;
But sweeter far Thy face to see,
And in Thy presence rest."
(St Bernard of Clairvaux 1090-1153)
"Jesus, the very thought of Thee
With sweetness fills the breast;
But sweeter far Thy face to see,
And in Thy presence rest."
Cradle Song
(Isaac Watts 1674-1748)
"Hush! my dear, lie still and slumber,
Holy angels guard thy bed!
Heavenly blessings without number
Gently falling on thy head.
Soft, my child: I did not chide thee,
Though my song might sound too hard;
'Tis thy mother sits beside thee,
And her arms shall be thy guard."
(Isaac Watts 1674-1748)
"Hush! my dear, lie still and slumber,
Holy angels guard thy bed!
Heavenly blessings without number
Gently falling on thy head.
Soft, my child: I did not chide thee,
Though my song might sound too hard;
'Tis thy mother sits beside thee,
And her arms shall be thy guard."
O Boundless Salvation
(General William Booth Salvation Army 1829-1912)
"O boundless salvation! deep ocean of love,
O fullness of mercy, Christ brought from above.
The whole world redeeming, so rich and so free,
Now flowing for all men, come, roll over me!
Come flow over me, come flow over me
O Boundless salvation, come flow over me!"
(General William Booth Salvation Army 1829-1912)
"O boundless salvation! deep ocean of love,
O fullness of mercy, Christ brought from above.
The whole world redeeming, so rich and so free,
Now flowing for all men, come, roll over me!
Come flow over me, come flow over me
O Boundless salvation, come flow over me!"
Dr Joel C Elowsky, Professor of Historical Theology,
Concordia Lutheran Seminary St Louis Mo:
"Thank you for sending the text of your newly composed oratorio project on the Incarnation. I think what you wrote has a beautiful message focused on Christ and the Salvation He brings by His incarnation. The inclusio of 1 John 1 is especially poignant. With such a textural focus on Scripture, I think it would be most appropriate for a choir composed of Catholics, Lutherans and others Evangelical Christians."
Dr Alan Schreck, Professor of Theology,
Franciscan University of Steubenville, OH USA
Alan Schreck is a Professor of Theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville Ohio and is an author of many books, his latest being a history of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal called "A Mighty Current of Grace". Concerning the Mary Oratorio He writes:
"This marvelous oratorio on the Incarnation combines pertinent texts from Sacred Scripture with a rich variety of great Christian hymns that come together in a glorious confluence of praise to the Incarnate Word of God, Jesus."
"This marvelous oratorio on the Incarnation combines pertinent texts from Sacred Scripture with a rich variety of great Christian hymns that come together in a glorious confluence of praise to the Incarnate Word of God, Jesus."
We are now seeking a performance of this work in Germany in the light of the 20th anniversary of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification in 2019.