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.

Fourth Sunday after Epiphany, Year A: January 29, 2023

OPENING VOLUNTARY O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright (Wie schön leuchtet)

Niels Wilhelm Gade (1817-1890)
See the text and tune at ELW 

This hymn is undeniably Lutheran. Written by the revered German Lutheran pastor and hymnodist Philipp Niccolai (1556-1608), it is often honored with the title "Queen of the Lutheran Chorales."

The hymn appears in many denominational hymnals, but is probably not sung very often outside of Lutheran churches. I never sang it before coming to St. Mark's sixteen years ago. I knew the tune from having studied some organ works and from its famously being quoted in Mendelssohn's "There Shall a Star Come Out of Jacob."

Even in the little Lutheran church where I was baptized and confirmed, I don't think it was ever sung.

Now I look forward to Epiphany (and Sundays after Epiphany) every year just for the chance to sing it again!

We know that this non-season is still a time of light and Jesus being manifested to the world. We have heard the beatitudes read a thousand times! Today, try to hear them as the people on the mountain heard them - Jesus is revealing the heart of his message: the Kingdom of God is already here and it is for the "lowly and pure in heart." (See the Prayer of the Day)

View of the Sea of Galilee from the Mount of the Beatitudes

Gade's setting is a gentle one with fresh, but not startling, harmonies. The solo melody is accompanied by chords that give dignity to the melody.

GATHERING HYMN Rejoice! Ye Pure in Heart (Marion) ELW 873

HYMN OF THE DAY Oh, Praise the Gracious Power (Christpraise Ray) ELW 651

Thomas Troeger (1945-2022) wrote this hymn for the ordination of Judith Ray, ordained as a teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church in 1984. Her surname is included in the title of the tune by Carol Doran (b. 1936). 

Take note of the refrain which begins with an ascending line to the word "cross" - a musical way to "lift high the cross."

MUSICAL OFFERING Prayer of St. Francis Allen Pote

"Give us. . .perseverance in striving for peace. . ." is our petition in the Prayer of the Day.
In today's gospel reading Jesus tells us, "Blessed are the peacemakers. . ."

We can't be sure that St. Francis wrote the prayer that has been famously attributed to him. Francis lived c. 1182-1226 and the words are not found in his preserved writings. The poem prayer doesn't appear in print until 1912 (according to Wikipedia).

I can't help but think Francis would have embraced this prayer - and that we should embrace it too. The editors of Evangelical Lutheran Worship included it under the prayers for Spiritual Life on page 87, along with prayers from other pillars of the church.

COMMUNION HYMN Look Who Gathers at Christ's Table (Copeland) ACS 977
This hymn imagines the assembly gathered for worship, bringing their whole lives with them - their joy and their pain. . . There might be some who feel unworthy because of their sin, but Jesus assures them they are welcome: "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have come to call not the righteous, but sinners." (Mark 2:17) (From Sundays and Seasons)

SENDING HYMN To Be Your Presence (Engelberg) ELW 546

CLOSING VOLUNTARY Trumpet Rondeau
Jean Joseph Mouret (1682-1738), arr. Rick Parks

COMING EVENT! PUT THIS ON YOUR CALENDAR!

Sources:
Wikipedia
Sundays and Seasons
Evangelical Lutheran Worship

St. Francis with birds, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=54969 [retrieved January 28, 2023]. Original source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lenarpoetry/4081925516/. 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lac_de_Tiberiade_vu_du_mont_des_Beatitudes.JPG#/media/File:Lac_de_Tiberiade_vu_du_mont_des_Beatitudes.JPG

Second Sunday after Epiphany, Year A: January 15, 2023

Many people recall a time when we referred to Epiphany as a season. It's easy to see why we did this. Since "Epiphany" means "manifestation," it's hard to miss Jesus being revealed to the nations throughout this green period. We see Jesus baptized and then begin his ministry as he calls his first disciples. We hear his signature teachings from the Sermon on the Mount, and then we see him transfigured.

So why don't we call it a season anymore?

The main reason is to show the Feast of the Epiphany as the close of the Christmas season. There will still be plenty of Epiphany-like references - especially in our hymns! Even in the liturgy we'll continue to sing the song of the angels, "Glory to God in the highest and peace to God's people on earth!"

