Worship Service

A pre-recorded worship service, complete with readings, Pastor Linman's sermon, prayers, and music will broadcast at 10am on Sunday, November 15, on our YouTube channel and will be available below:

Worship material for November 15, 2020

• Home Worship Bulletin for November 15, 2020
• Children's Bulletin for November 15, 2020
• The transcript of Pastor Linman's sermon

The following have been posted to YouTube; here is the YouTube Playlist for November 15, 2020:

• Musical Meditation: “Let All Things Now Living,” David Cherwien
• Psalm 90:1-12, setting by David Cherwien
• Pastor Linman's recorded sermon
• Hymn #730: “Lord our God, With Praise We Come”
• Hymn #678: “God, Whose Giving Knows No Ending”

Music Notes

Hymn of the Day: “Lord Our God, With Praise We Come” ELW 730
TEXT: Petter Dass (1647-1707), Peter A. Sveggen, tr. (1881-1959)
TUNE: ROMEDAL, Norwegian traditional

The tune, ROMEDAL, is named for a village in Stange, Hedmark. The phrasing and accents of this traditional Norwegian tune match the text. The meter is the only one of its kind in this worship book. The hymn text is part of Petter Dass’s lengthy commentary on the first petition of the Lord’s Prayer.

Musical Meditation: “Let All Things Now Living,” David Cherwien

Although the tune ASH GROVE is very popular, found in many hymnals and set to many texts, the tune is most often associated with “Let All Things Now Living.” It is a Welsh harp melody made known outside Wales by a succession of harpists in the 17th-19th centuries.

David Cherwien, Artistic Director of the National Lutheran Choir, a nationally known conductor, composer, and organist. Is known for his contributions to the field of church music and liturgy, he is in demand as a clinician and hymn festival leader across the country.

Worship Service

A pre-recorded worship service, complete with readings, Pastor Linman's sermon, prayers, and music will broadcast at 10am on Sunday, November 8, on our YouTube channel and will be available below:

Worship material for November 8, 2020

• Home Worship Bulletin for November 8, 2020
• Children's Bulletin for November 8, 2020
• The transcript of Pastor Linman's sermon

The following have been posted to YouTube; here is the YouTube Playlist for November 8, 2020:

• Musical Meditation: “Allegro” from Trio for Flute by Laszlo Zempleni, played by Carole Smith, Suzanne Tsitsibelis and Claire Smith
• Psalm 70: 22 ELW Tone 9, Refrain: Psalter for Worship Year A
• Pastor Linman's recorded sermon
• Hymn #436: “Wake, Awake, For Night is Flying”
• Hymn #880: “O God beyond All Praising”

Music Notes

Hymn of the Day: “Wake, Awake, For Night is Flying” ELW #436
Text: Phillip Nicolai (1556-1608)
Tune: WACHET AUF, Phillip Nicolai

This hymn text was based on the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins in Matthew 25:1-13. The opening stanza calls the followers of Christ to be roused and alert for His Second Coming. Stanza 2 describes the joyous scene when the Bridegroom returns and takes His bride, the church, in to the wedding feast. Finally, the third stanza adores the Lamb of God and describes the glorious scene in heaven, as given in Revelation 19 and 21, where the saints will worship in song forever. The text contains a reverse acrostic to Nicolai’s deceased student and friend, William Ernst, with the letters beginning each of its three stanzas: WGZ, Graf zu Waldek (Count of Waldeck).

The WACHET AUF tune is usually regarded as composed by Philipp Nicolai, but he may have borrowed parts of the tune from other sources such as the melody “Silberweise” by Hans Sachs (1494-1576) or the fifth Gregorian psalm tone. It was published with this text, for which it is named, in Nicolai's Freuden-Spiegel in 1599. Like many German chorale tunes, WACHET AUF has two versions for the rhythm. The original version is called the rhythmic version, because it retains the variety of note values as the composer wrote them, while in the isorhythmic version, the notes are adjusted to a more regular rhythm, often by making all notes of equal value.

Worship Service

A pre-recorded worship service, complete with readings, Pastor Linman's sermon, prayers, and music will broadcast at 10am on Sunday, November 1, on our YouTube channel and will be available below:

Worship material for November 1, 2020

• Home Worship Bulletin for November 1, 2020
• Children's Bulletin for November 1, 2020
• The transcript of Pastor Linman's sermon

The following have been posted to YouTube; here is the YouTube Playlist for November 1, 2020:

• Musical Meditation: Requiem, Giacomo Puccini, Anthem by the choir, with Suzanne Tsitsibelis on flute
• Psalm 34:1-10, 22
• Pastor Linman's recorded sermon
• Hymn #422: “For All the Saints"
• Hymn #418: “Rejoice in God’s Saints”
• Organ Voluntary: Allegro molto from Sonata #6 in D Minor, Felix Mendelssohn

Music Notes

Musical Meditation: Choir Anthem
“REQUIEM,” Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924)

Puccini wrote this short Requiem – actually the setting of the antiphon to the Introit of the Mass for the Dead – as a commission for the publisher Giulio Ricordi for the fourth anniversary of the death of Giuseppe Verdi (1905).

Requiem æternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis.
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.

Hymn Of The Day: “for All The Saints” #422
Text: William W. How (1823-1897), tr. Catherine Wentworth (1827-1878)
Tune: SINE NOMINE, Ralph Vaughn Williams (1872-1958)

Ralph Vaughan Williams composed SINE NOMINE for this text and published it in the English Hymnal in 1906. Vaughan Williams wrote two harmonizations¬–one for unison stanzas and one for choral stanzas. The tune's title means "without name" and follows the Renaissance tradition of naming certain compositions "Sine Nomine" if they were not settings for preexisting tunes.

Equipped with a "walking" bass, SINE NOMINE is a glorious marching tune for this great text. Many consider this tune to be among the finest of twentieth-century hymn tunes. Allowing the "alleluia" phrase to enter before our expectation of it is a typical and very effective Vaughan Williams touch.

"For All the Saints" is considered to be William W. How's finest hymn text. Originally in eleven stanzas, it was published in Earl Nelson's Hymns for Saints' Days (1864) with the heading, "Saints' Day Hymn.

Organ Voluntary
Allegro molto from Sonata #6 in D Minor, Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)

The Organ Sonata #6 in D minor (1845) demonstrates Mendelssohn’s consummate craftsmanship and mastery of organ texture in a set of variations upon the Lutheran Bach chorale Vater unser im Himmelreich (BWV416). Beginning with a five-part harmonization of the Chorale, which pervades the sonata as a whole, Mendelssohn presents four variations of increasing brilliance before a restatement of the Chorale. Today’s voluntary features the beginning chorale and fourth variation.

Mendelssohn’s Organ Sonatas revitalised the moribund European organ tradition that existed at the time, spurred English organ-builders to new heights, and, through his particular blend of chorale, counterpoint and domestic spirituality, substantially augmented the organ repertoire for the first time since Bach.

