As the new church year dawns this Advent Sunday, at RPC we have been thinking about a new kingdom. The annual observance of Reign of Christ Sunday followed immediately by Advent expectation of that kingdom is no coincidence.

But as we implied last week, with our varied musical conceptions of Jesus’ kingship, it is no conventional or even mythical kingship we await. The Kingdom, when it comes, dwells not in fortresses and palaces – it dwells in us – our choral music today explores this idea from three angles.

American Lutheran pastor and musician Paul Manz and his wife Ruth Manz wrote “E’en So, Lord Jesus, Quickly Come” in 1953 during a time when their three-year-old son John was critically ill. Reflecting on the time, Ruth Manz reported, “I think we’d reached the point where we felt that time was certainly running out so we committed it to the Lord and said, ‘Lord Jesus quickly come'”. During this time, she had prepared some text for Paul for a composition based on the Book of Revelation. While at his son’s bedside, Paul began drafting the composition, which later became the current piece. Their son did recover, which the couple attributed to the power of prayer.

Elizabeth Poston’s sole contribution to the sacred repertoire, the beautiful “Jesus Christ the Apple Tree” is a deeply personal affirmation of the balm of Jesus’ indwelling that grows from a single voice to full higher voices, to full SATB choir, and then returns.

The French carol known as the hymn-tune Picardy has since the early 19th century been associated with the awe-filled Communion hymn “Let all mortal flesh keep silence”, rich in conventional kingly imagery. Today’s setting is by the late Sir Stephen Cleobury, longtime Director of the Chapel Choir at King’s College, Cambridge, who left this earth a week ago last Friday on St Cecilia’s Day, adding extra poignancy to our sharing it today.

If you noticed the prominence of Revelation imagery in today’s choral texts, this too is no coincidence: if a new kingdom is to be ours, it is to be revealed, rather than calamitously imposed. And as in the case of the author of the poem “Jesus Christ the Apple Tree”, and the invitation and answered prayer from Ruth and Paul Manz for healing of their little son, it is to visit and dwell among us in deeply personal ways, rather than “lord” over us from afar.

-CD