Music for the Fifth Sunday after Epiphany: February 9, 2020

Opening Voluntary Beach Spring Evangelical Lutheran Worship 712

Setting, Wayne L. Wold

In today’s Prayer of the Day we ask, 

“. . .by your Spirit show us the things we ought to do, and give us the grace and power to do them. . .” A similar sentiment is echoed in Albert Bayly’s “Lord, Whose Love in Humble Service.” God’s love makes us aware of the needs of others, “stirring us to ardent service.” How do we come to this stirring? We come to it by worship that sends us out in God’s name.

Albert Bayly (1901-1984) was an English Congregationalist minister. “Lord, Whose Love in Humble Service” was the conference hymn for the Second National Conference on the Churches and Social Welfare, held in Cleveland, in 1961.

Gathering Hymn Lord of Light (Abbot’s Leigh)

ELW 688

John Newton’s hymn “Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken” was long sung with a hymntune named Austria; however, that tune fell out of favor when it came to be associated with the Nazis. This tune, by Cyril V. Taylor (1907-1991) was written as an alternative in the village of Abbot’s Leigh, in England.

Hymn of the Day Gather Us In (Gather Us In)

ELW 532

In today’s gospel reading, Jesus says, “You are the salt of the earth. . .” In stanza three, Marty Haugen’s hymn affirms our call to be the salt of the earth. It’s an odd and varied mix of people called for this task - the lost, forsaken, blind, lame – just the kind of people that some might prefer to exclude from a kingdom. The hymn reminds us that God’s kingdom is for the here and now.

It has been 14 years since we dedicated ELW with the sculpture.
Photo by Bill Daugherty

Musical Offering Awake, My Soul, and with the Sun setting, Nancy K. Raabe

Sung by the Festival Choir
You’ll recognize this tune right away as Tallis Canon, generally a hymn sung in the evening with the text, “All praise to thee, my God, this night.” Nancy Raabe has cleverly turned it into a tune equally at home in the morning.

Nancy Raabe is the pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Marshall, Wisconsin.

Communion Hymns

Light Shone in Darkness (Lux in tenebris) ELW 307

Mark Sedio, Cantor at Central Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, is one of my favorite composers of modern church music and he wrote this tune (according to Paul Westermeyer) with a Gaelic sea chanty in mind – and it works. Don’t believe me? Follow this link to the opening scene of Les Miserables. Turn down the volume, and sing Lux in tenebris with a driving rhythm. It fits!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyqURSNx-KY

We Are Called (We Are Called) ELW 720

Sending Hymn Rise, Shine, You People (Wojtkiewiecz)

ELW 665

Closing Voluntary Praise to the Lord, the Almighty (Lobe den Herren)

setting, Paul Manz
See the text and tune at ELW 858

Do you love to sing, especially in service to the gospel of Jesus Christ and his church? New voices are always welcome in the Festival Choir. Please help us lead the church’s song at St. Mark’s! Contact Tony Cruz or any choir member for more information.

sources:
Wikipedia
Hymnal Companion to Evangelical Lutheran Worship, Paul Westermeyer, Augsburg Fortress