Music for the Seventh Sunday after Epiphany, Year C: February 23, 2025

OPENING VOLUNTARY Be Thou My Vision James Pethel
See the text and tune at ELW 793.

This ancient Irish tune with a text by Eleanor Hull is a favorite hymn of many.  I chose to play a setting of Slane because we'll hear a different setting of the text by John Rutter at the musical offering. 

GATHERING HYMN Lord of Glory, You Have Bought Us (Hyfrydol) ELW 707

How far is it from Ireland to Wales? It's about 108 miles, but this morning we'll close that gap in about 2 minutes. The tune for our Gathering Hymn is Welsh. Both Ireland and Wales have Celtic roots.

In today's gospel reading, Jesus tells how to treat our enemies - we are to love them, do good to them, and bless them. This can be a tall, tall order. But we acknowledge, in the third stanza of this hymn, that our love can do it with the love of Jesus.

HYMN OF THE DAY Light Dawns on a Weary World (Temple of Peace) ELW 726

For many of the hymns we sing, the texts are written to go with a meter, not with a tune. That is not the case here with this hymn. The composer, William P. Rowan, wrote about 18 hymntunes with no texts in mind, so that the music, and not the text, would "animate the creative process. He shared this tune with Mary Louise Bringle who called it "love at first listen." 

Bringle drew on images from Isaiah and wrote a refrain that shows humans living in joy and peace, not just with each other, but with all creation.

MUSICAL OFFERING Be Thou My Vision John Rutter

John Rutter's original music for this much-loved text still manages to maintain a Celtic feel. The piano imitates both an Irish flute and a Celtic harp to accompany a melody that sounds like it might be coming from  mists over Loch Lomond. 

A loch in Scotland. From Wikipedia.

COMMUNION HYMNS

In All Our Grief (Fredricktown) ELW 615

In today's gospel reading, Jesus teaches us how to live together. This hymn expresses our remorse when we fail to live that way. Its refrain combines elements of two of our liturgical songs - the Kyrie (Lord, have mercy) and the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God).
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, grant us peace.

Jesus, Remember Me ELW 616

The beauty of this hymn is that you don't need to carry a hymnal with you. Sing it once, maybe twice, and you'll be able to sing it from memory. You can turn it into sung prayer by closing the book and continuing to sing as you approach the Lord's table, and as you return to your seat.

SENDING HYMN God, When Human Bonds Are Broken (Merton) ELW 603

CLOSING VOLUNTARY Trumpet Tune on "Freu dich sehr" 

Jerry Westenkuehler
See the text and tune at ELW 783.

DON'T MISS THE SAN MARCO CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY THIS SUNDAY, 02/23/2025

Sources:
The Hymnal Companion to Evangelical Lutheran Worship (Augsburg Fortress)
Wikipedia 

Music for the Sixth Sunday after Epiphany, Year C: February 16, 2025

OPENING VOLUNTARY Three Settings of "O Lord, We Praise You."

Kenneth T. Kosche (See the text and tune at ELW 499.

In church music, a partita is a collection of variations on a hymn tune. We'll hear four variations from Kosche's collection - three at the opening voluntary and one at the closing voluntary.

I chose to play this most Lutheran of communion hymns (partly written by Martin Luther himself!) because of words from the Introduction for the Day: The risen Christ stands among us in the mystery of the holy supper with an invitation to live in him. . . (Sundays and Seasons)

GATHERING HYMN God of Grace and God of Glory (Cwm Rhondda) ELW 705

HYMN OF THE DAY Let Streams of Living Justice (Thaxted) ELW 710

To be a disciple of Jesus is to work for justice for the poor and hungry of our world - and not just the poor who lack material resources and those who don't know where their next meal is coming from. There are many ways to be poor and hungry.

The text was written in 1989 and the author had fresh images in his
mind, including the events of Tianenman Square and the cries of justice in Argentina from the Mothers of the Disappeared. These and other images of the time are present in the first stanza.

A demonstration in Hong Kong on the 20th anniversary 
of the events at Tianenman Square.
By ryanne lai - originally posted to Flickr as 香港人一條心, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8304194

The second stanza implores God to teach us how to live together - not just without war and hardship, but in genuine love for each other.

In the third stanza, we ask to be agents of God's kingdom in the world, ruled by love and justice.

MUSICAL OFFERING Kum Bah Yah arr. Michael Larkin

Most people are aware that this song, sung happily around campfires and wherever people gather, had its beginnings as an African American spiritual. The words "Kum ba yah" are an African language rendering of the English "Come by here." It asks God to come and be with those who crying, singing, and praying.

