Sunday, August 18th - Proper 15

(First time here? Read the Introduction for more information.)

I'll be honest - this week was a real doozy. There are some scripture passages that have been turned into hymns and songs many times over and there are some that have probably never been "hymnified."

Opening Hymn: From All That Dwell Below the Skies H-380

The Old Testament passage comes from Jeremiah 23:23-29. "'Am I a God near by,' says the Lord, 'and not a God far off? Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them?' says the Lord. 'Do I not fill heaven and earth?' says the Lord." (verses 23-24)

God is immeasurable. God is far and near, simultaneously. I tried to find a song that praises this aspect of God and I settled on "From All That Dwell Below the Skies."

"From all that dwell below the skies
Let the Creator's praise arise
Let the Redeemer's Name be sung
Through every land, by every tongue.

Eternal are thy mercies, Lord
And truth eternal is thy word
Thy praise shall sound from shore to shore
Till suns shall rise and set no more

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow
Praise God, all creatures here below
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost"

The last verse is the Doxology, of course. I think it fits very well with the scripture passage - we praise God from here below and the heavenly host praise God from far away. We only occupy this space below the skies, but God is everywhere.

I found a video of someone singing this and playing the guitar - you can watch it here. (It was hard finding a recording of the hymn to this particular tune. Apparently these words are more commonly sung to another tune.)


Sequence Hymn: Spirit of God, Unleashed on Earth H-299

This is where it gets tricky. I try to match the sequence hymn to the Gospel reading as best I can but this is one of those uncomfortable Gospel passages. (Luke 12:49-56)

The middle of the passage speaks of division - Jesus says he does not come to bring peace but division. Households will be turned against each other. I'm going to let Kevin tackle that part on Sunday. As far as I know, there are no hymns called, "For Thou Hast Come to Bring Division," so for music purposes, I focused in on the first two sentences:

"Jesus said, 'I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed!'" (verses 49-50)

I really thought about fire and what it often represents in scripture: cleansing, refinement, the Spirit of God. I stumbled across a baptism hymn, "Spirit of God, Unleashed on Earth." I was unfamiliar with it (and so was my choir at rehearsal this week, so I'm guessing it's unfamiliar to most, if not all of you) but it's strangely perfect for these verses. Jesus mentions both fire and baptism; this hymn mentions both fire and baptism.

"Spirit of God, unleashed on earth
With rush of wind and roar of flame
With tongues of fire saints spread good news
Earth, kindling, blazed her loud acclaim.

You came in power, the church was born
O Holy Spirit, come again
From living waters raise new saints
Let new tongues hail the risen Lord

With burning words of victory won
Inspire our hearts grown cold with fear
Revive in us baptismal grace
And fan our smoldering lives to flame."

(You can listen to it here, but you have to have Quicktime player and even then, it's not a very good recording. But better than nothing!)


Offertory Choir Anthem: Sing Out, Earth and Skies!

This anthem is so much fun and it gets stuck in my head (in a good way). I chose it for this Sunday because it relates to the Old Testament reading a bit ("Sing out, earth and skies!") but also has a tie in or two with the Gospel passage ("Come, O God, of wind and flame, fill the earth with righteousness.")

There's a great rendition of it here, for those of you who won't get to hear it on Sunday (Hi, Mom and Dad)


Communion: I Myself am the Bread of Life G-593

This song is a pretty straight-forward communion song. So many communion songs are about unity and, well, communion with one another, that I couldn't find a suitable one to tie in with the Gospel reading. But it's a nice song and a familiar one to the congregation. (Listen to a snippet here)


Recessional: Canticle of the Turning G-376

Last week at choir practice, I asked for the choir to name some of their favorite anthems and other songs and "Canticle of the Turning" came up at least twice. The tune is an old folk tune, The Star of the County Down. I love folk music, so I mentally filed it away for later.

When I was trying to find a recessional for this week, I looked at a verse from the reading from Hebrews 11:29-12:2: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us." (12:1)

I looked up "perseverance" in the topical index of the Gather hymnal and "Canticle of the Turning" was listed. In addition to the theme of perseverance tying in the Hebrews passage, the chorus says, "My heart shall sing of the day you bring, let the fires of your justice burn," which is applicable to the desire for a righteous fire spoken of in the Gospel passage.

Listen to it here.

Feel free to let me know your own thoughts on how the music and the scriptures connect. I hope this adds to your worship experience on Sunday. Hope to see you there!