100th Rededication Service

August 28th

ANTHEM              Take Up Your Cross            David Haas
Text: Matthew 16:24-28

If you lose your life for my sake, you will find it;
If you want to save your life, let it go.
Take up your cross, deny yourself: Come, follow me.
How will you profit by gaining the world, while you forfeit all of your life?
What will you give in return?
Before I return in glory, I will give you the gift of my love:
You will never taste death.  

August 21st

ANTHEM                The Servant Song               David Schwoebel
Text: Mark 9:35 and Richard Gillard

If anyone would be first, they should be the last of all.

We are trav’lers on a journey, fellow pilgrims on the road;
We are here to help each other walk the mile and bear the load.
I will hold the Christlight for you in the nighttime of your fear;
I will hold my hand out to you, speak the peace you long to hear.
Sister, let me be your servant, let me be as Christ to you;
Pray that I may have the grace to let you be my servant, too.
Brother, let me be your servant, let me be as Christ to you;
Pray that I may have the grace to let you be my servant, too.
I will weep when you are weeping, when you laugh, I’ll laugh with you;
I will share your joy and sorrow, till we’ve seen this journey through.
When we sing to God in heaven, we shall find such harmony,
Born of all we’ve known together of Christ’s love and agony.

100th Rededication Service

New Life, New Love, New Light by Thomas Troeger and Alfred Fedak

This anthem was commissioned by First Presbyterian Church, Cookeville to commemorate its 100th anniversary. The congregation is invited to join the choir on the fourth and fifth stanzas.

Choir:   Earth’s crust of rock is drifting upon its molten core,
and all the sands are shifting on every wave-lapped shore,
while in the sky’s vast spaces great suns recede to night
and leave no shining traces of their once steady light.

Though all things fade and crumble on earth and in the sky,
and we frail creatures stumble, our faith will never die
for we have glimpsed the wonder of love that never dims
and dreams of hope that thunder through worship, prayers and hymns.

Faith gives a depth dimension to how we view all things,
directing our attention to their undying springs:
the Spirit animating all life in every place,
the heart of Christ relating to us with love and grace.

Choir and congregation:

August 7th

OFFERTORY ANTHEM      Deck Yourself, My Soul, with Gladness            Johann Crüger
Text: Johann Franck

Deck yourself, my soul, with gladness; leave behind all gloom and sadness.
Come into the daylight’s splendor; there with joy your praises render
Unto God, whose grace unbounded has this wondrous banquet founded.
Come, for now the Lord most holy stoops to you in likeness lowly.
Sun, who all my life does brighten; Light who does my soul enlighten;
Joy, Your wondrous gift bestowing; Fount, from which all good is flowing:
At Your feet I cry, my Maker, let me be a fit partaker
Of this blessed food from heaven, for our good, Your glory given.
Jesus, source of life and pleasure, truest friend and dearest treasure,
By Your love I am invited; be Your love with love requited.
From this banquet let me measure, Lord, how vast and deep its treasure.
Through the gifts that here You give me, as Your guest in heaven receive me.

July 31st

ANTHEM                 Be Thou My Vision                      Carlton Young

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me save that Thou art—
Thou my best thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
Be Thou my wisdom, and Thou my true word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, and I Thy true son,
O Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.
High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heav’ns sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my vision, Thou ruler of all.      

July 24th

ANTHEM             Jubilate                  Dale Wood

O sing to the Lord with a jubilant voice; Glory to God in the highest!
O serve him with gladness, before him rejoice; Praise to the Lord in the highest!
The Lord is our God, our Creator, not we; Glory to God in the highest!
The sheep of his pasture we ever shall be; Praise to the Lord in the highest!

O enter his gates with thanksgiving and praise; Glory to God in the highest!
To honor his Name thankful voices we raise; Praise to the Lord in the highest!
For good is the Lord, and his mercy is sure; Glory to God in the highest!
To all generations his truth shall endure; Praise to the Lord in the highest!

July 17th

ANTHEM        Let Me, Lord              Samuel Sebastian Wesley

Lead me, Lord, lead me in thy righteousness,
Make thy way plain before my face.
For it is thou, Lord, only, that makest me dwell in safety.

June 19th

ANTHEM         We’ve a Story to Tell to the Nations     Paul Thurmond, arr.
Men’s Choir

We’ve a story to tell to the nations that shall turn their hearts to the right,
A story of truth and mercy, a story of peace and light.
For the darkness shall turn to dawning, and the dawning to noonday bright,
And Christ’s great kingdom shall come to earth, the kingdom of love and light.

We’ve a song to be sung to the nations that shall lift their hearts to the Lord,
A song that shall conquer evil and shatter the spear and sword.
For the darkness shall turn to dawning, and the dawning to noonday bright,
And Christ’s great kingdom shall come to earth, the kingdom of love and light.

We’ve a message to give to the nations that the Lord who reigneth above
Hath sent us His Son to save us, and show us that God is love.
For the darkness shall turn to dawning, and the dawning to noonday bright,
And Christ’s great kingdom shall come to earth, the kingdom of love and light.

June 12th

ANTHEM        Gracious Spirit, Dwell With Me         K. Lee Scott

Gracious Spirit, dwell with me, I would gracious be;
Help me now thy grace to see, I would be like thee;
And, with words that help and heal, thy life would mine reveal;
And, with actions bold and meek, for Christ, my Savior, speak.
Truthful Spirit, dwell with me, I would truthful be;
Help me now thy truth to see, I would be like thee;
And, with wisdom kind and clear, thy life in mine appear;
And, with actions brotherly, speak Christ’s sincerity.
Holy Spirit, dwell with me, I would holy be;
Show thy mercy tenderly, make me more like thee;
Separate from sin I would, and cherish all things good,
And whatever I can be give him who gave me thee.
Mighty Spirit, dwell with me, I would mighty be;
Help me now thy pow’r to see, I would be like thee;
‘Gainst all weapon hell can wield, be thou my strength and shield;
Let thy word my weapon be, Lord, thine the victory.      

June 5th

OFFERTORY ANTHEM    Lord God, Have Mercy        Franz Schubert
Text: Psalm 51

Lord God, have mercy, through your never ending love;
Blot out my sins, O Lord; all my wrongs forgive.
Cast me not away, O Lord; take not your holy Spirit.
Create in me a clean heart, O God. Restore the joy of thy salvation. 

May 29th

ANTHEM           Children of the Heavenly Father            Paul Sjolund
Virginia Lovellette, solo

Children of the heav’nly Father safely in his bosom gather;
Nestling bird nor star in heaven such a refuge e’er was given.
God his own doth tend and nourish, in his holy courts they flourish.
From all evil things he spares them, in his mighty arms he bears them.
Praise the Lord in joyful numbers, your protector never slumbers.
At the will of your Defender ev’ry foeman must surrender.
Though he giveth or he taketh, God his children ne’er forsaketh;
His the loving purpose solely to preserve them pure and holy.