Music for the Fourth Sunday in Lent - March 31, 2019

Prelude: Rhosymedre arr. Ron Mallory (St. Mark’s Ringers)

In the Lutheran Book of Worship, this tune was used for the Lenten text “My Song is Love Unknown.” (ELW 343) The composer, an Anglican priest named John David Edwards (1805-1885) named the tune after a village in Wales. Ralph Vaughan Williams composed a famous hymn prelude for organ on this tune.

Gathering Hymn: Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing  (Nettleton) ELW 807

Hymn of the Day: Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound (New Britain) ELW 779

This is easily one of the most popular hymns in the USA. We only sing it about once a year. If it’s your favorite, this is a Sunday you want to be at St. Mark’s!

Musical Offering: Our Father, We Have Wandered Ralph M. Johnson

This is a setting of the text from ELW 606. It’s a perfect match with today’s gospel reading about the prodigal son. In ELW the text is sung to Herzlich tut mich verlangen, a tune that will show up in the postlude.

Communion Hymns:

All Who Hunger, Gather Gladly (Grace Eternal)

Sylvia Dunstan’s text is given a new tune, Grace Eternal, by Jacksonville composer Bob Moore. We’ve been singing this regularly at St. Mark’s for several years and it has become a favorite of several singers in the festival choir. If you want a head start on Sunday’s communion hymns, check out this beautiful recording by the Notre Dame Folk Choir:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bw-0jXmNwCo&fbclid=IwAR3XFnYTZ1Bg0M1BFwCZXdn_VznzoiSDNTxYtnDlM-4EEsqgPF-sOXesrrg

Learn more about Bob Moore (and hear some of his music) on his website: www.bobmooremusic.com.

You Satisfy the Hungry Heart (Bicentennial) ELW 484

Sending Hymn: We Sing to You, O God (Love Unknown) ELW 791

John Ireland (1879-1962) was an English church musician. He wrote this tune specifically for the text “My Song Is Love Unknown” – which is where we started with the prelude.

Postlude: Herzlich tut mich verlangen  setting, Robert LauAlso known as the Passion Chorale, this is a “bigger” setting of the tune that we usually associate with “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded” (ELW 351). It is also the tune used by ELW for the text of the choir’s musical offering.

An Experience with Today’s Gospel Reading

A couple of years ago I was on vacation in San Diego and found my self at the Timken Museum of Art where I came face to face with a painting that moved me deeply.  I wrote about in Facebook at the time, so I’ll use those words to tell you about it.

Yesterday's activities included a visit to the Timken Museum of Art in Balboa Park. I was drawn in by an exhibit of "devotional art." As I rounded a corner, I came face to face with this work by Giovanni Francesco Barbieri (1591-1666) who is better known as Guercino.

I stopped "dead in my tracks," as they say, struck by an overwhelming flood of emotion. I truly had to struggle to hold back the tears because I knew if even one escaped I would sob uncontrollably. One doesn't do that in public places!

The subject is the return of the prodigal son, a story Guercino depicted more than once.

Anyway, after I got myself under control, I went on to view other works, but I could barely see them for Guercino's painting seemed to overlay them all. On one occasion I went back and noticed how the father embraced the son not just with his arm, but with his whole cloak, totally drawing him in and totally covering and absorbing the son - not WITH his love, but IN it. I realized the prodigal's tears are not tears of remorse for his sins, but tears of joy for being truly home and the healing that can bring.

A visit to the gift shop resulted in a little book about the artist including a print of this painting. I turned to leave, but decided instead to go back one more time.

Again, I stood there fighting back the tears and sobbing just below the surface. I've always enjoyed art, but somehow Guercino reached across more than 400 years and moved me in a way that all art, save choral music, has rarely done.

I now understand why so many have stopped referring to this parable of Jesus as "The Prodigal Son" and have titled it instead " The Loving Father."

Sources:
Hymnary.org
Wikipedia
Hymnal Companion to Evangelical Lutheran Worship

Music for the Third Sunday in Lent - March 24, 2019

Prelude As the Sun with Longer Journey (Nagel) setting, David Lasky

The prelude is a setting of today’s Hymn of the Day – which will probably be new to most people.  The melody is prominent in this piece so that when we come to sing the hymn, the new melody should sound familiar.

Gathering Hymn Come to Me, All Pilgrims Thirsty (Beach Spring) ELW 777

Wildflowers - a sure sign of spring

Hymn of the Day As the Sun with Longer Journey (Nagel) ELW 329

There’s a very good chance that most people in our assembly will be singing this hymn for the first time.

The change of seasons is a natural phenomenon that we look forward to; however, this year’s change is bringing devastating floods throughout the Midwest, especially in Nebraska.  As we sing the hymn, we can also hold those who face this disaster in our prayers.

