4th Sunday After Pentecost
To steal a musical term from the late 18th century, we all have a little sturm und drang in our lives. Fighting this "storm and stress" is a constant battle for a lot of us. Trying to keep a balance in our lives between stress and relaxation is clearly difficult, particularly when nature throws adverse weather conditions in our path.
This week in our Gospel reading, Jesus manages the literal sturm und drang in his life as he manages to sleep aboard a small boat as it is rocked by a turbulent, torrential rainstorm. While his disciples were panicking, frustrated by his lack of action or caring, Jesus calmly stood up, told the sea to be still, and it was so.
While we not be able to replicate this act of supernatural power, we can certainly follow the example of the calm and relaxed nature Jesus was able to portray during this time of stress. Our music this week explores the ideas of Jesus the rock guiding us through times of trouble and showing us the path to peace and salvation.
PRELUDE
"Melodie" from Orfeo ed Euridice- Christoph Willibald von Gluck (Prelude- 9:00 AM)
We are privileged this week to have Dr. Daniel Kaplunas joining us this week. As the director of the Wartburg Community Symphony, he is also an accomplished violinist. For the Prelude this week, we will be playing Fritz Kriesler's arrangement of this famous Gluck melody. Commonly known as the "Dance of the Blessed Spirits," this melody, originally for solo flute, occurs in the second scene of Act II of the opera Orfeo ed Euridice.
OPENING HYMN
Precious Lord, Take My Hand (Opening Hymn- 9:00 AM)
Most people erroneously attribute this to be African American spiritual from the same tradition as those such as "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen" or "Wade In The Water," both of which were passed down by oral tradition from the time of slavery and beyond. In truth, it was actually written in the 20th century. The Reverend Thomas Dorsey wrote this hymn in the early 1930's following the death of both his wife and his infant son.
This has been one of the most widely performed and recorded hymns since its inception. A favorite of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., his final words were actually in reference to this hymn. It was also sung by Leontyne Price at the funeral of President Lyndon B. Johnson.
HYMN OF THE DAY
Eternal Father, Strong To Save (Opening Hymn- 9:00 AM)
As many of you probably know, this hymn has strong ties to both the English Royal Navy and the U.S. Navy, among many other military institutions involving water. It's concluding line "for those in peril on the sea" obviously references those who sacrifice themselves at sea for their countries. In our case on this Sunday, it could also be treated as a metaphor for the aformentioned sturm und drang.
Stanza two directly references our Gospel reading, where we see the winds and waves submit to the word of Jesus. His "calm amidst the storm" is something I have personally thought about a lot lately. Recently, I have noticed a lot of people being stuck on something out of their control, and letting it control their lives. I fell victim myself to this recently. The lessons this week remind me that one should not focus on something out of their control, but rather dedicate their energy to the inner peace and comfort given to us by Jesus.
OFFERING
Liebeslied- Fritz Kreisler (Offering- 9:00 AM)
Dr. Kaplunas joins us again on this original violin piece by Fritz Kreisler. Kreisler, an Austrian born violinist and composer, is regarded as one of the greatest violinists of all time. The Liebeslied, which translates as "Love Song" is in the form of a waltz. Like most waltzes of the time period, it has two contrasting parts. The first, in A minor, is led primarily by the violin, but the second, in the parallel major key, has some counter-melodies in the piano part as well.
COMMUNION HYMNS
Calm To The Waves (Communion Hymn- 9:00 AM)
This short chorus by Mary Louise Bringle summarizes our Gospel lesson in two brief sentences. Thanks to the calm actions of the whispering of Jesus, he acts as a balm to our hearts, ends our fears, and calls that we hear his voice in stillness.
The short melody and harmony was composed by Slovak-Ukranian composer Thomas Pavlechko. A long time member of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians and the Hymn Society of the United States and Canada, he has had hymns and tunes premiered for both organizations. This tune, titled CALM SEAS, has a beautiful, symmetric form where the first half ascends, followed the the calming, descending second half.
If You But Trust In God To Guide You (Communion Hymn- 9:00 AM)
This is a hymn of assurance and promise. As dark and worrying as life can be, the four stanzas of this hymn clearly lay out exactly why we should trust in God throughout all our days.
Despite this hymn being written 450 years ago, both the original text and the composite translation we currently have is one of the clearest, most straightforward messages there is in the hymnal. Georg Neumark, the German poet and hymn writer, penned this in 1641. He was actually educated in law and was a tutor for awhile, but he devoted most of his later life to poetry and music. This is certainly his most well known hymn, and was used famously in Bach's cantata of the same name. Mendelssohn also wrote a short cantata based on this text and chorale as well.
POSTLUDE
Fanfare and Toccata on MELITA- Wayne L. Wold (Postlude- 9:00 AM)
This two movement work begins with a fanfare in the style of a Grand Chorale Dialogue, with the fuller organ contrasting with a smaller reed chorus. The toccata builds off the theme of water and waves, with the left hand providing an almost constant wave throughout the piece.
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