Pentecost X – Aug 1, 2010
On this Tenth Sunday after Pentecost, our preacher (Seminarian Andy) has chosen to use the alternate Old Testament readings in shaping the liturgy and message. When these lessons are read, a more prominent theme emerges that highlights the futility of mortal, temporal achievements, and shifts one’s focus to the treasures of God, which are eternal.
It is difficult to imagine a more bleak assessment of human endeavor than that found in the opening verses of Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-23. The psalmist might temper the mood a bit, but is still focused on the finiteness of human existence, and the inability of humans to do anything else of their own accord to surpass it. (Psalm 49:1-12) But this is a common feature of Wisdom Literature in the Old Testament — keeping clear the distinctions between human creatures and the God who made them. God is the God of gods, humans are mortal, and that’s the way it is.
By contrast, Paul’s message to the Colossians is that something new has happened in Christ: they (we) have been raised with Christ, and so may now set our sights on higher things, put aside the darker things of this mortal life, and strive for the things of glory. (Colossians 3:1-11)
Finally, the gospel reading is another parable of Jesus, wherein he reinforces the futility of amassing stuff that has no eternal value and urges his listeners to set their hearts on God. (Luke 12:13-21) It seems to me Jesus is really focusing not on our ledger books, but on our hearts.
Some of us today would think of it in terms of attachment. What, or whom, are we attached to? What, or whom, will we give our first allegiance and loyalty? Which relationship gets our attention and energy? Our relationship to stockpiles of goods, or our relationship to the eternal God?
Choral Music:
- Introit: “Surely the Presence of the Lord Is In This Place” – Lanny Wolfe.
- Anthem: “Treasures in Heaven” – K. Lee Scott — This anthem keeps with today’s theme of attending to eternal things rather than temporal futility. The text is from Matthew’s account of the sermon on the mount. We last heard this anthem on Ash Wednesday, another time when we are urged to reset our focus on the things of God.
Organ Music
- Prelude: “Be Now My Vision” – David Lasky — The opening hymn by this name is sung to the familiar tune Slane. Lasky has written a partita on this tune, having more parts to it than the number of verses in our hymnal. I’ve selected four parts to hear in preparation for the service and the hymn, and I’m reserving the finale for the postlude.
- Offertory: “Jesus Priceless Treasure” – Jonathan Reuss — In contrast to the words of Ecclesiastes, the words of this hymn exult in the joy of knowing, trusting, and living in Christ. The tune of this arrangement is Gud skal alting Mage, the creation of Norwegian Ludwig Lindeman. The tune is a sharp contrast to Johann Cruger’s Jesu meine Freude, which originally carried this text in the 17th-century. The suitability of one tune over another varies, I think, depending on which stanza of the hymn one is singing.
- Postlude: “Be Now My Vision” – David Lasky — This is the finale to the partita begun in the prelude.
By the way — the listing in today’s bulletin is incorrect — just a symptom of my readiness to head out to a couple weeks’ vacation. Maybe when I return I’ll keep my weeks straight!
