January 14, 2024

The organ prelude Sunday will be short settings of 2 familiar hymn tunes, 587, "Our Father, by Whose Name", and 339, "Soul, Adorn Yourself with Gladness".  Both arrangements are by the young contemporary American Jacob B. Weber, who along with concertizing and composing, serves as an editor of Concordia Publishing House, known to all organists.  I think that what helps congregants best prepare for worship is arrangements of known hymn tunes; if not, do let me know!

Our processional hymn will be "Thou, Whose almighty Word" (371), from the 18th-19th centuries and one that most of us grew up with and loved.  It would be difficult to find a better known hymn.  

Our Gospel hymn is from roughly the same period, 706 -- "In Your mercy, Lord, You called me".  I think most of you know the hymn, though it is not as much a "chestnut" as 371; it is certainly a beautiful hymn in my opinion.

Because some of our choristers are just now recovering from illnesses and we did not rehearse this week, we will sing 137, "O wondrous type! O vision fair of glory" during the offertory.  This is a beautiful hymn for Epiphany, and we invite you, the congregation, to sing with us on verses 1 & 5.

During communion, Lynn Bailey, harpist, will play a piece called "Dialogue" which uses the Epiphany hymn "We three kings" intertwined with "Aquatintes #3" by Bernard Andres. The arrangement is by Megan Metheney.

Closing, we will sing the popular hymn, "Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates; behold the King of Glory", 436, another 18th century hymn that has endured.

The postlude is a Gerald Near (contemporary American) setting of our opening hymn.  Mr. Near, who studied early on with Leo Sowerby, is known as one of our finest composers today.