February 4, 2007

5^th Sunday in Epiphany

Preparation for Worship

Do not be afraid;

From now on you will

be catching people.

Luke 5:10 

The heart of Jesus loves us as we are and not as we should be,

beyond worthiness and unworthiness, beyond fidelity and infidelity;

Jesus who loves us in the morning sun and the evening rain

without caution, regret, boundary, limit, or breaking point.

Brennan Manning

Beauty without grace is the hook without the bait.  Ralph Waldo Emerson

On this Fifth Sunday after Epiphany, we continue to offer our praise for the light of Christ present in our hearts.  The opening hymn, “O Day of Radiant Gladness” is a composite of text from several poets.  The first two stanzas were written by Christopher Wordsworth (1807-1855), nephew of poet laureate William Wordsworth.  In his texts on hymnody, Christopher Wordsworth said, “the first duty of a hymn writer [is to] teach sound doctrine, and thus to save souls.”  Through this text, we sing about the diverse forms of light created by God and offered to us as his people.  In this same spirit, we will sing the Native-American hymn “This Is the Good News” as a means of proclaiming the sound Christian doctrine drawn from today’s Epistle lesson.

     Our worship today focuses on the call of Christ to “come, follow me” and his instruction that we will become “fishers of men.”  This gospel lesson is illumined musically in a variety of ways and styles throughout the worship service.  The prelude, “If You Would Trust in God to Guide You” recognizes our very human need to place our trust in God in order to respond to his call and follow him.  You may wish to reflect on the text of this German hymn and chorale tune, which is found on page 282 of the hymnal. 

     The hymn “Lord, You Have Come to the Lakeshore” also echoes a reflection of the gospel text and a our response to the one who “calls us by name.”  Spaniard Cesareo Gabarain was moved to compose this text in 1979 after a visit to Galilee where he stood on the very seaside where Christ had called some of his disciples.  The two hymns offered during communion also respond to the gospel text.  “They Cast Their Nets in Galilee” is a Lutheran hymn that well describes the disciples as “fishers of men.”  The text of “You Satisfy the Hungry Heart” speaks of the call of the great shepherd over his sheep who know and heed his voice.  Should you wish to reflect on this text during communion, it is found on page 521.

     The offertory solo, “The Call,” is a musical setting by English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams’ (1872-1958) setting of English metaphysical poet George Herbert’s (1593-1633) text.  Consistent with other Herbert texts, “The Call” uses lush visual imagery to paint the impassioned nature of God’s call on our lives. 

     As our service ends, we sing a hymn in which we ask God “Would I Have Answered When You Called?”  Our enthusiastic response to this question, and to the benediction, is the proclamation that “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus.”  The postlude setting by Pachelbel reflects the call (heard in the front of the sanctuary) and response (heard from the rear of the sanctuary) theme through an energetic “praeludium.” Through this experience of corporate worship, may Christ kindle the light God has placed in our hearts and thus enable us to share it with others as “fishers of men and women.”