The readings on this Second Sunday after Pentecost contain some rather dramatic accounts of what can happen when one has an encounter with God and God’s prophets. A reading from Psalm 146 sets the stage for the readings that follow it by recounting the power and goodness of God, on whom rest the hopes of all living things.

The Old Testament reading is the account of Elijah’s stay with the widow, whose meager resources were not consumed while she tended to the needs of the prophet — and whose son was restored to life. (1 Kings 17:8-16, (17-24)) Another widow had her son given back to her when Jesus raised the dead man of Nain. (Luke 7:11-17) These are remarkable stories of the power of God and of the Christ.

In Galations, Paul tells of another remarkable restoration to life of another sort. He recounts his encounter with Jesus Christ, presumably referring to his experience on the road to Damascus. Now he, who had once persecuted the church, was preaching the very faith he had tried to destroy. (Galatians 1:11-24)

These stories remind us of the power of God’s Spirit to change our lives too, and to restore us to life in ways large and small. The music for today reminds us of the unavoidable prospect of having to look death in the face, and of the hope offered us in God’s grace — hope that roots out fear. It also sings of the life-changing effects of knowing Christ, as we put aside old ways and live in Christ who will be our joy, our righteousness, our love.

Choral Music:

We are grateful to the volunteers who comprise Second’s Summer Sunday Songsters. This informal group offers leadership during summer months, often with simple, more vernacular arrangements of spiritual songs.

• Introit: “Surely the Presence of the Lord Is in This Place” – Lanny Wolfe.
• Anthem: “O Christ, Who Shared Our Mortal Life” – Herman Steumpfle — As our lessons include not one but two stories of being raised from the dead, this recent text (2003) adresses head-on the topic of mortality and restoration. The middle two stanzas tell the story of the widow of Nain, our gospel reading today. The text is set to the old English folk tune Kingsfold.
• Anthem: “Knowing You” – Graham Kendrick — This contemporary song echoes some of the epistle reading, where Paul recounts how his former life is past, and how his encounter with Jesus Christ turned his life to a completely new direction and purpose.

Instrumental and Organ Music:

We are grateful today to SRC’s Green Team, who have recently cleared a bit of space and installed a platform in the balcony, permitting us to make music there with solo instruments and the harpsichord. We initiate it with today’s prelude.

• Prelude: “Sonata V: Largo & Allegro” – Antonio Vivaldi — These are the first two movements of this Cello Sonata, originally scored for cello and strings, but adapted for a keyboard accompaniment played today on harpsichord. One way of hearing this music is something like this: These two movements together are emblematic of the themes for today, of death and resurrection, or of former lives of fear and hostility changed to lives of faith and joy. We are grateful to Zach for his talents, and are happy to have him play once again before going to his summer appointment at Camp Fowler.
  
• Offertory: “Arioso” – Daniel Gawthrop — This is simply a lovely, lyrical piece for organ, embodying a quiet joy and peace.
• Postlude: “Kingsfold” – Franklin D. Ashdown — The tune is that of the second anthem today, which the listener will associate with a number of other texts as well. The piece is from a collection titled, “British Inspiration,” wherein Ashdown presents a handful of pieces written on tunes from the British Isles. This one he calls, “Tuba Tune on ‘Kingsfold,’” indicating the preferred use of the Tuba stop, a full-bodied solo reed sometimes found on English organs. The character of this composition captures the hopefulness of our anthem, closing with a final cry: “Restore to life our mortal race. Raise us, O Risen King.”
  

June 4th, 2010 Subscribe to the RSS feed!