Accent the Offertory with grace and joy using Offertory Mosaics, the latest addition to the long-standing Mosaics series by Jacob B. Weber. Six organ preludes provide fresh settings, with several pieces having built-in jump points for shortened versions, which make them especially flexible for use during the offering. Some highlights include an elegant Baroque-style “Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God,” a reverent and relaxed “Consider How the Birds Above,” and a triumphant “Take My Life and Let It Be.”
The Offertory has a historic place in the order of the Divine Service. It occurs in conjunction with the collection and presentation of the offerings, and this occurs just before the second portion of the Divine Service commences: the Service of the Sacrament.
The Service of the Sacrament is the rite of preparation for Christians to receive the Lord’s Supper. From the fourth century, the church has presented the elements of bread and wine just before the Service of the Sacrament as an “offering” to prepare for the Lord’s Supper. Over the years, this presentation of an offering was accompanied by other gifts: material goods for the poor, money for the church, and so on.
Church history suggests that as early as the fifth century, music accompanied the presentation of offerings in the service. This music continues today, and it is known as the Offertory. Initially, this music was limited to Psalm texts, much like the Introit and Gradual during the Service of the Word.
Perhaps the most familiar Offertory text is the canticle “Create in Me,” drawn from verses 10-12 of Psalm 51. Two beloved musical arrangements of this canticle appear in Lutheran Service Book, the first on page 192 in Divine Service, Setting Three, and the second as hymn 956 in the liturgical music section.
Many congregations sing the Offertory either before or after the actual collection and presentation of the offering, so church musicians have the opportunity to select organ, choral, or other instrumental music to play or sing during the collection of the offering. This music is commonly known as the Voluntary.
The first piece in Weber’s Offertory Mosaics is based on “Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God” from Divine Service, Setting Three. This organ arrangement is adapted from a previously published choral octavo set for unison or two-part voices, keyboard, two violins, and optional cello.
The Baroque-style arrangement is a delightful, lilting piece that would function very nicely as an organ Voluntary to be played right after the congregation sings the canticle. The piece would be a complementary echo to the singing and would offer the congregation a chance to linger on a familiar text and tune in a fresh way.
The second piece in this volume is on the tune AR HYD Y NOS, used for three hymns: “God, Who Made the Earth and Heaven” (LSB 877), “For the Fruits of His Creation” (LSB 894), and “Go, My Children, with My Blessing” (LSB 922).
The third piece is on the tune ENERGY, used for the hymn “We Give Thee But Thine Own” (LSB 781). This hymn on stewardship is popular to sing in some congregations as they present their offerings at the altar before the Service of the Sacrament. The tune is also used for the hymn “Not What These Hands Have Done” (LSB 567).
The volume concludes with arrangements of NORTHCROFT (“Consider How the Birds Above,” LSB 736), PATMOS (“Take My Life and Let It Be,” LSB 783), and WAS FRAG ICH NACH DER WELT (“What Is the World to Me,” LSB 730, and “When All the World Was Cursed,” LSB 346). You can listen to a full playlist here on YouTube.
Consider playing this collection for organ to edify your congregation with new music. Plus, be sure to check out more from Weber’s Mosaics series for organ settings that work well throughout the Church Year.
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