Musical Offering Guide My Feet, Lord arr. John Carter (Festival Choir)

Many songs from the African-American tradition were first passed along orally – which accounts for the many versions of “This Little Light of Mine” and of this hymn, “Guide My Feet.” As I was searching for more information, I found a blog post by Azizi Powell with lots of information and some fantastic videos showing the hymn used in a worship context.

https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/08/five-examples-of-guide-my-feet-while-i.html?showComment=1553182643453#c2891977771763020142

Communion Hymn There in God’s Garden (Shades Mountain) ELW 342

This hymn is sung in the style of a hymn concertato with stanzas assigned to men, women and trebles, and the entire assembly.  There is even an organ interlude! The original version of the hymn, by a 16^th century Hungarian poet, was 15 stanzas long.  K. Lee Scott’s version is quite a bit shorter.

This is one of my favorite new hymns that I’ve learned since coming to St. Mark’s.

Sending Hymn What God Ordains Is Good Indeed (Was Gott tut) ELW 776

Postlude Cortège Gordon Young

In English, this title would normally refer to a funeral procession; but in French a “cortège” can be any kind of procession. This piece with its bold chords and allegro marking probably doesn’t involve a hearse.

A Passion Procession in Slovenia

Procession photo via Wikipedia: By Sl-Ziga - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6428993

Every Sunday the Bell Rings - Some St. Mark's History You May Not Know

The Mingun Bell in Myanmar weighs 90 tons.

There is a story of a temple with magnificent bells built long ago on an island. Over time the island sank, and with it sank the temple and its bells.  Legend had it that the bells continued to peal and anyone who listened could hear them.

A young man heard this story and traveled to the seashore, determined that he would hear the bells.  He listened for several weeks, giving up many times. Each time he gave up, the people in the village would recount the story. This encouraged him to try again.

Bells at a Spanish mission near San Diego, California

Finally, he did give up, deciding that perhaps he was simply not meant to hear the bells. Defeated, he laid on the seashore, listening to the sound of the waves.  That’s when something interesting happened.

As Anthony De Mello tells the story in “The Song of the Bird”:

In the depth of that silence, he heard it! The tinkle of a tiny bell followed by another, and another, and another. . . and soon every one of the thousand temple bells was pealing out in harmony, and his heart was rapt in joyous ecstasy.

When I arrived at St. Mark’s twelve years ago, two people approached me after church and asked why I hadn’t rung the courtyard bell during the Lord’s Prayer. I had two reasons for this – First, I didn’t know there was a bell. Second, no one told me I was supposed to!

That was when I learned it was a St. Mark’s tradition that the bell be played during the Lord’s Prayer - and that for many people it was a meaningful part of the service. It was an easy enough practice to adapt, so I started doing it.

A couple of weeks later I was told the bell was rung during the Lord’s Prayer for a very practical purpose – to alert the caregivers in the nursery that communion was starting. It was a signal that the children would be picked up soon.

One mother (whose children have been raised at St. Mark’s) had her children convinced for a long time that the bell had magical properties and just “knew” when it was time to ring.

Whether it’s a sign of devotion or a fancy timepiece (I’m pretty sure it’s not magic), the bell and its tower add beauty to our courtyard.

Recently we’ve begun using the bell to signal the assembly to stand for the Confession and Forgiveness/Thanksgiving for Baptism portion of our service.

The bell and tower were dedicated in 1987 – the bell to the glory of God and in loving memory of

Dorthea and Edgar Armstrong, 1984

Stephen Edgar Armstrong, and the tower to the glory of God and in loving memory of Rynhold J. Klomhaus.  It came about through the S. Edgar Armstrong Memorial Fund, the Rynhold J. Klomhaus Bequest, and the gifts of various members of St. Mark’s.

Andy Chopra, a composer and church musician who grew up at St. Mark’s, honored the bell in his composition “Behold, Bless Ye the Lord” which was written for St. Mark’s 75^th anniversary. A single bell, reminiscent of the bell in our courtyard, tolls throughout a portion of the piece.



You can hear the bell in this video clip:

May this bell give us many more years of service as it continues to call us to worship.

Sources:

Mingun Bell photo: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bell,_Mingun,_Myanmar.jpg#/media/File:Bell,_Mingun,_Myanmar.jpg

The Song of the Bird, Anthony De Mello © 1982 Anthony De Mello S. J., Lonvala, India. Published by Doubleday

The Story of St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church by Alice R. Loest, 1988

Music for the Second Sunday in Lent - March 17, 2019

Prelude Be Thou My Vision (Slane) setting Paul Manz

Today is also the day the church commemorates St. Patrick who, legend has it, built the first Easter Vigil fire on Mount Slane in Ireland. This drew ire from the pagan leaders who declared that if the fire were not put out, it would burn in Ireland forever. Try as they might (water, dirt, everything else) the fire could not be extinguished. Today there are 3.7 million Roman Catholics in Ireland. I guess the pagans were right!

