The Rt. Rev. Eugene T. Sutton
Presider
Corinne Hatcher and Annell George-McLawhorn
Readers
The Chautauqua Choir
Sonya Subbayya Sutton
Interim Director & Organist
Owen Reyda
Organist
We invite you to quietly prepare your hearts for worship during the Prelude.
* Denotes that the congregation is invited to rise in body or spirit.It is our custom to sing the first and last verses of hymns in unison, the interior verses may be sung in parts.
Prelude
Improvisation by Owen Reyda
Hymn
“Day is dying in the west”
Chautauqua, William Fisk Sherwin, 1877
Mary Lathbury, 1877
Day is dying in the west;
Heav’n is touching earth with rest;
Wait and worship while the night
Sets her evening lamps alight
through all the sky.
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Hosts!
Heav’n and earth are full of Thee;
Heav’en and earth are praising Thee,
O Lord most high!
Opening Prayer
Thomas Troeger, 1994
Though every sun shall spend its fire
and galaxies shall dim to shade,
the Light by whom these lights were made
shall never flicker, never fade.
The Light of lights that danced and played
in Simeon’s rejoicing face
shone through each word the old man prayed
to realms beyond the temple’s space.
“Your servant, Lord, let now depart.
I’ve seen the Christ. In peace I go.
What shines in heaven shines below,
your light to every land you show.”
In us arise, O Light of lights.
Burn brightly in the caverned heart.
Consume the shade that fear supplies,
and peace and truth instead impart.
Hymn
“O Gracious Light”
Tune: Tallis Canon
Poem
“Mornings at Blackwater Pond”
Mary Oliver, 1983
For years, every morning, I drank
from Blackwater Pond.
It was flavored with oak leaves and also, no doubt,
the feet of ducks.
And always it assuaged me
from the dry bowl of the very far past.
What I want to say is
that the past is the past,
and the present is what your life is,
and you are capable
of choosing what that will be,
darling citizen.
So come to the pond,
or the river of your imagination,
or the harbor of your longing,
and put your lips to the world.
And live
you life.
Anthem
“Earth Song”
Music and words: Frank Ticheli, 2006
Sing, Be, Live, See...
This dark stormy hour, the wind, it stirs.
The scorched earth cries out in vain:
O war and power, you blind and blur.
The torn heart cries out in pain.
But music and singing have been my refuge,
and music and singing shall be my light.
A light of song shining strong: Alleluia!
Through darkness, pain and strife, I’ll
Sing, Be, Live, See...
Poem
“The New Colossus”
Emma Lazarus, 1883
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
Hymn
“Keep Your Lamps Trimmed and Burning”
Spiritual
Anthem
“MLK ”
Words and music: U2, arr. Bob Chilcott
Sleep tonight, and may your dreams be realized. If the thundercloud passes rain, so let it rain, rain down on him. So let it be.
Reading
Excerpts from “On the Pulse of Morning”
Maya Angelou, 1993
A River sings a beautiful song. It says,
Come, rest here by my side.
Each of you, a bordered country,
Delicate and strangely made proud,
Yet thrusting perpetually under siege.
Your armed struggles for profit
Have left collars of waste upon
My shore, currents of debris upon my breast.
Yet today I call you to my riverside,
If you will study war no more. Come,
Clad in peace, and I will sing the songs
The Creator gave to me when I and the
Tree and the rock were one.
Before cynicism was a bloody sear across your
Brow and when you yet knew you still
Knew nothing.
The River sang and sings on.
There is a true yearning to respond to
The singing River and the wise Rock.
Speak to humankind today. Come to me, here beside the River.
Plant yourself beside the River.
Each of you, descendant of some passed
On traveler, has been paid for.
You, who gave me my first name, you,
Pawnee, Apache, Seneca, you
Cherokee Nation, who rested with me, then
Forced on bloody feet,
Left me to the employment of
Other seekers—desperate for gain,
Starving for gold.
You, the Turk, the Arab, the Swede, the German, the Eskimo, the Scot,
You the Ashanti, the Yoruba, the Kru, bought,
Sold, stolen, arriving on the nightmare
Praying for a dream.
Here, root yourselves beside me.
I am that Tree planted by the River,
Which will not be moved.
I, the Rock, I the River, I the Tree
I am yours—your passages have been paid.
Lift up your faces, you have a piercing need
For this bright morning dawning for you.
History, despite its wrenching pain
Cannot be unlived, but if faced
With courage, need not be lived again.
Lift up your eyes upon
This day breaking for you.
Give birth again
To the dream.
Women, children, men,
Take it into the palms of your hands,
Mold it into the shape of your most
Private need. Sculpt it into
The image of your most public self.
