Sermon delivered by Rev. Marlin Lavanhar, Senior Minister, Jan. 27, 2008.

Duke Ellington is considered one of America’s greatest composers. He won Grammys, a Pulitzer Prize and the highest medals of honor by two presidents of the United States and one from the country of France. He ventured into the realm of sacred music and even has a hymn in the Methodist Hymnal. The story of Ellington’s rise and his passion is a heartfelt, spiritual biography that transcends boundaries of many kinds. The All Souls Adult Choir will uplift the service with a choral rendition of one of Ellington’s most well known sacred songs. In the service you’ll find out what Ellington considered a four-letter word for God.