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.")