February 5, 2025

5th Sunday After Epiphany

After last week’s lengthy epistle about the music, I am keeping it brief this week and simply addressing our choir’s two unabashedly lovely musical offerings at Worship. The Chancel Choir’s Prelude is one of my favorite modern introits or invocations for choir. Herbert Colvin wrote “Surely the Lord Is in This Place” in 1977 while on the music staff at Baylor University in Waco, and it quickly became a standard for church choirs the world over. The undulating piano accompaniment uses constantly moving eighth notes to undergird the choir’s slower moving melodic line to great effect. The simple text reminds us that when we gather to worship in God’s name, this is truly the Gate of Heaven, where we may boldly approach God’s throne of grace with our petitions, thanks and praise.

Our moving anthem is Mark Miller’s lush modern setting of the traditional Spiritual text “God’s Got the Whole World in God’s Hands”. Instead of the upbeat traditional tune we all grew up loving, Miller’s setting is at once introspective, thankful, and triumphant. The slow tempo allows much expression and emotion, and all of it shows Mark’s ability to craft poignant and powerful musical statements in every style. The lush harmonies are warm, comforting and reassuring of God’s tender care for each of us and the entire creation. This setting speaks far more powerfully to me in the topsy-turvy world of 2025 than the ebullient tune most associated with this profound text. We pray it brings you comfort and peace as you listen.

As we are sent forth from Worship into Witness, the words of our closing hymn “The Summons” by John Bell perfectly encapsulate Christ’s call to each of us: 
 

          “Lord, your summons echoes true when I but call your name!
           Let me turn and follow you and never be the same.
           In your company I’ll go where your love and footsteps show.
           Thus I’ll move and live and grow in you and you in me.”

My prayer is that the words we sing and pray at each Worship empower us to “never be the same” as when we entered this holy place. May we be God’s heart and hands in this world as we daringly live our faith.

With a grateful heart,

Kenton