OPENING VOLUNTARY Come, Follow Me, the Savior Spake
setting, Wayne Barlow
Based on the Hymn of the Day, this voluntary is in the style of a chorale prelude. It alternates phrases of the tune with original interludes that feature our organ's clarinet stop. (This is one of the "new" sounds that R. A. Colby and Associates added to the organ in 2013.)
GATHERING HYMN Eternal Lord of Love, Behold Your Church (Old 124th)
ELW 321
In today's gospel reading, Jesus says the only way to save our life is to lose it. Singing this hymn, we affirm that dying in Christ is the way we also rise in him - a direct reference to baptism! In his small catechism, Martin Luther points us to the words of Paul in Romans 6: Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
One interesting thing about this hymn is its meter: 10 10 10 10 10 - each phrase has ten syllables. It's the only hymn of its kind in ELW, and perhaps the only one anywhere!
HYMN OF THE DAY Come, Follow Me, the Savior Spake (Macks mit mir, Gott) ELW 799
MUSICAL OFFERING O Sacred Head setting, Mary McDonald
At the beginning of today's gospel reading, Jesus tells of the suffering he will endure, that he will die, and be raised again. The much-loved text of this hymn reminds us of that suffering and reminds us that, through the lectionary, we will soon recount our Lord's suffering and meditate on his passion.
Instead of the tune we love so well (Herzlich tut mich verlangen), the composer has chosen Promised Land, a rather jaunty American hymn tune; however, she has cleverly disguised it by presenting it in a minor key that is more aligned with the text.
The piano accompaniment gives hints of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, undergirding the choir with a pathos that never seems to resolve - until the very end when a wisp Herzlich slips in.
Instead of the tune we love so well (Herzlich tut mich verlangen), the composer has chosen Promised Land, a rather jaunty American hymn tune; however, she has cleverly disguised it by presenting it in a minor key that is more aligned with the text.
The piano accompaniment gives hints of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, undergirding the choir with a pathos that never seems to resolve - until the very end when a wisp Herzlich slips in.
This is one of the most thoughtful and moving church choral arrangements I have encountered. It has been a joy to prepare and it's a welcome addition to the Festival Choir's repertoire.
COMMUNION HYMN I Want Jesus to Walk with Me
SENDING HYMN Let Us Ever Walk with Jesus (Lasset uns mit Jesu ziehen) ELW 802
CLOSING VOLUNTARY If You But Trust in God to Guide You (Wer nur den lieben Gott)
See the text and tune at ELW 769.
See the text and tune at ELW 769.
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