The First Sunday of Advent, Year A: November 27,2022

OPENING VOLUNTARY O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (VENI, EMMANUEL)

setting, Robert J. Powell

This hymn is practically required for Advent. It has gone through revisions over the centuries, but the version we have in ELW is the closest English version we have to the hymn as it was sung during the time of Charlemagne (747 - 814). Each stanza was to be sung on a specific day in Advent, each in its turn, beginning December 17th.

Know as the "O Antiphons," they are arranged in this manner:
O Wisdom from on high . . . 

O Lord and leader of the house of Israel . . .

O Root of Jesse . . .

O Key of David . . .

O Dayspring . . .

O longed-for King . . .

O Emmanuel . . .

These 8th century petitions have been paired with a 15th century tune. The plaintive melody was first sung by French nuns as part of a funeral procession.

Veni, Emmanuel is a perfect place to begin our time of hope-filled waiting. Oboe, viola, and harpsichord open our worship today. Learn the history of St. Mark's harpsichord at this link:
http://smljax.blogspot.com/search?q=harpsichord

You are also welcome to come up for a closer look after the dismissal.

HOLY COMMUNION Setting Five

It's our custom to change musical settings of the liturgy when a new season begins. This Advent we'll be singing parts of Setting Five which has its origins in plainsong - one of the church's earliest forms of song. You'll notice they're notated a little differently than the other settings. Instead of quarter notes and eighth notes, there are stemless neumes that look like the notation of Gregorian chant.

Throughout Advent we'll sing Kyrie (Lord, have mercy), Alleluia (gospel acclamation), and the Sanctus (Holy, holy, holy).

A sample of Gregorian chant.

Other songs, though not formal parts of the liturgy, will feel liturgical as we light the Advent wreath, sing a response to the prayers of intercession, and present wine and bread along with our financial offerings.

GATHERING HYMN Fling Wide the Door (MACHT HOCH DIE TÜR) ELW 259

Psalm 24 and Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem at the beginning of Holy Week might both come to mind as we sing this jubilant hymn. There is no denying its dance quality!

As we gather for worship, a line in the fourth stanza stands out. ". . .and let your Holy Spirit guide our journey in your grace so wide." Lutherans believe "the Holy Spirit call us together as the people of God." This acknowledgement of the Spirit's work in our lives seems appropriate as part of our gathering rite.

ASSEMBLY SONG FOR LIGHTING THE ADVENT WREATH
Light One Candle to Watch for Messiah ELW 240

Advent Candle, Lauren Plummer (2018)

There are tons of rituals available for lighting the candles of the Advent wreath. Some traditions assign different meanings to each candle (the candle of prophecy, the candle of joy, etc.). The truth is all these rituals are pretty new and there is neither a standard way of lighting the candles nor a uniform way of expressing their meaning.

Advent wreaths mostly serve as a way of marking time, a visual reminder of where we are in our Advent journey and how close we are to Christmas.

This year we light the candles simply, with a prayer and a song, as part of our gathering rite.

PSALM Psalm 122

Adam L. Tice is the author of this metrical setting. He is a Mennonite hymn writer and has served as a church musician and as a Pastor. Today his text is paired with Forest Green, which began as an English folksong before Ralph Vaughn Williams helped it make its way into congregational song. In my opinion, it is one of the most satisfying hymntunes we have. (Like most Christians who live in England, I much prefer it over St. Louis for singing O Little Town of Bethlehem.)

HYMN OF THE DAY Come Now, O God (LOST IN THE NIGHT)

The tune Lost in the Night was David Bjorlin's inspiration for the Advent hymn of lamentation. Referencing Isaiah 7:10-17, Isaiah 64:1-9, and Matthew 1:18-25, this text was published as part of Bjorlin's collected poetry, Protest of Praise, of which he says, "True praise is always a protest against all that curses or denigrates the Creator's world." In "Come, Now, O God," we can name and make ours the messianic expectations of the Old Testament prophets. They remind us that true protest is, at its core, the courage to envision the world not as it is, but as it can be.
(From Sundays and Seasons)

Schenk Chapel, Trinity Lutheran Seminary
Columbus, Ohio

INTERCESSORY PRAYERS Hear Our Prayer, O Lord

We don't often sing during the prayers, but for the season of Advent we have this short refrain by Deacon Mark Sedio, who recently retired as Cantor of Central Lutheran Church in Minneapolis after 22 years of service. Try not to think of it as a response to the prayer, but as your active assent to the petitions, a sung Amen.

Mark Sedio has served on the faculty of Augsburg University and Luther Seminary. He is an active recitalist and composer who presents numerous hymn festivals and workshops. I'm not especially fond of the newish word influencer, but he's been that for me since about the time I came to St. Mark's. Several of his choral compositions are part of our Festival Choir's repertoire.