More specifically, this song comes from the Gullah Geechee people - descendants of slaves (mostly from western and central Africa) who lived along the eastern coast of the United States from South Carolina to Florida. One such group lived in the Fort Caroline area in a town called Cosmo. Most of Cosmo is gone except for two historic churches and a cemetery.

Freedom Park (near Fort Caroline in Jacksonville) is a monument to many of these people and their way of life. I can walk to Cosmo from my home. I was happy to visit the park and learn more about their culture.

A historical marker near Fort Caroline in Jacksonville

Another marker at Freedom Park. The park is located at the intersection of Fort Caroline and McCormick Roads in Jacksonville.

COMMUNION HYMN Lift Every Voice and Sing ELW 841

Two brothers from Jacksonville wrote this song to honor Abraham Lincoln and his Emancipation Proclamation. It was first sung a children's chorus at Stanton School in Jacksonville - at the time an all-black school. The date of the performance was February 12, 1900 - Lincoln's birthday.

Now known as the Black National Anthem, it's a sobering reminder that the road to justice and freedom is rarely an easy one. 

SENDING HYMN Jesus Shall Reign (Duke Street) ELW 481

Note: Did you notice the Luther Rose in front of the opening voluntary? For a time, I'll be using that as a symbol that a piece of music is particularly Lutheran. 

What makes a hymn Lutheran? Good question! You can read about the criteria I use in a previous blog post that you can find here:
https://smljax.blogspot.com/2014/05/our-lutheran-heritage-in-hymns-is-hymn.html

COMING EVENT

ANOTHER COMING EVENT

Just prior to our parish trip to Germany, I'll be doing a demonstration/recital of German organ music and hymns relevant to the places we'll visit. I hope you'll join me!

Sources: The Hymnal Companion: Evangelical Lutheran Worship (Augsburg Fortress)
Wikipedia

Music for the Fifth Sunday after Epiphany, Year C: February 9, 2025

OPENING VOLUNTARY Isaiah in a Vision Did of Old

Martin Luther / setting, John Hirten

See the text and tune at ELW 868.

Martin Luther's German Mass had options. His hymns could be used as replacements for the Latin propers, or as an enhancement for them. Isaiah in a Vision Did of Old, a hymn, by Luther himself, stands for the Sanctus (Holy, holy, holy) sung after the proper preface in the Great Thanksgiving.

The hymn uses imagery from Isaiah 6 (today's first reading), including a verbatim singing of the song of the seraphim. It lacks one phrase from the Roman rite, the one that evokes Palm Sunday imagery: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna!

From Petites Heures de Jean de Berry
14th century illuminated manuscript

But Luther didn't exclude it fully - it's present in and under the music!  Luther's tune, Jesaia, dem Propheten, was fashioned from a chant the people would have remembered singing for the Sanctus text. Even while singing Luther's new text, they would have remembered the tune that used to include Blessed is he who comes. . ."

The imagery in this hymn, poetic and stately, relates Isaiah's vision of God's throne and the seraphim who approach God with covered faces and feet.  If you miss some of the imagery, you'll get to revisit it when the Festival Choir sings another arrangement of this hymn at the musical offering.

GATHERING HYMN Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty! (Nicaea)

ELW 413

This is a set-up, really, for the first reading!

There are some differences from Isaiah's vision.
This version includes us in the line . . .all the saints adore Thee. Heber's version includes cherubim. It also affirms our Trinitarian worship.

PSALM Psalm 138

With a musical refrain by Daniel Kallman, this setting is in the style we usually sing.

The psalm for the day, as used in the Revised Common Lectionary, is a response or reflection on the first reading. Front and center again is the Lord's dwelling. As a kid, "before the gods" often confused me. Now I know that even though the Hebrews worshiped ONE God, that didn't stop them from believing there were other gods. (How often did they turn to other gods only to find themselves rebuked by their one, true God?)

The image of God's dwelling from the Hebrew scriptures is magnificent indeed! But in that reading, the prophet Isaiah is being called to speak to a people who will not hear him. (As an aside, many assume the inspiration for the hymn Here I Am, Lord, to be the calling of Samuel - but it is actually the calling of Isaiah!) Isaiah is being called to a hard task - to tell the people that their actions are leading to a destruction that has no release. Perhaps that is why the psalm talks about the psalmist being protected from the fury of his enemies.

