To close out Black History Month, we honor Richard Smallwood (pictured), a legendary Gospel artist who died in December 2025, by singing his hymn arrangements of “Come by Here” and “I love the Lord.” Smallwood was a classically trained pianist, composer, and singer who reshaped contemporary Gospel music through his five decade career.

For this first Sunday in Lent the choir will sing the classic carol Jesus Christ the Apple Tree by Elizabeth Poston, with references to the morning’s Old Testament reading from Genesis. The organ voluntaries are similarly based on the 16th century chorale tune “Durch Adams Fall ist ganz verderbt” (“Through Adam’s sin, all people are cursed”), which fits this one and only Sunday in the three year lectionary cycle.