At the beginning of this holiest week in the Christian year, we gather to observe two themes in our worship. Both of them sum up the ways we have been preparing for Jerusalem throughout the Lenten season.

First, we remember Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, as the townsfolk and children shouted, “Hosanna! Save us!” We begin our service in the Gathering Place, much as crowds might have gathered at the gate of Jerusalem, collecting palms to wave before their Savior. The words of Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29 set a festive mood, recounting the joy of entering into the place of God. The Gospel appointed for the opening of the service is Matthew’s account of that procession wherein Jesus arrived, not on a steed, but on a donkey. (Matthew 21:1-11)

Soon enough, however, we are reminded of the somber reason for Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. The choir anthem expresses it; the Readers’ Theatre summarizes Lent’s Encounters with the Cross and draws the focus to Jesus’ impending suffering and death; and the rest of the readings also give expression to the meaning of this week. Isaiah 50:4-9a sings of the resolve of the Innocent One to be obedient, to enter into the fray, and to trust that God will vindicate him and save him from shame. Then Paul sings the great Christ-hymn of Philippians 2:5-11, singing of the humble obedience that led this One to the cross and his subsequent exaltation.

So it is a day of exultation and of somber reflection. Today’s procession, the Readers’ Theater, the anthems, and our prayers and intercessions all seek to make us participants in the Holy Week story. We are not mere observers. All of it was, after all, for us.

Choral Music:

• Kingdom Kids: “Shout Hosanna” – Peter Evans — Our children start our festive gathering with this cheerful song, letting them wave their branches of palms, and shouting their Hosannas to Jesus, riding on a donkey. The rest of us then join their song and follow them as they lead us into the sanctuary.
• Chancel Choir: “Come, Faithful People” – W. R. Voris — This Legacy Anthem of Second Church recounts the narrative of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, with a recurrent call for faithful people to sing Hosanna, fully aware of the events to come.
• Chancel Choir: “Christ, the Life of All the Living” – E. Homburg — Homburg’s 16th century text is at once both a recounting of the cost of the suffering and death of Jesus and a hymn of thanksgiving for the sacrifice made on our behalf. Sung simply as a chorale (to the historic tune from a 16th century hymnbook in Darmstadt), it reflects the dual character of our own observance of Holy Week.

Instrumental Music:

• Prelude: “Prelude from Le Tombeau de Couperin” – Maurice Ravel — Brent offers today’s prelude and postlude, in advance of his recital at month’s end. The character of this piece should reflect what was undoubtedly a festive and expectant mood at the gates of Jerusalem. It will help to excite our own gathering on this festive morning.
  (The 8:00 worshippers will hear a chorale prelude by J. Wayne Kerr, “Hosanna, Loud Hosanna.”)
• Offertory: “What Wondrous Love Is This” – Charles Callahan — The familiar American hymn is the basis for this meditation.
• Postlude: “Nocturne in C# minor, Op. 27, No. 1″ – Frederic Chopin — In contrast to the opening prelude, this nocturne present a shift in the mood of the morning, ending more reflectively and subdued.
  (The 8:00 worshippers will hear a meditation on “Gethsemane” by David Cherwien.)

April 16th, 2011 Subscribe to the RSS feed!