Opening Voluntary God
Loved the World (Rockingham Old)
setting,
Robert Buckley Farlee (b. 1950)
Probably
the most famous Bible verse in the New Testament is John 3:16 which we find
near the end of today’s gospel reading. The first stanza of hymn 323 is a metrical
setting of that verse.
The
hymn is a German one, but the tune comes from England. Most often it has been
paired with the text “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.” Who, when reading John
3:16, doesn’t recall Jesus’ death on the cross? This hymn, like the Bible
verse, anticipates a future station on our Lenten journey.
Gathering Hymn Lift High the Cross (Crucifer)
ELW
660
Each
Sunday we lift high the cross in procession. The ministers and choir follow the
cross and the assembly turns to follow it as it comes into the nave. (In some
churches, people reverence the cross with a bow as it passes them.)
The
processional cross at St. Mark’s bears the image of Christus Rex –
Christ the King who “will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead”
and whose “kingdom will have no end.”
 |
St. Mark's Christus Rex veiled in purple for Lent.
This cross was a gift from Bill and Jane Daugherty in the 1980s. |
Hymn of the Day All Who Believe and Are Baptized (Es ist das Heil)
ELW
442
Denmark’s
contributions to Lutheran hymnody are many and this one is a fine example from Thomas
Hansen Kingo (1634-1703) a Danish bishop, poet, and hymn writer.
As
with last week’s Hymn of the Day, Ein feste Burg, we are singing an isometric
version rather than the original rhythmic version (see ELW 590).
Here is a link to a sublime rendition of Es ist das Heil by Pastor
Detlef Korsen of Hanover, Germany. He accompanies himself on the guitar and
sings the hymn in German. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0Sim2ZSqtA
Musical
Offering God So Loved the World John Stainer (1840-1901), arr. Benjamin
Harlan
Sung
by the Festival Choir
John
Stainer’s original composition (from his cantata “The Crucifixion”) is a
standard in the church choir repertoire. Harlan’s new version pays homage to
the old by adding new harmonies, free composition, and a flowing piano
accompaniment.
Communion Hymns
O Living Breath of God (Vårvindar friska) ELW 407
Song over the
Waters text and music by Marty Haugen
Sending Hymn We Are Baptized in Christ Jesus (Ouimette)
ELW
451
Closing Voluntary Es ist das Heil
setting,
Gerhard Krapf
