Music for the Second Sunday in Lent, Year B: February 25, 2024

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.

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.

Music for the Fifth Sunday after Epiphany, Year B: February 4, 2024

OPENING VOLUNTARY On Eagle's Wings setting, Marilyn Biery 
The Starry Night, by Vincent Van Gogh, is one of our planet's most famous paintings. It's not very realistic, is it? If you wanted to explain to someone in outer space what the night looks like on earth, you probably wouldn't point to Van Gogh's work.

It's unfinished. The colors aren't realistic and neither are the shapes. The bold splashes of color and languorous brush strokes aren't meant to imitate the real world, but to give an impression of the real world.

It's the same with Marilyn Biery's setting of the beloved "On Eagle's Wings." Don't try to sing along because you rarely get a full piece of the melody. Rather, we get hints of the tune we all know. Harmonic progressions, sans melody, are still intact and you can almost see an eagle as it glides from one thermal to another.

"The Starry Night" Vincent Van Gogh (1853 - 1890)

GATHERING HYMN Praise the One Who Breaks the Darkness (Nettleton) ELW 843

HYMN OF THE DAY Praise to the Lord, the Almighty (Lobe den Herren) ELW 858

The choir loves to laugh at me because I often say a hymn is my "favorite," but this hymn is not only one that I love. It also has one of my favorite lines in the entire body of hymnody. I don't often sing with the assembly when I accompany hymns, but you'll likely see me give it all I've got when we get to the line "Let the Amen sound from his people again!" (The exclamation point is mine.) Musically and textually, this is an engaging moment for me!

MUSICAL OFFERING Be Thou My Vision (Slane) arr. Marie Pooler

COMMUNION HYMNS
Precious Lord, Take My Hand  (Precious Lord) ELW 773
I'm So Glad Jesus Lifted Me (Jesus Lifted Me) ELW 860

SENDING HYMN Sing Praise to God, the Highest Good (Lobt Gott den Herren, ihr) ELW 871

CLOSING VOLUNTARY Sing Praise to God, the Highest Good setting, Wayne Barlow

The hymn itself has a dance quality to it. Harlow's approach is different - harmonically adventurous and majestic!

Sources: By Vincent van Gogh - Transferred from the English Wikipedia, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4603625

Music for the Fourth Sunday after Epiphany, Year B; January 28, 2024

OPENING VOLUNTARY What Is this Place (Komt nu met zang)

setting, Wayne L. Wold
See the text and tune at ELW 524.

This gathering hymn is a perfect reminder that the church is a building, but when God's people gather within, it becomes something else, a body. The second stanza reminds us of all who gathered in this same space for worship in days past, but on another level, it reminds us of all the saints who have gone before, laying a foundation for our modern witness tot he gospel in worship.

GATHERING HYMN Songs of Thankfulness and Praise (Salzburg) ELW 310

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

In the Prayer of the Day, we acknowledge that in this time after Epiphany God continues to reveal Jesus. Jesus is here to break oppression, free captives, take away our sin, and to rule in a kingdom that never ends.

MUSICAL OFFERING There Is a Balm in Gilead arr. Howard Helvey

COMMUNION HYMN Healer of Our Every Ill ELW 612

The author/composer, Marty Haugen, says this hymn was written for a specific event and was never intended to be sung outside that single service. It was written for an Evening Prayer service at Holden Village (Washington State), and was sung after the community learned that the space shuttle Challenger, along with its occupants, perished in an explosion on January 28, 1986.

A photo of the Holden Village dining hall. This retreat center is so remote that, from the nearest town, it is only accessible by a 2-4 hour ferry ride or a rigorous hike through the Cascade Mountains.

SENDING HYMN Oh, For a Thousand Tongues to Sing (Azmon) ELW 886

CLOSING VOLUNTARY Jesus Shall Reign (Duke Street)

setting, Charles Callahan

PLEASE JOIN US FOR A SPECIAL EVENT!

Sources: Hymnal Companion to Evangelical Lutheran Worship.

Photo of Holden Village: By User:Millerj870 - Own work by the original uploader, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=66567467

Music for the Third Sunday after Epiphany, Year B: January 21, 2024

OPENING VOLUNTARY Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies (Ratisbon) setting, Benjamin M. Culli

The tune and text can be found at ELW 553

GATHERING HYMN O Christ, Our Light, O Radiance True (O Jesu Christe, wahres Licht) ELW 675

HYMN OF THE DAY O Jesus, I Have Promised (Munich) ELW 810

MUSICAL OFFERING There's a Wideness in God's Mercy

Bob Moore

The text can be found at ELW 588.

Bob Moore, a composer of church music who lives in Jacksonville, has an affinity for texts by Sylvia Dunstan. We often sing her text All who hunger with his tune Grace Eternal.

Note that the Sending Hymn is also a text by Dunstan.