Worship Service

A pre-recorded worship service, complete with readings, Pastor Linman's sermon, prayers, and music will broadcast at 10am on Sunday, October 25, on our YouTube channel and will be available below:

Worship material for October 25, 2020

• Home Worship Bulletin for October 25, 2020
• Children's Bulletin for October 25, 2020
• The transcript of Pastor Linman's sermon

The following have been posted to YouTube; here is the YouTube Playlist for October 25, 2020:

• Musical Meditation: In dir ist Freude, Paul Manz
• Psalm 1:1-8: Anne Krantz, Organ; refrain, Psalm Tones ELW 4, PFW 23
• Pastor Linman's recorded sermon
• Hymn #750: “Lord, Thee I Love with All My Heart”
• Hymn #504: “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”

Music Notes

Hymn of the Day: “Lord, Thee I Love With All My Heart” #750
Text: Martin Schalling (1532-1608), tr. Catherine Wentworth (1827-1878)
Tune: HERZLICH LIEB, B. Schmid, 1577

"HERZLICH LIEB HAB ICH DICH, O HERR" (From my heart I hold you dear, o Lord) is a Lutheran hymn in German by the Protestant theologian and reformer Martin Schalling, written in Amberg in 1569 and first printed in 1571. It is sung to an anonymous melody, Zahn No. 8326, which appeared in a tablature book for organ in 1577. The hymn is often used for funerals, especially the third and last stanza, "Ach Herr, laß dein lieb Engelein" (Ah Lord, let thine own angels dear). It appears in the current German Protestant hymnal.

The first theme of the hymn is the love to God and one's neighbour, following the Great Commandment. Schalling included thoughts from Psalms 18:3. The hymn is regarded as a Sterbelied (song for the dying), as Schalling expressed stations of the transition after death in the last stanza, according to Lutheran doctrine as understood in the 17th century. The soul is seen as carried by angels to Abrahams schos (Abraham's bosom), according to Luke 16:22, the body transforming in the grave, rising on the last day ("am Jüngsten Tage") to be reunited with the soul. The final line is "Ich will dich preisen ewiglich!" (I want to praise you for ever!)

Musical Meditation: IN DIR IST FREUDE, Paul Manz (1919-2009)

Paul Otto Manz was an American composer for choir and organ. As a performer, Manz was most famous for his celebrated hymn festivals. Instead of playing traditional organ recitals, Manz would generally lead a "festival" of hymns from the organ, in which he introduced each hymn with one of his famously creative organ improvisations based on the hymn tune in question. The congregation would then sing the hymn with his accompaniment. Many volumes of these neo-Baroque chorale prelude improvisations have been written out and published and are among his most famous organ works, played by church organists throughout the world. Today’s Musical Meditation is one of those improvisations.

The chorale tune, IN DIR IST FREUDE, was composed by Giovanni G. Gastoldi (1582-1609) who served as a deacon and singer in the chapel of the Gonzaga family in Mantua. Gastoldi composed a considerable body of court music, such as madrigals, and some church music, but he is best known for his Balletti, which influenced composers such as Monteverdi, Hassler, and Morley.

Choir Anthen: “ALL GLORY BE TO THEE ON HIGH,” Rachel Aarons

A native of Laramie, Wyoming, Rachel Aarons has played piano since the age of four. While in college, she studied piano, voice, and composition while pursuing a B.A. in French Language and Literature. Rachel composes for her church choir where she is happy to be a Back Row Alto.

This anthem uses the hymn tune of the same name by Nicholus Decius (1539).

All glory be to thee, Most High,
to thee all adoration;
In grace and truth thou drawest nigh
to offer us salvation;
Thou showest thy good will to men,
And peace shall reign on earth again;
We praise thy Name for ever.

O Jesus Christ, our God and Lord,
Son of the Heavenly Father,
O thou who hast our peace restored,
The straying sheep dost gather,
Thou Lamb of God, to thee on high
Out of the depths we sinners cry:
Have mercy on us, Jesus!

O Holy Ghost, thou precious gift,
Thou Comforter unfailing,
From Satan's snares our souls uplift,
And let thy power, availing,
Avert our woes and calm our dread.
For us the Savior's blo,Od was shed;
We trust in thee to save us.

Worship Service

A pre-recorded worship service, complete with readings, Pastor Linman's sermon, prayers, and music will broadcast at 10am on Sunday, October 18, on our YouTube channel and will be available below:

Worship material for October 18, 2020

• Home Worship Bulletin for October 18, 2020
• Children's Bulletin for October 18, 2020
• The transcript of Pastor Linman's sermon

The following have been posted to YouTube; here is the YouTube Playlist for October 18, 2020:

• Musical Meditation: Finale: Andante from Sonata #6 in D Minor, Mendelssohn
• Psalm 96: 1-9, ELW Tones 10 and 12, adapted
• Pastor Linman's recorded sermon
• Hymn #713: “O God of Every Nation”
• Hymn #705: “God of Grace and God of Glory”

Music Notes

Hymn of the Day: “O God Of Every Nation” #713
Text: William W. Reid, Jr. (1923-2007)
Tune: LLANGLOFFAN, Welsh tune, 19th cent.

In 1958 William W. Reid, Jr. submitted this hymn text to a contest sponsored by the Hymn Society of America in conjunction with the Department of International Affairs of the National Council of Churches. The text won first place and was sung at the opening session of the Fifth World Order Study Conference held in Cleveland, Ohio, on November 13-21, 1958. It was published in the Hymn Society's Twelve New World Order Hymns (1958). "O God of Every Nation" is a beautiful prayer for God's shalom to reign over the whole world; for truth, love, and justice to preside over human affairs; and for an end to Warfare with its "trust in bombs that shower destruction" (st. 2). As war and rumors of War continue to plague our world; the final stanza holds before us the vision of a new heaven and earth in which "Christ shall rule victorious.”

This tune was originally published using another tune. However the prophetic power of LLANGLOFFAN, has made the association with this text a strong one.

Musical Meditation: Finale: Andante from Sonata #6 in D Minor, Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)

The Organ Sonata #6 in D minor (1845) demonstrates Mendelssohn’s consummate craftsmanship and mastery of organ texture in a set of variations upon the Lutheran Bach chorale Vater unser im Himmelreich (BWV416). Following a five-part harmonization of the Chorale, which pervades the sonata as a whole, Mendelssohn presents four variations of increasing brilliance before a restatement of the Chorale. The Finale is the only movement in which the chorale tune does not appear.

Mendelssohn’s Organ Sonatas revitalised the then-moribund European organ tradition, spurred English organ-builders to new heights, and, through his particular blend of chorale, counterpoint and domestic spirituality, substantially augmented the organ repertoire for the first time since Bach.

Worship Service

A pre-recorded worship service, complete with readings, Pastor Linman's sermon, prayers, and music will broadcast at 10am on Sunday, October 11, on our YouTube channel and will be available below:

Worship material for October 11, 2020

• Home Worship Bulletin for October 11, 2020
• Children's Bulletin for October 11, 2020
• The transcript of Pastor Linman's sermon

The following have been posted to YouTube; here is the YouTube Playlist for October 11, 2020:

• Musical Meditation: “Capetown”, Alan Bullard
• Psalm 23, ELW Tone 11
• Pastor Linman's recorded sermon
• Hymn #479: “We Come to the Hungry Feast”
• Hymn #874: “Rejoice, Ye Pure in Heart!”
• Choir Anthem: "Awake My Heart and Render," Jane Marshall

Music Notes

Hymn of the Day: “We Come to the Hungry Feast” #479
Text: Ray Makeever (b. 1943)
Tune: HUNGRY FEAST, Ray Makeever

Ray Makeever wrote this hymn for a communion liturgy after hearing Gordon Lathrop speak about the eucharist as a hungry feast – hungry for a word of peace, hungry for a world released from hungry people of every kind, and hungry that the hunger cease. It was first published in “With All Your Heart: Songs and Liturgies of Encouragement and Hope” (1984). The tune and text were written by Ray Makeever for this hymn. It begins and continues with bold resolve, then picks up the repetitions at “We come.” These characteristics heighten the text’s sense of purpose. This is not meditative prayer around the table. It is rather prophetic coming, which leads where the eucharist leads, to going from the table and doing on behalf of a hungry world. (Hymnal Companion to Evangelical Lutheran Worship)

Musical Meditation Prelude on “Capetown”, Alan Bullard

Alan Bullard (b.1947) is a British composer, known mainly for his choral and educational music. His compositions are regularly performed and broadcast worldwide, and they appear on a number of CDs. Writers have described his music as “gentle, melodic, and unfailingly well-crafted”, and showing “a real sense of pianistic understanding, economical and linear without sounding clichéd”. His music shows a genuine love for melodic contours and a delicate shading of a harmonic language that is respectful of tradition without being a slave to it.

