Music for the First Sunday in Lent, Year A: February 26, 2023

"Friends in Christ, today with the whole church we enter the time of remembering Jesus' passover from death to life, and our life in Christ is renewed."

So began the Invitation to Lent that Pastor Daniel delivered to us on Ash Wednesday - the official beginning of Lent. On that day day/evening we admitted that we are sinners who need God's mercy if we are to live in the peace and joy that God desires for us - not just as individuals, but as a community of believers.

There are a variety of Lenten disciplines we can employ: "self-examination and repentance, prayer and fasting, sacrificial giving, and works of love. 

On Sunday morning we do all these things in a more communal way, through our traditional service of gathering, word, meal, sending. 

May the hymns and other music we encounter in this season help us to see God more clearly, love God more dearly, and follow God more nearly on our Lenten journey.

You might be humming "Godspell" as you read this. But the text is actually
by a thirteenth-century bishop who is known as the patron saint of Sussex.

OPENING VOLUNTARY Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Your Word (Erhalt uns, Herr) 
I could just have easily gone with the title "The Glory of the These Forty Days" since it is our gathering hymn. That would obviously tie this musical selection to the rest of the service. But I chose to go with a less obvious reference and connect the voluntary to the Prayer of the Day where we petition God to "Keep us steadfast in your word. . ."

GATHERING HYMN The Glory of These Forty Days (Erhalt uns, Herr) 

ELW 320

Officially we don't know who wrote this hymn, but some have credited Gregory the Great who was Bishop of Rome 540-604. If that's true, Christians have been singing this hymn since the 6th century. The evidence suggests it actually originated later by an unknown 10th century author - still a long time for a hymn to be sung!

Lent can often be perceived as a gloomy season, but whoever wrote this text declares it a celebration!

HYMN OF THE DAY A Mighty Fortress Is Our God (Ein feste Burg)
ELW 503
Today we sing the rhythmic version that is close to the one Martin Luther wrote. (Don't worry, we'll sing the isometric version again soon enough.) If you're not as familiar with the rhythmic version, listen to the melody-focused introduction so you can get the "feel." As you look at the page, be aware the clear notes are longer than the ones that are colored in.

A published version of this most famous Lutheran hymn (at least for Americans)
1531

MUSICAL OFFERING I Want Jesus to Walk with Me arr. Richard Billingham

This lament comes from the African American spiritual tradition. In the early church, Lent was a time that new believers began a journey of instruction in the faith, preparing to be baptized at the Easter vigil.

Our pilgrimage has not been completed. We still walk a path. How reassuring it is to know that Jesus walks beside us.

COMMUNION HYMN Tree of Life and Awesome Mystery (Thomas)
ELW 334

SENDING HYMN Jesus, Still Lead On (Seelenbräutigam) 
ELW 624

CLOSING VOLUNTARY A Mighty Fortress Is Our God (Ein feste Burg)

Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706) was one of the celebrated composers of his day. He was also a Lutheran. This composition is a fughetta based on the opening phrase of the hymn. Fughetta is short for fugue - a music form that employs imitative and contrapuntal devices. Each voice enters in succession (like a round), sometimes in a different key. Then the voices play off each other, often interjecting bits of the opening theme. 

Sources: Hymnal Companion to Evangelical Lutheran Worship
Wikipedia (including photo of "A Mighty Fortress.")

Sixth Sunday after Epiphany, Year A: February 12, 2023

OPENING VOLUNTARY Our Great Redeemer's Praise 

Arnold Sherman

Portrait of Charles Wesley
by John Russell

Sherman starts off with a Baroque sounding introduction that is punctuated by a percussive technique called martellato. This technique involves holding the bell horizontally and close to the table, then striking the full body of the bell against the padded table. 
The introduction leads into a final rendering of the tune Azmon, usually sung to the text of "O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing" - an appropriate 

One of verse of the hymn, perhaps Charles Wesley's best known, includes these lines:

He speaks, and listening to his voice new life the dead receive;

the mournful, broken hearts rejoice, the humble poor believe.

We've been listening to his voice for a few weeks now as we've heard and dwelled on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. Truly, he has the words of eternal life!

GATHERING HYMN Holy Spirit, Ever Dwelling (In Babilone) ELW 582

HYMN OF THE DAY God, When Human Bonds Are Broken (Merton) ELW 603

MUSICAL OFFERING Ancient Words Lynn DeShazo, arr. Mary McDonald

In today's reading from the Hebrew Scriptures, Moses tells the people that if they live in the ways of the Lord - by obeying the commandments, decrees, and ordinances - that they will be blessed. DeShazo's lyrics make a similar statement and encourage us to also heed the words of God.

Holy words, long preserved

for our walk in this world,
They resound with God's own heart

Oh, let the ancient words impart.

COMMUNION HYMN Spirit, Open My Heart ACS 1043

Ruth Duck's heartfelt text paired with this lyrical Irish tune gives us an opportunity to sing our prayer both as individuals and as a community. The combination of text and tune is not only a prayer but also a confession and a proclamation. The hymn draws on Ezekiel 11:19 and 36:26 in stanza one and the prophet Jeremiah 31:33 in stanza two. As we sing we open our hearts to the divine and to one another.
(From Sundays and Seasons)

COMMUNION HYMN Eat This Bread (Eat This Bread) ELW 472

SENDING HYMN Blest Be the Tie That Binds (Dennis) ELW 656

CLOSING VOLUNTARY Hymn to Joy setting, May Schwarz

Some of the St. Mark's Ringers at a recent rehearsal.

Portrait of Charles Wesley from Wikipedia: By User Magnus Manske on en.wikipedia - Originally from en.wikipedia; description page is (was) here14:56, 19 March 2004 Magnus Manske 162x218 (14,939 bytes) (In the [[:en:public domain]] by age), Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=802193

Fifth Sunday after Epiphany, Year A: February 5, 2023

OPENING VOLUNTARY O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright

Paul Manz (1919-2009)

Last week's opening voluntary had the same title, but the two versions by two different composers couldn't show more contrast. Last's week's version was staid and dignified. Paul Manz' version features dancing, twinkling stars.

GATHERING HYMN Gather Us In (Gather Us In) ELW 532

"The Holy Spirit Calls Us Together As the People of God"

Glass art
Dale Chihuly

PSALM 112:1-10

Light shines in the darkness for the upright is the appointed refrain for today's psalm. I couldn't resist crafting accompanying music from Mark Sedio's capricious tune Lux in tenebris. It even closes with a bit of Delores Dufner's original text. See "Light Shone in Darkness," the source for this refrain, at ELW 307.

HYMN OF THE DAY In Christ Called to Baptize (St. Denio) ELW 575

Our courtyard fountain

MUSICAL OFFERING Our Comforter and Guide Daniel C. Meyer
The work of the Holy Spirit is an important piece of today's second reading. This piece borrows texts from two historic hymn writers, Isaac Watts (1674-1748) and Mary Jane Walker (1816-1878). The texts remind us that we do not walk alone, for we have the Holy Spirit to comfort and guide us.

COMMUNION HYMN O Christ, Surround Me (Green Tyler) ACS 1084

COMMUNION HYMN The Lord Is My Light

Our second communion hymn is an ostinato refrain from the Taizé tradition. An ostinato is a short phrase that is repeated throughout a piece of music. We'll sing this several times. Memorize this sung prayer so that you can sing without looking at the music.

SENDING HYMN Lord of Light (Abbot's Leigh) ELW 688

CLOSING VOLUNTARY Fughetta on "To Be Your Presence" (Engelberg)

Richard Proulx (1937-2010)

See the text and tune at ELW 546.