Fifth Sunday After Epiphany
First of all, I apologize that the blog is a day late this week. Yesterday was my wife Stephanie's birthday, so I essentially switched my Thursday duties to Friday, including the blog. Please accept my apologies if you checked yesterday and were disappointed.
This week in the lectionary, Jesus continues his healing ministry. After healing Peter's mother-in-law of her fever, that night Jesus found people lined up at his door with various types of ailments. After healing them all, he and his newly found disciples went to a secluded area by themselves, where they made the decision that they would travel from city to city spreading their ministry.
While healing is once again an important element of our worship this week, I believe that the newly discovered power that Jesus and the disciples have to make a true difference is even more prevalent of an issue. As our Isaiah reading says this week, "The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth." This scripture also inspires much of our music this week.
HYMNS AND SONGS
Praise To The Lord, The Almighty (Opening Hymn, 7:45 AM, 9:00 AM, Scripture Song- 11:15 AM)
This German chorale by Joachim Neander is one of the most loved and admired hymns in the repertoire today. Interestingly, it wasn't nearly as popular in its day as it is today. Compared to a lot of the other chorales from its time, it didn't receive nearly as much treatment by composers.
The opening stanza sets a beautiful tone for the beginning of worship, as everyone within range comes together and joins in the adoration of the Lord. The second stanza has the primary scriptural reference for today, as we hear that God lifts us up on wings like eagles like in Isaiah 40:30. Also, everything we need has been sent to us by the gracious ordaining of God.
The healing nature of God is touched on in stanza three, where in line two we hear that God's goodness and mercy will be daily attending us. While it isn't in our scripture for this week, there is a reference to the opening verses of Psalm 150, "All that has life and breath, come now with praises before him."
As the transition from the LBW to the ELW happened, a lot of changes were made. One of the biggest was the switch to language that was both more contemporary and more inclusive. This hymn is an example of language being made more contemporary. If you have access to both versions, you'll see what I mean. Words like "thee," "thy," and "hath," have been replaced with more contemporary equivalents. While this can sometimes cause hymns to lose some of their luster, I don't feel that it affects this one in any serious manner.
O Christ, The Healer (Hymn of the Day- 7:45 AM, 9:00 AM)
This hymn puts the message of this Sunday into our contemporary society, as we ask for strength and power to act as healers in our community at large. It isn't just healing from sickness that this hymn by English priest Fred Pratt Green addresses, but it is healing from war as well, as we see in stanza three.
Many great tunes come out of the Southern Harmony tradition. For example, the tunes for "What Wondrous Love" and "On Jordan's Stormy Banks" come out of this American songbook. This tune, titled DISTRESS, contains many of the characteristic features of these tunes: mainly stepwise motion, and the use of the pentatonic scale.
In The Singing (Communion Hymn- 7:45 AM)
The refrain of this lovely hymn is quite a simple benediction, "Jesus Christ, be the bread of grace, be the wine of peace." The verses encapsulate all the actions and feelings one might experience in the taking of the Eucharist. From the singing, to the silence, the open, expectant hands, and even the healing (from stanza two), the Eucharist is truly a communal, unifying experience, bringing us together with each other and with Christ.
To Be Your Presence (Closing Hymn- 9:00 AM)
Just as Jesus showed his "compassion and listening" to his disciples and those needing healing, this hymn shows us that it is our mission to show the face of compassion and the ear of listening to our society. We're called to feed the poor, shelter the homeless, to be the hands of justice, uphold what is right, and to do all these things in the name of Christ.
The tune by Charles Villiers Stanford is one of the most singable and enjoyable tunes in the hymnal. With its ambiguous ending, it can either lead directly into the next stanza or be an ending in itself.
CHORAL ANTHEM
When Jesus The Healer- Fred Smith (Choral Anthem- 9:00 AM)
Friends of the Lord is joining us this week, and they will be both singing and acting, telling and showing us the stories of Jesus healing ministry. We'll hear how he restored sight and hearing to the blind and deaf, gave feeling back to a paralyzed man, and finally sent his disciples out to minister to the world.
INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC
LOBE DEN HERREN- Paul Manz (Prelude- 7:45 AM, 9:00 AM)
This setting of "Praise To The Lord" by Paul Manz is a standard solo trumpet setting, but since St. Paul's organ isn't fully equipped for playing trumpet tunes, I will be registering it slightly differently. Regardless of the registration, you'll be hearing the chorale played in G major over a march-like accompaniment.
2 Settings of LOBE DEN HERREN- Ulrich Baudach, Max Reger (Postlude- 7:45 AM, 9:00 AM)
These two settings are both different from the prelude, and very different from each other. The first is by a contemporary German composer and is rather obscure. Only fragments of the tune can be heard at any given time. The second setting by Max Reger, is a little more straightforward, with the tune being presented in the higher registers, contrasted by a melodic variant in the pedal. The setting builds to a dramatic, powerful conclusion.
That's it for this week! I'm sorry again for the delay, and next week we'll be returning to the normal Thursday schedule.
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