Music for the Third Sunday in Lent, Year B: March 3, 2024

OPENING VOLUNTARY Jesus, Lover of My Soul (Aberystwyth) Gordon Young

This hymn text by Charles Wesley doesn't appear in Evangelical Lutheran Worship, but the tune is there with the Ash Wednesday text Savior, When in Dust to You. Both texts are suitable for worship during Lent. It's worth noting that Charles included Jesus, Lover of My Soul under a heading titled "In Temptation."

Charles was the younger brother of John Wesley who is credited as the founder of the Methodist movement. In 1780, John compiled "A Collection of Hymns for the People Called Methodists." Jesus, Lover of My Soul was not included because John Wesley felt the "lover" reference would be overly intimate for many people - and the intimate language doesn't end there! Since Charles wrote over 6,500 hymns, it's not surprising his brother would have to set more than a few aside. (Charles has 10 entries in ELW - and they are all pretty popular.

Our Prayer of the Day says "Keep us steadfast in your grace, and teach us the wisdom that comes only through Jesus Christ. . ." In his hymn, Charles confirms "Plenteous grace in thee (Jesus) is found, grace to cover all my sin . . ."

The texts of the first and third stanzas:

Jesus, lover of my soul,

let me to thy bosom fly, 

while the nearer waters roll,

while the tempest still is high;

hide me, O my Savior, hide,

till the storm of life is past; 

safe into the haven guide,

O receive my soul at last!

Plenteous grace with thee is found,

grace to cover all my sin;

let the healing streams abound;

make and keep me pure within.

Thou of life the fountain art;

freely let me take of thee;

spring thou up within my heart,

rise to all eternity.

Gordon Young's arrangement comes in five sections, starting with a gentle intimacy and ending with a majestic fortissimo (loud!). Young (1919-1998) was a prolific composer of organ and choral music for use in the church.

GATHERING HYMN Built on a Rock (Kirken den er et gammelt hus) ELW 652

Church bells have long been used to call the faithful to worship, and if to worship, then also to observance of the sacraments. ELW's version is shorter than the original nine stanzas (which the author later revised to seven). One of the missing stanzas highlights the role of the sacraments in Lutheran worship and also lifts up the importance of preaching:

Here stands the font before our eyes

telling how God did receive us;

Th' altar recalls God's sacrifice

and what his table does give us;

Here sounds the word that doth proclaim
Christ yesterday, today the same

Yea, and for aye our Redeemer.

It's too bad this stanza is missing from our version. It would have made a great center!

Church bells at one of the Spanish missions near San Diego, California

At St. Mark's we have a courtyard bell that rings during the Lord's Prayer. Read more about this St. Mark's tradition at https://smljax.blogspot.com/2019/03/every-sunday-bell-rings-but-why.html

HYMN OF THE DAY Christ Is the Life (Coe Fen) ACS 927

Crafted in 1989, Christ Is the Life is one of the earlier texts by prolific hymnwriter Susan Palo Cherwien (1953-2021). She was reading Dietrich Bonhoeffer's The Cost of Discipleship and was affected by Bonhoeffer's statement that "when Christ calls a person, he bids that person to come and die." Also drawing from Romans 6:3-9 and 14:8, the text embodies the essential form of the spiritual journey from life, to letting go, to transformation, to new life.   (From Sundays and Seasons)

MUSICAL OFFERING Lord, Who Throughout These Forty Days Linda Cable Shute

COMMUNION HYMN When I Survey the Wondrous Cross (Hamburg) ELW 803

Isaac Watts (1674-1748), the "Godfather of English hymnody" has 10 entries in ELW, the same as Charles Wesley. He based this text on Galatians 6:14: May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. (NRSV)

ELW, and many other hymnals, pair this text with the unassuming, only five notes, hymn tune Hamburg. Coupled with a staid rhythm, worshipers can focus on the text, sometimes described as "the finest hymn in the English language."

SENDING HYMN Lord Christ, When First You Came to Earth (Mit Freuden zart) ELW 727

CLOSING VOLUNTARY Earth and All Stars

setting, Michael Burkhardt
Sometimes it hard to choose the closing voluntary for a service. This text came to mind from after I read the opening line of today's psalm: The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky proclaims its maker's handiwork.

Sources:

Hymnal Companion: Evangelical Lutheran Worship: Paul Westermeyer, editor. Pub. Augsburg Fortress
Hymn Notes for Church Bulletins, Austin Lovelace. Pub. GIA Publications
Sundays and Seasons
Wikipedia (including the portraits of Wesley and Watts)