Pentecost 12, September 4, 2011
Book of Common Prayer, 1928 service
Exodus 12:1-14
Psalm 149 from BCP
Romans 13:8-14
Matthew 18:15-20
GRANT US O LORD, we pray thee, to trust in thee with all our heart; seeing that, as thou dost always resist the proud who confide in their own strength, so thou dost not forsake those who make their boast of thy mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen
Traditional Collect for Pentecost 12
One of Jesus’ primary concerns was that of unity and camaraderie among His followers. He told parables and prayed at length for the unity of individuals with each other and with God. His great emphasis shows how crucial He felt unity to be and, perhaps even more importantly, how difficult He knew unity is to achieve. The state of the church proves His concerns were correct. As we, at Grace Anglican Church in Boise, are well aware, there are differences between Eastern and Western Christianity; between Catholics, Protestants, and in-betweens; between denominations that may even carry the same name, within synods, between parishes, between groups within congregations, and even within small groups such as choirs and classes.
Our processional hymn on Sunday is indeed, one of Joy! Joyful, Joyful We Adore Three, with words written by Henry Van Dyke (1852-1933). The hymn tune is ODE TO JOY, Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827). We are called to remember that God is giving and forgiving and we ask Him to help us to love each other—even in our differences, as we sing in the third verse:
Thou art giving and forgiving, ever blessing, ever blest,
Wellspring of the joy of living, ocean-depth of happy rest!
Thou our Father, Christ our Brother: all who live in love are thine;
Teach us how to love each other, lift us to the joy divine.
In 1907, Henry van Dyke was invited to preach at Williams College in Massachusetts. At breakfast one morning, he handed the college president a piece of paper, saying, “Here is a hymn for you. Your mountains (the Berkshires) were my inspiration. It must be sung to the music of Beethoven’s ‘Hymn of Joy.’”
When he was later asked about his hymn, van Dyke replied: “These verses are simple expressions of common Christian feelings and desires in this present time—hymns of today that may be sung together by people who know the thought of the age, and are not afraid that any truth of science will destroy religion, or any revolution on earth overthrow the kingdom of heaven. Therefore this is a hymn of trust and joy and hope.”
Blessed Jesus, At Thy Word will be the sequence hymn surrounding the reading of Romans 13:8-14. The words are so fitting for the gospel reading, as well. In Germany in the seventeenth century when this hymn was written, it was customary for the congregation to sing a “sermon hymn,” part immediately before the sermon and part just after the sermon had ended. We carry that tradition into our Anglican liturgical service as our sequence hymn. The direct statements in the first two lines and throughout this hymn express the desire of the congregation to hear God’s Word, thus preparing their minds to receive the message of the scripture and sermon to follow.
Blessed Jesus, at thy word we are gathered all to hear thee;
Let our hearts and souls be stirred now to seek and love and fear thee.
We would not blame Jesus one bit if the tone of His voice had been cynical or even sarcastic when He spoke the words we shall hear in this Sunday’s gospel—“If two of you agree on earth about anything you ask; it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.” Jesus the realist was decrying the divisiveness and uncooperativeness of His followers. Yes, within this lament lies a promise—“For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”
We surely have a special relationship with God on a one-to-one basis. It is a promise sealed in baptism and crucially important for every Christian life. But over and over we are told of the special presence of Christ with the community—the assembly of people, be it as large as thousands- as in the greater body of Christians- or as small as two or three—Grace Anglican Church’s Evening Prayer on Thursday’s, our Lady’s & Men’s Bible Study Groups or the Singers in the Lofty Pews. That special presence is the reason we assemble for corporate worship time after time. It is precisely in the corporateness of gathering, confessing, hearing, responding, baptizing, communing, speaking, and singing together that this lesson is proclaimed and learned anew. We are people, and we are a people.
The anthem during the Eucharist on Sunday will be O Praise God in His Holiness, John Weldon (1676-1736). Weldon was a chorister at Eton College and studied with the organist John Walter; from 1693 he studied with Purcell. His first appointment was as organist at New College, Oxford (1694-1702). In 1701 he became a Gentleman Extraordinary of the Chapel Royal, and the following year he was appointed organist of St. Bride's, Fleet Street in London. Weldon later acquired the positions of an organist of the Chapel Royal and organist of St. Bride's Church, Fleet Street (1708), organist of St. Martin-in-the-Fields (1714), and second composer to the Chapel Royal (1715). His compositions include several stage works (The Judgement of Paris,1701; The Tempest,ca. 1712), anthems, services, odes, songs, and several instrumental works. Posted below are the words:
O praise God in His holiness;
Praise Him in the firmament of His power;
Praise Him in His noble acts,
Praise Him in His noble acts;
Praise Him according to His excellent greatness;
Praise Him in the sound of the trumpet;
Praise him upon the lute and harp:
Praise Him in the cymbals and dances:
Praise Him upon the strings and pipe.
Let everything that hath breath
Praise the Lord.
Have you noticed that some of the same terms can describe relationships and music? Unison and harmony –singing the same melody all together, or harmonizing in different parts—soprano, alto, tenor & bass—we recognize as positive attributes both inside and outside the Lofty Choir Pews. Dissonance and other off-key descriptions describe something else.
Fortunately, Christ’s promise to be present whenever two or three are gathered in His name is not conditional upon all people being in agreement. At those times of conflict we may be less likely to sense the presence of Jesus, but, regardless His promise remains.
The words of our recessional hymn are based on a prayer traditionally attributed to the medieval mystic St. Francis of Assisi and put to music here by the noted Roman Catholic hymn writer and theologian Rev James Quinn, S.J. The text, which appears in translation among the Prayers and Thanksgivings in the BCP (833, no 62) and expresses the teachings of the revered founder of the Franciscan Order cannot be dated any earlier than the present century.
We need to earnestly pray with St Francis of Assisi as we sing our recessional hymn:
Lord, make us servants of your peace:
Where there is hate, may we sow love;
Where there is hurt, may we forgive;
Where there is strife, may we make one.
Lord Make Us Servants of Your Peace
Our efforts at music-making at Grace Anglican Church to proclaim the word are parables in themselves on what greatness can happen when individuality is offered up for the benefit of the whole body, and when diversity is woven into harmony. For even here, in the midst of us who have gathered in His name, is the Lord.
THANKS BE TO GOD!
Sources:
Hymnal ’82 Companion
Companion to the SDA Hymnal
Deacon Ron Jutzy
Then Sings My Soul
A Treasury of Hymns
Tune My Heart to Sing
101 More Hymn Stories
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