Year C: Music for Reformation Sunday - October 30, 2022

OPENING VOLUNTARY Sing Praise to God, the Highest Good
(Lobt Gott, den Herren ihr)

The text and tune can be found at ELW 819

Johann Jacob Schütz (1640 - 1690), author of this hymn, was a well-known German lawyer.

David P. Dah's setting comes in three sections: a trumpet tune that might match the mood of the first two stanzas, a canon with two different organ voices to show the third stanza, and a bold fughetta that leads to the final refrain of praise, "To God all praise and glory!"

Schütz eventually left the Lutheran Church to follow Pietism, but only after giving us this hymn of praise.

GATHERING HYMN Oh, Praise the Gracious Power (Christpraise Ray)

ELW 651

Thomas Troeger (1945 - 2022) wrote this hymn for the ordination of Judith Ray, ordained as a teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church in 1984. (The "Ray" in the hymntune name is an incorporation of her name.)

The refrain begins with an upward motion to land on the word "cross" - sort of a musical way to "lift high the cross."

This hymn will be new to most people, but the melody is easy to follow. I decided to start with a new hymn to remind us that we are not commemorating a reformation that took place about 500 years ago. Rather, we are celebrating a reformation that still continues!

HYMN OF THE DAY A Mighty Fortress Is Our God (Ein feste Burg)
It would hardly be Reformation Sunday without singing this Lutheran standard! This year we are singing the isometric version. It lengthens the notes of the original rhythmic version so they are more uniform. The rhythmic version dances while the isometric version has the feel of a grand procession.

Artwork inside the harpsichord
at St. Mark's

MUSICAL OFFERING Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Your Word 

(Erhalt uns, Herr)
This is another of Martin Luther's best-recognnized hymns. (ELW 517)

David von Kampen's setting brings the text and tune to a modern arrangement that creates harmonic tension through the use of jazz and altered rhythms - not in a way that is shocking, but in a way that allows space for contemplation and prayer.  

The hymn is quoted in the Prayer of the Day.

COMMUNION HYMN O Lord, We Praise Thee
(Gott sei gelobet und gebenedeiet)

ELW 499

SENDING HYMN The Church's One Foundation (Aurelia)
ELW 654

CLOSING VOLUNTARY Prelude on "O Lord, We Praise You"

Kenneth T. Kosche's setting reprises our communion hymn.

SPECIAL REMEMBRANCE

This Reformation Sunday is Pastor Daniel Locke's fifth anniversary at St. Mark's! It was a great day when Pastor Daniel answered the Holy Spirit's call to St. Mark's. May God continue to bless your ministry among God's people at St. Mark's. By your leadership, may we follow Jesus and live out our baptismal promises.

Sources: The Hymnal Companion to Evangelical Lutheran Worship
Wikipedia

Year C: Music for the 20th Sunday after Pentecost - October 23, 2022

OPENING VOLUNTARY O Day of Peace (Jerusalem)

setting, Charles Callahan

"Sweeping" and "majestic" are both adjectives that describe the music of Englishman C. Hubert H. Parry (1848-1918).

Jerusalem is most associated with with William Blake's poem "And did those feet in ancient time." The poem recounts a fanciful story that Joseph of Arimathea visited England after Jesus' resurrection. While he was there, he preached the gospel. (Many people believe the poem claims Joseph came at an earlier time and brought the child Jesus with him, but this may be a recent interpretation of the story.)

Thanks to the work of Carl P. Daw, Jr. (b. 1944), we have a suitable text to pair with this worthy tune in a Lutheran context. It's also a text that fits nicely with the Prayer of the Day.

GATHERING HYMN For the Fruit of All Creation (Ar hyd y nos)

ELW 679

HYMN OF THE DAY Lord, Teach Us How to Pray Aright (Song 67)

ELW 745

Today's gospel reading gives us a glimpse into the prayers of two very different people. One prayer is boastful. The other is humble. As we sing this prayer/hymn, we ask God to help us pray like the tax collector, with "reverence and fear" and with "deep humility."

The Pharisee and the Publican
John Everett Millais, ca. 1860

MUSICAL OFFERING Ancient Words

Lynn DeShazo, arr. Mary McDonald

The Isaiah Scroll, part of the "Dead Sea" scrolls

The Apostle Paul's letters are full of theology, history, and advice. I often wonder if he had any idea we would still be reading his letters centuries after he wrote them. I wonder, even more, if he ever thought they would be considered scripture. Last week we had the famous "All scripture is inspired by God" passage - written long before Paul's words became part of the Christian church's canon. Paul's ancient words have been preserved for us along with the words of Christ, and along with the world of the Hebrew Scriptures.