MUSICAL OFFERING Creator of the Stars of Night

See the text at ELW 245.

The text of this hymn may be earlier than the ninth century where it is first known from a manuscript in Berne, Switzerland. In this hymn two of Advent's major themes are given. There is an acknowledgement of Jesus' lowly birth, then a prayer for his triumphant return.

The music in this setting is all new, composed and arranged by Andrew Bruhn, a choral teacher at Rockford Christian Schools (Rockford, Illinois) and choir director at Westminster Presbyterian Church, also in Rockford.

OFFERING HYMN We Are Awaiting the Coming of Jesus

Text and music by Paul Friesen-Carpenter

When I selected this for our seasonal offering hymn, I struggled with whether or not we needed to sing all three stanzas. After all, isn't this spot in the service mostly just about getting everyone to stand at the same time so we'll be ready for the dialogue that leads us into communion?

But, as I read the text, I was struck by how clearly the first stanza places us in the context of Advent. The second stanza acknowledges that we don't only bring an offering, but we ARE an offering. The third stanza sings of the gifts of bread and wine, but also of our financial gifts. Then it reminds us this isn't our feast that we invite people to. It's Christ's feast intended for all.

Yes, we're singing all three stanzas. It's a well-spent minute and a half!

COMMUNION HYMNS

Keep Your Lamps Trimmed and Burning (KEEP YOUR LAMPS)

This African American spiritual calls to mind Jesus' parable of the bridesmaids - some of whom were wise and some of whom were foolish. Jesus told the hearers of that story, "Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour." This admonition is similar to the one we hear in today's gospel reading - "Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming."

Foolish Virgins, James Tissot (1836-1902)

My Lord, What a Morning (BURLEIGH) ELW 246

Some hymnals begin this hymn "My Lord, what a MORNING. . ." It works both ways! 

SENDING HYMN Hark! A Thrilling Voice Is Sounding (MERTON) ELW 246

CLOSING VOLUNTARY Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus (HYFRYDOL)

setting, John Carter

NOTE: The blower on our organ was installed in 1984 and is near the end of its life. When turned on, it makes groaning, grinding sounds that are unpleasant and an assault on the ear! Today's service is played on the piano. Hopefully it will be repaired in the coming week. A new blower is on the way!

Sources:

Hymnal Companion to Evangelical Lutheran Worship
Wikipedia
Evangelical Lutheran Worship

Sunday and Seasons

www.giamusic.com (Adam L. Tice)

www.augsburg.edu (Mark Sedio)

www.kjos.com (Andrew Bruhn)
Ermakova, Natalia. Noah's Ark Icon, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=56487 [retrieved November 21, 2022]. Original source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jimforest/4338027250/ - CC BY-NC 2.0.

Plummer, Lauren. Advent Candle, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=57132 [retrieved November 24, 2022]. Original source: Lauren Plummer, https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-plummer-mts-ma-006738129/.

Tissot, James, 1836-1902. Foolish Virgins, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=57765 [retrieved November 24, 2022]. Original source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brooklyn_Museum_-_The_Foolish_Virgins_(Les_vierges_folles)_-_James_Tissot_(cropped).jpg.
Door Graphic by St. Mark's member Rachel Mumford

Year C: Music for Christ the King / Reign of Christ Sunday, November 20, 2022

OPENING VOLUNTARY Chorale Chaconne on "Mit Freuden zart"

James Biery

See the text and tune at ELW 727

Lord Christ, When First You Came to Earth is one option for the Hymn of the Day. At first glance, today's gospel reading from Luke might seem like an odd choice. We proclaim Christ as King, yet the gospel reading recounts the scene of the crucifixion in a way that seem to be nothing more than an utter failure. Yet, with some of the last words Jesus will speak, this is the time he says to the criminal, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise." (NRSV)

A chaconne is built on a repeating pattern of notes in the bass line - usually played on the organ's pedalboard. Biery places lush chords over this pattern, only hinting at the tune before its bold entrance.

GATHERING HYMN Lord Christ, When First You Came to Earth 

(Mit Freuden zart) ELW 727

HYMN OF THE DAY Beautiful Savior (Schönster Herr Jesu) ELW 838

F. Melius Christiansen
1871 - 1955

The first stanza of this favorite hymn of Lutherans announces Jesus as the King of Creation. The two verses that follow give beautiful images of the world we see around us - springtime flowers, night time moonlight with sparkling stars - and they remind us that we will never see anything in creation that is more beautiful than Jesus who shines purer and brighter than all of it.

F. Melius Christiansen's arrangement has long been a signature piece of the St. Olaf Choir. Listen to a recording at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8n9vfVEcS78 
Be warned - it's a tear jerker!

