Connecting to the Pericope Through Hymnody

Last week I finished up my time as Director of Parish Music Intern.  My project didn't go quite like I expected it to.  I wasn't able to work on as many tasks as I wanted to, but overall it was a good experience and I learned a lot.  This is the last bulletin insert I wrote for my internship.  Although I'm done writing bulletin inserts, I hope to continue to post thoughts about hymnody and worship on occasion.

From the July 29th bulletin:

From One Sunday to the Next:

Hymnody and the Pericope

     Sometimes I think we tend to compartmentalize Sundays:  we read the pericope for the given day, sing the indicated hymns, listen to our pastor’s sermon, and look for the connection between it all.  But in reality each Sunday doesn’t stand alone.  Have you ever noticed how some of the readings have been taken either directly following or a few chapters or verses behind the previous week’s text?  Not only do the weekly Scripture readings connect to continue the Spirit-inspired thoughts of the authors who wrote them, but they connect to tell the greater story of God’s salvation for us. Our closing hymn today, Praise the One Who Breaks the Darkness (LSB 849), wonderfully demonstrates how the story of Jesus’ ministry and the story of salvation are connected from Sunday to Sunday.

     Today’s Gospel reading relates how Jesus healed many people in the region of Gennesaret (Mark 6:53-56).  Likewise the first stanza of the hymn speaks of how Christ was “healing ev’ry dread disease.”  Jesus also was “calming storms” (stanza one) when He appeared to His disciples walking out on the water to them (Mark 6:51). Last week, we heard how Jesus fed five thousand men with just five loaves (Mark 6:30-44) and over the next two weeks we will be hearing from the Gospel of John how Christ is the Bread of Life (John 6:22-51).  We are reminded of these stories in the last phrase of the first stanza when we sing “feeding thousands with the very Bread of peace.”  While it may be many Sundays before we hear some of the other stories of Jesus’ ministry that are referred to in stanzas one and two, Mark is a great place to read these stories in the meantime.  We can read how Christ healed the blind (ex. Mark 10:46-52), blessed the children (ex. Mark 10:13-16), and drove out demons (ex. Mark 5:1-20).  These stories show us that Christ came to earth to redeem us, not to show us how to be good people. In the final stanza of our hymn this morning, the clear Gospel message is “that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3a-4).  Praise be to God!

-Kristen

“I will extol you, my God and King,

and bless your name forever and ever.”

Ps. 145:1