Notes on the Notes – February 15, 2026

Transfiguration Sunday

This week’s music:

“Jesus Calls Us Here to Meet Him”

“Jesus calls us here to meet him, as through word and song and prayer,
We affirm God’s promised presence where his people live and care.
Praise the God who keeps his promise, praise the Son who calls us friends;
Praise the Spirit who, among us, to our hopes and fears attends.

Jesus calls us to confess him, Word of Life and Lord of all,
Sharer of our flesh and frailness, saving all who fail or fall.
Tell his holy human story, tell his tales that all may hear,
Tell the world that Christ in glory, came to earth to meet us here.

Jesus calls us to each other, vastly diff’rent tough we are;
Race and colour, class and gender neither limit nor debar.
Join the hand of friend and stranger; join the hands of age and youth;
Join the faithful and the doubter in their common search for truth.”

The words for our opening hymn were written by John L. Bell and Graham Maule.  John Lamberton Bell (born 1949) is a Scottish hymn-writer and Church of Scotland minister. He is a member of the Iona Community, a broadcaster, and former student activist. He works throughout the world, lecturing in theological colleges in the UK, Canada and the United States, but is primarily concerned with the renewal of congregational worship at the grass roots level. The tune we will be using is HOLY MANNA.

“Bathe Me in Your Light” (MV #82 v. 1)

“Bathe me in your light, O God of All, Creator;
Let it shine upon my soul with healing and with grace.
Be to me a beacon bright through shadows of life’s wounding,
Showing me the way to live in faith, in your embrace.”

The text of this new hymn was written by John Oldham in 2002.  John served as a United Church minister for many years in Manitoba, including 14 years at Donnelly United Church in Winnipeg.  As we respond to the Words of Assurance, we ask that we be bathed in light, love and grace, that we may live in God’s way.

The music is by Canadian composer Ron Klusmeier.  Ron lives on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. He composes, arranges, and edits new music for worship and serves as a resource consultant for churches throughout Canada and the U.S.

“We Have Come at Christ’s Own Bidding” (VU #104)

“We have come at Christ’s own bidding to this high and holy place,
Where we wait with hope and longing for some token of God’s grace.
Here we pray for new assurance that our faith is not in vain,
Searching like those first disciples for a sign both clear and plain.

Light breaks in upon our darkness; splendour bathes the flesh-joined Word;
Moses and Elijah marvel as the heavenly voice is heard.
Eyes and hearts behold with wonder how the Law and Prophets meet:
Christ, with garments drenched in brightness, stands transfigured and complete.

Strengthened by this glimpse of glory, fearful lest our faith decline,
We like Peter find it tempting to remain and build a shrine.
But true worship gives us courage to proclaim what we profess,
That our daily lives may prove us people of the God we bless.”

This transfiguration hymn is by Carl P. Daw, Jr. (1988). In his commentary on the text, Daw discusses the “comparison between the attitudes and assumptions of the disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration and the expectations of present-day Christians as they gather for worship.” The tune, ABBOT’S LEIGH,  was composed by British hymnologist Cyril Vincent Taylor in 1941.

Hear the tune on piano at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNPlsM14Bik

“Open Our Eyes, Lord” 

“Open our eyes, Lord,
We want to see Jesus,
To reach out and touch him,
And say that we love him.
Open our ears, Lord,
And help us to listen.
Open our eyes, Lord,
We want to see Jesus.”

The words and music for this simple chorus are by Robert Cull (1976) and express our desire to connect with Jesus. This week we will be using an arrangement by Jack Schrader.

Listen to a piano performance of the song at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r99xVX36CRU

“In Gratitude and Humble Trust” (VU #544)

                     In gratitude and humble trust we bring our best today
                     To serve your cause and share your love with all along life’s way
                     O God, who gave yourself to us in Jesus Christ, your Son,
                     Teach us to give ourselves each day until life’s work is done.

Our offering response text is the third verse of the hymn “As Those of Old Their First-fruits Brought” (VU #518).  It was published in 1961 and is set to the tune FOREST GREEN, a traditional English folk tune arranged by Ralph Vaughan Williams in 1906.

“Love Divine, All Loves Excelling” (VU #333)     

“Love divine, all loves excelling, joy of heaven to earth come down,
Fix in us thy humble dwelling, all thy faithful mercies crown.
Jesus, thou art all compassion, pure, unbounded love thou art;
Visit us with thy salvation, enter every trembling heart.

Come, almighty to deliver; let us all thy grace receive;
Suddenly return, and never, nevermore thy temples leave.
Thee we would be always blessing, service thee as thy hosts above,
Pray, and praise thee, without ceasing, glory in thy perfect love.

Finish, then, thy new creation; pure and spotless let us be;
Let us see thy great salvation perfectly restored in thee,
Changed from glory into glory, till in heaven we take our place,
Till we cast our crowns before thee, lost in wonder, love, and praise.”

This hymn was written by Charles Wesley in 1747.   Charles Wesley was an English leader of the Methodist movement, one of the founding faiths of the United Church of Canada.  Charles Wesley wrote over 6500 texts and was known as the “sweet singer of Methodism.”   The text is derived from John Dryden’s “Fairest Isle, all isles excelling” in Henry Purcell’s opera King Arthur (1691).  Note that in the third verse, we become the “new creation” as we are transformed from “glory into glory.”

Hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing this hymn at:  https://youtu.be/yRF4KKx7czU

“You Shall Be the Path That Guides Us” 

“You shall be the path that guides us; you the light that in us burns.
Shining deep within all people, yours the love that we must learn.
For our hearts shall wander restless ’til they safe to you return.
Finding you in one another, we shall all your face discern.”

The words for our benediction response were written by Marty Haugen in 1985 for the hymn “God of Day and God of Darkness.” As we go into the world, we are reminded that everyone we meet has the light of God within and that, if we are open, we can see the presence of God in one another.  We will be using the tune, BEACH SPRING (Sacred Harp, 1844).