Musical Notes From St. Paul's Lionville

Prelude : Many And Great, O God (Wakantanka Taku Nitawa) Many and great, O God, are thy things, Maker of earth and sky. Thy hands have set the heavens with stars; thy fingers spread the mountains and plains. Lo, at thy word the waters were formed; deep seas obey thy voice. I took a deep dive in learning the history behind this selection. After reading Joseph Renville's story, I was left with a sense of awe that I felt called to share:  The text and tune of our prelude was composed by Joseph Renville. A fur trader and Indian guide, Renville's father was a reputed French trader, and his mother was a Dakota. (Outsiders refer to Dakota as Sioux, making the label of Sioux an exonym.) While Renville spent much of his youth raised as a Dakota child, at age ten, his father brought him to Montreal for formal Catholic education with a Roman priest; however, before he reached adulthood, Renville's father passed away, and the young Renville was returned to the Dakota land where he was ...

 Scriptural Reference: Exodus 5:1-9, Moses Confronts Pharaoh  Prelude: Wade in the Water ...African Spiritual In addition to foreshadowing our journey through Exodus ( See that band all dressed in red God is gonna trouble these waters Look like a band that Moses led God is gonna trouble these waters), this "Sorrow Song" provides a window to the profound faith of those who have suffered unimaginable persecution. While classified as a spiritual, Wade in the Water  was also a coded song used in the Underground Railroad, and later became a rallying cry for social justice during the civil rights movement. The enslaved Africans who created this haunting melody have offered compelling similarities between their plight and that of the enslaved Israelites.  Gathering Hymn: O God of Every Nation Another nod to the day's scripture reading from Exodus, this hymn was written by William W. Reid Jr. following WWII, and was inspired by the war itself. The lyrics express ou...

Scriptural Reference: Exodus 3:1-15, Moses and the Burning Bush  9:30am Combined Service Gathering Hymn: Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing In reviewing the text for this hymn (as I typically do when referencing it to the scripture) I realized I had never thought about the verse which states: "Here I raise my Ebenezer." The only Ebenezer I was familiar with up until this point was that of the Dickensian nature...and this surely could not be the same. ( If you are familiar with I Samuel , you are already way ahead of where I was.) Here is what I discovered:  Out of fear of an impending attack from the Philistines, the Israelites pled with the prophet Samuel to ask God for forgiveness and protection, which Samuel did through prayer and the sacrificing of a lamb. When the Philistines came upon the Israelites to attack, it is written that the Lord let out a "mighty sound" which startled the Philistines, allowing the Israelites to defeat them. In remembrance of God's ...