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