4th Sunday of Lent

30 March 2014

Entrance	For God so loved the world (mtgf)
Penitential Rite	Missa Ubi Caritas (Bob Hurd)
Psalm 22	The Lord is my shepherd (mtgf)
Gospel Acclamation	Lenten (mtgf)
Preparation of Gifts	My shepherd will supply (Virgil Thomson)
Eucharistic Acclamations	Missa Ubi Caritas (Bob Hurd)
Lamb of God	Missa Ubi Caritas (Bob Hurd)
Communion Antiphon	The Lord anointed my eyes (mtgf)
Communion	Song of the Man born blind (Bob Hurd)
Final	I heard the voice of Jesus say

A little Americana this morning. Bob Hurd's Song of the Man born blind is a little C&W. we sing it in 3 part close harmony. As with other sings from the collection A lenten Journey it combines images from the gospel with the other readings - in particular the Good Shepherd. The Virgil Thomson is an arrangement of a Southern American hymn tune (Resignation I think) with words by Isaac Watts - a paraphrase of Psalm 22 (23).

Until I checked I thought that Horatius Bonar was also American, an Episcopalian I thought. But he was Scottish and a minister of the Free Presbyterian Church. Though the (different) Church of Scotland has now adopted the Revised Common Lectionary I am not sure what was used previously whether a variant of the old Roman Lectionary (used in Tridentine Missal & BCP) or whether there was greater latitude. Anyway the point of this is that the readings we can see as central to Lent on the 3rd, 4th and 5th Sundays in Year A from John's Gospel were not used. So the connection of I heard the voice of Jesus say to the Samaritan Woman and the Man born blind is probably a happy coincidence. A number of years ago I wrote 4th verse for the raising of Lazarus and the 5th Sunday which is now available here.