Music for the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost: July 11, 2021

 OPENING VOLUNTARY How Firm a Foundation (Foundation)

setting, Anne Krentz Organ

 As Covid-19’s presence came to be known, church musicians looked for ways to provide music for their assemblies that would allow them to be socially distanced and wear masks. Our Savior Lutheran Church in Vero Beach, FL commissioned four handbell pieces from Anne Krentz Organ for four ringers. Each ringer has two handbells with no changes, eliminating the need for tables and allowing the ringers to be socially distanced. A piano accompaniment complements each piece. They are also ideal for summer ringing when the full choir may not be available.

Thank you to Our Savior Lutheran and their Minister of Music, Deacon Ryan K. Hostler, for making these pieces available for use at St. Mark’s.

GATHERING HYMN Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing (Nettleton)

ELW 807

 

HYMN OF THE DAY Give Thanks for Saints (Repton)

ELW 428

When it was time to choose a Hymn of the Day, I admit I was stumped. Today’s gospel reading is mostly about the murder of John the Baptist, and it was hard to find a text that dealt with that. I turned to the description of the reading from Sundays and Seasons and found my direction there.

As Jesus and his disciples begin to attract attention, Mark recalls the story of John the Baptist’s martyrdom. Like John, Jesus and his disciples will also suffer at the hands of those opposed to the gospel of salvation.

Caravaggion (1571-1610)
Salome with the Head of John the Baptist (from Wikipedia)

It was easy to choose Give Thanks for Saints, a hymn that reminds us of those who have lived, worked, and even died to share the good news of Jesus Christ. Truly, their example strengthens our resolve to do the same.

 

MUSICAL OFFERING We Are the Lord’s Roland J. Martin

Karl Johann Philipp Spitta (1801-1859) was a Lutheran pastor with roots in Hannover, Germany. He began writing poetry when he was only 8 years old, long before he began his theological training. Roland Martin has set this translation of the hymn to the Irish tune Londonderry Air, which is named for Londonderry County in Ireland.

The tune’s origin is unknown. It’s first publication is believed to be 1792 – long before 1910 when Frederic Edward Weatherly penned the lyrics Oh Danny Boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling . . .

 

COMMUNION HYMN As Your Children Lord, We Are Here

The tune Kum Bah Yah has disputed origins, but most experts credit it to the Gullah culture, descendants of enslaved West Africans who lived on islands off the coast of South Carolina and Georgia. The tune traveled from there to the mainland, to the North American continent, and then around the world.

At some point people in Russia began singing the tune with the words we’ll sing today. With the familiar tune and repetitions in the text, worshiper cans easily join in the singing even as they move forward to receive communion. Give it a try!

 

SENDING HYMN Faith of Our Fathers (St. Catherine)

The first line is written “Faith of our fathers. . .” with a lower case “f”, but the original version had a capital “F” that called to mind Roman Catholic priests who served in England during the reign of Elizabeth I. The priests lived with the real possibility of punishment by “danger, fire, and sword.”

Joseph R. Alfred’s stanzas (2-4) honor the work of women in the church and move into the modern age, reminding us that people still suffer for the sake of the gospel. In the final stanza, we join with saints of old and suffering saints of the modern age, by taking up our own crosses and pledging to be true to our living faith until the day we die.

 

CLOSING VOLUNTARY Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates (Truro)
setting, J. Wayne Kerr

In many hymnals Truro is sung with the text Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates! Behold the king of Glory waits” – an echo of the psalm for the day.

Sources:
Hymnal Companion to Evangelical Lutheran Worship
Wikipedia
Hymnary.org