March 23, 2025

The prelude for this 3rd Sunday in Lent is based on hymn 641, "Lord Jesus, Think on Me", and is a setting by J.Burt Carlson (1937-2017) who, along with having been a successful published composer, was a popular Lutheran pastor for 50 years.

Our processional hymn is a well known favorite of the season; it's "The glory of these forty days", 143.  You might note how old the melody is-- the 16th century; the text even older--the 6th century.

You might not recognize the composer of our Gospel hymn melody-- Bortniansky-- but we have sung anthems by this Russian composer of the late 18th and early 19th century.  The hymn, which we have sung often, is "Before thy throne, O God, we kneel", 574.

Our anthem is a setting of another beautiful hymn not in our hymnal, "There's a Wideness in God's Mercy" (tune name "Corvedale"), by Maurice Bevan (1921-2006), although the text is by F. W. Faber (1814-1863).  

Communion hymns are the old favorite "Rock of ages" (685), and "Shepherd of souls. refresh and bless thy chosen pilgrim flock with manna in the wilderness" (343)-- another favorite.

Closing, we will sing 386. "We sing of God, the mighty source of all things".  We do sing this hymn by Samuel Wesley once in a while, but you may not know it as well as some of the other day's hymns!  Besides the pleasant melody, it does contain some interesting modulations-- in other words, it briefly transitions to keys other than the original of D Major. The text is by Christopher Smart, who wrote a total of 6 texts in our hymnal.

The postlude -- getting more subdued for Lent-- is a hymn theme -- "That Priceless Grace"--with 2 variations.  They are by David Lasky, of whom I wrote last week.