OPENING VOLUNTARY Jesus, Come! For We Invite You (Union Seminary)

Charles Callahan

The text and tune can be seen at ELW 312.
Callahan's setting offers lush harmonies that only hint at the tune as he takes us through a number of keys. The middle portion is a straight-forward rending of the hymn. Listen for three solo voices from the organ's stops: clarinet, oboe, and flute.

GATHERING HYMN O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright (Wie schön leuchtet) ELW 308

This is one of the most Lutheran hymns you can find. It is such a part of our story that we have given it a nickname - "Queen of the Lutheran chorales." (Do you know which hymn is called the "King of the Lutheran chorales?" The answer is at the bottom of this post!

The opening lines remind us of Revelation 22 where Jesus declares, "I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star." (NRSV)

A beautiful Epiphany star? Maybe, but you can see it all year round at the local Cantina Louie restaurant.

PSALM 40

The bulletin incorrectly refers to this psalm setting as a metrical setting, but it is actually a paraphrase. The melody was composed by William Billings - a composer from America's colonial period.

HYMN OF THE DAY Hail to the Lord's Anointed (Freut euch, ihr lieben) ELW 311

MUSICAL OFFERING What Feast of Love

Brian Wentzel
See the text and tune at ELW 487. Wentzel has written a new melody for this text, then pairs it with the popular Greensleeves.

COMMUNION HYMN Christ, Be Our Light (Christ Be Our Light) ELW 715

SENDING HYMN Rise, Shine, You People (Wojtkiewiecz) ELW 665

We don't just leave worship when it's over, we are SENT from worship by the same Spirit that gathered us The final stanza of Ronald A. Klug's hymn, which feels like a musical benediction and dismissal, uses Trinitarian language to remind us what we should be doing before the next time we gather:
Tell how the Father sent the Son to save us.
Tell of the Son, who life and freedom gave us. 
Tell how the Spirit calls from every nation God's new creation.

CLOSING VOLUNTARY Festive Processional

David Lasky  
Our organ has trumpets - and we'll hear them all before this piece is over!

sources:
Hymnal Companion to Evangelical Lutheran Worship, Augsburg Fortress
Keeping Time, Augsburg Fortress
The Sunday Assembly, Augsburg Fortress
Sundays and Seasons
Evangelical Lutheran Worship

Epiphany of Our Lord, Year A: January 6, 2023

OPENING VOLUNTARY As with Gladness Men of Old (Dix)

setting, Bob Moore

As you listen, you may hear "For the Beauty of the Earth." Try to set that aside and, instead, look at the text at ELW 302. A direct nod to today's gospel reading, this hymn is prayer that we may also seek Jesus - both in this life, and in the next one.

GATHERING HYMN Brightest and Best of the Stars of the Morning (Morning Star) ELW 303

HYMN OF THE DAY When a Star Is Shining (Where the Promise Shines) 

ACS 915

While it references gold, frankincense, and myrrh, this hopeful Epiphany hymn makes no mention of the wandering magi. After singing it, we might feel we are the magi being guided to the place where we will behold our redemption. Whatever the poet's intention, it is to Canadian hymnwriter Sylvia Dunstan's credit that her words open up this possibility. Bob Moore (the composer of the Gospel Acclamation at ELW 169) has given us a memorable tune that works well in the assembly's voice.
(From Sundays and Seasons © 2023 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved.)

Bob Moore, a composer of church music who lives in Jacksonville, also composed the opening voluntary.

MUSICAL OFFERING What Feast of Love (Greensleeves) ELW 487

This hymn will instantly call to mind the Christmas carol "What Child Is This" - one of my favorite hymns of the season. As we sing the last stanza of "What Child Is This," we can easily imagine ourselves gathered with the magi, bringing our own gifts along with their gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

But "What Feast of Love" turns that around to reminds us of the gifts Christ brings to us - food and hope of everlasting life, and his precious blood. He gives us himself.

