Notes on the Notes – October 2, 2022

World-Wide Communion Sunday

This Week’s Music: 

“All Who Hunger” (VU #460)

“All who hunger, gather gladly; holy manna is our bread.
Come from wilderness and wandering.  Here, in truth, we will be fed.
You that yearn for days of fullness, all around us is our food.
Taste and see the grace eternal. Taste and see that God is good.

All who hunger, never strangers; seeker, be a welcome guest.
Come from restlessness and roaming. Here, in joy, we keep the feast.
We that once were lost and scattered in communion’s love have stood.
Taste and see the grace eternal. Taste and see that God is good.

All who hunger, sing together; Jesus Christ is living bread.
Come from loneliness and longing. Here, in peace, we have been led.
Blest are those who from this table live their lives in gratitude.
Taste and see the grace eternal. Taste and see that God is good.”

Born in 1955, Sylvia Dunstan attributes her love of song to her grandparents, who kept song alive in the family and entrusted Sylvia’s formal musical education to one of the nuns at the local convent. Sylvia began writing songs in the early seventies and soon after met Sister Miriam Theresa Winter, who encouraged her to write songs based on Scripture. Sylvia eventually realized that her talents did not lay with the music and concentrated instead on the lyrics.  In 1980, she was ordained by the Hamilton Conference of the United Church of Canada. During her career she served as a minister, a prison chaplain, and editor of a Canadian worship resource journal, Gathering.

In the summer of 1990 she was invited to lead the annual conference of the Hymn Society in the U.S. and Canada in a session exploring her hymnody.  She became acquainted with the American folk hymns in William Walker’s Southern Harmony (1835) at this conference.   She wrote “All Who Hunger” for the tune HOLY MANNA, composed in 1825 by William Moore.  The arrangement used in Voices United is by David Kai, a member of the Hymn and Worship Resource Committee which compiled Voices United.   (Source: http://www.giamusic.com/bios/)

We learn from this hymn the nature of the meal and how important it is for all who share it. Those who partake in this meal “yearn for days of fullness” (stanza one), are “never strangers” (stanza two), and will find that “Jesus Christ is living bread” (stanza three).   This is not a memorial hymn that recalls Christ’s suffering, but a joyful hymn of community to be shared at the table.  As the writer notes in stanza three, “Blest are those who from this table live their days in gratitude.”

Hear the song sung by Andra Moran & the Bridge Band at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqVPd4JKsP8

“Bread of Life, Feed My Soul” (MV #194)

“Bread of life, feed my soul,
As the presence of the Spirit makes me whole.
Bread of life, fill my heart
With the grace and mercy you impart.

I have heard your voice calling,
“Come, my friend, and share
In the feast that is laid out for you
To show how much I care.”

Bread of life, help me live
A life as pure and true as Jesus did.
Bread of life, help me see
The boundless love of Christ for you and me…

This week’s anthem, found in More Voices, is a communion prayer for healing and guidance. The words and music were written by Stephen Spencer in 2005.  The arrangement is by Rick Gunn (2005), harmonized by L Steidl (2022).

“Grant Us, God, the Grace” (VU #540)

“Grant us, God, the grace of giving, with a spirit large and free,
That ourselves and all our living we may offer faithfully.”

The text of our offering response comes from the Mennonite hymn book, “Hymnal: a Worship Book.”  The tune is a familiar one which is also used for the Advent hymn “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus”  (VU #2).

“Sent Forth by God’s Blessing” (VU #481)    

“Sent forth by God’s blessing, our true faith confessing,
The people of God from this dwelling take leave.
The supper is ended, O now be extended
The fruits of this service in all who believe.

The seed of Christ’s teaching, receptive souls reaching,
Shall blossom in action for God and for all.
God’s grace did invite us, God’s love shall unite us
To work for the kingdom and answer its call.

With praise and thanksgiving to God ever-living,
The tasks of our everyday life we will face.
Our faith ever sharing, in love ever caring,
Embracing God’s children of each tribe and race.

With your feast you feed us, with your light now lead us;
United us as one in this life that we share.
Then may all the living with praise and thanksgiving
Give honour to Christ and the name that we bear.”

This week is World-Wide Communion Sunday.  World-Wide Communion Sunday is the first Sunday in October, when Christians from many denominations and many places in the world have communion on the same day as a reminder of our unity in faith.  The words for this post-communion hymn were written by Omer Westendorf, an organist, composer and music publisher in Cincinnati, Ohio.  This arrangement of “Llynn Onn,” a traditional Welsh folk tune, is by Leland Sateren, an American Lutheran organist and composer. We know the tune as THE ASH GROVE.

Hear the hymn at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTnBNtH2gMk

“As We Gather at Your Table” (VU #457 – v 2)

“Turn our worship into witness in the sacrament of life;
Send us forth to love and serve you, bringing peace where there is strife.
Give us, Christ, your great compassion to forgive as you forgave;
May we still behold your image in the world you died to save. “

The text of this hymn is from Carl P. Day’s first collection, A Year of Grace:  Hymns for the Church Year (1990).   We will be using the second verse as our benediction response.  The tune BEACH SPRING is from The Sacred Harp (1844).