For Unison/Two-part Voices with Piano
By Dorothy Christopherson
This anthem, for the 24th Sunday after Pentecost, contrasts the idea of Jesus the Good Shepherd with the popular concept of a royal ruler. It also evokes pictures of Jesus with the children, the Parable of the Lost Sheep, and the friendship Jesus offered to people like Zacchaeus, all stories familiar to children. Christopherson captures the mood of each stanza by alternating minor and major keys and suggesting that two of the stanzas be sung antiphonally as an aid to learning the text. A descant on the last stanza brings the anthem to a joyful and expectant conclusion.