by the Rev. William P. McLemore
SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS: The Old Testament reading is from Exodus 24:12-18. Here, God asks Moses to ascend the mountain to receive the “tablets of stone” (the Ten Commandments). Psalms 2 and 99 appointed for this Sunday both extol God as “king.” The Epistle is from II Peter 1:16-21 which gives an account of Jesus’ hearing God’s voice “This is my Son,” at the Transfiguration. Matthew 17:1-9 records the events of the Transfiguration. The actual church date for celebrating the Feast of the Transfiguration is August 6th, but this Sunday lends itself to a sort of pre-celebration of this day.
THE HYMNS:
PROCESSIONAL HYMN: No. 135. “Songs of Thankfulness.” Christopher Wordsworth, Bishop of London and nephew of the poet, William Wordsworth, wrote this hymn for the sixth Sunday I after the Epiphany. The fourth verse was written and added by Francis Bland Tucker an Episcopal priest who authored and translated many hymns and helped develop the 1940 hymnal. The tune, “Salzburg,” was composed by Jakob Hintze and later harmonized by Johann Sebastian Bach.
THE SEQUENCE HYMN: No. 137. “O Wondrous Type.” This is one of many hymns written anonymously for use at Salisbury Cathedral at their celebration of the Feast of the Transfiguration. The 1940 hymnal had this set aside for Transfiguration, but the editors of this hymnal have placed it in Epiphany for its emphasis upon the bright light associated with this biblical event. The tune “Wareham” was composed by William Knapp and named for his birthplace, Wareham in Dorsetshire, England.
PRESENTATION HYMN: No. 64 in Lift Every Voice and Sing II “I Love to Tell the Story.” This hymn was written by Arabella Katherine Hankey (1834-1911), an English evangelist and missionary who authored a poem about story telling with 100 verses. This hymn is taken from that poem. The tune was composed by William G. Fischer (1835-1912).
COMMUNION HYMN: No. 335. “I Am the Bread of Life.” The words and music for this very popular new hymn are by Suzanne Toolan and based upon John 6. Toolan, a Mercy Sister, is an internationally known composer of liturgical music. This particular hymn has been translated into 20 languages. She is a prominent American spokeswoman for the music and prayer of the Taize ecumenical community from France and leads many retreats. The Taize Community is a monastic order founded by Roger Schutz in 1940, a Protestant pastor, but includes brothers from both Protestant and Catholic backgrounds. The monastic center is located in Taize, Burgundy, France.
RECESSIONAL HYMN: No. 414, “God My King, Thy Might Confessing.” This hymn was written by by the prolific hymn-writing British Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Richard Mant. It is a paraphrase of verses 1-12 of Psalm 145. Episcopalians today can be happy that the editors of the hymnal have gradually pared the original 14 verses down to 6 (after all—we DO sing all verses of every hymn, eh?) The tune, “Stuttgart,” originated with Christian Friedrick Witt and was harmonized in its present form by William Henry Havergal. It is a very tradition English 87.87 meter hymn.
