Sunday, October 27th

(First time here? Read the Introduction for more info)


Opening Hymn: O God, Our Help in Ages Past H-680

The Old Testament scriptures this week both mention God providing rain. I love this because we've gotten more rain this year than we have in a long time. It's nice to walk outside and see how green and alive everything is.

Speaking of bounty and restoration, the opening hymn is "O God, Our Help in Ages Past." This hymn always comes to my mind when I think of God's provision. 

"O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come
Our shelter from the stormy blast and our eternal home!"

Sequence Hymn: Lord Jesus, Think on Me H-641

At first glance (first listen?) this hymn seems like kind of a downer. It also seems somewhat Lent-esque. But the Gospel reading this week is the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector praying in the synagogue. The Pharisee turned his prayer into a show, giving thanks for not being a horrible sinner like the Tax Collector, but the Tax Collector's prayer was humble and contrite. Jesus ends his story by saying, "All who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted" (something he had said at least once before)

I wanted to go with a hymn that was either about prayer or prayer-like - something full of humility. Before looking for hymns for this Sunday, I had never heard "Lord Jesus, Think on Me" before but in preparation for this week, I've come to really love it. One of the things I like about it (apart from it being beautiful) is that it is a petition not for any kind of gain other than to be a servant of Christ.

"Lord Jesus, think on me, and purge away my sin
From harmful passions set me free and make me pure within.

Lord Jesus, think on me, with care and woe oppressed
Let me thy loving servant be and taste thy promised rest."

Offertory anthem: Blest Are They

This is where practicality comes in to play in what I do. This song will be the sequence hymn next week. By having the choir sing it this week, the congregation gets a chance to hear it and hopefully be ready to sing it in a week.

Recessional: O All Ye Works of God, Now Come H-428

I selected "O All Ye Works of God, Now Come" to bring the service full circle. The Old Testament passages this week talk of the Lord's provisions and things that the Lord has made, so what better way to end than to call all creation to praise the Lord? And the last verse says:

"O let his people bless the Lord like righteous souls of yore
Let those of holy, humble heart come praise him evermore."

This ties in to the Gospel passage about humility as well. 

I hope this adds to your worship experience on Sunday. See you there!

Sunday, October 20th

(First time here? Read the Introduction for more info)


This should be the last week that my post is late - and since I'm about to head out of town for the day, I'm going to make it a quick and to-the-point post.


Opening Hymn: There's a Wideness in God's Mercy H-470

This is one of those hymns that I like more and more all the time. The Gospel passage this week is about justice and petition, so I went with a theme blend of justice/mercy/prayer.

"There's a wideness in God's mercy, like the wideness of the sea
There's a kindness in His justice, which is more than liberty"


Sequence Hymn: Hold Me in Life G-423

Hold Me in Life ties in both to the Psalm and the Gospel. The Psalm says "I lift up my eyes to the hills, from where is my help to come?" and the hymn says, "Hold me in life, for You are my safety. Always my eyes are looking for You." Then to tie in to the Gospel, it says, "Because You are just who You are, don't pass me by but show me Your mercy."


Communion Hymn: For the Bread Which You Have Broken H-341

This is a straight-forward communion hymn. There isn't really a tie-in to any of the scripture readings, it just fits the observation of communion.


Recessional: Send Down the Fire G-327

Send Down the Fire is a fun, upbeat song.

"Send down the fire of your justice
Send down the rains of your love
Come, send down the Spirit, breathe life in your people
And we shall be people of God."

The verses speak of mercy and truth, compassion and the Kingdom of God. Altogether a great pairing with the Gospel reading and a fun way to close the service.


I hope this adds to your worship experience on Sunday! (And I will be more in-depth next week!)

Sunday, October 13th

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


Opening Hymn: Praise to the Lord, The Almighty H-390

Two of the scriptures this week are about healing, and the Psalm is another grand ode of praise to God. So this week we open with Praise to the Lord, The Almighty. In addition to following along closely with the theme of the Psalm, it also contains the line, "O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation," which ties in to the other passages.


