Seventh Sunday Of Easter
In our Gospel reading this week, we again see a flashback to Jesus before his arrest. The Gospel presents a rare, intimate look at Jesus' words. Rather than speaking to his disciples, this reading is a prayer which Jesus shares directly with God. The prayer can be summed up with verse ten: "All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I have been glorified in them."
Near the end of the prayer, Jesus asks the Holy Father to watch over his disciples, just as he has watched over him. This transitions nicely into another important event we are celebrating today, which is the recognition of our graduating seniors. As such, much of our music today is on this theme as well, with texts that will inspire and uplift our seniors, filled with messages that will send them into the world with confidence and faith in the Lord.
HYMNS AND SONGS
O Holy Spirit, Enter In (Opening Hymn: 7:45 AM, 9:00 AM)
While most people will associate the Philip Nicolai tune WIE SCHÖN LEUCHTET with his original text, "O Morning Star, How Fair And Bright," this text, which was composed about 100 years later, is equally suitable and adaptable to the German chorale.
Relating to the Holy Spirit, one might think that this text is more suitable for next week when we celebrate the feast of Pentecost. As is the case with many hymns however, the true meaning is not found in the first line, but rather in what follows. "O Holy Spirit, enter in, and in our hearts your work begin, and make our hearts your dwelling."
At its core, this hymn is doing what Jesus did in his prayer. It asks God to reveal himself in us so that through the strength, we can go out into the world and do God's good work. Stanza two, in particular, is appropriate for our grads. It hearkens Phillipians 4:13- "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
You Are Mine (Hymn Of The Day: 7:45 AM, 9:00 AM)
While the music of David Haas may be familiar to those who attend St. Paul's REJOICE service, many of his songs are equally suitable for "traditional" worship as well. "You Are Mine," is likely his most well known ELW hymn.
Like several of John Ylvisaker's songs, Haas takes a bold step and puts the words and speech of God on to the page. When sung by the congregation, it creates a wonderful dichotomy of the people being both the receiver and the surrogate deliverer of the message. The message could very well be God's response to Jesus' prayer in our Gospel reading. Through David Hass's words, we see that God is always with us, and we should not be afraid, for he has called us each by name, and we are his. Few hymns can be accepted as both being individual and corporate, but this is equally applicable to both "me" and "us."
Let Us Break Bread Together (Communion Hymn: 9:00 AM)
Like other African American spirituals, this song is largely associated with the Underground Railroad, and will forever entail the ideals of community, fellowship, support, and togetherness as they escaped from the bonds of slavery. Scripturally based on Acts 2:42, it contains some of the most important characteristics of African American spirituals. Most notably, the repetitive structure of the stanzas and the sense of reverence, respect, and what I call "despondent joy" (being down but having hope), are present here.
Like other songs from this tradition, there is no known author or composer of this song. More than likely, it was probably sung spontaneously by someone on the road or in a field, and spread from there, changing and morphing until it became part of the lexicon. Interestingly, it is possibly the only spiritual that directly references the Eucharist. Most slaves, if they attended church at all, typically attended a Protestant church, where the Eucharist wasn't usually celebrated in the early to mid 19th century.
Children Of The Heavenly Father (Communion Hymn: 7:45 AM, 9:00 AM)
With hymns such as "Children of the Heavenly Father," and "Day By Day," Lina Sandell has placed herself into the hearts of Christian worshipers young and old, creating two of the most timeless, relatable texts in all of hymnody.
Though Sandell penned these texts, they may not have been successful and widely known if it weren't for the Swedish troubador Oskar Ahnfelt. He traveled through both Sweden and Norway with a 10-string guitar, singing Sandell's hymns and sharing his ministries. He was even endorsed by Swedish King Karl XV, who declared that these songs should be shared throughout the entire kingdom. He later assisted in the publishing of Sandell's texts, which paved the way for them to be included in hymnals throughout the world.
How Clear Is Our Vocation, Lord (Communion Hymn: 9:00 AM)
Fred Pratt Green, who died in 2000, was a British Methodist hymn writer and theologian. Many of his hymns address social issues and themes, and this one is no different. Like much of our other music today, this hymn is directed towards our graduating seniors. The hymn asks them and all of us to live according to the Word of God, which is the "vocation" spoken of in the first line.
Stanza two warns us of the consequences if we forget or cease to follow this Word. Should we become overwhelmed with the daily struggles of life, we need only to look after our inner spiritual life to help us through the troubling times.
The concluding stanza brings the true message of the hymn to the forefront again, solidifying the need to follow God's will and example through all of life.
CHORAL ANTHEM
With A Voice Of Singing- Kenneth Jennings (Offering- 9:00 AM)
This text is perhaps best known in the setting by Martin Shaw. It has been performed by church choirs nationwide for years and years, and is the standard of the repertoire. This text, based on Isaiah 48:20, was later set by Kenneth Jennings. In a three part ABA format, the beginning and ending portions are set to the title text. Its shifting time signatures and wide voicings serve to demonstrate the joy of the text. The middle section, set in the style of a plainchant, uses the text of the doxology.
INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC
Prelude and Fugue in D- Franz Xaver Murschhauser (Prelude- 7:45 AM, 9:00 AM)
Murschhauser is not nearly as well known as two of his contemporaries, Johann Pachelbel and J.S. Bach. And while his impact on music history is not as large, he still holds a valid place in time. A skilled organist, his main area of interest was in the study of music theory, of which he was decidedly "old-school." His two treatises, published in the late 17th century, hold strongly to musical ideals of the past, while choosing not to embrace the new Italian style of soaring melody and opera-style composition.
The Prelude and Fugue in D is decidedly old fashioned, but as to be expected, is very well crafted and laid out in organized, logical patterns.
Toccata in F- Franz Xaver Murschhauser (Postlude- 7:45 AM, 9:00 AM)
Much like his Prelude and Fugue, this Toccata is very organized and clean. Unlike some of Pachelbel's toccatas, this toccata is organized more around harmonic structure and ornamented phrases, rather than florid counterpoint over a pedal tone. The music of Murschhauser has a wonderful amount of potential, and I am very happy to have discovered it.
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