Sunday, September 29

(First time here? Read the Introduction for more info.)
(Also, I changed my blog so that links are now bright blue instead of the green they were before. There are links to scripture passages as well as music and the links will open in a new tab, so you can click on them without losing your place on the blog.)


Welcome to the last Sunday in September! Can you believe it? I can't.

Opening Hymn: I Sing the Almighty Power of God H-398

This is one of my favorite hymns. I know two different (though similar) tunes for this hymn and I like them both equally. I chose the hymn for this Sunday because of the Psalm reading from the Lectionary - Psalm 146. It's a Psalm of praise to God so I wanted to open the service with a song of praise to God. Verses 4 and 5 of the Psalm text say, "Happy are they who have the God of Jacob for their help, whose hope is in the Lord their God, Who made heaven and earth, the seas, and all that is in them." The weather was just glorious here in central Texas for the past week, and any time the weather is nice, I find myself drawn to nature and the beauty of God's creation. So this hymn seemed like a perfect fit:

1. I sing the almighty power of God, that made the mountains rise,
that spread the flowing seas abroad and built the lofty skies.
I sing the wisdom that ordained the sun to rule the day;
the moon shines full at his command, and all the stars obey.

2. I sing the goodness of the Lord, that filled the earth with food;
He formed the creatures with his Word, and then pronounced them good.
Lord, how thy wonders are displayed, where’er I turn my eye,
if I survey the ground I tread, or gaze upon the sky!

3. There’s not a plant or flower below, but makes thy glories known,
and clouds arise, and tempests blow, by order from thy throne;
while all that borrows life from thee is ever in thy care,
and everywhere that I could be, thou, God, art present there.



Sequence Hymn: All Who Hunger G-589

If I'm honest, the Gospel reading this week is not one of my favorites. It's Luke 16:19-31, when Jesus tells a story of a rich man and a poor man named Lazarus who lived at his gate. The two men both pass away, and the rich man is in Hades when he sees Abraham and Lazarus. I think the reason I'm not wild about this passage is because growing up Baptist, this story was often used as yet another "scare-'em-out-of-hell" tactic. I won't go into too much theology here (there are others who are more well-equipped than myself in that area), but now when I read this passage, I think less about the afterlife part of the story and more about the two men while they were alive. Why didn't the rich man offer any help to Lazarus? What pain and suffering do we ignore around us every day? How would the afterlife story be different if the rich man had shown compassion to Lazarus in life?

I don't have the answers to any of these questions, but it got me to thinking about the different kinds of hunger - literal and figurative. So I selected "All Who Hunger." You may recognize the words from a few weeks ago, but this week I went with a slower, more worshipful rendition. I think it's important for us to remember, as the Church, that we can often ease both literal and figurative hunger in our world. We just have to be open to seeing it before it's too late. This is echoed at the end of the Epistle reading from 1 Timothy 6:6-19.


Offertory Anthem: Deep Within by David Haas

This week the choir is singing a beautiful anthem, Deep Within. At the end of the Gospel passage, the rich man asks if Lazarus can go back and warn his family so they can avoid the same fate. Abraham says, "They have Moses and the prophets, they should listen to them."  The rich man insists that they would listen if someone came back from the dead to warn them. (Pause: this indicates to me that not only did the rich man know Lazarus, but his family was also aware of who he was. Why didn't anyone help him?) Abraham replies, "If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead."

I think one thing Jesus might be getting at with this story is that we should be a force for good, not just because he said so but because God's law has been planted "deep within" us.

Side note: "Neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead." Is this foreshadowing? Jesus was a pretty amazing storyteller, so it wouldn't surprise me if it was. Food for thought.


Communion Hymn: Father, We Thank Thee Who Hast Planted H-302

This hymn continues along the same lines: "Father, we thank Thee who hast planted Thy holy name within our hearts." It also refers to creation and things God has literally planted: "Thou, Lord, didst make all for Thy pleasure, didst give man food for all his days." This, of course, harkens back to the themes we sang in the opening hymn.


Recessional: Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above H-408

We started with praise, so I wanted to end with praise as well. I think that the opening hymn and this recessional serve as sort of musical bookends to the service. They're similar both in lyrics and music and both relate well to the Psalm passage. Sometimes when dealing with heavier themes (like that in this week's Gospel passage), it's important to remember that God is God. In the Creed we recite every Sunday, this comes first: "I believe in one God, the Father, the almighty, creator of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen." This hymn ends with, "Cast each false idol from its throne, the Lord is God, and he alone: to God all praise and glory!"


Feel free to share your thoughts with me on how the music and scriptures connect. I sincerely hope this adds to your worship experience and, as always, I hope to see you on Sunday!