COMMUNION HYMN The First Noêl (The First Nowell) ELW 300

SENDING HYMN Angels from the Realms of Glory (Regent Square)

ELW 275

CLOSING VOLUNTARY O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright (Wie schön leuchtet) 

This is a happy fughetta on the opening phrase of this well-known (at least for Lutherans) Epiphany hymn. 

Johann Sebastian Bach, with his two wives Maria Barbara and Anna Magdalena, had 20 children. Johann Christian Bach was the 18th and youngest of the sons.

Sources: 

Wikipedia (including the image of angels making music) Eyck, Hubert van, 1366-1426; Eyck, Jan van, 1390-1440. Altar of the Mystical Lamb - Angels Playing Music, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=49621 [retrieved January 5, 2023]. Original source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hubert_van_Eyck_036.jpg.

Sundays and Seasons

Name of Jesus, Year A: January 1, 2023

Today's observance is classified as a "lesser festival" on the calendar of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. "Name of Jesus" was originally called the "Octave" because it fell on the eighth day of Christmas. It was first observed by sixth century Roman Catholics. We celebrate the name of Jesus, given to him by an angel before he was even conceived, and look to the day when every tongue confesses "that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

We're a couple days past the mid-point of Christmas - but it is STILL Christmas. Today's worship service includes a service of Christmas Lessons and Carols - scripture readings and hymns.

Most of these readings are chosen from the traditional observance of Lessons and Carols at King's College in Oxford, England - a service first sung in 1918. The last two readings are from the propers for the day.

OPENING VOLUNTARY Chorale Prelude on "O Come, All Ye Faithful" (Adeste fideles)

Sigvart A. Hofland / attr. John Francis Wade

GATHERING HYMN Once in Royal David's City (Irby) ELW 269

FIRST CAROL O Come, Divine Messiah 

This hymn, a jubilant cry of welcome, bids the Savior to come fulfill the promise of the Genesis reading.

SECOND CAROL In a Deep, Unbounded Darkness (Divinum mysterium) ACS 1093

This text that originated as the theme song for a Bible Study institute in China is a meditation on the eternal nature of God. Like the hymn "Of the Father's Love Begotten," with which this tune is often paired, we begin in the time before creation when God claimed us. After praising God's steadfastness in stanza two, our joy overflows at the incarnation in stanza three. Finally, stanza four returns us to the realm of eternity, joining together the beginning and final chapters of the Bible by connecting references to stories from Genesis and Exodus with the wedding feast of the Lamb in Revelation. (From Sundays and Seasons)

THIRD CAROL He Came Down (He Came Down) ELW 253

The reading tells us that a child has been born. This traditional song from Cameroon tells us why he has been born.

FOURTH CAROL O Little Town of Bethlehem (St. Louis) ELW 279

At this point in our service we'll only sing stanzas 1 - 3. We'll sing stanza four as the offering hymn. "Oh, Holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray" is usually sung with a mind to the incarnation. Moving it to the spot just before communion gives it a different spin, reminding us of Christ's true presence in the eucharist.

FIFTH CAROL From Heaven Above to Earth I Come (Vom Himmel hoch) ELW 268

This is a true Lutheran hymn with a text and tune both attributed to Martin Luther. The first three stanzas are sung from the point of a Christmas angel announcing the birth of God's son. The next set of verses are from our point of view and end with us joining in the song of angels.

SIXTH CAROL At the Name of Jesus (Noel nouvelet)

This hymn is usually sung on Christ the King Sunday to a stolid English tune. Just for fun, and to highlight the Christmas season a little more, the text is paired today with the tune of a traditional French Christmas carol. (Modern worshipers may associated the hymn with Easter since it is often sung as "Now the Green Blade Rises.")

HYMN OF THE DAY Love Has Come

MUSICAL OFFERING All My Heart Again Rejoices

Jerusalem Lutheran Church
near Rincon, Georgia

In 1731 a group of German protestants, known as the Salzburger emigrants, were expelled from their homeland by Count Leopold Anton Firmian, the Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg. Their crime? They refused to recant their faith. 

The group's leader, Pastor Samuel Urlspurger, asked King George II for help and he granted them land in Ebenezer, Georgia - about 55 miles from Atlanta. About 150 of the Salzburgers established the town in 1734. It was not successful since the lands was too far from water to be fertile and many of the settlers died. 

