Church of the Servant is pleased to announce that David L. Ward’s setting of Psalm 90, “God of the Ages,” has won the 2012 COS New Psalm Contest.
Our judges received 78 submissions this year, and there were many we would have been proud to present as the winner. But even among such strong possibilities, David Ward’s song rose to the top. The melody is exquisitely crafted, with the lines rising, falling and stretching toward their peak on the text “and mountains rose up.” The pacing is perfect—never rushed and never losing energy. The lyrics preach the Psalm text through New Testament eyes using fresh imagery that feels timeless. An added bonus for our church is that the song’s music style straddles the contemporary and traditional in a way that will allow it to be led by all our music ensembles. It’s a great song that fits our church well. We expect that it will be sung again and again here at Church of the Servant.
“God of All Ages” will be premiered at Church of the Servant on January 27, 2013 during our 8:30 and 11am worship services.
Congratulations to David, and to all the other composers who took part in the competition. This year we saw more submissions than ever before, and the quality, too, was exceptional. The judges were happy to see so many great Psalm settings in such a wide variety of styles, but it made the job of choosing a winner difficult. We owe the judges a huge debt of thanks for the time and care they took with each composer’s music. We are also thankful to those who have funded the contest in memory of Ben Fackler, allowing a rich legacy of creativity and worship to flourish in his tribute.
Questions about this year’s contest or inquiries about future contests can be directed to Greg Scheer (music@coscrc.org).