These words are important! Martin Luther, in the Small Catechism, claimed "I believe that by my own understanding I cannot believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to him, but instead the Holy Spirit has called me through the gospel. . ."

May the words of the gospel, the words of Paul, and the writings of the Hebrew Scriptures be a lamp for our feet and a light on the path of our faith journey.

COMMUNION HYMN In All Our Grief (Fredericktown)
ELW 615

SENDING HYMN Before You, Lord, We Bow (Darwall's 148th)
ELW 893

Francis Scott Key
attr. Joseph Wood

This text is by Francis Scott Key (1799 - 1843). Yes, THAT Francis Scott Key!
The final stanza goes like this:

And when in pow'r he comes, oh may then every land

from all its rending tombs send forth a glorious band,

a countless throng,

with joy to sing to heav'n's high king salvation's song.

This is the final stanza of the final hymn in Evangelical Lutheran Worship. What a vision to close with! It calls to mind the closing from Revelation:

The one who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon."
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! (NRSV)

(Key's writing has been altered for ELW. The original text said "O, may our native land" instead of "oh may then every land.")

CLOSING VOLUNTARY Prelude and Chorale on "Rise, O Sun of Righteousness" (Sonne der Gerechtigkeit)

prelude by Jeffrey Blersch
chorale from Bohemian Brethren, Kirchengeseng, 1566

Sources:
Hymnal Companion to Evangelical Lutheran Worship, Paul Westermeyer

Wikipedia

Evangelical Lutheran Worship 

Martin Luther's Small Catechism (ELW, page 1162)

By Sir John Everett Millais - Aberdeen City Council (Archives, Gallery and Museums Collection), Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=115176851 (Pharisee and the Publican)

By Photographs by Ardon Bar Hama, author of original document is unknown. - Website of The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, see link., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12149044  (Scroll photo)

By Attributed to Joseph Wood - [1], Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28638793 (Francis Scott Key portrait)

St. Mark's Door graphic by Rachel Mumford, a member of St. Mark's

Year C: Music for the 19th Sunday after Pentecost - October 16, 2022

OPENING VOLUNTARY Out of the Depths I Cry to You (Aus tiefer Not)

setting, Alfred V. Fedak

"You are alwasy ready to hear our cries," is part of our prayer today. We ask God to teach us to rely on God's care. Martin Luther's hymn, in part a paraphrase of Psalm 130, contains echoes of these two points. Hearing our cries, God responds with grace and the gift of faith that assures us we are in God's keeping.

GATHERING HYMN God Is Here! (Abbot's Leigh)

ELW 526

HYMN OF THE DAY If You But Trust in God to Guide You (Wer nur den lieben Gott)

ELW 769

What causes us to cry out to God? Is it loneliness, fear, uncertainty? Like the widow in today's gospel reading, are we crying out for justice for ourselves, or on behalf of someone else? No matter, for when we cry to God, we find that God is already there and never fails us in our time of need.

MUSICAL OFFERING O Christ, Surround Me

Richard Bruxvoort Colligan, arr. David Sims

This modern song ties closely with "I Bind unto Myself Today" (ELW 450), a hymn attributed to St. Patrick. Calling the Trinity to mind is always a reminder of our baptism. "O Christ, surround me," the central prayer of this song, echoes St. Patrick's "Christ be with me, Christ within me. . ."

David Sims cleverly works musical quotes from St. Patrick's Breastplate into the interludes between the stanzas. Between Colligan's melody and Sims' arrangement, this "new" song has the feel of an ancient Celtic hymn.

COMMUNION HYMNS

There is a Longing in Our Hearts
ACS 1078

This hymn illustrates two sides of human longing for God: it yearns for God's reign of healing, wholeness, justice, and freedom as it calls for God's presence with suffering. The musical setting has a steady forward motion, as if to encourage its singers to have confidence in a God who hears and answers prayer.
(From Sundays and Seasons)

We Come to the Hungry Feast
ELW 624

SENDING HYMN Jesus, Still Lead On (Seelenbräutigam)

CLOSING VOLUNTARY What God Ordains is Good Indeed (Was Gott tut)

setting, Alfred V. Fedak
See the text and tune at ELW 776.

sources: The Hymnal Companion to Evangelical Lutheran Worship

Celtic Cross image from Wikipedia

Year C: Music for the 18th Sunday after Pentecost - October 9, 2022

This week our worship service features some very "Lutheran" moments. When I think of Lutheran hymns, I think of texts from our tradition that were written by Lutheran pastors or theologians, follow Lutheran theology, and might also come from ethnic groups with largely Lutheran populations - such as Germany and parts of Scandinavia. Today's Lutheran moments are marked with the Luther Rose.