COMMUNION HYMNS

When Jesus Came to Jordan (King's Lynn) ELW 305
Light Shone in Darkness (Lux in tenebris) ELW 307

These two hymns are sung in alternation today. First, we sing stanza 1 of When Jesus Came, then stanza 1 of Light Shone. We continue that way until both hymns have been sung in full.

There are some interesting parallels when the hymns are sung this way. In the first hymn, Jesus appears at the Jordan to be baptized. The second hymn sings Jesus is the light that shines in the darkness.

Stanza 2 speaks of Jesus dying for our salvation, and that is echoed by "Christ rose in glory, won for us salvation."

Stanza 3 asks that our bondage be broken, and the second hymn speaks of longing for "God's justice" and "global transformation."

SENDING HYMN Go to the World (Sine nomine) ACS 991

Sylvia Dunstan was a hymnwriter and a United Church of Canada pastor who died tragically of liver cancer at the age of thirty-eight. Alan Barthel, her mentor and collaborator, with less than a week's notice commissioned a text built on the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) for the 1985 Emmanuel College (Toronto) Convocation. Written to Ralph Vaughan Williams's exapansive "Sine nomine" (usually paired with "For all the saints'), it gives this beloved tune an alternative text pairing.

(From Sundays and Seasons)

CLOSING VOLUNTARY Engelberg Charles Callahan

Join us next Sunday for a special event featuring our pipe organ!

Music for the Third Sunday of Advent, Year B: December 17, 2023

OPENING VOLUNTARY O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

setting, Michael D. Costello

GATHERING HYMN Awake! Awake, and Greet the New Morn (Rejoice, Rejoice) ELW 242

Marty Haugen's first version of this song was as a Christmas hymn. In a year when his family decided not to give material gifts, he wrote it for his aunt.  As you might guess, the opening words were, "Rejoice, rejoice!"

Feeling there was already an adequate supply of Christmas hymns, he later changed its focus to Advent.

HYMN OF THE DAY O Lord, How Shall I Meet You (Wie soll ich dich empfangen) ELW 241

In today's gospel reading, a group of priests and Levites (sent from the Pharisees) confront John the Baptist. They want to know if he is the Messiah. He tells them he is not, but that he has been sent to prepare the way for someone greater than himself. 

It can seem strange when assemblies sing songs with "I" language. Of course we understand that we are singing of a shared experience and that "I" can really be a communal "we." But I appreciate that after three stanzas of "how shall I meet you," "you came to set me free," and "Your thirst for my salvation set me free," the focus turns outward and we call upon the sad hearted to rejoice. The Lord's appearing isn't just for me, but for all. We call on all people to hail Christ's appearing and ask him to guide us safely home.

MUSICAL OFFERING Climb to the Top of the Highest Mountain

Carolyn Jennings

In this season of Advent, 3 of our readings from the Hebrew scriptures come from the book called Isaiah. While scholars believe this book may be a compilation of writings from at least three prophets, their message is unfied - God's people will be redeemed and comforted.

This musical offering is an echo of last week's reading from Isaiah 40. God will care for the people like a shepherd, carrying them in loving arms and keeping them safe from harm.

Not only is Mount Hermon the highest point in Israel, it's home to a ski resort!

COMMUNION HYMN As the Dark Awaits the Dawn (Lucent) ELW 261

SENDING HYMN Joy to the World (Antioch) ELW 267

CLOSING VOLUNTARY Fugue in E minor

J. S. Bach

The subject (opening theme) of this fugue resembles a trumpet call, earning it "The Night Watchman's Fugue" as a nickname. 
"Keep Awake!" is our constant Advent cry, something to ponder as we hear the music played.

We welcome Jane Daugherty to the organ bench for today's closing voluntary.

Sources: Hymnal Companion to Evangelical Lutheran Worship
Mount Hermon photo: By Almog - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2181987

Music for the Second Sunday of Advent, Year B: December 10, 2023

OPENING VOLUNTARY Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming

arr. Sandra Eithun
St. Mark's Ringers

In this season of Advent, three of four readings from the Hebrew Scriptures are from the Book of Isaiah. Christians have long seen prophecies of Jesus in his writings. (I say "his," but many scholars believe this book is a compilation of writings from at least THREE "Isaiahs.") You'll find "Lo, How a Rose," in the Christmas section of Evangelical Lutheran Worship, but the line "Isaiah 'twas foretold it, this rose I have in mind. . ." makes it a suitable Advent hymn as well. (Yes, I used one of the more poetic versions of the text.)

Eithun's arrangement begins with the melody high in the handbell range. She augments (stretches) the rhythms, so the melody seems to hang suspended in time with an ethereal quality.

Our Three Kings recently enjoyed a loving makeover from member Darby Brown. They look amazing and sit a respectable distance from the creche.