Gathering Hymn The God of Abraham Praise (Yigdal) ELW 831

Not many of our hymns have roots in Jewish music, but this one does! If you already know the tune you may enjoy hearing it sung by some cantorial students with organ and choir accompaniment. This rendition is quite stirring! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k038sbWEmRo

Hymn of the Day Lord Christ, When First You Came to Earth

The text appears in Evangelical Lutheran Worship with the tune Mit Freuden zart, but we will be singing it to Kirken den er et gammelt hus. I’ve written about my reasoning for this on a previous blog post which you can read here: http://smljax.blogspot.com/2018/02/dear-tune-that-text-just-isnt-that-into.html

Musical Offering Jesus, Refuge of the Weary arr. Tony Cruz (Festival Choir)

The text is old – from the 15th century and I’ve paired it with a tune from the 19^th century – Trust in Jesus. I learned this tune while working with the Methodists. (Shout out to all my friends from Faith United Methodist in Jacksonville, FL!)

The azaleas are in bloom at St. Mark's.

Communion Hymns

The Holy One Wills Good for Us

I wanted a hymn that used the image of the hen with her chicks from today’s gospel lesson. I came across this text by Ruth Duck who is one of today’s prolific hymn writers – but I wanted to use a different melody. I think the Irish folk tune Salley Gardens is a nice match. Just one or two slight alterations and it works beautifully. (Another nod to St. Patrick.) It may be worth noting that some sources claim the tune is English.

If you don’t know the tune, here is a link to a recording by the incredible Irish singer, Maura O’Connell. You’ll enjoy this recording. I promise.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=027ZJX5XVjs

By Your Hand You Feed Your People (Camrose)  ELW 469
Words by Susan Briehl and music by Marty Haugen. This is the post-communion canticle from the communion liturgy Beneath the Tree of Life.

Sending Hymn Guide Me Ever, Great Redeemer (Cwm Rhondda) ELW 618

Postlude Prelude in D Major J. K. F. Fischer (ca. 1655-ca.1738)

Music for the First Sunday in Lent - March 10, 2019

Prelude Andante Cantabile Robert J. Powell

Gathering Hymn Jesus, Still Lead On (Seelenbräutigam) ELW 624

The text is by Nicolaus L. von Zinzendorf (1700-1760), a Moravian bishop and founder of several religious communities. He even visited Pennsylvania where he tried, unsuccessfully, to get Lutherans and the German Reformed church to work together.  He is known for a theology that concentrated less on doctrine and more on the individual’s spiritual relationship with the Savior.

Adam Drese (1620-1701), a skilled player of the viola da gamba, wrote the music. In his later years he developed pietist leanings under Philipp Jakob Spener.  He was a composer of opera and secular music, but much of that is lost. Some believe he destroyed it himself in response to becoming a Pietist.

Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16 setting, Thomas Pavlechko

This psalm setting includes a refrain which quotes Martin Luther’s tune Aus tiefer Not (ELW 600). Thomas Pavlechko is a well-published composer of church music whose work appears in ELW six times.

Hymn of the Day Bless Now, O God, the Journey (ELW 326)

This text, combined with a Welsh hymntune, is perfect for leading us into the season of Lent. Sylvia Dunstan is one of the best known hymnwriters of our day. She died in 1993 shortly after being diagnosed with liver cancer. Read her full biography here: https://www.giamusic.com/store/artists/sylvia-dunstan

Musical Offering A Lenten Prayer David Ashely White (Festival Choir)

White’s music is a reverent setting of the text of ELW 328. It’s written for choir, organ, and flute – but we are using an oboe which is just as beautiful.  Thanks to Eric Olson for playing the oboe!

Communion Hymns

Lift Every Voice and Sing (Lift Every Voice and Sing) ELW 841

James W. Johnson (1871 -1938) and J. Rosamond Johnson’s (1873-1954) were two brothers born in Jacksonville, FL! This hymn, also known as the black national anthem, was first sung at the Stanton School as part of an assembly honoring Abraham Lincoln. It was an important song during the civil rights movement in the 1960s and 1970s.

Lead Me, Guide Me (ELW 768)
I hope the assembly sings this one a little loudly – because I love to play it that way! The song is written in the first person, but according to Paul Westermeyer “the first person singular of the African American tradition is profoundly communal.” This is a good thing to remember as we sing it together.

Sending Hymn A Mighty Fortress Is Our God (Ein feste Burg) ELW 503

The first day I walked into the office at St. Mark’s I was greeted by a smiling, vibrant woman named Lynn B. She shook may hand warmly, then in her pronounced southern accent said, “Don’t you evah. . .evah. . .EVAH make us sing that funny version of “A Mighty Fortress!”  I miss Lynn, but I bet she’d be proud of how well we sing this hymn today. It’s worth noting that the rhythmic version is much closer to the one that Martin Luther wrote – any closer and we’d have to sing it in German!

Postlude God of Grace and God of Glory setting, Walter L. Pelz