Year C: Music for the 15th Sunday after Pentecost - September 18, 2022

Evangelical Lutheran Worship, Holy Communion, Setting Four

Setting Four, composed by Ronald A. Nelson, features standard texts of the communion service (sometimes called the "mass") with sturdy music in a traditional style. It was Setting Two in Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW) and enjoys broad usage by congregations throughout the various expressions of Lutheranism. This setting also appears in the Lutheran Service Book, the hymnal used by the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.

"This Is the Feast" is a peculiarly Lutheran substitute for the "Gloria in excelsis." The text, by John W. Arthur (1922-1980), draws its images from the book of Revelation. It was written for liturgies in LBW, the "green" hymnal from 1976.

Ronald A. Nelson (1927-2014) received his Bachelor of Music degree from St. Olaf in 1949, and a

Ronald A. Nelson

master's degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1959. For 37 years he directed the choirs of Westwood Lutheran Church (ELCA) in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. After retirement from choir directing, he continued to compose choral and organ music for the whole church. Until his death, he was Cantor Emeritus at Westwood and sang in the choir.

Throughout the rest of Ordinary Time, we'll be singing Ronald A. Nelson's tunes with a fresh organ accompaniment by Michael Burkhard (b. 1957). Dr. Burkhardt's  catalog of published church music is vast. He is also known as a popular church music clinician, and for his thrilling hymn festivals.

OPENING VOLUNTARY Around You, O Lord Jesus (O Jesu, än de dina)

setting, Stephen Gabrielsen (ca. 1940-2013)
This setting is in the style of a chorale prelude. The tune is also our offering hymn for the remainder of this Time after Pentecost. See "Offering Hymn" for more information about this text and tune.

GATHERING HYMN O God of Every Nation (LLangloffan)

ELW 713

HYMN OF THE DAY God, Whose Giving Knows No Ending (Rustington)

ELW 678

With its primary theme of stewardship, this hymn closely complements today's gospel reading. In fact, it was written to be part of a 1960 collection of stewardship hymns commissioned by the Department of Stewardship and Benevolence of the National Council of Churches in the USA. This commission was a joint project with the Hymn Society of America,

As we sing, we are reminded that our talents, time, and treasure are all gifts from God. We ask God to help us to use our gifts in God's service, rather than for our own benefit.

Rustington is the name of the town where the famed composer of English church music, C. Hubert H. Parry (1848-1918) was living at the time of his death.

MUSICAL OFFERING Our Father, We Have Wandered

Ralph M. Johnson (b. 1955)

"Keep our feet from evil paths," we ask in the Prayer of the Day. Kevin Nichols' (1929-2006) text recalls the story of the prodigal son, perhaps the best-known wanderer of all, and reminds us that we too have wandered away from God. In the parable, the prodigal son is restored and we are reminded that God always welcomes us back with blessing, forgiveness, and peace.

The Return of the Prodigal Son
Pompeo Batoni, 1773

OFFERING HYMN Around You, O Lord Jesus (O Jesu, än de dina)

ELW 468

photo credit: Verance Photography

Each week as we prepare to receive communion, Pastor Daniel reminds us, "This is Christ's table, and Christ, as our host, welcomes all." Our Lord's welcome is heard plainly through the text of this hymn by Franz Mikael Franzen (1722-1847), a Swedish-Finnish priest in the Lutheran diocese of Strängnäs in Sweden. The hymn has seen several revisions, being printed with up to 6 stanzas. ELW has included 3.

Hans Tomissøn (1523-1572) made the first known printing of O Jesu, än de dina in 1569. It probably has Danish origins, but the original composer is unknown.

COMMUNION HYMNS

Now We Offer WOV 761

God Is Here Today ACS 993

Our communion hymns have their beginnings in Nicaragua and Spain, respectively.

Now We Offer joyfully sings of the gifts of bread and wine we bring to the table. We sing of our unity and our yearning for the fulfillment of God's kingdom.

photo credit: Verance Photography

God Is Here had humble beginnings as a song written for a music festival in Spain in 1979. If someone had not recorded it on a cassette, it may not be known to us today. It traveled around the Spanish-speaking countries and became very popular - and for some time nobody knew who wrote it! Sleuthing has uncovered the composer as Javier Gacías Mateo (b. 1956.) Note that All Creation Sings has a typo, listing the composer's middle name as "Gracías," rather than "Gacías."

SENDING HYMN All Depends on Our Possessing (Alles ist an Gottes Segen)

ELW 589

CLOSING VOLUNTARY God, Whose Giving Knows No Ending (Rustington)

J. William Greene

sources:
Hymnal Companion to Evangelical Lutheran Worship, Paul Westermeyer

Wikipedia
www.flcpa.org (website of First Lutheran Church, Palo Alto California
Prodigal Son: By Pompeo Batoni - Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, Bilddatenbank., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4628046