The psalm concludes with an assurance not found in the Isaiah reading.  God's steadfast love endures forever.

HYMN OF THE DAY In Christ Called to Baptize (St. Denio) ELW 575

Most of my readers will agree that Pastor Daniel Locke is an excellent preacher - and we are blessed to have him at St. Mark's. If we ever played "Pastor Daniel's Sermon Bingo," the most checked box would read "mentions the sacraments of the church" - because he always highlights baptism and holy communion.

Our baptismal font at St. Mark's

That's where this Hymn of the Day, by Ruth Duck starts, with our call to baptize others into the same baptism we already share. The second stanza reminds us we are called to invite others to the communion table. In the third stanza, we are reminded to share the gospel. In the fourth, we are called to serve our neighbors.

Ruth Duck (1947-2024), the author of this hymn text, was an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ. Her concern for justice, equality, and the care of creation is evident in the hymns she wrote - more than 200 of them! She has four entries in Evangelical Lutheran Worship.

Musical Offering Isaiah in a Vision Did of Old
See the entry under this morning's opening voluntary for more information. Notice how the two settings end very differently!

COMING EVENT: SAVE THIS DATE! YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS THIS!

COMMUNION HYMN You Are Holy (Du är helig) ELW 525
More "holy" language. It just seems unavoidable this week! 

The text and music are by a Swedish Lutheran pastor. The music does not sound Swedish, for sure. In fact, I sometimes think it's what you might end up with if Wayne Newton (aka Mr. Las Vegas) became a worship leader - and I mean that in the best possible way. This is one of my favorites!

COMMUNION HYMN Holy, Holy, Holy, Holy (Cuéllar) ELW 762
More "holies." More joy. This hymn has a Latin feel to it. It's rhythmically exciting because it alternates between dividing measures into three short beats and two long beats. It's one of the most "fun" things in our hymnal.

SENDING HYMN Here I Am, Lord ELW 574

CLOSING VOLUNTARY St. Denio Alice Jordan
An organ setting of the tune for the Hymn of the Day.

Sources:
Hymnal Companion to Evangelical Lutheran Worship (Augsburg Fortress)

Lutheran Service Book Companion to the Hymns

Wikipedia

Sundays and Season.com (graphics)

Seraph image credit: By Limbourg brothers/ Jacquemart de Hesdin/ Jean Le Noir/ Pseudo-Jacquemart - originally uploaded on en.wikipedia by Mirv (talk · contribs) at 27 April 2005. Filename was Seraphim - Petites Heures de Jean de Berry.jpg., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3431408

Music for the Third Sunday after Epiphany, Year C: January 26, 2025

OPENING VOLUNTARY Prelude on "Kuortane"
Jacob B. Weber

GATHERING HYMN Praise the One Who Breaks the Darkness (Nettleton) ELW 843

HYMN OF OF THE DAY Hail to the Lords Anointed (Freut euch, ihr lieben Christen) ELW 311

The tune originally accompanied a Christmas hymn. It was written by Leonhart Schröter, a student of Johann Gottfried Walter who helped Martin Luther with music to accompany his German mass.

MUSICAL OFFEERING With a Voice of Singing Martin Shaw

COMMUNION HYMNS

Here Is Bread ELW 483

One Bread, One Body ELW 496

SENDING HYMN We All Are One in Mission (Kuortane) ELW 576

CLOSING VOLUNTARY Salvation Unto Us Has Come (Es ist das Heil)

setting, Kevin Hildebrand

Music for Baptism of Our Lord, Year C: January 12, 2025

OPENING VOLUNTARY This Is the Spirit's Entry Now Philip M. Young

See the text and tune at ELW  448.

Land of Rest is one of the most easily recognized American hymntunes. It comes from the shape-note tradition.

The text emphasizes the work of the Holy Spirit in baptism, so it's a suitable way to enter into the Thanksgiving for Baptism that follows.

GATHERING HYMN Songs of Thankfulness and Praise (Salzburg) ELW 310

This hymn stands beautifully as a bridge between Epiphany Sunday, today's feast, and even the Sundays to come in the Time after Epiphany. Stanza one tells of the wisemen we sang about last week. Stanza two celebrates Jesus' baptism that we commemorate today and Jesus' turning water into wine that we'll encounter next week.
Throughout the coming Time after Pentecost, may we continue to praise our Lord, "God in flesh made manifest."

