THE FIRST LESSON Acts 16:9-15
THE SECOND LESSON John 14:23-29
SERMON "Resurrection Life: The Peace of Making Our Home with God"
Worship Notes
Welcome to worship at Westminster on this Sixth Sunday of Easter in which we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The liturgical season of Eastertide continues for seven Sundays and concludes with our observance of Ascension Sunday (next Sunday May 16) before the season of Pentecost begins on May 23. The liturgical color for Eastertide is white.
In worship today, we reflect on what it means to live in God's word as a resurrection people. The music through which we worship today is chosen to reflect the centrality of God's word to our faith, our worship, and our lives as Christians. The choir anthem is by English organist and composer, Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924). A professor at both the University of Cambridge and the Royal College of Music, Stanford is perhaps most widely known for his influence on the subsequent generation of English musicians and composers. Stanford's students included Gustav Holst, Ralph Vaughan Williams, John Ireland, and Herbert Howells. In this anthem, Stanford demonstrates his skill at subtlety in composition as he creates an overwhelming sense of serenity and peace, which well illustrates the blessings found by following the "law" of the Lord.
The postlude is a passacaglia by G.F. Handel (1685-1759). The passacaglia form originated in Spain in the 17th Century and is characterized by a repeated melody that occurs most often in the bass part. Atop this repeated bass, the composer elaborates a series of variations or flourishes in the upper voices. This postlude was chosen today to illustrate musically the strong foundation of God's word (the bass part) upon which we are challenged to build our lives as Christians.
