March 2010 Archives

THE GOSPEL LESSON Luke 23:13-25

SERMON "Crowd Control"

Worship Notes

Welcome to worship at Westminster on this the sixth Sunday in Lent, also known as Palm Sunday. Lent began on Ash Wednesday (February 17) and continues for 40 days and 40 nights, excluding Sundays. Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week, which includes observances of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday in the days leading up to Easter. The liturgical color for this Lenten season of penitence and reflection is purple. During our Lenten journey, we have put our "Alleluias!" away as we follow the path of Christ through the "valley" experiences, in part so that we may experience the "mountaintop" of Easter more fully and more completely. However, on Palm Sunday, we add our voices to those in the crowd at Jerusalem as we shout our loud "Hosannas" to the son of David.

As our service begins, we hear the text from Mark's gospel, which recounts the triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem. Westminster's youngest Christians will lead our procession into the sanctuary waving palms as we sing "All Glory, Laud, and Honor" to Christ the King. After the weeks of Lent, this service seems abundant with joy. However, today we foreshadow our understanding that the crowd that cries "Hosanna" today, is the same crowd that will shout "Crucify Him!" on Good Friday. This tension between Palm Sunday and what is also known as "Passion Sunday" is well demonstrated in our response hymn, "My Song is Love Unknown."

The voice of the crowd is represented musically in two texts sung today by the choir. The first, a setting by Tomas Luis de Victoria (1548-1611), will be used as an introit during the opening reading. The second is the Sanctus movement of the Requiem by English composer John Rutter (b. 1945). This Requiem will be used in our Good Friday Service of Tenebrae and, in this way, it also foreshadows the darkness that lies ahead in our faith journey this Holy Week.

THE FIRST LESSON Isaiah 43:16-21

THE SECOND LESSON John 12:1-8

SERMON "Praise, Perfume, and the Poor"

Worship Notes

Welcome to worship at Westminster on this Fifth Sunday in Lent. Lent began on Ash Wednesday (February 17) and continues for 40 days and 40 nights, excluding Sundays. The liturgical color for this season of penitence and reflection is purple. During our Lenten journey, we have put our "Alleluias!" away as we follow the path of Christ through the "valley" experiences, in part so that we may experience the "mountaintop" of Easter more fully and more completely. Lenten worship is characterized by the use of more purposeful silences, an increased focus on confession, and an opportunity to seek God through corporate and personal prayer.

Much of the music through which we worship today is that of God's servant, Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750). Today, March 21, marks the 325th anniversary of his birth. A prolific composer by any measure, perhaps no single musician contributed more to the development of church music and its role in worship than Bach. The prelude and solo are movements from one of six cello sonatas believed to be composed by Bach between 1717 and 1723 during his time in Cothen. The offertory, taken from one of Bach's organ sonatas, provides a melodic and mournful moment for meditation. The sending hymn, "O God, Our Faithful God," is a wonderful example of Bach's chorale harmonizations. The postlude is an example of Bach's mastery of the fugue form.

Music is never meant to be the focus of our worship. However, music is a means through which we can experience God. Bach's understanding of the connection between music, scripture, liturgy, and the divine is one reason why we value his artistry so greatly. Therefore, particularly on this Lenten Sunday morning, it is our prayer that the music of Bach will give a voice and a vehicle for our prayers to God. Repeating the text that Bach himself habitually wrote on each of his cantata scores, we say "Soli Deo Gloria: To God Alone Be the Glory!"

This is the lesson and sermon from Sunday, March 14, 2010.

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THE FIRST LESSON Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

THE SECOND LESSON 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

SERMON "Ambassadors of Grace"

Worship Notes

Welcome to worship at Westminster on this Fourth Sunday in Lent. Lent began on Ash Wednesday (February 17) and continues for 40 days and 40 nights, excluding Sundays. The liturgical color for this season of penitence and reflection is purple. During our Lenten journey, we have put our "Alleluias!" away as we follow the path of Christ through the "valley" experiences, in part so that we may experience the "mountaintop" of Easter more fully and more completely. Lenten worship is characterized by the use of more purposeful silences, an increased focus on confession, and an opportunity to seek God through corporate and personal prayer.

In worship today, we focus on the lesson of the Prodigal Son and its message to embrace the inclusive grace of God. The music through which we worship today illumines the human experience of seeking reconciliation with our God. Our hymns confess the ways in which we have wandered away from God, but also affirm that God stands ready to welcome us home. The opening hymn, "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing" indicates just how "prone to wander" we are. The response hymn, "O Come Unto the Lord" is a hymn of invitation for reconciliation with God. The sending hymn, "O Love that Will Not Let Me Go" reminds us that, no matter how far we may stray, God's love for us remains.

The anthem this morning is a representation of the Prodigal Son story from today's gospel lesson. This setting is an example of Sacred Harp music, which is a particularly American form of sacred choral music evolving from separate roots in the southern United States, the Appalachian region, and New England in the mid-18th Century. Sometimes called "shape note singing," this is an unpolished form of participatory three- or four-part singing in which the focus is on the text and an equal balance of voice parts rather than on the melody. In general, the harmonies of Sacred Harp are not centered in concepts of major and minor, but instead use the intervals of a fourth and fifth to leave the listener with a sense of the Holy through shifting and unresolved tonalities. The music of Sacred Harp influenced the hymnody of our faith in measurable ways. For example, one precursor to Sacred Harp music was a collection called "Southern Harmony" (1835), which gave us hymn tunes we still sing today, such as "What Wondrous Love is This."

THE FIRST LESSON Luke 13:1-9

THE SECOND LESSON Isaiah 55:1-9

SERMON "Need and Want"

Worship Notes

Welcome to worship at Westminster on this Third Sunday in Lent. Lent began on Ash Wednesday (February 17) and continues for 40 days and 40 nights, excluding Sundays. The liturgical color for this season of penitence and reflection is purple. During our Lenten journey, we have put our "Alleluias!" away as we follow the path of Christ through the "vallies," in part so that we may experience the "mountaintop" of Easter more fully and more completely. Lenten worship is characterized by the use of more purposeful silences, an increased focus on confession, and an opportunity to seek God through corporate and personal prayer.

In worship today, we focus on our human struggle to recognize that God provides sufficiently for all our needs. The particular challenge lies in trusting God and in understanding that, even in times of great difficulty, God still provides. Our Lenten prayer is filled with thanksgiving for the abundance found in the loving mercy of God, which supports and nourishes us both in times of great distress and great joy.

The music through which we worship today illumines the theme of thankfulness for God's loving care. The prelude is a setting of today's response hymn, "Jesus, Priceless Treasure," set by German composer Johann Gottfried Walther (1684-1748). As we prepare to gather around the Lord's table, the offertory anthem, set by English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958), reminds us of the blessings that come to those who trust in the Lord.

The music during communion is one of Polish pianist Fredric Chopin's most beautiful preludes, "The Raindrop." This prelude, filled with both turbulent storms and peaceful rainfalls, offers a musical interpretation of today's scripture text as it illustrates the constant presence of God in both times of trouble and times of peace. Around the world, musicians this week are celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Chopin.