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Sermon April 14, 2019
The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers,
The Church of the Nativity and St. Stephen’s
The Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday, Year C
http://lectionarypage.net/YearC_RCL/HolyDays/CPalmSun_RCL.html
He answered, ‘I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.’ Luke 19:40
Please be seated.
In my life, I have been so fortunate to sing in choirs. Whether it was high school or the many churches I belonged to, I also had wonderful choir directors. When I was in seminary, my music professor was David Hurd. He not only taught and played for our services, but also was the Director for the Schola. A Schola is a Latin word for people sharing a common association. We were basically the choir for the seminary.
Dr. Hurd is a wonderful organist. I remember one day as we were waiting for Evensong to begin, there was a loud thunder storm. Dr. Hurd mimicked and played with the sounds of the thunder and the rain.
Sometimes our Schola was small. Each Tuesday for our community Eucharist, we sang Anglican Chant for the Psalm. Dr. Hurd would come to our rehearsal Monday night, having written Anglican chant just to accommodate the voices in our Schola.
Look in the Hymnal 1982 and you will find 13 hymns attributed to him. Many Sundays, including today, we sing a piece of service music written by him. During Lent our Sanctus and Agnus Dei were written by him. He was one of the people who organized the Hymnal 1982 and if there were gaps in the types of service music, he would write what was needed.
In 2012, the Seminary was asked to do the Christmas Eve service for CBS TV. It was a service that would air at midnight on Christmas Eve. Of course, we had to record it many months earlier. I think it was a fall day and Christmas carols rang out from our bell tower. We all dressed up in our Christmas best for recording of the service. The music the Schola sang was videoed on two nights. We had to be sure to wear the same thing for both nights.
One of the pieces we sang was new to me. While it’s in the Christmas section of our hymnal, it’s truly a hymn that ties the incarnation with the crucifixion and the resurrection. That’s one thing Dr. Hurd taught us: the hymns that tie all three of these events together are very important.
We have evidence of that every Sunday in our church here in Newport. No matter the season, the incarnation is always with us vibrantly in our stained glass window over the altar.
The hymn I’m speaking about is number 104, A Stable Lamp is Lighted. The words were written by Richard Wilbur. The tune was written by Dr. Hurd.
Follow along with me, if you’d like:
1. A stable lamp is lighted
whose glow shall wake the sky;
the stars shall bend their voices,
and every stone shall cry.
And every stone shall cry,
and straw like gold shall shine;
a barn shall harbor heaven,
a stall become a shrine.
2. This child through David's city
shall ride in triumph by;
the palm shall strew its branches,
and every stone shall cry.
And every stone shall cry,
though heavy, dull and dumb,
and lie within the roadway
to pave his kingdom come.
3. Yet he shall be forsaken,
and yielded up to die;
the sky shall groan and darken,
and every stone shall cry.
And every stone shall cry
for gifts of love abused;
God's blood upon the spearhead,
God's blood again refused.
4. But now, as at the ending,
the low is lifted high;
the stars shall bend their voices,
and every stone shall cry.
And every stone shall cry
in praises of the child
by whose descent among us
the worlds are reconciled.
These words certainly convey the readings in our service today. Here is our Nativity window. The stable becomes sacred. Every week we are reminded of this. The lowly place becomes the most sacred place. Every week we are reminded how in the words of Paul to the Philippians,
Jesus emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness. Philippians 2:7
We are reminded how God came to earth, being born as we are and taking our human form, learning what it was like to walk this earth.
Today we started our service with Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The people were excited. They were strewing palm branches on the road. They were treating Jesus as a leader…as a king. They were filled with joy and with love for Jesus. When some of the Pharisees asked Jesus to stop the people’s praise, Jesus answered "I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out."
Just like our service today, things take an abrupt turn for Jesus and the disciples. Jesus is forsaken and yielded up to die. The sky darkens.
Every stone shall cry, as the hymn says.
And why will every stone cry? The hymn replies in verse 3
For stony hearts of men: God’s blood upon the spearhead, God’s love re-fused again.
Yes, even the stones cry out, because we humans were offered the greatest love from our creator. Our response, however, was to refuse that love. Living in love is too vulnerable. Living in love is too scary. Living in love feels unsafe. Living in love feels risky.
Our journey today and in this week is about how we continue to refuse God’s love, whether it be in not wanting our feet washed or not being able to stay awake with Jesus in the garden, or whether it be denying him in the courtyard during his torture and trial or fleeing from the foot of the cross. Thank God a new day dawns and the hymn reminds us in the last verse, it is through this love of Jesus that we are reconciled, made whole, and reconnected to God.
Amen
CBS TV service: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raV37UfE20g
