From the Music Room…
“Autumn is a time of harvesting, of gathering together. For what is sown in the spring, so shall be reaped in the autumn.” ~Warren McCord
Autumn is my second favorite season of the year (the first being winter, which ushers in many of my life’s great joys ~ Christmas carols, seasonal decorating, and that crispness in the cold air which, to my senses, carry an aromatic mosaic of Fuji apples, eucalyptus, pine, and a hint of musk).
I would like to focus for a moment on the hymn “Sing to the Lord of Harvest,”our Offertory Response for the remainder of what, in liturgical terms, is called Ordinary Time (more commonly referred to today as …Sundays after Pentecost).
Sing to the Lord of harvest, sing songs of love and praise;
with joyful hearts and voices your alleluias raise.
By him the rolling seasons in fruitful order move;
sing to the Lord of harvest a joyous song of love.
Bring to this sacred altar the gifts his goodness gave,
the golden sheaves of harvest, the souls Christ died to save.
Your hearts lay down before him when at his feet you fall,
and with your lives adore him who gave his life for all.
In autumn we gather the harvest (`bringing in the sheaves,’ so to speak) and, with joy, reap the bounty of God’s many blessings. We offer thanks for sustenance for another year and remember that God watches over all of us. One of my favorite vocal “chestnuts” I enjoy singing is entitled “Consider the Lilies.” It paraphrases these well known verses from Matthew’s Gospel:
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. — Matthew 6:25-29 RSV
We, as a congregation, have many blessings for which to offer our thanks; not least of which is the opportunity to celebrate and express our gratitude and appreciation for the many years of faithful service from Janet Howe, who faithfully lead the Bells here at First Lutheran for several years. We will be hosting a reception for Janet after the service on October 20th in the fellowship hall. Please come to enjoy cake, fellowship, and, most importantly, to help celebrate Janet’s music ministry and say thank you for her invaluable contribution to First Lutheran.
Blessings,
Ben 🎵
