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!