Prelude — Come Sunday
Duke Ellington (1943) · piano
“Come Sunday” is Ellington’s deeply moving meditation on the spiritual tradition. It is part of his grand jazz suite Black, Brown and Beige, which the Duke himself called “a parallel to the history of the American Negro.” He hoped it would elevate American jazz music and challenge America to live up to its founding principles of freedom and equality for all.
Introit — Woke Up This Morning
Civil Rights freedom song · choir & piano
This freedom song was born when Civil Rights activists transformed the gospel hymn “I Woke Up This Morning with My Mind Stayed on Jesus” into a declaration of resolve: “Woke up this morning with my mind stayed on freedom.” The adaptation reveals a deep theological truth at the heart of the Black freedom struggle — that liberation and faith are inseparable.
Hymn of Praise — And Can It Be That I Should Gain
Charles Wesley (1738) · HPP #332, vv. 1, 4, & 5
Charles Wesley wrote this hymn immediately after his conversion on May 21, 1738 — a confession of astonishment that grace could reach even him. As we sing verses 1, 4, and 5 today, notice the journey: from chains to freedom, from dungeon to light, from condemnation to righteousness clothed.
Interlude for Reflection — We Shall Overcome
organ
This anthem of the American Civil Rights Movement traces its roots to Charles Tindley’s gospel hymn “I’ll Overcome Some Day.” Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, and countless marchers carried this melody through the streets of Selma and beyond.
Hymn of Reflection — Lord, I Want to Be a Christian
African American spiritual (c. 1750s) · HPP #323, vv. 1, 2, & 4
This African American spiritual likely originated in 1750s Virginia among enslaved people who encountered the preaching of evangelist Samuel Davies. Let us sing this hymn as a prayer to let our faith be genuine, all the way down.
Response — Balm in Gilead
African American spiritual · organ improvisation
This spiritual answers Jeremiah’s call: “Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there?” (Jeremiah 8:22). The answer: yes — Jesus is the balm that heals the sin-sick soul.
Offertory — If Ye Love Me
Thomas Tallis (c. 1549) · choir & organ
Thomas Tallis composed this anthem around 1549 during the English Reformation, setting Jesus’ words from John 14:15–17:
If ye love me, keep my commandments, and I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another comforter.
Tallis served four separate Tudor monarchs — Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I — a time of dramatic upheaval. Yet this serene piece transcends controversy to focus on love, obedience, and the promise of the Spirit.
Closing Hymn — How Firm a Foundation
“K” in Rippon’s Selection (1787) · HPP #248, all
The text of this much-loved hymn draws from Isaiah 41 and 43: “Fear not, I am with thee; O be not dismayed.” This hymn was sung at the funeral of Theodore Roosevelt and has strengthened believers through every imaginable trial for over two centuries.
We close by standing on this foundation together.
Postlude — Hymn to Freedom
Oscar Peterson (1962) · piano
Oscar Peterson composed this piece spontaneously in a recording studio on December 16th, 1962, during the turbulent years of the Civil Rights Movement. “When every man joins hands and forever sings in harmony — that’s when we’ll be free.” Drawing on church hymns from his childhood, Peterson created a musical prayer that transcends borders.
Let this music propel you into the world to walk humbly, do justice, and choose love, always.