HYMN OF THE DAY Christ, When for Us You Were Baptized (Lobt Gott, ihr Christen) ELW 304

A 6th century mosaic depicting the baptism of Jesus
Arian Baptistery, Ravenna, Italy

MUSICAL OFFERING O Living Breath of God John Helgen
See the text and tune at ELW 407.

Between the second and third stanzas, the composer has added a little refrain with the text O living God, breath in us as we pray . . .dwell in us every day. The refrain is sung over a gently flowing accompaniment, suggesting the Spirit of God hovering over the waters at creation, and, perhaps, hovering over the waters at our baptism.

COMMUNION HYMNS

Wade in the Water ELW 459
Light Shone in Darkness ELW 307

Mark Sedio wrote the tune for this hymn. Looking for a water/baptism connection? He wrote it to sound like a sea chanty. And. . .he is coming to St. Mark's!

SENDING HYMN Down Galilee's Slow Roadways ACS 916

A text by the late Sylvia Dunstan, a minister in the Church of Canada, is combined with a tune by Hal Hopson, a prolific composer of church music. This hymn relates the story of Jesus' baptism by John in the Jordan River, an event to which we came with the unassuming throngs of ordinary people (soldiers, scribes, and slaves) but which revealed him as the Son of God through a voice from heaven and the descent of the Holy Spirit like a dove. Because we are joined to Jesus through our baptism, God claims us also as beloved children. (From Sundays and Seasons)

CLOSING VOLUNTARY PRELUDE IN CLASSIC STYLE Gordon Young (1919-1998)

Young was a prolific composer of church music, especially in the 70s-80s. This is one of his most popular pieces. Although it has no specific liturgical or thematic tie to the day, it's definitely suitable for a festival day!

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!

Sources:
Hymnal Companion to Evangelical Lutheran Worship
Sundays and Seasons
Wikipedia By I, Sailko, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28215651 (mosaic)

Music for the Third Sunday of Advent, Year C: December 15, 2024

ADVENT LESSONS AND CAROLS

The format for Christmas Lessons and Carols dates back to 1880 at Truro Cathedral in Cornwall, England where it was first sung on Christmas Eve. Today's service is Advent-themed, featuring writings from the Prophet Isaiah and two of the four canonic gospel writers.

Truro Cathedral

OPENING MUSIC A Call to Advent J. Jerome Williams

Yes, this is usually the spot for an organ voluntary, but today the Festival Choir presents a quodlibet - a form of musical composition that combines melodies. Here are two of the best-know Advent melodies: Veni, Emmanuel ("O Come, O Come, Emmanuel") and Picardy ("Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence").

We often think of Advent's meaning as two-fold, Jesus' incarnation at the manger in Bethlehem, then his coming in glory at the end times. Using Picardy this early in the service also allows to reflect on another way Jesus comes to us - in the mystery of the Eucharist.

The second stanza (not included in this piece)refers to Jesus as "Lord of Lords in human vesture, in the body and the blood" and tells us "he will give to all the faithful his own self for heavenly food."

GATHERING HYMN SAVIOR OF THE NATIONS, COME (Nun komm der Heiden Heiland) ELW 263

Some version of the hymn has been sung by Christians for more than 1,600 years! Ambrose of Milan (340-397) wrote the Latin hymn that Martin Luther eventually translated into German. 

The first three stanzas speak of the incarnation - a definite theme in Advent. Stanza four speaks of Christ's triumph over death and his being seated at God's right hand. The fifth stanza gives us a little glimpse of Christmas before the final stanza in praise of the Trinity.

FIRST LESSON Isaiah 64:1-9 

God commissions Isaiah to be the Prophet of the Advent.

The Night Will Soon Be Ending (Llangloffan)

Isaiah, by Antonio Balestra (1666-1740)

Night is a common theme in Advent Hymns: "Lost in the Night," "Watchman, Tell Us of the Night," "Wake, Awake, for Night Is Flying."
We think of the people who "walked in darkness," as being people from ancient times, but we still experience darkness today, in both or personal and our collective lives.

The author of this text, Jochen Klepper (1903-1942) lived under the power of the Third Reich in Nazi Germany. The experiences he endured with his family brought insomnia and vivid nightmares. This may have been a life-long situation, but Klepper bore it with the assurance that even when nights bring sadness and "rob our hearts of peace," God dwells with us, redeems us from sin, and claims us as children.

Klepper married a woman from a Jewish family and they had two daughters. His wife, Johanna Stein, was baptized just prior to their wedding. When his daughter was denied a visa, the three of them turned on a gas valve in their home and died by suicide. Klepper's last words, recorded in his diary, were, "Tonight we die together. Over us stands in the last moments stands the image of the blessed Christ who surrounds us. With this view we end our lives."

