First of all, I wanted to say a big thank you to the congregation of St. Paul's for all the wonderful feedback I've received for the last two weeks. The Chancel Choir has worked extremely hard these last two weeks on their music, and it is wonderful for them and me to hear that all the work they put in is enhancing worship.
23rd Sunday After Pentecost
This Sunday, we hear the parable of the talents from Matthew 25. A wealthy landowner leaves three of his servants each with different values of money, one with 5 talents (a large unit of money/property), one with 2, and one with just 1. Upon his return, he learns that the servants with which whom he has left the 5 and 2 talents have taken that money and doubled it, whereas the person with just the 1 talent had taken and buried it, gaining nothing. The first two servants were rewarded, and the third was punished.
Through this parable, we are called to use our gifts from God in ways that will benefit us and the world. They should not be frittered away or wasted.
HYMNS AND SONGS
Voices Raised To You (Opening Hymn- 9:00 AM)
This hymn by widely-known 20th century poet Herman Stuempfle takes the using of our times and talents and puts them into a Trinitarian perspective. Stanza one serves as an introduction, tuning our voices to sing songs of praise to God as thanks for all of our gifts.
Stanzas two through four comprise the Trinitarian message of this hymn. Following the standard pattern of Father-Son-Holy spirit, each stanza represents the gifts that each of these elements gives us, and the ways that we can take those gifts and use them to give back.
Stanza five begins with a question, "How can any praise we offer measure all the thanks we owe?" It's a fair question. The gifts we have been given are so grand in scale, that it may seem that there is nothing we can do to ever express our gratefulness for them. As the hymn concludes, the song of praise we have just sung is one of those examples of thanks.
As Saints of Old (Opening Hymn: 7:45 AM, Communion Hymn: 9:00 AM)
By the title of this hymn, it seems like this may have been a more appropriate choice on All Saints Sunday last week. As stanza one unfolds however, we see that it's really a reflection on how the gifts given in the past can be teaching tools for how we can use our gifts today, whether they come from "farm, market, shop, home, mind, heart, or soul."
Stanzas two and three continue in this same mold. I think stanza three as a whole says it all...
"In gratitude and humble trust we bring our best today to serve your cause and share your love with all along life's way. O God, who gave yourself to us in Jesus Christ your Son, teach us to give ourselves each day until life's work is done."
Lord Of Light (Hymn of the Day: 7:45 AM, 9:00 AM)
By now, we should be starting to see a theme in our music today. Once again, this lovely hymn by Howell Lewis discusses ways in which we can share our God-given gifts with God and the world at large.
Different than before however, this hymn is more of a prayer for God to give us the power to use the talents he has given us. It is a bit of a long path through the logic and theology of it, but at the same time, the message is clear. Line two of stanza one lays it out quite concisely, "...use our talents in your kingdom as the servants of your grace."
Stanzas three and four depart slightly from the "using of gifts" message to something a little more abstract. Stanza four, in fact, is a giant sentence explaining reasons that the will of God be done on earth, as it says in the refrain.
Let Us Talents and Tongues Employ (Communion Hymn: 9:00 AM)
This fun hymn by Fred Kaan, set to a traditional Jamaican folk tune, puts the sharing of our gifts in the context of communion. Stanzas two and three are where the meat of the message is. At the Eucharist table, he teaches us to live, bless, and love in word and deed, to send us out into the world. Even though the world can be full of doubt and worry, Jesus gives us love to tell, read to share, and the power to spread the love and grace of God everywhere.
Lord, Speak To Us, That We May Speak (Closing Hymn: 7:45 AM, Communion Hymn: 9:00 AM)
Frances Havergal is a well-known hymn writer from the mid 19th century. While she might be most known for the hymn "Take My Life and Let It Be (a version of which is being sung at the 11:15 AM service this Sunday)."
The tune, credited to Robert Schumann, is actually derived from a piano piece. After a long and complex set of variations, this chorale leads to a gentle conclusion to the piece. With its singable melody and accessible, yet interesting, harmony, it adapts itself beautifully as a hymn tune.
When The Poor Ones (Opening Song: 11:15 AM)
Through all the trouble in the world, there is comfort. After all the war in the world, there can be peace. With all the hatred in the world, there can be love abounding. Through it all, God is constantly watching over us. That's what this song is all about. Set to a Latin American folk tune that is somewhat challenging but still singable, it reminds us that God is certainly omniscient and omnipresent.
Take My Life That I May Be (Praise Song: 11:15 AM)
As mentioned earlier, Frances Havergal penned this hymn in the 1860's, but I can't imagine that she imagined that it would ever be set to a global tune such as this. Like much of our other music today, this hymn is all about giving our whole selves to God so that he can give us the gifts to do his will.
Make Me A Servant (Scripture Song: 11:15 AM)
This gentle, eloquent tune is a direct prayer to God with a message of the day in mind. Many hymns express the idea of God making us a servant, but none possibly do it more directly than this simple poem.
INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC
Prelude and Fugue in E minor- Johann Pachelbel (Prelude: 7:45 AM, 9:00 AM)
While Pachelbel was more prevalent in the areas of Toccatas and Ciaconnas, he had a rather large output of preludes and fugues as well. The prelude here, in fact, is very similar in terms of harmonic progression as several of his other shorter pieces. The fugue, while not as complex as some of J.S. Bach's later offerings, contains a nice contour with an intriguing development towards the middle section.
Toccata in F major- Johann Pachelbel (Postlude: 7:45 AM, 9:00 AM)
Most Pachelbel toccatas begin with a flourish figuration in the hands, and are followed by systematic, scalar passages over a pedal point. This toccata is no different, but unlike most of the others, the pedal points are longer, change more often, and the scalar passagework is significantly more complex.
MUSIC RECOMMENDATIONS
Once again, the Amazon Associate links appear to be down, but hopefully they will be fixed by next week. Christ the King Sunday will be celebrated, and there is an enormous spectrum of wonderful music associated with that Sunday.
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