The tune, CAPETOWN was originally composed by Friedrich Filitz (1804-1876) as a setting for the text "Morgenglanz der Ewigkeit."

Choir Anthem: “Awake, My Soul, and Render”
Jane Marshall (1924-2019)

Jane Marshall was a revered figure among fellow United Methodist musicians, as well as the broader church music world. She was a much-published composer of choral music, a skilled choral conductor and clinician, and a gifted hymn writer of both texts and tunes. She wrote many acclaimed and popular works, including today’s anthem, “Awake, My Heart,” which won the American Guild of Organists’ 1957 anthem prize. It became a best selling anthem and remains popular with choirs across denominations.

In this anthem, Marshall uses the 17th Century words of German Lutheran pastor and hymn writer Paulus Gerhardt. Gerhardt is considered Germany's greatest hymn writer, and he is commemorated on October 26th in the Lutheran Calendar of Saints. In these words, Gerhardt inspires us with praise for our Maker and Defender, through a song of love and fervor:

Awake, my heart, and render,
To God thy sure defender,
Thy Maker, thy preserver,
A song of love and fervor.

Confirm my deeds and guide me:
My day, with thee beside me,
Beginning, middle, ending,
Will all be upward tending.

My heart shall be thy dwelling,
With joy and gladness swelling;
Thy word my nuture giv'n
To bring me on toward heaven.

Worship Service

A pre-recorded worship service, complete with readings, Pastor Linman's sermon, prayers, and music will broadcast at 10am on Sunday, October 4, on our YouTube channel and will be available below:

Worship material for October 4, 2020

• Home Worship Bulletin for October 4, 2020
• Children's Bulletin for October 4, 2020
• The transcript of Pastor Linman's sermon

The following have been posted to YouTube; here is the YouTube Playlist for October 4, 2020:

• Musical Meditation: “Rhosemedre”, Ralph Vaughn Williams
• Psalm 80:7-15
• Pastor Jonathan Linman's recorded sermon
• Hymn #645: “Christ is Made the Sure Foundation”
• Hymn #343: “My Song is Love Unknown”

Music Notes

Hymn of the Day: “Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation” #645
Text: Latin hymn, c. 7th cent.; tr. John Mason Neale (1818-1866)
Tune: WESTMINSTER ABBEY, Henry Purcell (1802-1868)

John M. Neale's life is a study in contrasts: born into an evangelical home, he had sympathies toward Rome. In perpetual ill health, he was incredibly productive; of scholarly tem­perament, he devoted much time to improving social conditions in his area. Often ignored or despised by his contemporaries, he is lauded today for his contributions to the church and hymnody. Neale contributed to church music especially by translating Greek and Latin hymns into English. Because a number of Neale's translations were judged unsingable, editors usually amended his work. Neale claimed no rights to his texts and was pleased that his translations could contribute to hymnody as the "common property of Christendom."

Henry Purcell was perhaps the greatest English composer who ever lived, though he only lived to the age of thirty-six. Purcell's first piece was published at age eight when he was also a chorister in the Chapel Royal. When his voice changed in 1673, he was appointed assistant to John Hingston, who built chamber organs and maintained the king's instruments. In 1674 Purcell began tuning the Westminster Abbey organ and was paid to copy organ music. Given the position of composer for the violins in 1677, he also became organist at Westminster Abbey in 1679 (at age twenty) and succeeded Hingston as maintainer of the king's instruments (1683). Purcell composed music for the theater and for keyboards, provided music for royal coronations and other ceremonies, and wrote a substantial body of church music, including eighteen full anthems and fifty-six verse anthems.

Musical Meditation: Prelude on the Hymn Tune “Rhosemedre”
Ralph Vaughn Williams (1872-1958)

Although best known in this original version for solo organ, Rhosymedre is also well known as an orchestral arrangement by Arnold Foster. Ralph Vaughan Williams used the hymn tune as the basis of the second movement of his organ composition Three Preludes on Welsh Hymn Tunes. Rhosymedre is the name of a hymn tune written by the 19th-century Welsh Anglican priest John David Edwards. Edwards named the tune after the village of Rhosymedre in the County Borough of Wrexham, Wales, where he was the vicar from 1843 until his death in 1885. The hymn tune is seven lines long, appears in a number of hymnals and is sung to a variety of texts. One such text is that of today’s second hymn, “My Song Is Love Unknown” which we sing today in another popular setting, “LOVE UNKNOWN” by John Ireland.

Worship Service

A pre-recorded worship service, complete with readings, Pastor Linman's sermon, prayers, and music will broadcast at 10am on Sunday, September 27, on our YouTube channel and will be available below:

Worship material for September 27, 2020

• Home Worship Bulletin for September 27, 2020
• Children's Bulletin for September 27, 2020
• The transcript of Pastor Linman's sermon

The following have been posted to YouTube; here is the YouTube Playlist for September 27, 2020:

• Musical Meditation: “Now”, Michael Helman
• Psalm 25:1-9, arrangement by Linda Cable Shute
• Pastor Jonathan Linman's recorded sermon
• Hymn #806: “O God, My Faithful God”

• Hymn #517: “Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Your Word”

Music Notes

Hymn of the Day: “O God, My Faithful God” #806
Text: Johann Heermann (1585-1647), tr. Catherine Winkworth (1827-1878)
Tune: Was Frag Ich Nach Der Welt, Ahauserus Fritsch (1629-1701)

As a text writer Heermann ranks with the beat of his century, some indeed regarding him as second only to Gerhardt. He had begun writing Latin poems when he was 20, and was crowned as a poet in 1608. He marks the transition from the objective standpoint of the hymn text writers of the Reformation period to the more subjective and experimental school that followed him. His hymn texts are distinguished by depth and tenderness of feeling; by firm faith and confidence in face of trial; by deep love to Christ, and humble submission to the will of God. Many of them became at once popular, passed into the hymnbooks, and still hold their place among the classics of German hymnody.

With help from the fam­ily of a young no­ble he tu­tored, Fritsch re­ceived a good ed­u­ca­tion, earn­ing his law de­gree from the Un­i­ver­si­ty of Jena in 1661. He lat­er be­came chan­cel­lor of the un­i­ver­si­ty and pres­i­dent of the Con­sis­to­ry of Ru­dol­stadt. He wrote on num­er­ous sub­jects, in­clud­ing an­ti­qui­ties, law, and re­li­gion, and col­lect­ed hymns. WAS FRAG ICH NACH DER VELT, also known as “Darmstadt,” is his most popular hymn tune.

Musical Meditation: Prelude on “Now”, Michael Helman (b. 1956)

Michael Helman is currently Director of Music/Organist at Faith Presbyterian Church in Cape Coral, Florida. He is an active composer of handbell, organ, and choral music with numerous pieces pieces in print.

Today’s Meditation is based on the hymn tune, “Now” by Carl F. Schalk (b.1929) He is professor of music emeritus at Concordia University, River Forest, Illinois, where he taught church music since 1965. Honored as a Fellow of the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada in 1992, Schalk was editor of the Church Music journal (1966-1980), a member of the committee that prepared the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), and a widely published composer of church music.