This hymn comes from Lutheran Service Book, the current hymnal in use by the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.

SECOND LESSON Isaiah 9:2-7

God promises a child who will bring peace.

Lost in the Night (Lost in the Night) ELW 243

lighting candles for and
evening service at St. Mark's

You can feel the mourning and pleading in this Finnish melody. The last line of each stanza is repeated, giving a sense of urgency that is only emphasized by using the word "soon."
Will not day come soon? Will not day come soon?
Will you help us soon? Will you help us soon?
Christ is coming soon! Christ is coming soon!
Come and save us soon! Come and save us soon!

THIRD LESSON Isaiah 65:17-25

God promises a new creation.

Joy to the World (Antioch) ELW 267
"Finally! A Christmas carol!" This may be the first thought of some, but let's examine the text. Where is the manger? Where are Joseph and Mary? Where are the shepherds?
You can look, but I promise you won't find them because this hymn is about Jesus' second coming! So, it's an Advent hymn and not a Christmas one. (But you can still feel happy about singing it!)

FOURTH LESSON Luke 1:26-38

First United Methodist Church
Gainesville, FL

The Angel Gabriel salutes the Blessed Virgin Mary.

A Stable Lamp Is Lighted Mark Sedio

Sung by the Festival Choir, this text by Richard Wilbur (1921-2017) ponders the words of Gabriel in a poetic manner, foreshadows the passion and crucifixion, and ends with a reminder that the reason for the incarnation is for creation to be reconciled to God, including us.

FIFTH LESSON Luke 1:39-45

The Blessed Virgin Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth.

My Soul Rejoices (In dir ist Freude)

If I had to choose a favorite gospel, I would choose the gospel of Luke. Why? Because it's where all the songs are, the first one being Mary's "Magnificat anima mea" (My soul magnifies the Lord).

The metrical setting we sing today also comes from Lutheran Service Book. Stephen Starke's text is paired with the dancing Lutheran tune In dir ist Freude, most often sung with the text In Thee Is Gladness.

Other songs from Luke's gospel include the Song of Zechariah (which we sang last Sunday), Glory to God in the Highest, and the Song of Simeon (Lord, Now You Let Your Servant Depart in Peace). 

This hymn also comes from Lutheran Service Book.

SIXTH LESSON Matthew 1:18-23
St. Matthew tells of the coming birth of Jesus.

Love Has Come (Un flambeau) ELW 292

We conclude with another dancing tune, the one used for the French carol Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella. A true Christmas hymn/carol, it serves as a joyful endpoint for our service of Advent Lessons and Carols.

St. Peter's Lutheran Church
Port Jervis, NY

MUSICAL OFFERING O Come, O Come, Emmanuel Gordon Young

We welcome Jane Daugherty to play the musical offering today. Jane has been a member of St. Mark's for many years and often serves as a substitute organist when I am away.
Jane is also one of two musicians who serve as organist/choirmaster at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Arlington.
When she is not at St. Andrew's, or substituting somewhere else, she is a valued member of our Festival Choir.
She's also my good friend.

COMMUNION HYMN In a Deep, Unbounded Darkness (Divinum Mysterium) ACS 1093

This text that originated as a theme song for a Bible study institute in China is a meditation on the eternal nature of God. Like the hymn Of the Father's Love Begotten, with which this tune is often paired, we begin in the time before creation when God claimed us. After praising God's steadfastness in stanza two, our joy overflows at the incarnation in stanza three. Finally, stanza four returns us to the realm of eternity, joining together the beginning and final chapters of the Bible by connecting references to stories from Genesis and Exodus with the wedding feast of the Lamb in Revelation. (Sundays and Seasons)

SENDING HYMN O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (Veni, Emmanuel) ELW 257

CLOSING VOLUNTARY Fugue on "Savior of the Nations, Come" Jacob B. Weber

Sources:
Hymnal Companion: Evangelical Lutheran Worship (Augsburg Fortress)
Lutheran Service Book Companion to the Hymns
Wikipedia
Image of Truro Cathedral: By Tim Green - originally posted to Flickr as Truro Cathedral, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6432493
Isaiah painting: By Antonio Balestra - Bridgeman Art Library: Object 569354, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25016733

Music for the Second Sunday of Advent, Year C: December 8, 2024

HOLY COMMUNION SETTING

St. Mark's expresses a change of seasons through color and music. You may have noticed last Sunday that all our hymns were Advent themed - to support the "propers" of the day. (Propers are the texts that change daily. Most notable are the readings and the Prayer of the Day.)

