(First time here? Read the Introduction)
This ended up being kind of a strange week as far as the music selection process goes. I picked several options for each hymn slot and ran them by the choir and it turned out that none of them were familiar. So with their help, we picked some more familiar hymns and here they are!
Opening Hymn: All Who Hunger, Gather Gladly
This Sunday is Welcome Sunday, or Invite-a-Friend Sunday. This hymn is set to the tune "Holy Manna" which has been the tune for many hymns. The second verse is what led me to select it for Welcome Sunday:
All who hunger, never strangers, seeker be a welcome guest
Come from restlessness and roaming, here in joy we keep the feast
We that once were lost and scattered, in communion love have stood
Taste and see the grace eternal, taste and see that God is good
Even if we have no guests on Sunday (though I hope we do), this still applies to any regular Sunday. We come together to observe communion and are no longer lost and scattered. In God's love we are all welcome.
Sequence Hymn: Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
The Gospel passage this week is Luke 15:1-10. My favorite part says:
Then Jesus told them this parable: "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn't he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.'"
The choir and I selected "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing," which is a lovely hymn. The second verse says, "Jesus sought me when a stranger, wandering from the fold of God. He to rescue me from danger interposed his precious blood."
This works both for the Gospel passage and the Welcome theme for Sunday.
Communion Hymn: Gather Us In
We gather together at church as a community, and we gather around the communion table as the worldwide Church. This hymn is a call for all kinds of people to come together as one in Christ. Listen to it here.
Recessional: Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee
We decided to go with something upbeat that would more than likely be familiar to everyone, regardless of religious background, so we settled on "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee."
Sorry for such a short (and late) entry this week. Hopefully next week will be a return to normal. Thanks to the choir for helping me with hymn selections this week!
Hope to see you on Sunday!
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