OPENING VOLUNTARY Allegro

Cynthia Dobrinski (1950-2021)

The St. Mark's Ringers begin worship with a piece by one of the handbell world's most prolific and best-known composers. Handbells are a unique instrument and composers are still finding ways to make different sounds. Allegro makes use of many of these techniques.

mallet roll it's like a drum roll, only with mallets on a bell instead of drumsticks on a drum

shake the ringer literally shakes the bell forward and back, causing the clapper to sound continuously

martellato the body of the bell is struck against the table's padded surface

martellato lift the bell is immediately raised after being struck against the table's padded surface

ring touch the bell is rung quickly near the shoulder, then immediately damped

thumb damp the ringer holds a thumb against the bell while it is being rung

How many of these techniques can you spot in this fun-to-ring piece?

Some of our St. Mark's Ringers

GATHERING HYMN Oh, That I Had a Thousand Voices (O dass ich tausend Zungen hätte)

ELW 833

The singer begins by lifting their own praise. By the time the hymn is done, all creation has been enjoined and the singer looks to the time when their voice will be joined with the song of angels to sing ten thousand hallelujahs. No text could be more appropriate as we gather for worship!

HYMN OF THE DAY Now Thank We All Our God (Nun danket alle Gott)

ELW 840
This is one of those "big" hymns, often accompanied by trumpets and drums - we'll hear the trumpets in today's postlude. It may be thought of as a festival hymn - J. S. Bach even wrote one of his famous cantatas around it. All this being said, it's surprising to learn the author originally intended it as a table prayer.

MUSICAL OFFERING All My Hope on God Is Founded

I wasn't able to learn which tune was first sung with Joachim Neander's (1650-1690) text. The hymn appears in ELW at #757 with a tune by Herbert Howells, the renowned English composer. Nick Klemetson's tune is a new one that imparts the confidence of someone who trusts in God. 

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

ELW 468

Our Lord's welcome to the table is heard plainly through the text of this hymn by Franz Mikel Franzen (1722-1847), a Swedish-Finnish priest in the Lutheran diocese of Strängnäs in Sweden. The first known printing with this tune, which probably has Danish origins, was in 1569.

COMMUNION HYMNS

Baptized and Set Free ELW 453

This hymn, both text and tune, is by Cathy Skogen-Soldner, who has served Lutheran churches as a youth director and a contemporary worship coordinator. About the hymn, she says, ". . . even though we may only us a few handfuls of water when we baptize, I included larger bodies of water to invite the singing congregation to celebrate the generous heart of God."

Thank You, Lord This Far By Faith 293

This song is a powerful and deliberate outpouring of gratitude to God that was sung with fervor in the Black churches. Not based on a perfunctory or transactional thanksgiving, this song calls the singer into a life-altering orientation of gratitude - one that is at the core of what it means to be Christian. Whether one is elated or despairing, God has been so good that the church can give thanks. (From Sundays & Seasons)

"Thank You, Lord" appears in All Creation Sings, but I've chosen the arrangement from "This Far By Faith," an Augsburg Fortress hymnal that "celebrates the abundant gifts of African American worship and song." Feel free to sing it with abandon. If time permits, we'll sing it twice!

SENDING HYMN Oh, for a Thousand Tongues to Sing (Azmon)

ELW 886
Every time I sing this hymn, I'm taken back to Bible camp along the shores of Lake Lundgren near Pembine, Wisconsin. I hear a dearly loved old teacher say, "How can I ask for a thousand tongues to sing when I don't use the one I have enough?"

Lake Lundgren Bible Camp - from about the time I went there.
Shared by a fellow camper via Facebook.

But this morning we sing as a community, not as individuals, so all our voices are joined together (whether 40 or 100) as the Holy Spirit sends us out as witnesses, "to spread through all the world abroad" the good news of God's saving grace through Jesus Christ.

CLOSING VOLUNTARY Now Thank We All Our God

Robert A. Hobby
See my comments at the Hymn of the Day - don't forget to listen for the trumpets!

sources: Hymnal Companion to Evangelical Lutheran Worship
Wikipedia
Augsburg Fortress website
Sunday and Seasons (Augsburg Fortress)
Evangelical Lutheran Worship (referred to as "ELW")