MUSICAL OFFERING And Christ Shall Be Our Peace K. Lee Scott

COMMUNION HYMN My Song Is Love Unknown (Rhosymedre)
ELW pairs this text with John Ireland's tune, Love Unknown. Today we follow the lead of ELW's predecessor, Lutheran Book of Worship, and sing it with Rhosymedre, a tune by a Welsh Anglican priest named John David Edwards (1805 - 1885). 

SENDING HYMN Lift High the Cross (Crucifer) ELW 660

CLOSING VOLUNTARY Fanfare on "Helmsley" Karl Osterland

A stained glass window in Tipperary, Ireland
portrays Christ the King.

This Charles Wesley text is found in the "End Times" section of ELW. It uses vivid imagery to describe Jesus' return. The text and tune can be found at ELW 435. I usually choose the LBW version of this hymn because it includes my favorite stanza:

Every eye shall now behold him

Robed in glorious majesty;

Those who set at nought and sold him,

Pierced and nailed him to the tree,

Deeply wailing, deeply wailing, deeply wailing,

Shall the true Messiah see.

This stanza can be understood to say those who wail do so because they face certain punishment. I prefer to believe their wailing comes from a deep grieving at having met love with evil and indifference.

However it's interpreted, the final stanza of the hymn calls to mind Philippians 2:10-11.

". . so that at the name of Jesus

every knee should bend,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue should confess

that Jesus Christ is Lord

to the glory of God the Father."

It seems a fitting place to end our worship on Christ the King /Reign of Christ Sunday as we close another liturgical year.

Peace be with you.

sources: They Hymnal Companion, Evangelical Lutheran Worship
Wikipedia
Hymnary.org

stained glass window By Andreas F. Borchert, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15372564By Andreas F. Borchert, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15372564

Year C: Music for the 23rd Sunday after Pentecost - November 13, 2022

OPENING VOLUNTARY It Is Well With My Soul (Ville du Havre)

setting, Harold DeCou

GATHERING HYMN Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies (Ratisbon)

ELW 553

Who loves a good Charles Wesley hymn? Apparently Lutherans do! Wesley has 10 hymns in ELW - one more than the famed Lutheran hymn writer Paul Gerhardt. That's still several fewer than Martin Luther who comes in with 19.

But who's counting?

HYMN OF THE DAY O Lord, How Shall I Meet You? (Wie soll ich dich empfangen)

Paul Gerhardt
via Wikipedia

ELW 241

This is one of those nine hymns by Paul Gerhardt mentioned above. Gerhardt is considered Germany's greatest hymnwriter. 

Part of Gerhardt's life work was an attempt to bring together Lutheran and Reformed clergy, but this dream was never realized because of their diverging theologies. Still, he was well liked on both sides of the aisle.

MUSICAL OFFERING Keep Your Lamps Trimmed and Burning

arr. John Helgen

I grew up in a time when Christian teens (along with everyone else) were obsessed with "End Times" theology.  We were convinced that Jesus was coming back in our lifetimes. 

If it feels like Advent today, you can blame it on the first reading from the Hebrew Scriptures and on the gospel reading. The foolish virgins of Jesus' famous parable might not be explicitly named, but it's easy to see that they too are being warned about the coming events.

But in the end, everything will be okay. This work IS almost done, whether it be in our lifetimes or those of a future generation.

COMMUNION HYMNS

We Are Waiting for Jesus ACS 905

Soon and Very Soon ELW 439

More hymns to complement the Advent themes!

SENDING HYMN O Day of Peace (Jerusalem)
ELW 711

An olive tree at the garden tomb in Jerusalem.
Photo credit: Pastor Sarah Locke

This hymn is closely tied to the first reading. It might seem odd that the day of peace is only "dimly" shining - almost like a light at the end of the tunnel. The first stanza shows how much work we have to do before the "hope of peace can be fulfilled."

The name of the tune, Jerusalem, is also a musical shout out to our Pastor and friends in the Holy Land. Let's pray for their safe journey home!

CLOSING VOLUNTARY Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies
setting, Benjamin M. Culli
This is a stirring reprise of the Gathering Hymn. There is an opening fanfare, a brief fughetta, then a repeat of the fanfare.

Year C: Music for All Saints Sunday - November 6, 2022

OPENING VOLUNTARY Shall We Gather at the River (Hanson Place) arr. Margaret Tucker
See the text and tune at ELW 423.
St. Mark's Ringers

Margaret Tucker mirrors the poetry of Robert Lowry's (1826-1899) hymn in her musical setting. At the beginning, a gently rolling stream of notes ushers in the deeper tones of the handchimes on the melody - an expression of our grief for those who wait for us on the river's far side. The middle section, played entirely by the handchimes, is slower. We savor each beat of each chord. The third section, marked "grandly," is louder with lush, strong, chords that express our joy at being reunited with the saints who have gone before us.

GATHERING HYMN For All the Saints (Sine Nomine) ELW 422

An important part of the burial rite for Christians in the Episcopal church contains this line:
All of us go down to the dust; yet even at the grave we make our song: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia."

