Hymn Blog - February 21, 2010

February 21, 2010 – First Sunday of Lent

VU 109 – Now Quit Your Care. Percy Dearmer wrote this text in 1928, based in part on Isaiah 58, the traditional lection for Ash Wednesday. One of the most influential leaders in twentieth century English hymnody, Dearmer co-edited “The English Hymnal” (1906) with Ralph Vaughan Williams, and with Vaughan Williams and Martin Shaw produced “Songs of Praise” (1925) and “The Oxford Book of Carols” (1928). He was professor of ecclesiastic art at Kings College, London and canon of Westminster. The French carol tune QUITTEZ, PASTEURS, was arranged by Martin Shaw, organist, composer and teacher.

MV 81 – Love Us into Fullness. Our children’s hymn was written and composed in 2002 by Daniel Charles Damon. Damon is an internationally published writer of hymn texts and tunes. He is pastor of First United Methodist Church, Richmond, California and serves as adjunct faculty in church music at Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California. He is an active member of The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada. Dan plays piano in clubs in the San Francisco area and studies piano and composition with Richard Hindman.

MV 65 – When We Are Tested. This is the first of two hymns we sing this morning which are closely based on our gospel story of Jesus’ temptation. The text is by Ruth Duck, professor of worship at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois. Her powerful texts have emerged as the major part of the cutting edge of language that speaks of God in universal terms and in poetry that is as poignant as it is stoic. Before coming to Garrett in 1989, she served as pastor at United Church of Christ parishes in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Massachusetts. Her undergraduate work was done at Southwestern-at-Memphis University, which is now called Rhodes College. She holds two masters degrees--one from Chicago Theological Seminary and one from the University of Notre Dame. Her doctorate in theology was earned at Boston University. Her academic credentials are weighty ones and balance beautifully with her pastoral experience dealing with the everyday tasks as the spiritual leader of a parish community. The tune, WHEN WE ARE TESTED, is by Ruth Watson Henderson whose contribution to choral music has evolved over many years, resulting in international respect and praise. One of Canada's leading composers, a church musician, and the accompanist for the Toronto Children's Chorus, she has received numerous awards, including an Honorary Fellowship from the Royal Canadian College of Organists. She is frequently commissioned to write both sacred and secular music for many outstanding North American choirs and festivals. A number of choirs have performed concerts devoted entirely to her music. One critic, writing about the Elmer Iseler Singers' CD of her music, said, "Ruth Watson Henderson, whose years as an accompanist contributed to an understanding of the expressive possibilities of choral sound, has given birth to some of the most singable choral music in the Canadian literature".

VU 115 – Jesus, Tempted in the Desert. Our second text based on this week’s gospel lesson is by Herman G. Stuempfle Jr. Stuempfle, who died in 2007, at age 84, was a pastor, poet and educator. A pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, he served as professor, dean and president of the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg for 27 years. He authored over 500 hymn texts, eight of which appear in Evangelical Lutheran Worship, the 2006 hymn book of the ELCA. Two other texts by Stuempfle appear in Voices United, the meditative communion hymn, Christ Be Our Host, and the rollicking You Never Saw Old Galilee.

VU 962 – May the Blessing of God Go Before You. See last week’s hymn blog.