Lift up your hearts
Each new hour holds new chances
For a new beginning.
Do not be wedded forever
To fear, yoked eternally
To brutishness.
The horizon leans forward,
Offering you space to place new steps of change.
Here, on the pulse of this fine day
You may have the courage
To look up and out and upon me, the
Rock, the River, the Tree, your country.
Anthem
“The Dream Isaiah Saw”
Music: Glenn Rudolph, 2004
Text: Thomas H. Troeger, 1994
Pianist: Arlene Hanjilian
Lions and oxen will sleep in the hay, leopards will join with the lambs as they play, wolves will be pastured with cows in the glade, blood will not darken the earth that God made.
Little child whose bed is straw, take new lodgings in my heart,
Bring the dream Isaiah saw: life redeemed from fang and claw.
Peace will pervade more than forest and field: God will transfigure the Violence concealed deep in the heart and in systems of gain, ripe for the judgment the Lord will ordain.
Little child whose bed is straw, take new lodgings in my heart.
Bring the dream Isaiah saw: justice purifying law.
Nature reordered to match God’s intent, nations obeying the call to repent, all of creation completely restored, filled with the knowledge and love of the Lord.
Little child whose bed is straw, take new lodgings in my heart.
Bring the dream Isaiah saw: knowledge, wisdom, worship, awe.
Hymn
“Living Spirit, Holy Fire"
Tune: The Ca
Text: Ruth Duck, 2005
A Night Prayer
New Zealand Prayer Book
Lord, it is night.
The night is for stillness.
Let us be still in the presence of God.
It is night after a long day.
What has been done has been done;
what has not been done has not been done;
let it be.
The night is dark.
Let our fears of the darkness of the world and of
our own lives rest in you.
The night is quiet.
Let the quietness of your peace enfold us,
all dear to us,
and all who have no peace.
The night heralds the dawn.
Let us look expectantly to a new day,
new joys,
new possibilities.
In your name we pray. Amen.
Hymn
"Now the day is over"
Merrial, Joseph Barnaby, 1868
Sabine Barind-Gould, 1865
Now the day is over, night is drawing nigh,
shadows of the evening steal across the sky.
O God, give the weary calm and sweet repose
with thy tend’rest blessing may our eyelids close.
When the morning wakens, then may I arise
pure, and fresh, and sinless in thy holy eyes. Amen.
Postlude
Largo
George Frederick Handel, 1738
from the opera Xerxes
Use of this piece to close the Sunday evening service has been Chautauqua’s tradition since the dedication of the Massey Memorial Organ on August 6, 1907. Part of the custom has been to remain in our seats until the piece is finished. It is a gesture that we treasure, and one in which you are invited to join. We invite you to leave the Amphitheater silently—without applause.
Chautauqua Literary Arts and the Alumni Association of the CLSC invite you the Vigil Reception, celebrating the CLSC Class of 2026 before the Vigil Ceremony this evening. Join us at 9 p.m. in Alumni Hall for some sweet treats, punch, and literary inspiration. All are welcome.
The CLSC Class of 2026
Keepers of the Flame “Voices For Democracy”
Thomas G. Armstrong
Kathleen Mitchell Barksdale
Rev. Rebecca Anne Barnes
Anne C. Bauer
Judith M. Beck
Elizabeth Bender
Dr. Edith Bernosky
Barbara K. Bisno
Laura Boniface
Christine R. M. Bourgeios
Bradford Brackin
Susan G. Bradford
Sarah Merchant Breding
Therse Brink
Elizabeth K. Butterfield
Jonathan E. Butterfield
Amy H. Camardese
Nancy Chamberlain
Robyn L. Chamblin
Dawn Lynn Check
C. Hunter Christian
Kells Christian
L. Jay Clise
Nancy A. Clise
Gail L. Collister
Janie Constantine
Frannie Corzine
Diana Crawford
Zahra Daar
Anna Denton
Elizabeth Elder
Christine M. Farquhar