Choir Anthem: “To Thee, O Lord,” Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943)

This piece is a movement from the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom with an English translation of the text.

Sergei Rachmaninoff's emergence as a composer coincided with the renaissance of Russian sacred cho­ral music in the late nineteenth and early twentieth cen­turies. After a period of decline in the mid-nineteenth century, during which serious composers did not com­pose for the Church-by and large the result of severe bureaucratic control by Imperial Chapel censors-sa­cred choral music once again came to the attention of leading musicians in Russia, among them, Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakoff, Balakirev, and the young Rach­maninoff. What resulted was an enormous outpouring of compositional activity, which began in the 1880s, gained strength in the 1890s, and continued until it was abruptly cut off by the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917.

Text:

To Thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
My God, I trust in Thee.

Worship Service

A pre-recorded worship service, complete with readings, Pastor Linman's sermon, prayers, and music will broadcast at 10am on Sunday, September 20, on our YouTube channel and will be available below:

Worship material for September 20, 2020

• Home Worship Bulletin for September 20, 2020
• Children's Bulletin for September 20, 2020
• The transcript of Pastor Linman's sermon

The following have been posted to YouTube; here is the YouTube Playlist for September 20, 2020:

• Musical Meditation: “Spirit”, Michael Bedford
• Psalm 145:1-8, arrangement by Mark Mummert
• Pastor Jonathan Linman's recorded sermon
• Hymn #845, "Voices Raised to You"
• Hymn #688, "Lord of Light"

Music Notes

Hymn of the Day: “Voices Raised To You” #845
Text: Herman G. Stuempfle, Jr. (1923-2007)
Tune: Song of Praise, Caroline Jennings (1936)

This hymn was commissioned by the ALCM for its tenth anniversary and first sung on Reformation Sunday in the fall of 1996.

Rev. Dr. Herman G. Stuempfle, Jr. lived most of his life in Gettysburg, PA. He served as President of the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Gettysburg and was the author of several books and numerous articles and lectures on preaching, history, and theology. He was also among the most honored and respected hymn writers of the 20th and 21st centuries. Rev. Dr. Stuempfle was known for his leadership in community and civic projects. Always taking an active stance on social issues, he participated in the creation of day care centers, served on the Gettysburg interchurch social action committee, helped create and support prison ministries and a homeless shelter, and tutored young people in the after school program of Christ Lutheran Church, where he was a long time member.

Carolyn Jennings is a Professor Emerita of Music at St. Olaf College where she taught for many years and also served in administrative roles, including Chair of the Music Department and Associate Dean for the Fine Arts. She also served as a church musician for over thirty years, at St. John's Lutheran Church in Northfield, Minnesota.

Over many years she has been active in promoting the use of inclusive language in texts for singing, and has worked to heighten awareness of how language shapes as well as expresses thought.

Her compositions and arrangements include works for voices, orchestra, and piano. She particularly enjoys composing for voices.

Musical Meditation Meditation on “Spirit”, Michael Bedford (b. 1949)

Michael Bedford, a full-time church musician since 1973, currently serves as organist/choirmaster of St. John's Episcopal Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he plays the organ and supervises a full graded choir program including three singing choirs, one handbell choir and a chamber ensemble. He has held similar positions in Texas and Colorado.

James K. Manley wrote the tune “SPIRIT” for his text of 1978. He served as pastor of Congregational United Church of Christ in San Marino, California, from 1978 to 1988 and then moved to Foothills United Church of Christ in Los Altos, California.

Worship Service

A pre-recorded worship service, complete with readings, Pastor Linman's sermon, prayers, and music will broadcast at 10am on Sunday, September 13, on our YouTube channel and will be available below:

Worship material for September 13, 2020

• Home Worship Bulletin for September 13, 2020
• The transcript of Pastor Linman's sermon

The following have been posted to YouTube; here is the YouTube Playlist for September 13, 2020:

• Musical Reflection: "Down Ampney" by David Blackwell
• Psalm 103:1-13
• Pastor Linman's recorded sermon
• Hymn #605, "Forgive Our Sins, as we Forgive"
• Hymn #835, "All Creatures, Worship God Most High!"
• Choir Anthem: "Where Charity and Love Prevail", Richard D. Erickson

Music Notes

Hymn of the Day: “Forgive Our Sins As We Forgive” #605
Text: Rosemund E. Herklots (1905-1987)
Tune: DETROIT, The Sacred Harp, Philadelphia (1844)

Educated at Leeds Girls’ High School and the Un­i­ver­si­ty of Leeds, Eng­land, she worked for ov­er two de­cades as sec­re­ta­ry for a neu­ro­lo­gist, and then at the As­so­ci­a­tion for Spi­na Bi­fi­da and Hy­dro­ce­pha­lus in Lon­don. Herklots had be­gun writ­ing po­et­ry as a child, but did not turn to hymn writ­ing un­til around 1940. In 1968, two of her hymns made it to the fi­nals of the Hymns for Bri­tain con­test and were sung on tel­e­vi­sion. Al­to­ge­ther, she wrote a to­tal of about 70 hymns. This text is based on the petition of the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:12, “An forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” The hymn was written in 1966.

The tune, DETROIT, is a shape-note tune that is almost pentatonic. The tune is an anonymous one that was included in the attributed to “Bradshaw,” but we do not know who he was.

Musical Meditation Prelude on “Down Ampney,” David Blackwell (1961)

David Blackwell is an English freelance composer, arranger, writer and editor.

In this piece David uses introductory and accompanying material recalling the very pleasing style of Ralph Vaughn Williams’ composition, “Rosemedre.” And, a further connection, Ralph Vaughan Williams composed the tune for the hymn text "Come Down, O Love Divine" which he titled "Down Ampney" in honor of his birthplace.

Choir Anthen: "Where Charity and Love Prevail", Richard D. Erickson

Where charity and love prevail,
There God is ever found;
Brought here together by Christ’s love,
By love are we thus bound.

With grateful joy and holy fear
God’s charity we learn;
Let us with heart and mind and soul
now love God in return.

Let strife among us be unknown;
Let all contentions cease.
Be God’s the glory that we seek;
Be God’s our only peace.

We now forgive each other’s faults
As we confess our own;
That we may love each other well
In Christian gentleness.

Worship Service

A pre-recorded worship service, complete with readings, Pastor Linman's sermon, prayers, and music will broadcast at 10am on Sunday, September 6, on our YouTube channel and will be available below:

Worship material for September 6, 2020

• Home Worship Bulletin for September 6, 2020
• Children's Bulletin for September 6, 2020
• The transcript of Pastor Linman's sermon

The following have been posted to YouTube; here is the YouTube Playlist for September 6, 2020:

• Musical Reflection: "Union Seminary," by James Biery
• Psalm 119:33-40: Barbara Bulger Verdile
• Pastor Linman's recorded sermon
• Hymn #470, "Draw Us in the Spirit's Tether"
• Hymn #836, "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee"

Music Notes

Hymn of the Day: “Draw Us in the Spirit’s Tether,” #470
Text: Percy Dearmer (1867–1936)
Tune: Union Seminary, Harold Friedell (1905-1958)

Harold Friedell (1905-1958) was an American organist, choirmaster, teacher, and composer. At an early age, he served as organist at First Methodist Episcopal Church (Jamaica, Queens) and studied organ with Clement Gale and David McK. Williams. He later served as organist at Calvary Church (New York), organist and choirmaster at Saint John’s Church (Jersey City, N.J.), organist and choirmaster at Calvary Church (New York), and finally organist and master of the choir at Saint Bartholomew’s Church (New York). Friedell also taught on the faculty of the Union Theological Seminary School of Sacred Music (New York).

