EASTER MEDITATION 2024 AT ROYAL TUNBRIDGE WELLS

For many years the South London Fellowship Band

has presented a programme of meditative music on the Monday evening of Holy Week. Initially held at Bromley Temple Corps, Royal Tunbridge Wells Corps has been the venue for the last nine years. On 25^th March this year, we were delighted once again to share the evening with the Royal Tunbridge Wells SongsterBrigade.

“Onward, Christian soldiers” is a martial hymn not usually associated with Easter but its chorus reminds us of “…the cross of Jesus, Going on before”. Just before the Meditation commenced, the Band played “Onward”, a majestic arrangement of this hymn by its Music Director, Derick Kane. This was immediately followed by the Soprano Cornet Solo “Armadale (Lily Skinner’s tune of that name being associated with the words of the old hymn “Jesus, who lived above the sky came down to be a Man and die.”). Kevin Coates, our guest soprano player, gave a fine performance of this new arrangement by Derick Kane.

The programme opened with the Band giving the first performance of the Meditation ” I Know the Lord”, composed by Rowland Little, the SLFB’s Band Secretary. It is based on an old Salvation Army chorus, ‘I know the Lord will make a way for me’. Rowland has noted that: “The author of the chorus, one senses, is perhaps struggling with life and its problems and is seeking but has not yet achieved that degree of faith and accompanying sense of peace that all Christians strive for. The chorus is in the future tense and the statement ‘I know the Lord will make a way for me’ may therefore represent an act of faith, a prayer even, or a belief rather than an already accomplished objective.

The question arises – must one know the Lord, that is be saved with all that this implies, for Him to make a way for us? Or does it also depend or be conditional on, as in the words of the chorus, living a Holy life, shunning wrong and doing right? After a battle between repeated doubt (the penitent) and reassurance (the counsellor), the penitent emerges victorious, signified by the statement in the major key of the song ‘You must go Home by the way of the Cross, To stand with Jesus in the morning’……. However, we are reminded, as the final chord of the piece dies away, that problems and difficulties may still be experienced along the pathway.”

The Band then sang the Negro Spiritual “Were You There” (arr Leidzen) before the congregation sang Charles Wesley’s hymn “Love Divine”. John Moye’s prayer invited us to “Turn your eyes upon Jesus” and reflect on “His glory and grace” during the Meditation. The Trombone Feature: “When I Survey” (Olaf Ritman) was the Band’s next contribution, based on the folk song “O waley, waley” and associated with Isaac Watt’s hymn “When I survey the wondrous cross”.

Under the leadership of Mike Wickham, the Songsters presented “Surely He Has Borne Our Griefs” (arr Krommenhoek), followed by “Nothing But Thy Blood” (Slater/ Peterson). The fine singing was enhanced by the excellent piano accompaniment of Lynda Spinney and by Tim Finch’s euphonium playing in the first song.

During the evening four scripture readings interspersed the musical items, two from Paul’s letters to the Corinthians and Romans and two from the Gospels’ record of the events of Easter.

Terry Camsey’s “Garden of My Heart” is an arrangement of the chorus “Jesus, Jesus, lily of the valley”. The Band played this before the congregation sang “There is a green hill”. The Band then contributed “The Old Rugged Cross”,Erik Leidzen’s simple and beautiful arrangement of George Bennard’s much-loved hymn.

The Songsters made two further contributions: “Wondrous Cross”, Phillip Wilby’s modern setting of Isaac Watts famous hymn, and “Written in Red” (Gordon Jensen):

“In letters of crimson, God wrote his love

On the hillside so long, long ago

For you and for me Jesus died

And love’s greatest story was told.”

The Songsters’ singing was much appreciated. The Band was privileged to share the Meditation with such an accomplished choral group.

Dean Goffin’s “Road to Emmaus” is a Salvation Army “classic”, depicting how, after his resurrection, “Jesus himself drew near” to two disciples on that road. It features the hymns “O Sacred Head Once Wounded”, “Abide with Me” and “Come into My Heart, Lord Jesus”. This was one of the Band’s major works of the evening.

An Easter Thought was provided by Roger Gadsden, the Band’s Chaplain. It had been good to meditate and think, and the music had brought blessing and triggered many memories. But Roger said the Easter story was, above all, about the “Divine Exchange”. By his death on the cross, Christ exchanged our unholy nature with His holy nature and reconciled us to God. This great exchange becomes ours not by works but by faith alone.

Robert Redhead’s “Reflections in Nature” is an arrangement of the hymn tune “When Jesus looked o’er Galilee” (the first verse of which asks “Upon her bosom, could He see. A cross reflected there?”). Following this penultimate Band contribution, the congregation sang “Crown Him with many Crowns” and Royal Tunbridge Wells Corps Officer, Captain Zoe Smith, expressed thanks to all who had participated and gave the Benediction.

The Meditation concluded with “Irish Blessing” (Bob Chilcott arr. Kane).