Sixth Sunday Of Easter
First of all, Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there, including my own! We are going up to see her immediately after church. Her health has not been good lately, and any prayers towards her would be very much appreciated.
This week, the lectionary continues to look back on events that occurred before Easter. The night before Jesus is arrested, he gives a powerful, love-based speech to his disciples, which include the famous line, "Love one another as I have loved you."
Love is such a powerful emotion. It fits beautifully for this Sunday; a love of a mother for her child is rarely surpassed in this world. God is frequently referred to as "father," throughout history, but also has motherly characteristics as well. Carolyn Jennings points several of these characteristics out in her beautiful hymn, "Mothering God, You Gave Me Birth (see ELW 735)." Our music this Sunday comments on these feelings of love and faith, all while still rejoicing in the resurrection.
HYMNS AND SONGS
Now All The Vault Of Heaven Resounds (Opening Hymn: 7:45 AM, 9:00 AM)
Set to the glorious tune LASST UNS ERFREUEN is this wonderful, triumphant Easter text. The love of God is evident in the first line as the vault of heaven resounds "in praise of love that still abounds." Jesus' sacrifice to crucifixion was truly the ultimate act of love, for one must love another, all of us, with a depth that is incomprehensible in order to sacrifice themselves in such a manner.
In stanza three, the hymn writer puts a request in our voices for just a sliver of love that Jesus had, and through his triumph, may we truly feel the love of God in our hearts throughout our day. The hymn concludes with a Trinitarian statement of faith and thanksgiving for the resurrection.
Where True Charity and Love Abide (Hymn of the Day: 9:00 AM)
Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est. This brief Latin phrase, which originated during the 9th century, has an incredibly important history through the words and music of the church. Its first line is roughly translated, "Where (there is) charity and love, God is there." In its purest form, it is traditionally used as an antiphon on Maundy Thursday. How appropriate, as it reflects on the love Jesus showed for his disciples while washing their feet.
While the Ubi Caritas has been set by many choral composers, the most well-known setting is by French composer Maurice Durufle. Durufle's setting uses both the refrain and first verse, set to the Gregorian chant.
What we sing this morning is very similar. This chant, cast in the 6th of the plainsong modes, contains mainly stepwise motion and is beautifully singable. While the English translation is not as elegant as the original Latin, the deficiencies in the syllabic underlay can be overlooked due to the beauty of its words.
Our wonderful St. Paul's Chancel Choir will lead this hymn by singing the refrain in the original tongue, with the congregation joining on the English verses.
Blest Be The Tie That Binds (Hymn of the Day- 7:45 AM, Communion Hymn- 9:00 AM)
If you are a frequent partaker in the theater, you may know that this hymn plays a very crucial part in Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer Prize winning play, Our Town. The words certainly are reflective of a small community with close ties.
John Fawcett, the author of this text, was a British pastor and theologian. The story behind this hymn is both interesting and inspiring. Pastor Fawcett was a much loved pastor in the very small English town of Wainsgate. He had a growing family and his meager salary was hardly sufficient for supporting them. In 1772 he received a call to one of the largest Baptist churches in London, and chose to accept. However, the reaction to his leaving was so strong and fervent that he elected to stay. In commemoration of this, he crafted this hymn, whose first stanza reads,
"Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love. The unity of heart and mind is like to that above." It has gone on to become one of the paramount hymns of Christian love and unity.
What A Friend We Have In Jesus (Communion Hymn: 9:00 AM)
Appropriate for this Mother's Day Sunday, Joseph Scriven composed this poem for his mother when he was separated from her after leaving his native Ireland for Canada. It was later published anonymously, and Scriven did not receive acknowledgment for it until six years before his death (25 years after he composed it).
The Lutheran church was hesitant to adopt this hymn for their hymnal in the early 20th century. In the Handbook to the Lutheran Hymnal, composed in 1941, it was said that in spite of this hymn being too sentimental or in the gospel style, its popularity remains strong and deserves a place in modern hymnals.
Jesus Loves Me (Closing Hymn: 7:45 AM, Communion Hymn: 9:00 AM)
If you ask anyone, whether they go to church or not, to name any five hymns in the world, there is a good chance "Jesus Loves Me" will be one of them. The original hymn by Anna Warner was comprised of seven stanzas, three main ones which are still used today. The poem originally comes from a novel titled Say and Seal, and was adapted to a tune by American musician William Bradbury. The hymn was reportedly first sung to a sick, dying child. This hymn has gone on to become widely used with children.
Of course, this is also a beautiful manifestation of our Gospel reading. For us, it is a recognition that we understand the love that God has given to us and for us. Only by recognizing that can we begin to comprehend the power of love we can have for God and each other.
CHORAL ANTHEM
Thine The Amen, Thine The Praise- Carl Schalk (Offering: 9:00 AM)
I've spoken of "stream of consciousness" hymns before, and this is another fine example of one. By "stream of consciousness," I mean a flood of theological concepts and ideas that unfurl as a seemingly endless river of statements. Through five stanzas, this hymn certainly embodies that.
The arrangement is a standard of Carl Schalk, with the verses sung by the women, men, in harmony, in unison, and with a descant. Accompanying with the "stream of consciousness" idea, the organ accompaniment never really stops or "breathes," which supports the idea that this style of texts truly never begins or ends, but is continually flowing through us.
INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC
Aria- Paul Manz, arr. Jeffrey Honore (Bells of Praise; Prelude: 7:45 AM, 9:00 AM)
Paul Manz will forever be known as one of the most loved, most talented leaders of congregational song we have ever been blessed with. Most of his organ music was hymn-based in the form of improvisations, but his Aria in C minor has risen through the ranks and become one of his most loved pieces.
This handbell arrangement by Jeffrey Honore captures the essence of the organ piece quite well. While there is the inability to vary registration with the bells, they contain their own percussive quality which suits the forward motion of the piece quite well.
Joy and Elation- Cynthia Dobrinski (Bells of Praise; Postlude: 7:45 AM, 9:00 AM)
This original piece by Cynthia Dobrinski is a wonderful showpiece for handbells. It's rhythmic, exciting, and very catchy, and includes several extended handbell techniques, including...
Martellato- where the bell is struck against the table cushion, creating a "knocking" sound. There is a also a "martellato lift" technique where the bell is lifted up immediately afterward, causing the sound to continue ringing.
Echo- when the bell is rung and then lightly touched to the edge of the cushion
Ring-Touch- Similar to an echo, but the bell is instead touched to the shoulder. This can be performed more quickly.
Swing- When a bell is swung from the front of the body to the back, and then back to the front. Creates a "wah-wah" sound.
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