Percy Dearmer (1867–1936) was an English priest and liturgist best known as the author of The Parson's Handbook, a liturgical manual for Anglican clergy, and as editor of The English Hymnal. Dearmer, with Ralph Vaughan Williams and Martin Shaw, is credited with the revival and spread of traditional and medieval English musical forms. His ideas on patterns of worship have been linked to the Arts and Crafts Movement, while Dearmer and Vaughan Williams' English Hymnal reflects the influence both of artistic and folkloric scholarship and Christian Socialism. Dearmer ended his life as Canon of Westminster Abbey, from where he ran a canteen for the unemployed.

Named for the School of Sacred Music at Union Seminary in New York City, UNION SEMINARY is a gently robust congregational tune illustrating Romantic tendencies that managed to continue in the twentieth century. It began in an anthem by Harold Friedell, who wrote it in 1957 for Percy Dearmer’s text. It was extracted as a hymn tune and published like that in 1970.

Dearmer’s text is a celebration of Christ’s presence among those who are tethered by the Spirit at the Lord’s table and who pray that as disciples they may make their meals and living “as sacraments” by caring, helping, and giving.”

Musical Reflection: “Union Seminary,” James Biery (1956)

James Biery is an American organist, composer and conductor who is Minister of Music at Grosse Pointe Memorial Church (Presbyterian) in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan, where he directs the choirs, plays the 66-rank Klais organ and oversees the music program of the church. Prior to this appointment Biery was music director for Cathedrals in St. Paul, Minnesota and Hartford, Connecticut.

Biery’s setting of UNION SEMINARY is in 3 parts, or ABA. The A sections are based on a melody that he constructed from the hymn tune. He has changed the rhythm sligfhtly, and has built the melody on the inverted form of the original tune.

The middle section, combining the tune in its original key and rhythm with the tune a fifth below and a half-note apart, creates a delightfully off-center canon. Enjoy!

Worship Service

A pre-recorded worship service, complete with readings, Pastor Linman's sermon, prayers, and music will broadcast at 10am on Sunday, August 30, on our YouTube channel and will be available below:

Worship material for August 30, 2020

• Home Worship Bulletin for August 30, 2020
• Children's Bulletin for August 30, 2020
• The transcript of Pastor Linman's sermon

The following have been posted to YouTube; here is the YouTube Playlist for August 30, 2020:

• Musical Meditation: “St. Brendan’s” by David Schelat
• Psalm 26:1-8: Barbara Bulger Verdile
• Pastor Linman's recorded sermon
• Hymn #667, "Take Up Your Cross, the Savior Said"
• Hymn #879, "For the Beauty of the Earth"

Music Notes

Hymn of the Day: “Take Up Your Cross, The Savior Said” #667
Text: Charles W. Everest (1814-1877)
Tune: BOURBON, Freeman Lewis (1780-1859)

Charles W. Everest was an Eposcopal priest. He published this hymn text when he was 19 years old in his Visions of Death, and Other Poems in 1833. The original text of this hymn differs very materially from that which we usually find in the hymn-books. The most widely known form of the text is that in Hymns Ancient & Modern, where it appeared in 1861. It was copied by the Compilers from another collection, but the originator of the alteration is unknown. The nearest approach to the original is in Horder's Congregational Hymn Book, 1884. Original text in Biggs's English Hymnology, 1873.

Included in Columbian Harmony (1825), BOURBON was credited there to Freeman Lewis and set to "Twas on that Dark and Doleful Night," a text often attributed to Isaac Watts. The tune appeared in several other nineteenth-century songbooks, among them Hauser's Hesperian Harp (1848). The tune title presumably refers to the aristocratic French family whose descendants included Henry IV, Phillip V, and Charles III, and after which a Kentucky county is named. It is also interesting to note that this county is more popularly known for its association with a particlar type of corn whiskey.

Musical Meditation: “St. Brendan’s” by David Schelat

David Schelat is Minister of Music at First & Central Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, Delaware. He has performed as organist, conductor, or composer for five regional conventions of the AGO, as well as for conferences of the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada, and National Association of Pastoral Musicians.

Peter Scholtes (1938–2009) wrote the hymn text "They'll Know We Are Christians by Our Love" and the hymn tune “St. Brendan’s” while he was a parish priest at St. Brendan's on the South Side of Chicago in the 1960s. The idea for the hymn was born when he was leading a youth choir and was looking for an appropriate song for a series of ecumenical, interracial events. When he couldn't find such a song, he wrote the now-famous hymn in a single day. His experiences at St. Brendan's, and in the Chicago Civil Rights movement, influenced him for the rest of his life.

Worship Service

A pre-recorded worship service, complete with readings, Pastor Linman's sermon, prayers, and music will broadcast at 10am on Sunday, August 23, on our YouTube channel and will be available below:

Worship material for August 23, 2020

• Home Worship Bulletin for August 23, 2020
• Children's Bulletin for August 23, 2020
• The transcript of Pastor Linman's sermon

The following have been posted to YouTube; here is the YouTube Playlist for August 23, 2020:

• Musical Meditation: “Adagio” from Sonata #2 in C Minor by Felix Mendelssohn
• Psalm 138: Barbara Bulger Verdile
• Pastor Linman's recorded sermon
• Hymn #652, "Built on a Rock"
• Hymn #654, "The Church’s One Foundation"

Music Notes

Hymn of the Day: “Built on a Rock” #652
Text: Nicolai F. S. Grundtvig, 1783-1872; tr. Carl Doving, 1867-1937, adapt
Tune: KIRIEN DEN ER ET GAMMELT HUS, Ludvig M. Lindeman, 1812-1887

Nikolaj Frederik Severin Grundtvig most often referred to as N. F. S. Grundtvig, was a Danish pastor, author, poet, philosopher, historian, teacher and politician. He was one of the most influential people in Danish history, as his philosophy gave rise to a new form of nationalism in the last half of the 19th century. It was steeped in the national literature and supported by deep spirituality. The hymn text “Built on a Rock” is well known throughout Scandinavia and beyond and is sometimes viewed as second only to Luther’s “A mighty Fortress.” Carl Doving translated it into English in 1913.

Ludvig M. Lindeman was a Norwegian composer and organist. He is perhaps best known for his arrangements of Norwegian folk tales; over the course of his life he collected over 3000 folk melodies and tunes. Composed for this text, KIRKEN is among the first tunes he wrote. A bar form (AAB) tune in the Dorian mode, it is a suitably rugged, folk-like tune for this text. What it may lack rhythmically, it makes up harmonically. It is a compelling and sturdy tune “built on a rock”.

