I was reflecting on Psalm 27 as I composed this Psalm Offering.
The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
When evildoers assail me to devour my flesh—
my adversaries and foes— they shall stumble and fall.
Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war rise up against me, yet I will be confident.
One thing I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after:
to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.
I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord; be strong,
and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!
(Psalm 27:1-4, 13-14, NRSV)
The psalmist affirms his trust in God, in whom the psalmist finds light and salvation. Though the events of his life may seem to be stacked up against him, the psalmist knows that hope lay only in God. The motivating emotion in the life of the psalmist is desiring to behold God. The psalmist longs to be in the sanctuary of God, in the land of life.
I have dedicated this psalm to my good friend and colleague, Diane Weckman. I have grown close to Diane and her family over the past 8 to 9 years. She was a major leader in the rural parish of St Benedict, and though St Benedict was merged with four other parishes and later demolished, Diane has continued to be provide positive leadership in the newly created parish.
ABOUT THE MUSIC. This song is a vibrant waltz, composed in the key of C major. It is essentially in three part, AB form. The A melody actually has two distinct versions, A1 and A2 both introduced in the beginning of the music. The overall structure is: A1A2BA1BA2BA1Coda.
PSALM OFFERING 6 Opus 9 Commentary
Psalm Offering 6 Opus 9: For Diane Weckman (c) 2018, Robert Charles Wagner. All rights reserved.