According to this hymn, "Alleluia" is also the song of the "countless host" that sings its song of praise to the Triune God.

St. Mark's Choir in 1942 at the church's earlier location

MUSIC DURING THE CANDLELIGHTING Wash, O God, Our Sons and Daughters (Beach Spring)

See the text and tune at ELW 445

setting, Aaron David Miller

Once I heard someone remark about a deceased person we both knew, "She has gone on to claim her baptismal promises." I understood right away our mutual friend had died, but in the same breath I was reminded of the hope of the resurrection.

This hymn is probably more suited to a baptism service that to All Saints Sunday, but I was struck by Ruth Duck's line: Weave them garments bright and sparkling; compass them with love and light. What a beautiful image for baptism and for the day we each claim our own baptismal promises.

Leslie Allen lighting a candle on a past All Saints Sunday.
This year we light a candle for her.

HYMN OF THE DAY Give Thanks for Saints (Repton) ELW 428

Martin E. Leckebusch (b. 1962) wrote this hymn with Hebrews 11 in mind - the chapter that famously names the names of our ancestors in faith and recalls their deeds - those who Hebrews 12 refers to as "the great cloud of witnesses."

The Forerunners of Christ with Saints and Martyrs by Fra Angelico (d. 1455)

MUSICAL OFFERING For All the Saints

John L. Bell / Bob Moore
This text could also be said to complement Hebrews 11, but the intimate style of the poetry will probably call to mind saints who are more personal. The world may not know them, but they are important to us. They taught  us to pray and to sing "Amazing Grace." They took us to church and nourished our faith. They prayed with us in our deepest sorrow. We are as thankful for these saints as we are for the ones who have commemoration dates on the church's calendar.

COMMUNION HYMN Look Who Gathers at Christ's Table (Copeland) ACS 977

This hymn imagines the assembly gathered for worship, bringing their whole lives with them - their joy and their pain. The text was commissioned by the First Presbyterian Church of Tallahassee, Florida, to honor its pastor, Brant S. Copeland, and was first sung there in October 2000. There might be some who feel unworthy because of their sin, but Jesus assures them they are welcome. (Adapted from Sundays and Seasons)

Ruth Copeland (right) with choir buddy and friend Margaret
Walker, another beloved choir saint

When I saw the name of this hymn, I was instantly reminded of two saints from this congregation, Sterling and Ruth Copeland, once active and vital members. Sterling built and painted the wagon that holds food collected for United Community Outreach Ministries (UCOM) and Lutheran Social Services (LSS). Ruth sang in the choir for many years. She didn't have a strong voice, but I could always count on her presence. Ruth gave a large gift that bought special folders for the Festival Choir. Another gift from Ruth allowed us to have Aaron David Miller (composer of the music at the candlelighting) to play the dedicatory hymn festival when St. Mark's organ was refurbished in 2013.

SENDING HYMN 'Tis the Church Triumphant Singing (Ar hyd y nos)

Images from Sundays and Seasons

You won't find this hymn by Englishman and Calvinist John Kent (1766-1843) in ELW. Most of his hymns, though "simple and earnest," are also staunchly Calvinistic - which is possibly why they aren't sung by modern assemblies.

This hymn, however, gives us a glorious glimpse of the assembly in Revelation's fifth chapter.
Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the elders; they numbered myriads and myriads and thousands of thousands, singing with full voice,
  "Worthy is the lamb that was slaughtered

   to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might

   and honor and glory and blessing!"

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them singing,

   "To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb

   be blessing and honor and glory and might
   forever and ever!"

And the four living creatures said, "Amen!" And the elders fell down and worshiped. (NRSV)

CLOSING VOLUNTARY Jerusalem, O City Fair and High (Jerusalem, du hochgebaute Stadt)
LBW 348

This hymn is another not found in ELW, but it was in its forerunner Lutheran Book of Worship under a slightly different title than the one above - Jerusalem, Whose Towers Touch the Skies. Its final stanza, by Johann M. Meyfart (1590 - 1642) describes Saints robed in white before the shining throne." The title above is its current form in Lutheran Service Book, the hymnal of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.

This postlude begins with an organ flourish and short trumpet blast that might sound like Sine Nomine, but it is just a happy coincidence that the opening notes of both hymns are the same!

This 14th century tapestry shows John of Patmos watching the descent of the New Jerusalem

Sources:

The Hymnal Companion to Evangelical Lutheran Worship
Wikipedia
Hymary.org
Evangelical Lutheran Worship

Wikipedia Images:

By Fra Angelico - Originally from en.wikipedia; description page is/was here. Transfer was stated to be made by User:richardprins, Original uploader was Sampo Torgo at en.wikipedia, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3000363

By Octave 444 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=86993899