Musical Meditation: “Adagio” from Sonata #2 in C Minor by Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)

Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy born and widely known as Felix Mendelssohn was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor. As a composer he was one of the most influential of the German Romantic period. As an organist, Mendelssohn was well known and respected for his diversified organ improvisations with seemingly endless varieties of new ideas, and this added new dimensions to what one normally heard played on the organ at the time. As one might expect, these qualities are evident in the organ sonatas, which were commissioned in1844 as a set of voluntaries, or preludes, and published in 1845. In fact, all of the music in these Sonatas was composed between August,1844, and January,1845, so it is not surprising to find certain general characteristics appearing, almost like a recurring theme, throughout all six sonatas, which unifies the whole collection

Worship Service

A pre-recorded worship service, complete with readings, Pastor Linman's sermon, prayers, and music will broadcast at 10am on Sunday, August 16, on our YouTube channel and will be available below:

Worship material for August 16, 2020

• Home Worship Bulletin for August 16, 2020
• Children's Bulletin for August 16, 2020
• The transcript of Pastor Linman's sermon

The following have been posted to YouTube; here is the YouTube Playlist for August 16, 2020:

• Musical Meditation: “Morecambe” by Pamela Decker
• Psalm 67: Barbara Verdile
• Pastor Linman's recorded sermon
• Hymn #790, "Day By Day"
• Hymn #588, "There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy"

Music Notes

Hymn of the Day: “Day By Day” #790
Text: Carolina Sandell Berg (1832-1903), tr. Robert Leaf (1936-2005)
Tune: BLOTT EN DAG, Oskar Ahnfelt (1813-1882)

Oscar Ahnfelt was a Swedish singer and composer. He wrote the music for many of Lina Sandell’s hymns. A pietist, he raised some concern in the State-church, but his music was apparently so popular, King Karl XV gave him permission to play and sing in both of his kingdoms. Ahnfelt’s music has spread throughout the world; two of his best-known songs are “Children of the Heavenly Father” and “Day by Day.” Caroline W. Sandell Berg is better known as Lina Sandell, the "Fanny Crosby of Sweden.” "Lina" Wilhelmina Sandell Berg was the daughter of a Lutheran pastor to whom she was very close; she wrote hymns partly to cope with the fact that she witnessed his tragic death by drowning. A number of her 650 hymns gained popularity particularly because of the musical settings written by gospel singer Oskar Ahnfelt. Jenny Lind, the famous Swedish soprano, underwrote the cost of publishing a collection of Ahnfelt's music, Andeliga Sänger (1850), which consisted mainly of Berg's hymn texts.

Musical Meditation “Morecambe,” Pamela Decker

Frederick Atkinson (1841-1897) wrote the Victorian tune MORECAMBE, named after a town in England’s Midland district. The composer’s intent was to provide a musical setting for Henry Francis Lyte’s famous hymn, “Abide with me, fast falls the eventide”. Indeed the rhythm is identical between EVENTIDE, the tune associated with “Abide with me,” and MORECAMBE. There is, however, no doubt that MORECAMBE is well suited to the text “Spirit of God.” In the first stanza, a descending melody accompanies the words, “descend upon my heart.” Likewise an ascending melody in the third line allows the words “mighty as thou art” to blossom. This rising figure works amazingly well with the text of each stanza. The final three notes of the melody, all on the same pitch, do not end on the customary tonic, home tone or first degree of the scale, but on the third degree. By concluding the melody on the third degree of the scale, there is a floating quality to the ending of each stanza, reminiscent of the hovering of the descending Dove, one of the metaphors of the Spirit.

Pamela Decker is Professor of Organ/Music Theory at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona and she also serves as organist at Grace St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Tucson. She has won prizes in national and international competitions for organ and composition.

Worship Service

A pre-recorded worship service, complete with readings, Pastor Linman's sermon, prayers, and music will broadcast at 10am on Sunday, August 9, on our YouTube channel and will be available below:

Worship material for August 9, 2020

• Home Worship Bulletin for August 9, 2020
• Children's Bulletin for August 9, 2020
• The transcript of Pastor Linman's sermon

The following have been posted to YouTube; here is the YouTube Playlist for August 9, 2020:

• Musical Meditation, Cantilène, by Gabriel Pierné
• Barbara Bulger Verdile: Psalm 85:8-13
• Pastor Linman's recorded sermon
• Hymn #756, "Eternal Father, Strong to Save"
• Hymn #763, "My Life Flows on in Endless Song"

Music Notes

Hymn of the Day “Eternal Father, Strong to Save” #756
Text: William Whiting (1825-1878) Tune: MELITA, John B. Dykes (1823-1876)

William Whiting wrote the text of this hymn for one of his students who was about to sail to America. It was revised and included in the first edition of Hymns Ancient and Modern (1861) “for those at sea”. This hymn, always paired with the tune MELITA which was written and published with it, has found wide usage as the sailor’s hymn and has been allied to the state almost as much as to the church.

MELITA is the ancient name for the island now known as Malta, where Paul was shipwrecked and found safety.

Musical Meditation: Cantilène, Gabriel Pierné (1863-1937)

Gabriel Pierné has been called the most complete French musician of the late Romantic/early twentieth century era. Pierné’s compositional style can be described as very traditional and classical in form while possessing a modern spirit. He was able to eloquently balance his own personal language with the elements of both discipline and instinct. Evidence of his studies with both Massenet and Franck are very apparent. From Massenet he acquired a sense of melody and lightness, while from Franck he developed a sense of structure and consciousness of art, and an inspiration for religious music. Though much of his music is overshadowed by other French composers from his day, it is because his time was devoted primarily to conducting.

Cantilène is the second of Trois Pieces, Op. 29.

Worship Service

A pre-recorded worship service, complete with readings, Pastor Linman's sermon, prayers, and music will broadcast at 10am on Sunday, August 2, on our YouTube channel and will be available below:

Worship material for August 2, 2020

• Home Worship Bulletin for August 2, 2020
• Children's Bulletin for August 2, 2020
• The transcript of Pastor Linman's sermon

The following have been posted to YouTube; here is the YouTube Playlist for August 2, 2020:

• Musical Meditation, “Prelude on ‘Wareham,’” by Healy Willan
• Barbara Bulger Verdile: Psalm 145:8-9, 14-21
• Pastor Linman's recorded sermon
• Hymn #658, “O Jesus, Joy of Loving Hearts”
• Hymn #729, "The Church of Christ in Every Age”

Music Notes

Hymn of the Day “O Jesus, Joy of Loving Hearts” #658
Text: atr. Bernard of Clairvaux, (1091-11563), Ray Palmer , tr.(1808-1887)
Tune: WALTON, W. Gardiner (1770-1853)

Ray Palmer’s translation of several verses from “Jesu, dulcedo cordium” was published in 1858. In 19th century Protestant America, it was unusual to translate a Latin hymn text. He was pastor of a church in Maine and upstate New York and is probably best known for penning the verses, “My faith looks up to thee.”

William Gardiner wrote about music, composing, and editing. Having met Joseph Haydn and Ludwig van Beethoven on his business travels, Gardiner then proceeded to help popularize their compositions, especially Beethoven's, in England. He recorded his memories of various musicians in Music and Friends. In the first two volumes of Sacred Melodies (1812, 1815), Gardiner turned melodies from composers such as Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven into hymn tunes in an attempt to rejuvenate the singing of psalms. WALTON, aka BEETHOVEN, may have roots somewhere in Beethoven’s music, but Gardiner could not say where. In any case, his work became an important model for American editors, and hymnbook editors often turned to Gardiner as a source of tunes derived from classical music.

Musical Meditation Prelude on “Wareham”, Healy Willan (1880-1968)

Healey Willan was an Anglo-Canadian organist and composer, best known for his church music compositions. I found this quote he used to describe himself which suggests he had quite a sense of humor: "English by birth; Canadian by adoption; Irish by extraction; Scotch by absorption." Willan was able to make his livelihood as a composer, an encouraging detail not lost on the young Canadian musicians who followed him.

This organ piece comes from Willan’s collection of Choral Preludes published in 1957 and are based on well-known hymn or choral tunes. Many have the same basic structure: a short introduction followed by the phrases of the tune alternating with interludes. All offer a richness of harmonic beauty typical of Willan’s compositions.

The Musical Reflection, "WAREHAM" is a setting of today’s second hymn, #729, “The Church of Christ, in Every Age”. The tune was composed by William Knapp and named for his birthplace. The tune is easy to sing because of its almost continuous stepwise motion and smooth melodic contour and is most of found paired with this text.