GATHERING HYMN Prepare the Royal Highway 

(Bereden väg för Herran) ELW 264

Compare the text of this hymn to today's reading from the Hebrew Scriptures, especially Isaiah 40: 3-5. "Prepare the royal highway" is another way of saying "make straight in the desert a highway."

The second stanza looks forward to Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, but stanzas three and four seem to be about the second coming when he comes to rule in "peace and freedom and justice, truth, and love."

HYMN OF THE DAY Comfort, Comfort Now My People 

(Freu dich sehr) ELW 256

MUSICAL OFFERING My Lord, What a Morning David von Kampen

See the text and tune at ELW 438

This classic African American spiritual and Advent hymn gives a vivid picture of the End Times, an important theme in the season of Advent. 
The gentle, almost gospel accompaniment with selected chords from the jazz genre is a suitable homage to the gospel style.
Interestingly, the stanzas that speak of the sinner's cry and the Christian's shout are notated to be sung softly by the arranger. Why? I can't be certain, but I think it's because the morning also comes with mourning. Christians should never take glee in the notion that someone perishes, whatever their sins may be. God certainly does not.

COMMUNION HYMN All Earth is Hopeful (Toda la tierra) ELW 266

When St. Francis photobombs your "We're having a baby" announcement.

SENDING HYMN Hark, the Glad Sound (Chesterfield)  ELW 239

CLOSING VOLUNTARY On Jordan's Bank the Baptist's Cry
(Puer nobis)

See the text and tune at ELW 249.

Music for the First Sunday of Advent, Year B: December 3, 2023

OPENING VOLUNTARY Comfort, Comfort Now My People

setting, Egil Hovland

Based on the hymntune Freu dich sehr, a light flute gives glimpses of the melody with lots of little flourishes. Another, darker flute, plays the melody. All this happens over a light pedal point - a bass note that sounds continuously throughout this dance-like chorale prelude.
It's a reminder that Advent is a time of joyful expectation, setting the tone not only for this service, but for the entire season.

See the text and tune at ELW 256.

GATHERING HYMN Fling Wide the Door (Macht hoch die Tür)

ELW 259

This hymn implores us to "Fling wide the door, unbar the gate. . ." But it isn't just a gate we open. We also open our hearts, not to receive salvation, but to welcome his rule. The feel of this hymn is both grand and celebratory with its image of the King of glory arriving in state.

In this Advent season of hope and expectation, the whole world awaits the coming of the Savior. We hear the words of the prophets. We sing of God's promises. We place our hope in God. The carols and hymns in this service draw from a variety of countries. Other parts of the service are based on passages from Isaiah. (Adapted from Sundays and Seasons)

Come Now, O Prince of Peace (ELW 247)

The text and music are by a Korean composer with an introduction and accompaniment by Anne Krentz Organ.

Comfort, Comfort Now My People
This is not the same text and tune as found in ELW. The text is a paraphrase of the Isaiah reading by Mark Sedio. He has paired the words with the exquisite Welsh tune Suo Gan. The comforting text and lilting melody give the hymn a lullaby quality.

Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus (ELW 254)
Charles Wesley's text Advent text is paired with Jefferson, a tune that may have originated in the southern states of the USA. We only know it was first published in 1835 in a hymn collection titled Southern Harmony. It was part of the American "singing schools" tradition that found its beginning in colonial times.

Lost in the Night (sung by the Festival Choir)

setting, Kyle Haugen

Olav Lee, though credited with the text, is not the original author. Lee was born in Norway and arrived in the US in 1877. The original text was by Olga Maria Virginia Kullgren (1849 - 1909), a Swedish hymn writer. 

The tune is from Finland.

He Came Down (ELW 253)

This is a traditional song from Cameroon.

The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came (ELW 265)

The Basque region gave us this carol of the annunciation. The Basque people share a common language, heritage, and culture even though parts of this region are in France and parts are in Spain.

Drawn to the Light (ELW 593)

This hymn and tune come from John C. Ylvisaker (1937-2017) who is probably best known for the hymn Borning Cry.
The tune La Crosse, is name for La Crosse, Wisconsin where the hymn was first sung in 1987 by the three groups who would later be known as Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

MUSICAL OFFERING Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming

piano setting, John Carter

COMMUNION HYMN O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (Veni Emmanuel) ELW 257

SENDING HYMN O Come, Divine Messiah
This final hymn is not found in ELW. I learned it a few years ago while performing it with RareSong, an early music group that I sing with. We sang a concert of music that French and Spanish colonists might have sung on the first coast when Fort Caroline was established and the city of St. Augustine was founded. in published form, this French carol dates to at the least the 1600s.
Determined to add it to our modern repertoire, I was delighted to find that our Roman Catholic siblings in faith have been singing it all along!

RareSong

CLOSING VOLUNTARY Comfort, Comfort Now My People

This book-end rendering of Freu dich sehr couldn't be more different than the opening version. This setting is an exhuberant trumpet tune with full organ!