Natalie Francois
Cheryl Goffney Franklin
Brigid A. Gallagher
Annell George-McLawhorn
Carole Gilfillan
Whitney Rappole Gleason
Judy Roberts Godinez
Elizabeth Grohowski
Beth Hadley
Corinne Hatcher
Kathleen Heide
Kendra Heide
Todd Hillmer
Judith Holder
David Randall Hollier
Joan G. Holmes
Jacqueline Housel
Judy Frye Jones
Melinda Keefe
Elizabeth Ann Kelly
Bruce Martin Kestner
Susan Krantz
Ann Kuo
Sarah Lancaster
Judy Lewis
Teri Jo Luecke
Patricia B. Lundquist
Carolyn A. Mackey
Lynn Joyce Manning
Mary Maxwell
Athena McMonagle
Mary Ellen McNerney
Suzanne Miller
Janet R. Muchnik
Alison Nickerson
Jamie Bailey Oliver
Cheryl Patton
Jan Pomerantz
Barbara Eileen Rappole
Jenny Chilcott Rappole
Pamela Petre Reis
Margaret M. Rice
Caroline Starr Rose
Norah McDonough Rowland
Beth Rush
Bonnie Saks, MD
Felicia D. Saunders
Carolyn English Seymour
Ann Shayne
John Patrick Shekitka
Julie L. Smith
Robert B. Snyder
Jordan Marie Stefko
Joel W. Steger
Lynette Woelfle Steger
Sandra Steinbach
Stacie G. Stone
Mark D. Stucky
Charlene Marie Tobie
Constance L. Tomczyk
Karen Harton Allen Vaca
Sarah Nicole Vest
Karen Watson
Julie Wells
Michael Wells
Adam Francis
Jodi DeSciscio
Barbara J. Welsch
Barbara L. Williams
Amy Young Filko
Kriss Young Miller
2026 Guild of Seven Seals Graduates
“To Learn, To Teach, To Serve, To Enjoy”
Guild of the Seven Seals
Marisa Albridge
Patricia A. Armstrong
Melissa Bartok
Alan Blackburn
Kelly Bongiorno
Irene Cramer
Scott Dahlie
Rachael Ellis
Maria Emert
Kristen K. Evans
Susan Joy Evans
Emma Francois
Pamela Gardner
Steven Goldberg
Michelle Hannahs
Beth Lynn Hinman
Jennifer Hostutler
Mark Hrabe
Barbara Hudson
Joe Hudson
Susan Kuhn
Christine Malanga
Kate Mayberry
Merry Kim Meyers
John G. McIntosh
Karen Williams Miller
Linda Price
Nancy Richter
Alison Russell
Ellen Grapes Sautter
Brian Christopher Smith
Robert B. Snyder
Wendy Stephens
Mary Stokes
Laura Piper Taylor
Susan Turnquist
Susan Weeks
Kay Karslake White
Lauralynn White
Parnassian
Gwen Alegre
Mitchell Alegre
Patricia Assad-Ketcham
Dean A. Baker
Marjorie Bass
Theresa Chalich
Laura R. Dawson
Janet Sass McDermott
Melinda G. Falkoff
Willie La Favor
Jennifer Francois
Lauren Guth
Jennifer Hudson
Catherine Hunter
Penny Krug
Christine L. Manzey
Sarah Masters
Thomas McCray-Worrall
Dawn McGriff
Kathleen McIntosh
E. Marlee Mitchell
Jeremy Musher
Robin Musher
Carol Obernauer
Danica D. Olson
Cheryl Philipps
Susan K. Porter
Ruth Powell
Larry Robinson
Deborah Rowe
Tobin Schermerhorn
Linda A. Stewart
Dorothy E. Trefts
Michael J. Randall Jr.
Marla J. Wasson
Joan Vondra
Olympian
Alice Alessi
David Blank
Patricia Braga
Sandra Cline
Benjamin Doolittle
Rachelle Francis
Peter Franklin
R. Thomas George
Maura Giannini
Kathy Hurst
Donna Myers
Jenni Propst
Sabeeha Rehman
Carole Stevens
Margaret Viehe
Jo Ann Wolfe
Centurion
Robert Gardler
Rosa Linda Guadarrama
Chris Milks
Karen Paul
George B. South Jr.
Melinda Valencia
Evelyn Waldron
LaVerne F. Wallace
Miller Echelon
Patricia S. Beagle
Arlette Berlin
Judith Borden
Mrs. Suzanne Brandon
Shelley Dahlie
Wayne A. Gnatuk
Stephine Hunt
Mary Kellner
David J. Munch
Linda Ann Oesterle
Nancy R. Schrader
Virginia May Stanton
Sandra Stupiansky
Nicholas Stupiansky
Sally Wingerter
Vincent Echelon
Shirley Adams
Patricia M. Brown
Lee Heinz
Anita Jencks
Paul Jencks
Barbara C. Jones
Alexis McAvoy
Barbara L. Miles
Carole Neely
Kathryn Peate
Sigi Schwinge
Linda M. Stutz
Laurie Weatherlow
Chautauqua Institution
Department of Religion
Robert Wilson-Black
Director of Religion
The Rt. Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton
Senior Pastor
Sonya Subbaya Sutton
Interim Director of Sacred Music
Carolyn Snider
Administrative Assistant
Owen Reyda
Organ Scholar
Alicen Roberts
Religion Intern