They resettled near the Savannah River where they built Jerusalem Lutheran Church in 1769. (It is Georgia's oldest church building still in use.) This time their community prospered, but only after they introduced slavery - something the community had initially been against.

There is a story that they were singing this hymn as they left Austria.

COMMUNION HYMN In the Bleak Midwinter (Cranham) ELW 294

COMMUNION HYMN It Came Upon the Midnight Clear (Carol) ELW 282

SENDING HYMN Good Christian Friends, Rejoice (In dulci jubilo) ELW 288

CLOSING VOLUNTARY Trumpet Tune on "Noel nouvelet" 

Wayne L. Wold

sources:

Wikipedia, including the photo of Jerusalem Lutheran Church By Bubba73 (Jud McCranie) - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=44838325

Hymnal Companion to Evangelical Lutheran Worship, Paul Westermeyer

Manual on the Liturgy, Lutheran Book of Worship

https://www.kings.cam.ac.uk/

Nativity of Our Lord (Christmas Eve), Year A: December 24, 2022

4:00 OPENING VOLUNTARIES Two Settings of "In dulci jubilo"

J. S. Bach (1685-1750)

Marcel Dupré (1886-1971)

10:30 A SERVICE OF MUSIC FOR CHRISTMAS EVE

In dulci jubilo J. S. Bach

A Babe So Tender arr. Richard Dickinson (Festival Choir)

I discovered this piece while cataloging our collection of choral octavos a few years ago. I've not been able to learn any information about the arranger. From the octavo itself, I learned this is a Flemish carol and that the English text was also by Richard Dickinson.

The copyright date is 1959 and I suspect it has been in our files for a very long time. The pages are not merely yellowed - they are completely brown! I imagine Hugh Alderman leading the choir through this anthem in the early 60s, and it's possible it hasn't seen the light of day since.

It's a charming tune filled with images of Christmas Eve and little bursts of "Noel! Noel!"

The Seven Joys of Mary arr. Richard Shephard (Festival Choir)

This traditional European carol is based on images from medieval devotional literature. 

Glory to the Newborn King arr. Dan Edwards (St. Mark's Ringers)

This is an energetic arrangement of the well-loved Christmas hymn "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing." It features bell peals and mallets.

Before the Marvel of this Night Carl Schalk (Festival Choir)

This lyrical Christmas anthem addresses the Christmas angels, encouraging them to sing of peace, bliss, and love.

The text is by Jaroslav Vajda (1919-2008), whose lyrics fill modern hymnals. (He has six hymns in ELW, including Now the Silence, Now the Peace.) The composer, Carl Schalk (1929-2021) is also well-known in Lutheran circles. His credits include hymn tunes (nine of which are in ELW) and several books about church music and hymnody.

Christmas Night arr. Michael Helman (St. Mark's Ringers)

This piece is a medley of three Christmas favorites - "Still, Still, Still," "In the Bleak Midwinter," and "Once In Royal David's City." There are no special techniques, just the lovely sound of bells. You might notice that several of our ringers have sections where they play with two bells in each hand - a technique that brings out the melody.

In the Bleak Midwinter arr. Catherine Bennett (Festival Choir)
Night Long Awaited / Noche de paz arr. Shari Hansen (Festival Choir)

A modern "villancico" - or Spanish Christmas carol - is paired with a Spanish version of "Silent Night." Pastor Daniel joins with the Festival Choir on guitar.

In dulci jubilo Marcel Dupré 

GATHERING HYMN O Come, All Ye Faithful (Adeste fideles) ELW 283

PSALM 96

Tonight's psalm is a hymn version sung to the tune Old Hundredth.

Love Has Come (Un flambeau)

Stanzas of this modern hymn, sung to the tune of an irresistible French carol, are used as the gospel acclamation. The tune is also sung to "Bring a torch, Jeanette, Isabella."

HYMN OF THE DAY Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (Mendelssohn) ELW 270

(4:00) MUSICAL OFFERING Away in a Manger arr. Aaron David Miller

Ellen Olson, viola

(10:30) MUSICAL OFFERING All My Heart Again Rejoices arr. David Lasky

David Lasky's arrangement of this classic German carol has an infectious Baroque quality.

