If you are watching on KMTV and would like to view the prelude, you can do so on our YouTube page by viewing today’s service video. The prelude will take place live on YouTube at 10:20 each Sunday.
God of Freedom, God of Justice – text by Shirley Elena Murray
God of freedom, God of justice, you whose love is strong as death,
you who saw the dark of prison, you who knew the price of faith —
touch our world of sad oppression with your Spirit’s healing breath.
Rid the earth of torture’s terror, you whose hands were nailed to wood;
hear the cries of pain and protest, you who shed the tears and blood —
move in us the power of pity restless for the common good.
Make in us a captive conscience quick to hear, to act, to plead;
make us truly sisters, brothers of whatever race or creed —
teach us to be fully human, open to each other’s needs.
Sonata in A Major, Op. 2 no. 2: IV – Grazioso by Ludwig Van Beethoven
Performed by Dr. Kristín Jónína Taylor
This sonata was written early in Beethoven’s career, at the age of 26, in 1796. He had studied with Franz Joseph Haydn from 1792 to 1794, but had become disillusioned with the relationship due to Haydn’s disinterest (Haydn was overwhelmed with work and had kind of “checked out” in general at this point in his life) and very critical posture toward Beethoven’s work. This piece is dedicated to Haydn, as they remained close despite the strain on their student-teacher relationship, and Haydn was one of the few contemporaries that Beethoven respected. That being said, it is interesting that Beethoven dedicated this work to Haydn, who in his 60’s was a fairly conservative composer, because this sonata is an aggressive departure from the norms of the time. These departures include leaps in technical difficulty, modulations and tonality, more “showy” use of scales, and a sense of parody of the common traits of music of the past – for example, taking the idiomatic rise and fall of melody in the classical period and extending them past the point of “acceptability,” in a way that is effective, yet thumbs its nose at the conservative nature of the time.
Blessed are the Poor in Spirit – text by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette
This hymn follows the verses of the Beatitudes and is serving as our “theme song” for the series. This week we include the second verse, which speaks to our scripture for this week and next.
Blessed are the poor in spirit; all God’s realm is surely theirs.
Those in mourning will find comfort as an answer to their prayers.
Meek ones whom this world despises will inherit everything.
God, your kingdom still surprises; may we seek the reign you bring.
Blessed, too, are those who hunger and who thirst for what is right.
They will not be prone to wander, for your will is their delight.
Those who show God’s care and mercy will receive that mercy too.
God, in Christ you show us clearly of the joy we have in you.
God of Grace and God of Glory
This hymn was written for the dedication of Riverside Church in New York City in 1930 by Harry Emerson Fosdick (1878-1969), a chaplain during World War I. Fosdick’s ministry focused on social justice and serving the poor. Considering this hymn was written at the beginning of the Great Depression, this context is helpful to understanding the hymn and its imagery. According to hymn scholar Carlton Young, “under his leadership Riverside Church was interdenominational, interracial, without a creed, and, astonishingly for Baptists, required no specific mode of baptism. At the center of Fosdick’s ministry was urban social ministry.”
God of grace and God of glory, on thy people pour thy power;
Crown thine ancient church’s story; bring its bud to glorious flower.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage, for the facing of this hour, for the facing of this hour.
Set our feet on lofty places; fill our lives that we may be
strengthened with all Christ-like graces pledges to set all captives free.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage, lest we fail our call from thee, lest we fail our call from thee.
Save us from weak resignation to the evils we deplore;
Let the search for thy salvation be our glory evermore.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage, serving thee whom we adore, serving thee whom we adore.