Last Sunday, our musical changes included a change to the sung setting of Holy Communion. This setting comes from "This Far by Faith," an African American worship resource published by Augsburg Fortress. "This Far by Faith is celebrating its 25-year anniversary this year!

We're using Setting One, also called "River of Life." Tilis Butler wrote this musical setting. I have not been able to learn much about him except that he worked for the Detroit Board of Education for 35 years, as well as being a composer.

This setting features lush chords that support the texts, rather than allowing the style to overshadow them.

OPENING VOLUNTARY An Advent Meditation David Lasky

This musical meditation includes three Advent Hymns: "Come Thou Long-Expected Jesus" (Hyfrydol) ELW 254; "Savior of the Nations, Come" (Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland) ELW 263; and "Come Now, O Prince of Peace" (Ososo) ELW 247

Last Sunday I found a package in the choir room with a note that included the words "Perhaps your office could use an Advent wreath." Well, not my office, but it's sitting on the piano in the choir room and we will light it at the end of each rehearsal when we say our closing prayer.
Thanks to Gregg and Linda K. for this thoughtful gift!

GATHERING HYMN Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus

ELW pairs this Charles Wesley text with the tune "Jefferson," but today we sing it to the Welsh tune "Hyfrydol." This is one of Wesley's 9,000+ hymns! Ordained in 1735 as an Anglican priest, he and his brother, John, were the founders of the Methodist Church.

The hymn speaks of the Messiah as "Israel's strength and consolation," but reminds us he is also the "dear desire of every nation." This second phrase calls to mind the voice of the prophet Haggai in Haggai 2:7.

I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come. . . (NIV)

PSALM

Occasionally, the psalm isn't from the book of Psalms. Today's psalm comes from Luke's gospel. Often called the "Benedictus" or "Canticle of Zachariah," it's also part of ELW's Morning Prayer service - which is where the setting we sing this morning can be found.

HYMN OF THE DAY On Jordan's Bank the Baptist's Cry (Puer nobis) ELW 249

This hymn echoes much of the gospel reading. In the first two stanzas, we sing of John the Baptist and his proclamation that the one who brings salvation is near. Our response to his call is to be cleansed from sin so that we can better be prepared to receive Christ.

The next two stanzas are addressed to Christ. We hail him as Savior, acknowledge our need for grace. We ask him to bring healing - not just to our bodies, but to our souls. Our response to the favor he shows us is to live lives that fills the world with divine love - the love of God.

The doxological stanza that ends the hymn is one of thanksgiving to Christ, who wins freedom for us by his coming.

MUSICAL OFFERING Lift Up Your Heads, O Gates David von Kampen

The text is from Psalm 24:7. A Christian read of the psalm recalls Jesus' triumphal coming into Jerusalem. This reminds us of a future coming, when "he shall come to judge the living and the dead." Thus, it's well-suited to the season of Advent.

Von Kampen's setting makes use of a fun, baroque-styled interlude that lends a joyful moment to our worship.

O Lord, How Shall I Meet You (Wie soll ich dich empfangen) ELW 241

How do we welcome Christ? The meaning is two-fold when we sing this hymn in the context of communion. First, we have the Advent element of welcoming Jesus, but then at communion we acknowledge his true presence in the elements, another way he comes to us.

Stanzas 2 and 3 take on very personal language. "Love brought you down to ME. . . Your thirst for MY salvation procured MY liberty."

The fourth stanza (Paul Gerhardt originally wrote 10 stanzas) is an invitation to all who are living in a sinful state to join in our rejoicing at our Lord's appearing. Christian hymnody often speaks of heaven as "home," and this stanza ends with a prayer that Jesus would guide us there. 

SENDING HYMN All Earth Is Hopeful (Toda la tierra) ELW 266

CLOSING VOLUNTARY He Came Down setting, David Lasky
How do you take and African folk song and translate into an organ postlude? David Lasky adds rhythmic flourishes that result in a sort of theme and variations where the tune is straightforward in each iteration, but the accompanying flourishes add some playful pizazz.

He has little to do with Advent, but this fella lives 20 steps from St. Mark's.
I thought he deserved a little love!

Sources:

Wikipedia!
Hymnal Companion: Evangelical Lutheran Worship (Augsburg Fortress)
Lutheran Service Book Companion to the Hymns (Concordia Publishing House)