Selecting Music for Community Worship

The Gospel Acclamation

Immediately before the Gospel is read, we sing an acclamation. Traditionally this is an "alleluia" sung by the congregation; the cantor sings a short verse of scripture, and the congregation repeats the "alleluia". The worship coordinator is responsible for selecting the scripture verse to be sung.

The music is in Common Praise, #708 to #711. Select the music first, then the text. Ideally, the cantor's text should come from the Gospel reading of the day. It should be a sentence that can be broken into two parts, since the cantor's music is in two phrases. Here are three examples:

Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost. (Luke 15:6)
What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him? (Matthew 8:27)
I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. (John 10:10)

To be honest, this is a bit trickier than it might at first appear. Some readings are very short and have only a few sentences to choose from. Some do not have any suitable phrases that break conveniently into two. Do your best to find a phrase from the Gospel reading that can be sung as an acclamation; if you absolutely cannot find anything, call or e-mail me and we'll solve it together. If you can only find one good phrase (i.e. that cannot be broken into two small phrases), you may consider using Alleluia #714 (if the cantor has a high voice).

In the e-form for submitting service music, the gospel acclamation is entered in two phrases. This is so that I can see clearly where you think the break in the music should be. Please also cite the scripture reference for your text.

NOTE: During Lent, we do not sing "Alleluia". In its place, the gospel acclamation is sung to either #716 or #717. The same requirements for a double-barrelled scripture verse apply.