MINISTERS FOR SUNDAY

WORSHIP NOTES FOR THIS SUNDAY

The Last Sunday after the Epiphany   February 15, 2015

Remember that you will need your purple church pass (included in your recent Messenger) in order to go through the barricades and come to church this Sunday! As the sausage sizzles and beer flows and music booms all around us on Joe Cain Day, we will do what we gather to do every Sunday-worship our Lord and draw strength from his Word and sacraments. We will also give thanks for our Mardi Gras courts and pray for their health and safety. Then, we will go out and enjoy the revelry, the continuing parade of Folly, chasing Death and Time. And we will welcome Ash Wednesday when it dawns.

On this Last Sunday After the Epiphany, we focus our attention on the Transfiguration, a sign that the light revealed to us in the birth and life of our Savior Jesus Christ dwells eternally in God and will come again to fulfill all of God's promises. More immediately, we are reminded that the light of Jesus' face remains with us in our life of faith and is a source of strength for us as we begin our journey through Lent toward the cross. 

Our Old Testament reading is the powerful and highly dramatic account of the prophet Elijah's ascent into heaven. Elijah's successor Elisha follows along as Elijah makes his journey toward the Jordan, where the Lord will take him. Once there, Elijah rolls up his mantle (his cloak, the symbol of his prophetic power) and strikes the water, causing it to part and allow the two men to cross over on dry ground. Deeds of power, like Moses, to the very end! Then, as they continue walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire comes between them and Elijah is drawn up "in a whirlwind into heaven." After this, Elijah became connected in the Old Testament tradition with the "day of the Lord," God's coming in great power to restore justice on the earth. In the Christian tradition, Elijah became associated with the Messiah, the one who would follow him.

The gospel reading from Mark echoes Elijah's story, as Jesus and his disciples Peter, James, and John go up onto a high mountain. The mountain, the cloud, and the whirlwind-all are conveyors of God's presence and power. Once there, Jesus is supernaturally transformed, made radiant, with clothes dazzling white, and Elijah and Moses appear and talk with him. The disciples are understandably terrified. From the cloud, God's voice speaks, identifying Jesus, "This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!" Just as suddenly, it's all over, and the disciples are left standing there with Jesus, alone. As they descend, Jesus admonishes them to keep this vision secret until he has risen from the dead. It is a sign for them of the truth that Jesus already bears within himself, that will be revealed in his resurrection, that he is the Messiah, the one who has come to save the world.

As we enjoy these last glorious days after the Epiphany, we should bask in the light of life and joy all around us and remember that this is all God's gracious gift. We will carry it in our hearts through Lent until it bursts forth from the tomb on Easter morning.

The Very Reverend Beverly F. Gibson

Dean

Christ Church Cathedral

"Worship Notes for this Sunday" are posted and archived each week on the Cathedral website.

http://www.christchurchcathedralmobile.org/worship-notes-for-this-sunday 

Visit the Cathedral website to download text from past sermons and listen to the recordings:

http://www.christchurchcathedralmobile.org/sermons.html 

MUSIC  NOTES FOR THIS SUNDAY

The Last Sunday after the Epiphany   February 15, 2015

  This Sunday we celebrate the Last Sunday after the Epiphany, better known in Mobile as "Joe Cain Day"! Lent is coming, and we celebrate these last days of Epiphany in a big way. Our Gospel tells the story of Christ's transfiguration on Mount Tabor and nicely bookends with the Gospel from the beginning of this season, the story of Jesus' baptism. At both events, the voice of God is heard confirming the divine identity of Christ. Hopefully, we have discovered more about our own spiritual identities over this season and are prepared to venture into the wilderness of Lent for a time of introspection and renewal. During Lent, we will no longer sing or say, "alleluia", and so this word is featured quite a bit in our service this week.

You may have heard of the custom of burying the alleluias during Lent. Some parishes even dig a grave and literally bury a sign with the word "alleluia" written on it. Interestingly, this custom used to be much more elaborate. In northeastern France, during the 15th century, the alleluias were buried in the floor of the church, in a coffin, during an elaborate Requiem Mass! Placed in the coffin were the Latin words to a very old hymn, Alleluia, dulce carmen. This Sunday, we will sing these ancient words to a more familiar tune, Westminster Abbey, better known as the tune pared with Christ is made the sure foundation. This perfect text for the end of the Epiphany season is printed below. It is my hope that we will draw added inspiration from this ancient text that so beautifully transitions us toward Lent.

1. Alleluia, song of gladness,
voice of joy that cannot die;
alleluia is the anthem
ever raised by choirs on high;
in the house of God abiding
thus they sing eternally.

2. Alleluia thou resoundest,
true Jerusalem and free;
alleluia, joyful mother,
all thy children sing with thee;
but by Babylon's sad waters
mourning exiles now are we.

3. Alleluia though we cherish
and would chant for evermore
alleluia in our singing,
let us for a while give o'er,
as our Savior in his fasting
pleasures of the world forbore.

4. Therefore in our hymns we pray thee,
grant us, blessed Trinity,
at the last to keep thine Easter
with thy faithful saints on high;
there to thee for ever singing
alleluia joyfully.

Also of note this week is the organ prelude, the Toccata in F Major by J. S. Bach (1685-1750). This is a substantially long work that places demands upon the performer in a delightful way. A sparkling sixteenth-note texture permeates the entire work, and it is shared equally between hands and feet. From a listener's perspective, this piece is one of the most joyful organ pieces in the repertoire, and its glittering texture perfectly fits the story of the transfiguration as well as the festive spirit of Mardi Gras. From a musical perspective, the piece is extraordinarily well crafted. The noted German church musician, Hermann Keller (1885-1967) said of this piece,  "At the beginning the extensive linear construction of the two voices in canon, the proud calmness of the solos in the pedal, the piercing chord strokes, the fiery upswing of the second subject, the bold modulatory shifts, the inwardness of the three minor movements, the splendour of the end with the famous third inversion of the seventh chord, who would not be enthralled by that?" While this language may seem indecipherable to some, it certainly paints a fascinating picture of the piece.

Finally, please consider attending one of our Ash Wednesday services on February 18th at noon and 5:30 P. M. There will be music at both services. In the spirit of the season, happy Mardi Gras! We're looking forward to an inspirational week ahead.  

"Music Notes for this Sunday" are posted and archived 

each week on our new website here: