Worship and Music at Bethany
Corporate worship expresses the unity of the people of God and their continuity with Christians across the ages. In the liturgical tradition are the gestures, songs and words by which Christians have identified themselves and each other. The Lutheran Confessions set our liturgical life within the mainstream of Christian worship: “We do not abolish the Mass, but religiously keep and defend it. We keep our liturgical forms” (Apology to the Augsburg Confession, 24 ).
All that is authentic in the life of the Church of every time and place is affirmed in the evolution of the liturgy of word and sacrament. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, the Refomers led the people of God across the barrrier between Latin and the vernaculars of the West, just as the barriers between Greek and Latin had been crossed centuries earlier. The transition in language contributed to a new outpouring in the arts of worship, notably in hymns and other music.
The flowering of popular hymnody is the greatest of the artistic contributions of the Lutheran Church. Not since the early years of the Latin Church had there been such an outpouring of hymnists and composers, beginning with Martin Luther and later by Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frederick Handel. The Reformation hymn provided an open channel through which the people’s thanks and praise for the Gospel could flow. The elemental merging of tune and text resulted in a rugged, vital song, which still today inspires choral and instrumental literature. The key to the particularity of Lutheran worship is the Lutheran love of hymns. (Lutheran Book of Worship, 1978; Evangelical Lutheran Worship, 2006)
“The substance of Word and Sacrament ministry will be reflected in appropriate liturgical and musical expression by, in and for all members of the congregation. To accomplish this, the Worship and Music Committee works with the Pastor and music staff to oversee the worship calendar, hymnody, liturgiclal music,altar guild and coordinate and train assisting ministers, lectors, acolytes, greeters, and ushers.” Bethany Worship and Music Mission Statement.
Music at Bethany consists of a fine professional music staff, outstanding choir volunteers and soloists, and a consistent coordination of hymnody and the church year lectionary. Several community musical organizations call Bethany home due to the superb accoustics of The Augustana Room and our Sanctuary. The Connie and Roy Anderson pipe organ was rebuilt by the Portland, Oregon, firm of Marceau & Associates (Mark Dahlberg, designer) in 1998.Our Steinway B (Crown Jewel Collection) Grand Piano attracts both professional and student performers from throughout the Seattle area.