Year C: Music for the Fourth Sunday in Lent - March 27, 2022

OPENING VOLUNTARY A Lamb Goes Uncomplaining Forth 

This third setting from Bálint Karosi's partita is in the style of a French chorale. The melody is played on a trumpet stop in the pedal. The actual bass notes are played on the swell which has a fairly active line with lots of scales and dotted rhythms. The organ's principal stops help fill in the harmonies.

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

ELW 807

Fountains are a good reminder of our baptism.
This one is at Palms Presbyterian Church
in Jacksonville Beach

PSALM: Psalm 32 (excerpted verses)

setting, Luke Mayernik

HYMN OF THE DAY Our Father We Have Wandered (Herzlich tut mich verlangen)

ELW 606

This tune alone brings Lenten connotations since it's also the melody used in J. S. Bach's famous passion chorale - O Sacred Head, Now Wounded.

MUSICAL OFFERING Lord, for Thy Tender Mercies' Sake 

The composer for this hymn has been called into question. Most collections attribute it to Richard Farrant (1530-1580), but it may also have been written by John Hilton. This arrangement by K. Lee Scott simplifies the vocal lines into two parts (instead of four) and relies on the accompaniment to fill in the harmonies.

It's a neat tie-in that this anthem ends with the words "that we may walk in a perfect heart before thee now and evermore" which leads into the offertory hymn (written in a similar style) with the text "Create in me a clean heart, O God."

COMMUNION HYMNS

Just As I Am (Woodworth)

ELW 592

Charlotte Elliott from Wikipedia

Honestly, this is not one of my favorite hymns. But, I know it is deeply loved by many and I am always happy to include it. After learning its story, I like it a lot more.

Charlotte Elliott (1789-1871) was an invalid for much of her life and she often felt rejected and undeserving of God's love. This became even more of a burden when her brother wanted to raise money to help build a school, but she was too sick in bed to be able to help. This hymn grew out of her own reflections as she was "tossed about with many a conflict, many a doubt." She heard God say "Come, as you are."  She responded, "Just as I am, I come."

We sing this hymn as we gather around the Lord's table - to which we come just as we are.

Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound (New Britain)

ELW 779

Today's gospel reading includes the parable we usually call "The Prodigal Son." Whenever I hear this parable, I will always be reminded of seeing this moving work of art.

The Prodigal Son, by Guercino (1591-1666)

A few years ago I saw this painting at the Timken Museum of Art in San Diego. Here's what I wrote about it then:

SENDING HYMN What Wondrous Love Is This (Wondrous Love)

ELW 666

Sources: Hymn Index to Evangelical Lutheran Worship
Wikipedia