an arrangement of glory to god, whose goodness shines on me

November 28, 2023 by Paul Vasile in Congregational Song, Music, Worship

Just before Advent, I received sample copies of an arrangement of “Glory to God, Whose Goodness Shines on Me” by Joel Raney that also weaves in a bit of the hymn “To God Be the Glory” (a more inclusive text, too). It’s an accessible SAB arrangement and available for purchase from Hope Publishing Company. It’s fun to see something you’ve written come back in a new way!

Here’s a preview recording of the arrangement from the publisher’s website.

global song celebration at union presbyterian seminary

Union Presbyterian Seminary

October 17, 2022 by Paul Vasile in Worship, Leadership, Congregational Song, Global Song

Last week, I visited United Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, VA to celebrate the installation of their new Schoenstein pipe organ. Doug Brown, the seminary’s musician, had the creative idea to bring the instrument into relationship with music of the Global Church, so we found thoughtful and playful ways to integrate the organ into music from Indonesia, Argentina, South Korea, the Philippines, Brazil, South Sudan, and Zimbabwe.

wholly, holy worship

March 30, 2022 by Paul Vasile in Worship, sermon

In early March, my colleague Jorge Lockward invited me to preach at Church of the Village in New York City, as part of a series focused on worship. You’re welcome to watch my sermon, “Holy, Wholly Worship.”

genesis collaboration with more light presbyterians

June 24, 2020 by Paul Vasile in Worship, Music

It was a pleasure to collaborate with Ashley DeTar Birt and Shawna Bowman to create this poetic paraphrase of Genesis 1 by African-American writer and storyteller James Weldon Johnson. It was shared in a service planned and presented by More Light Presbyterians, a non-profit working toward the full participation of LGBTQIA+ people in the life, ministry and witness of the Presbyterian Church (USA) – and in society.

easter morning improvisations

April 20, 2020 by Paul Vasile in Music, Worship, Easter

I have found improvisation a life-changing spiritual practice - a space of exploration that invites me to trust my intuition and lean into the grace of listening and learning rather than perfection.

So when I woke up before sunrise on Easter morning and felt drawn to the keyboard, I followed my heart and found inspiration in singing birds, rain, and rumbling thunder as a storm passed through. I read a translation of Psalm 46 by Norman Fischer. And Easter hymns found new life for me, not trumpeted out in festive pageantry, but offered in the hushed, sometimes ecstatic improvisations you can hear below.