January 21, 2007

3^rd Sunday in Epiphany

Preparation for Worship

Spirit of the living God,

fall afresh on us.

If you were all alone in the universe with no one to talk to, no one with which to share the beauty of the stars, to laugh with, to touch, what would be your purpose in life? It is other life, it is love, which gives your life meaning. This is harmony. We must discover the joy of each other, the joy of challenge, the joy of growth.

Mistugi Saotome

This is the duty of our generation as we enter the twenty-first century -- solidarity with the weak, the persecuted, the lonely, the sick, and those in despair. It is expressed by the desire to give a noble and humanizing meaning to a community in which all members will define themselves not by their own identity but by that of others.

Elie Wiesel

We continue our observance of the season of Epiphany by celebrating the diverse ways in which God has equipped His Westminster community of faith for ministry.  The scripture text this morning describes the “body of Christ” formed as Westminster and in the wider world.  As we seek to identify our gifts and respond to God’s calling to ministry, we are mindful of the ways in which we can share the light of Christ with one another and with the world.

     The prelude is a setting of the hymn tune Union Seminary.  This tune is most often associated with the text, “Draw Us In the Spirit’s Tether,” which proclaims that “when humbly in Christ’s name two or three are met together, Christ is in the midst of them." 

     The processional hymn, “Arise, Your Light Has Come,” well characterizes our response to the light of Christ in our lives.  The text of this hymn was written by Ruth Duck.  Born in 1947, Duck is a prolific writer publishing numerous hymn texts and other writings on worship distinguishing herself as one of the foremost female hymn writers of the modern church.  Duck is currently a professor of worship at Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary on the campus of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

     The Offertory is a setting of the gospel hymn, “He Leadeth Me.”  Often sung as an “alter call” in other worship traditions, this hymn reflects our role as followers of the light of God wherever Christ may lead.  This same spirit is echoed in our sending hymn, “O Jesus, I Have Promised.”  Especially in this service of ordination/installation, we as a congregation join our newly elected officers in dedicating our lives to the ministry of Christ as through the words of this hymn we promise to "serve Christ to the end."

     The postlude, “Modal Trumpet,” is a composition by Frederick Karam (1926-1978).  The trumpet is often used in music to represent the voice of a leader.  In this setting, the leader engages in a dialogue with other non-trumpet instruments, which eventually follow and echo the leader’s unusual modal call.  The piece is, in this way, a representation of our response to the light of Christ and our desire to follow where he leads.