COMMUNION HYMN Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming (Es is ein Ros) ELW 272

CANDLE LIGHTING HYMN Silent Night, Holy Night (Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht)
ELW 281

SENDING HYMN Angels We Have Heard on High (Gloria) ELW 289

Heinz Memorial Chapel
University of Pittsburg

CLOSING VOLUNTARY On This Day Earth Shall Ring arr. J Wayne Kerr

The nativity image on the banner is from Sundays and Seasons. 

The Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year A: December 18, 2022

Is there a more fulfilling part of the church calendar than the one that begins Advent, peaks at Christmas, then has its final flourish on Epiphany? Is there a time with more scripture readings that console yet challenge us? Does another liturgical season offer hymns of comfort beside hymns that thrill and inspire us? The answer is"No!" (Be forewarned, I might ask the same question and expect the same answer when we hit the Lent/Easter/Ascension arc.)

I love Christmas as much as anybody, but I wish Advent were at least six weeks long! Here's what's on the playlist for Advent 2022's last hurrah.

OPENING VOLUNTARY 

Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus

Welcome back, Tara!

(HYFRYDOL)

Susan Staples Bell

St. Mark's welcomes long-time member Tara Harrison to play our prelude today. Tara and her husband, Alvin, recently moved to Atlanta. We are happy that she is able to spend part of her vacation with us!

GATHERING HYMN Awake! Awake, and Greet the New Morn (REJOICE REJOICE)

ELW 242

Marty Haugen, a much-loved composer in Lutheran circles, has a very lucky aunt named Marie Smedsrud - at the time a campus pastor at Luther College (Decorah, IA). In a year when his family decided to exchange non-material presents, he wrote this hymn for her Christmas gift. The text originally opened with "Rejoice, rejoice!" and had a Christmas message. Even though the text was later tweaked for Advent, the melody retains its infectious lilt. Tunes can make all the difference in how we perceive a text. Compare this "Awake, awake" with the "Wake, awake" that opens J. S. Bach's great "Wake, Awake for Night is Flying" (Wachet auf).

HYMN OF THE DAY Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus (HYFRYDOL)

This text is in ELW. We sang it last week with the tune JEFFERSON. Today we sing it with the Welsh tune HYFRYDOL, one of the most-loved tunes in American churches - and probably Welsh and English churches as well. We see the tune 4 times in ELW, so singing it today makes a fifth usage for St. Mark's.

When this tune comes up, someone is likely to jokingly refer to it as "Hydrofoil" - but according to Westermeyer, the "h" is pronounced and the "y" is sounded like "uh" - making the correct pronunciation "HUH-fruh-dol." (I'm likely to keep saying "HIGH-froh-dawl" because old habits die hard.)

As you sing, notice the buoyancy and joy that invade the text. Our "Come!" is filled with joy. With JEFFERSON, our "Come!" feels more like a desperate plea. WE NEED BOTH VERSIONS! As I said earlier, "Tunes can make all the difference in how we perceive a text."

St Mary of the Mount Church
Pittsburgh, PA

MUSICAL OFFERING The Seven Joys of Mary arr. Richard Shephard

In reading today's gospel narrative, you might see Joseph as the hero of this story. Today's musical offering, a traditional European carol, explores Jesus' entire life through Mary's eyes from the time "when he was first her Son" to his ascension "to wear the crown of heaven."
The carol is probably based on devotional literature from the Middle Ages. It's also easy to see a connection between these "joys" and the "mysteries" that Roman Catholics recall when they pray the rosary.

COMMUNION HYMN He Comes to Us as One Unknown (REPTON)

ELW 737

SENDING HYMN "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" (VENI, EMMANUEL)

ELW 257

CLOSING VOLUNTARY Trumpet Tune on "People, Look East"

Jerry Westenkuehler

Sources:

Image of St. Joseph Reni, Guido, 1575-1642. Saint Joseph and the Christ Child, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=57764 [retrieved November 21, 2022]. Original source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Guido_Reni_-_Saint_Joseph_and_the_Christ_Child_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg.

Hymnal Companion to Evangelical Lutheran Worship, Paul Westermeyer

Wikipedia