Sequence Hymn: Baptized in Water G-572

This week we have a couple of baptisms, so the sequence hymn is the lovely Baptized in Water. I love that we are having baptisms the same Sunday that the Old Testament passage is the story of the leper Naaman washing himself seven times in the river Jordan and being made clean. The Gospel passage is also about the healing of lepers - the story of Christ healing the ten and the one who returned to say thank you.

I couldn't find a good video of the hymn, but the tune is the same as Morning Has Broken. You can hear it here, Morning Has Broken, and find the words here, Baptized in Water.


Offertory: Wade in the Water

In keeping with the water/baptism theme, the choir is singing the old spiritual, Wade in the Water. This one is always fun!


Communion Hymn: Here, O My Lord H-318

For Communion, I chose Here, O My Lord, I See Thee Face to Face - partly because "I see Thee face to face" made me think of the lepers Christ healed, and partly because the hymn has an overall theme of relying on Christ for strength.


Recessional: O Bless the Lord, My Soul H-411

We close with a joyful hymn, O Bless the Lord, My Soul. I like to think that something like this might be what the lepers sang after they were healed. The last verse says, "Then bless His holy name, whose grace has made thee whole." Remember throughout the week to thank God for the good things in your life.


I hope this adds to your worship experience. See you Sunday!

Sunday, October 6th

(First time here? Read the Introduction for more info)

Welcome to October! My deepest apologies for the delay in blogging this week - in case anyone was waiting with baited breath. But better late than never, right?


Opening Hymn: O God of Every Nation H-607

The Old Testament passages this week are all about faith and hope in the midst of tribulation. I selected O God of Every Nation for the opening hymn because it echoes these themes. I especially like the lines, "Where hate and fear divide us and bitter threats are hurled, in love and mercy guide us and heal our strife-torn world." I think this is especially relevant to what's been going on this week (or this year, for that matter.) Whichever side of the political spectrum you may fall on, it's important to remember as followers of Christ that our speech reflect love, patience, and kindness. It's also good to remember the value of hope and faith in the face of shootings, bombings, natural disasters, and our own personal troubles whatever they may be. Whatever we're going through, we don't face it alone. That's hugely comforting to me and I pray that it is for you as well.


Sequence Hymn: Dwelling Place G-418

"The apostles said to the Lord, 'Increase our faith!' The Lord replied, 'If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, "Be uprooted and planted in the sea," and it would obey you.'"

That's from this week's Gospel  reading. I feel like I can sympathize with the disciples in this passage - I want more faith and Jesus has to remind me that even a little faith is sufficient. I chose a beautiful song from the Gather hymnal to go along with this reading: Dwelling Place. The chorus says, "May Christ find a dwelling place of faith in our hearts. May our lives be rooted in love." So this song not only ties in to the Gospel reading, it also hearkens back to the opening hymn and the necessity to act in love. I think having faith and acting in love go together very well. One is hard to achieve without the other and vice versa.


Communion Hymn: Behold the Lamb G-592

I hope that during this week's communion hymn, Behold the Lamb, we remember the good things we have. "Those who were in the dark are thankful for the sunlight. We who live, we who die are grateful for this gift, thankful for God's love." When things are going badly, it's nice to take stock of all the blessings you do have, and even when it feels like nothing, you always have God's love. And communion is when we remember just how deep that love goes.

Recessional: How Firm a Foundation H-636

How Firm a Foundation is one of my favorite hymns. We had a cassette tape of A Capella when I was growing up and this was one of the hymns on it. Then when I was in my college choir, we sang an arrangement of it and that's when it settled in as one of my favorites, and it's a perfect finish to this week. "How firm a foundation... is laid for your faith in God's excellent word." If we want to know about faith, all we have to do is look to the scriptures. Then there's my favorite verse:

"When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply
The flame shall not hurt you, I only design
Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine."

So now it's come back around full circle - during times of tribulation, we may go through the fire but we won't burn up. Faith - even faith the size of a mustard seed - will get us through.


I hope this adds to your worship experience and, as always, I hope to see you on Sunday!