Music Spotlight! (Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022)

Our three hymns this Sunday require us to use a little "imagination" (which is what the sermon will be all about!) The first hymn is "For the Beauty of the Earth," a favorite of this congregation.

For the beauty of the earth, 

for the glory of the skies, 

for the love which from our birth 

over and around us lies.

In the first stanza, we are told that there's "beauty" in the earth and glory in the skies. British hymnologist J. R. Watson suggests that this hymn “is said to have been inspired by the view of Pierpoint’s [the author's] native city of Bath on a spring day.” [Read More] On a warm, peaceful day, beauty is easy to spot. Beauty becomes more elusive when we're in pain or surrounded by reminders of suffering. We wonder, is the earth inherently beautiful? What is beautiful about it? Why exactly is it beautiful? The hymn answers. We find beauty everywhere in "the love, which from our birth over and around us lies." Raising our "grateful praise" to our Lord each and every day teaches us how to witness beauty even in the seemingly ugly.

God is calling through the whisper 

of the Spirit's deepest sighs, 

through the thrill of sudden beauties 

that can catch us by surprise. 

Flash of lightning, crash of thunder; 

hush of stillness, rush of wonder: 

God is calling--can you hear?

In the 2003 hymn "God Is Calling through the Whisper," Mary Louise Bringle posits that God is speaking to us in our modern age. No, we don't have Jesus in the flesh to give us directions or answer our every question. However, God speaks through natural beauty, music and art, the voices of those with needs and hungers, and even the tragedies and injustices of the world in which we live. We have to trust in our imaginations, given freely to us by the Spirit. 

We all are one in mission; 

we all are one in call, 

our varied gifts united 

by Christ, the Lord of all. 

A single great commission 

compels us from above 

to plan and work together 

that all may know Christ’s love.

“We All Are One in Mission” was written in 1985 by Lutheran theologian Rusty Edwards. It expresses the unity of the church, brought together by the great commission. [Read More] The sentiment of unity is nice in theory, but unity is not always what we see in society. Division constantly rears its ugly head. On my bad days, I wonder how humanity accomplishes anything good at all! Teamwork is hard, plain and simple. Unity is hard. The hymn emphasizes that we are one in mission--not that we all agree or experience the same things or have the same talents. "Our ministries are different; our purpose is the same: to touch the lives of others by God's surprising grace." I encourage you to feed your imagination in the pursuit of this great mission. A healthy imagination--the ability to envision the future we want to see--helps us hope for unity and work for unity in the world. 

Our One and Done Choir piece today is "When I Sing, I Pray" by our very own Leo Adames, written in 2018. His poetry tells us that healthy imagination helps us have faith. He says, "I can't always see all that I believe," but "where there's faith and hope [God's] love will be." The practice of praying--whether that be through words or an artistic endeavor like singing--broadens our imagination and capacity for hope and beauty.

When I sing I pray, when I pray I sing, 

grace received from out brings me joy within. 

Doesn't matter what someone else may think; 

what is in my heart is what my voice will sing. 

Sometimes what I feel I can't find the words, 

what my heart will sing I can't always say. 

I can't always see all that I believe, 

where there's faith and hope your love will be. 

When I sing I pray, I need not be loud, 

the Lord I know knows me inside out. 

When I pray I sing, calling from above, 

Spirit moves in me, praises of His love.

----

Hannah Cruse

Music Director and Organist