Dear members of God’s family at Resurrection Church,

For the third Sunday in a row we read from Matthew’s collection of Jesus’ parables. Only, this Sunday the images are more surprising yet, full of God’s wisdom, like that given to Solomon, full of the love of Christ from which we can never be separated, as St. Paul says. On Sunday, July 26, if you can, join the congregation in praying together at 10 am.

Worship Service

A pre-recorded worship service, complete with readings, Pastor Linman's sermon, prayers, and music will broadcast at 10am on Sunday, July 26 on our YouTube channel and will be available below:

Worship material for July 26, 2020

• Home Worship Bulletin for July 26, 2020
• Children's Bulletin for July 26, 2020
• The transcript of Pastor Linman's sermon

The following have been posted to YouTube; here is the YouTube Playlist for July 26, 2020:

• Musical Meditation, “Soul, Adorn Thyself with Gladness”, Aaron David Miller
• Barbara Bulger Verdile: Psalm 119:129-136
• Pastor Linman's recorded sermon
• Hymn #775, “Jesus, Priceless Treasure”
• Hymn #597, “My Hope is Built on Nothing Less”

Music Notes

Hymn of the Day: “Jesus, Priceless Treasure,” #775
Text: Johann Franck (1618-1677)
Tune: JESU, MEINE FREUDE, Johann Crüger (1598-1662)

The original German text “Jesu, meine Freude” by Johann Franck first appeared in Johann Crüger's Praxis Pietatis Melica (1653) in six long stanzas. The text was modeled in part after a love song found in Heinrich Albert's Arein (1641), "Flora, meine Freude, meiner Seele Weide.” Catherine Winkworth translated the text into English and published it in her Chorale Book for England (1863). Our version includes the original stanzas 1, 2, and 6. Much loved by Christians from various traditions, “Jesus, Priceless Treasure” is one of the finest examples of German piety in a devotional hymn. The intensity of emotional expression found here provides a suitable counter-balance to the cerebral character of much Reformed worship.

Inspired by Jesus' parables of the great treasure and fine pearl (Matt. 13:44-46) and other New Testament references to the metaphor "treasure," this text is strongly Christocentric. Stanza 1 confesses with mystical ecstasy that Christ is the source of purest pleasure (a bold affirmation that counters the hedonism of this world). Stanza 2 expands the metaphor: Christ our treasure is also our fortress, our defense and protector from the "sin and hell" that would "assail" us. And stanza 4 affirms that, despite the fears and sorrow we must bear, Jesus remains our greatest treasure and source of profound joy.

Johann Crüger is known as a German composer of well-known hymns. He was also the editor of the most widely used Lutheran hymnal of the 17th century, Praxis pietatis melica, which is considered one of the most important collections of German hymnody in the seventeenth century. It was reprinted forty-four times in the following hundred years. He wrote music instruction manuals and tirelessly promoted congregational singing. With his tunes he often included elaborate accom­paniment for various instruments. Crüger's hymn collection, Neues vollkomliches Gesangbuch (1640), was one of the first hymnals to include figured bass accompaniment (musical shorthand) with the chorale melody rather than full harmonization written out. It included eighteen of Crüger's tunes.

Musical Meditation: “Soul, Adorn Thyself with Gladness”, Aaron David Miller (b.1972)

The original of the beautifully ornamented melody of today’s Musical Reflection represents a second collaboration of music and text by Johann Crüger and Johann Franck. Johann Crüger composed SCHMÜCKE DICH (Deck Thyself, My Soul) and first published the tune as a setting for the first stanza of the SCHMÜCKE DICH text by Johann Franck. The tune name is the incipit of the original German text. Johann S. Bach used this tune in his Cantata 180; he and many other composers have written organ preludes on the melody.

Aaron David Miller is noted for his highly imaginative and creative style, found in his performances, improvisations and compositions. He serves as the Director of Music and Organist at House of Hope Presbyterian Church in St. Paul, Minnesota and maintains an active recital schedule. He is a forensic musicologist for Donato Music in Scarsdale, NY.

Dear members of God’s family at Resurrection Church,

This Sunday we once again read from the Third Discourse of Matthew, Matthew’s collection of the parables of Jesus. The Gospel for this Sunday is a parable found only in Matthew: the story of the wheat and the weeds. The parable calls for us to leave judgement to God and to instead rely on God’s mercy and patience. If you are able, join the congregation at 10am on Sunday to pray and to hear the word of that mercy.

Worship Service

A pre-recorded worship service, complete with readings, Pastor Linman's sermon, prayers, and music will broadcast at 10am on Sunday, July 19 on our YouTube channel and will be available below:

Worship material for July 19, 2020

• Home Worship Bulletin for July 19, 2020
• Children's Bulletin for July 19, 2020
• The transcript of Pastor Linman's sermon

The following have been posted to YouTube; here is the YouTube Playlist for July 19, 2020:

• Musical Reflection, "All Glory Be to God on High" by Craig Phillips
• Barbara Bulger Verdile: Psalm 86:11-17
• Pastor Linman's recorded sermon
• Hymn #681: "We Plow the Fields and Scatter"
• Hymn #733: "Great Is Thy Faithfulness"

Music Notes

Hymn of the Day: “We Plow the Fields and Scatter”, #681
Text: Matthias Claudius (1740-1815)
Tune: Wir Pflugen, Johann A. Schulz, (1747-1800)

This text was not written as a hymn, nor was it stimulated by specific biblical passages. It was first published in a newspaper as an idyllic portrayal of country life and later the refrain and certain stanzas were gathered to form this hymn text. In 1861 Jane M. Campbell translated them into English.

The tune, also known as CLAUDIUS, first appeared with another text in a volume of melodies for public schools.

Musical Reflection: “All Glory Be to God on High”, Craig Phillips (b. 1961)

California based, and an Oklahoma native, Craig Phillips is a distinguished and popular American composer and organist, and Director of Music at All Saints’ Church, Beverly Hills, CA.

The tune is the work of the cantor, pastor and teacher Nikolaus Decius (1485-1546). His source was a 10th century chant setting of the Gloria in excelsis Deo.

Craig Phillips‘ harmonic language is a melting pot of many varied styles and often his rhythmic settings garner attention for their energy, use of rhythm and drive. In this setting he seeks to reflect the rather exuberant text in a manner both introspective and uplifting.

Dear members of God’s family at Resurrection Church,

We begin now to read for three Sundays in a row the third of the Great Discourses of Matthew: the Parables of Jesus. This Sunday the Gospel is the Parable of the Sower. Together with your congregation, if you are able, join in prayer at 10am on Sunday, using one of the many available ways, to let the seed of the word of God fall into your life again.

Worship Service

A pre-recorded worship service, complete with readings, Pastor Linman's sermon, prayers, and music will broadcast at 10am on Sunday, July 12 on our YouTube channel and will be available below:

Worship material for July 12, 2020

• Home Worship Bulletin for July 12, 2020
• Children's Bulletin for July 12, 2020
• The transcript of Pastor Linman's sermon

The following have been posted to YouTube; here is the YouTube Playlist for July 12, 2020:

• Musical Reflection: Gift of Finest Wheat by Ron Schmoltze
• Barbara Bulger Verdile: Psalm 65:9-13
• Pastor Linman's recorded sermon
• Hymn #516: "Almighty God, Your Word Is Cast"
• Choir Anthem: Go Forth Into the World In Peace by Paul Sjolund
• Hymn #726: "Light Dawns On A Weary World"

Music Notes

Hymn of the Day: “Almighty God, Your Word is Cast”, #516
Text: John Cawood (1775-1852)
Tune: St. Flavian, English folk tune

Almighty God, Thy word is cast. J. Cawood. [After Sermon.] Written about 1815 in 5 stanzas of 4 lines, and designated for use "After a Sermon". The text is stimulated by Jesus’ parable of the sower. It was reprinted in 1825 and from that date it has grown in importance as a congregational hymn, and its use has become extensive in all English-speaking countries. He published several prose works, but no volume of hymns or poems. His son says, "My father composed about thirteen hymns, which have one by one got into print, though never published by himself, or any one representing him.”

