Today’s offertory anthem, Wash Me Throughly, by Samuel Sebastian Wesley, is an old staple in the anthem repertoire, especially during the season of Lent. S.S. Wesley, if you recall, was the grandson of Charles Wesley, the founder of Methodism. Samuel Sebastian was also credited with helping to design the curved, radiating pedalboard found on most modern organs. I wrote about that in some previous music notes, earlier last year.

This particular anthem is haunting, yet healing. One of the most fascinating aspects of the piece is in the opening theme, the melody sung by the soprano soloist. Pay close attention to this melodic line. You may notice that it seems to reach up and swoop down, and reach up again, and swoop down again. In musical terms, we call this kind of a melody, a conjunct melody. The distances in between most of the notes are quite large. Imagine looking at the piano keyboard, and striking keys that are far apart, to create a melodic line.  

The music is painting a picture of the sinner “reaching out” to God, for forgiveness. When you ask for forgiveness, you are exposing yourself in the most vulnerable way. Vulnerability is about being honest. It’s about speaking the truth of who you are, even when you have harmed yourself, or another person. Being honest about who you are is not the easiest thing to do. Many of us lie about who we are. Asking for forgiveness is not about the people you’ve harmed, per say, but about relieving yourself of the negative, and toxic feelings that have mounted for not being true or loving to yourself.  

This anthem reminds us to speak the truth, not by reaching outward (the high leaps in the melody), but by turning inwards (when the melody returns to the lower range). It reminds us not to feel transgression or regret, but to feel relief when we acknowledge the harms we inflict on people, including the harshness we inflict upon ourselves. Wesley shows us the pain of self-forgiveness because the musical lines of this anthem are difficult to sing. Yet they are beautifully cathartic, just like self-forgiveness is. This anthem is not only a reminder that we need to ask God for forgiveness, but a more urgent plea for us to practice self-forgiveness, self-honesty, self-respect, and self-love. Every person on the planet is worthy of God’s love, and you are no exception to this universal truth. Embrace that truth about yourself, and your life will flourish and feel cleansed and pure.  Soli deo gloria!