ST. FLAVIAN is an example of an English psalm tune that, like many Genevan Psalter tunes and German chorales, had its original rhythms smoothed out. It is an English tune that has been happily attached to numerous texts.

Choir Anthem: Go Forth Into the World in Peace
Paul Sjolund (b.1935)

Paul Sjolund is a leading composer of American church and choral music. The range of his style includes a wide spectrum of majestic anthems, fanfares and festival hymns, poignant children's music, and exhilarating range of spirituals and folksongs.

Go forth into the world in peace. Be of good courage, hold fast to that which is good, Render to no one evil for evil.

Go forth into the world in love: Strengthen the faint-hearted, support the weak, Help the afflicted, honor all people: love and serve the Lord.

Rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit, go forth into the world in peace.

Musical Reflection: Gift of Finest Wheat
Ron Schmoltze (b. 1936)

Robert E. Kreutz (1922-1996) carefully crafted the tune GIFT OF FINEST WHEAT, or BICENTENNIAL, in 1976 and it is faithfully represented in this organ setting. Though the meter changes frequently, the melody flows very naturally, with the changing meters unified by melodic and rhythmic motifs.

Ron Schmoltze is a church musician working in the San Francisco Bay area.

Dear members of God’s family at Resurrection Church,

The Gospel today is a beloved passage, unique to Matthew. Jesus speaks, as the very presence of the ancient Wisdom of God, offering rest to those who “are weary and carrying heavy burdens.” In this hard time, we may come to this deep rest to- gether as we encounter Christ in the scripture and as we pray. If you are able, join the congregation, using one of the many ways available, at 10am on Sunday, July 5.

Worship Service Broadcast

A pre-recorded worship service, complete with readings, Pastor Linman's sermon, prayers, and music will broadcast at 10am on Sunday, July 5 on our YouTube channel and will be available below:

Worship material for July 5, 2020

• Home Worship Bulletin for July 5, 2020
• Children's Bulletin for July 5, 2020
• The transcript of Pastor Linman's sermon

The following have been posted to YouTube; here is the YouTube Playlist for July 5, 2020:

• Musical Reflection: God Himself Is With Us, by David Cherwien
• Barbara Bulger Verdile: Psalm 145:8-14
• Pastor Linman's recorded sermon
• Hymn #611: "I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say"
• Hymn #874: "Rejoice, Ye Pure in Heart"

Music Notes

Hymn of the Day “I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say”, #611
Text: Horacius Bonar (1808-1889)
Tune: Kingsfold, English folk tune

Dr. Bonar's family has had representatives among the clergy of the Church of Scotland during two centuries and more. Horatius Bonar was ordained to the ministry and served as pastor at Kelso. In 1843, he joined the Free Church of Scotland. His reputation as a religious writer was first gained on the publication of the "Kelso Tracts," of which he was the author. He has also written many other prose works, some of which have had a very large circulation. Nor is he less favorably known as a religious poet and hymn-writer. The three series of "Hymns of Faith and Hope," have passed through several editions.

Dr. Bonar's poems—-including many beautiful lyrics, several psalm versions, and translations from the Greek and Latin, a large number of hymns, and a long meditative poem—-are very numerous. With Dr. Bonar's poetical writings great difficulty has been encountered by the historian and annotator because of his absolute indifference to dates and details. It was enough for him that he had written, and that the Church of Christ approved and gladly used what, out of the fulness of his heart, he had given her.

In Great Britain and America nearly 100 of Dr. Bonar's hymn texts are in common use. They are found in almost all modern hymnals.

Thought by some scholars to date back to the Middle Ages, the tune KINGSFOLD is a folk tune set to a variety of texts in England and Ireland. It was published in English Country Songs (1893). After having heard the tune in Kingsfold, Sussex, England (thus its name), Ralph Vaughan Williams introduced it as a hymn tune in The English Hymnal (1906) as a setting for Horatius Bonar's "I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say".

Musical Reflection: God Himself Is With Us, David Cherwein (1957)

David Cherwien, Artistic Director of the National Lutheran Choir, is a nationally known conductor, composer, and organist. Recognized for his contributions to the field of church music and liturgy, he is in demand as a clinician and hymn festival leader across the country.

In applying his vibrant, musical imagination to this calm and serene hymn setting, David Cherwien has composed an enchanting piece filled with hushed harmonies which fall gently on the ear. Enjoy!

Dear members of God’s family at Resurrection Church,

We finish reading from the second great discourse of Matthew today, the mission instructions given to the disciples and given still to us. We are exhorted to wel- come those who come to our communities, faithfully speaking the word of God, and we are urged to welcome with a cup of cold water the littlest and most vulner- able of people. On this “cup of cold water Sunday,” join together with your con- gregation — at 10 am, if you are able — to hear the word of God and pray in your own home. These materials offer you many ways to do that. Then consider how you may offer that cup of water to others, even when “socially distanced.”

Worship Service Broadcast

A pre-recorded worship service, complete with readings, Pastor Linman's sermon, prayers, and music will broadcast at 10am on Sunday, June 28 on our YouTube channel and will be available below:

Worship material for June 28, 2020

• Home Worship Bulletin for June 28, 2020
• Children's Bulletin for June 28, 2020
• The transcript of Pastor Linman's sermon

The following have been posted to YouTube; here is the YouTube Playlist for June 28, 2020:

• Musical Reflection: Give Me Jesus, Richard Billingham
• Barbara Bulger Verdile: Psalm 89:1-4, 15-18
• Pastor Linman's recorded sermon
• Hymn #707, "Lord of Glory, You Have Bought Us"
• Hymn #575, "In Christ, Called to Baptize"

Music Notes

Hymn of the Day: “Lord of Glory, You Have Bought Us”, #707
Text: Eliza S. Alderson (1818-1889)
Tune: HYFRYDOL, Rowland H. Pritchard (1811-1887)

Eliza S. Alderson wrote this text about tithing, sent it to the committee working on an addition to Hymns Ancient and Modern (1861) and requested that, if it were chosen, her brother John B. Dykes would be asked to write a tune for it. It was chosen, and he wrote the pleasant and not memorable CHARITAS.

Rowland H. Pritchard was a textile worker and an amateur musician. He had a good singing voice and was appointed precentor in Graienyn. Many of his tunes were published in Welsh periodicals. He composed this most loved Welsh tune when he was only nineteen. It was published with about forty of his other tunes in his children's hymnal Cyfaill y Cantorion (The Singers' Friend) in 1844. HYFRYDOL means delightful, beautiful, sweet, melodious, etc. The “H” in the tune name is pronounced, both the ‘y’s are sounded like the ‘u’ in ‘nut’ and the ‘f’ is voiced like ‘v’. This tune can be found published with at least 91 different texts. This is probably because HYFRYDOL is not only a tune that is quite friendly to congregations but one that accommodates many texts very well.

Musical Reflection: Give Me Jesus, Richard Billingham (1934)

Richard Billington worked for many years as Associate Professor of Music at the University of Illinois and Organist at the First Methodist Church, Chicago. Give Me Jesus is a fairly old hymn, originating as an African-American spiritual written during the time of slavery in the Untied States. It is currently published in 22 hymnals.