LSB #757 "Lord, It Belongs Not to My Care"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Philippians 1:21-26, Luke 23:43

Philippians 1:21-26:  "21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.  22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me.  Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell.  23 I am hard pressed between the two.  My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.  24 But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.  25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that in me you may have ample cause to glory of Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again."

Luke 23:43: "And he said to him, 'Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.'"

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The text is public domain:

1 Lord, it belongs not to my care

Whether I die or live;

To love and serve Thee is my share,

And this Thy grace must give.

2 If life be long, I will be glad

That I may long obey;

If short, yet why should I be sad

To soar to endless day?

3 Christ leads me through no darker rooms

Than He went through before;

He that unto God's kingdom comes

Must enter by this door.

4 Come, Lord, when grace has made me meet

Thy blessed face to see;

For if Thy work on earth be sweet,

What will Thy glory be!

5 Then shall I end my sad complaints

And weary, sinful days

And join with the triumphant saints

Who sing my Savior's praise.

6 My knowledge of that life is small,

The eye of faith is dim;

But 'tis enough that Christ knows all,

And I shall be with Him.

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Philippians 1:21-26 appears primarily in the first verse and perhaps also in the second, and Luke 23:43 appears at the end of the sixth verse ("And I shall be with Him").

1 Corinthians 13:12 seems to be a source, too:  "For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face.  Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known."  There are similarities in the lines "Thy blessed face to see" in the fourth verse and "The eye of faith is dim" in the sixth.

The lines "He that unto God's kingdom comes / Must enter by this door" in the third verse may allude to John 10:9:  "'I am the door.  If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.'"

The lines "And join with the triumphant saints / Who sing my Savior's praise" may refer to Revelation 7:9-10:  "9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, 'Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!'"

"Seek Where You May to Find a Way"

Last month, I watched the Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service from the 15th.  The hymn was "Seek Where You May to Find a Way," and I found a few instances where groups of words including "all" or "ev'ry" are sung to all different pitches, resulting in a sense of entirety or breadth.

The hymn is sung to the tune "Such, wer da will."  Here are the fourth and fifth musical phrases:

In the second verse, the text here is "All helpers failed / This man prevailed," with "all helpers" sung to all different pitches (A F# G).

The seventh and eighth musical phrases:

In the third verse, the text here is "In ev'ry need / Seek Him indeed," with "ev'ry need" sung to all different pitches (F# G A).

The ninth and tenth musical phrases:

In the third verse, the text here is "To ev'ry heart / He will impart" (the sense continues into the next line:  "His blessings without measure"), with "ev'ry heart" sung to all different pitches (G A B).

LSB #756 "Why Should Cross and Trial Grieve Me"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  1 Peter 1:6-9, James 1:2-4, 1 Peter 4:12, Matthew 11:29-30

1 Peter 1:6-9:  "6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith - more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire - may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.  8 Though you have not seen him, you love him.  Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls."

James 1:2-4:  "2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.  4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

1 Peter 4:12:  "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you."

Matthew 11:29-30:  "29 'Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.'"

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Only the first three stanzas are public domain:

1 Why should cross and trial grieve me?

Christ is near

With His cheer;

Never will He leave me.

Who can rob me of the heaven

That God's Son

For me won

When His life was given?

2 When life's troubles rise to meet me,

Though their weight

May be great,

They will not defeat me.

God, my loving Savior, sends them;

He who knows

All my woes

Knows how best to end them.

3 God gives me my days of gladness,

And I will

Trust Him still

When He sends me sadness.

God is good; His love attends me

Day by day,

Come what may,

Guides me and defends me.

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1 Peter 1:6-9, James 1:2-4, and 1 Peter 4:12 all mention trial(s) and appear most clearly in the hymn's first line ("Why should cross and trial grieve me?"), but the whole hymn develops the ideas in these passages.

Matthew 11:29-30 seems to appear (in an inverted way) at the beginning of the second verse:  "When life's troubles rise to meet me, / Though their weight / May be great, / They will not defeat me."  Instead of the light burden of rest, the hymn talks about the great weight of troubles.

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The lines "For I am / His dear lamb, / He, my Shepherd ever" in the fourth verse borrow imagery from John 10 ("'I am the good shepherd.'")

"Day and night" in the fifth verse is a merism.

"Toplady" (TLH #376)

Primarily because I've been having some computer issues, I'm going to take a break from recording tunes from TLH.

"O Love, How Deep"

Last month, I watched the Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service from the 10th.  The hymn was "O Love, How Deep," and I noticed a few features to write about.  The hymn is sung to the tune "Deo gracias."  Here's the second musical phrase:

In the second verse, the text here is "Of higher or of lower place" (it continues the sense from the previous line:  "He sent no angel to our race").  "Higher" is sung with a melisma (C Bb G), giving something of a sense of its nature as a comparative adjective (more notes for a greater degree).  Additionally, the musical phrase illustrates the relative positions of "higher" (sung to higher notes) and "lower" (sung to lower notes).

In the seventh verse, the text is "For love so deep, so high, so broad" (stating the reason for giving "All glory to our Lord and God").  "Deep" and the second "so" are both sung with melismas (F G and F C, respectively), providing a sense of degree.  The words "so broad" are sung to half notes, and because these stand in contrast to the shorter quarter or eighth notes that precede them, there's a sense of the degree of "so" and the meaning of "broad."

LSB #755 "In the Very Midst of Life"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Romans 14:7-8, 2 Corinthians 1:9-10, 1 Corinthians 15:53-54

Romans 14:7-8:  "7 For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself.  8 For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord.  So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's."

2 Corinthians 1:9-10:  "9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.  10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us.  On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again."

1 Corinthians 15:53-54:  "53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.  54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:  'Death is swallowed up in victory.'"

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The passage from 2 Corinthians 1, specifically the reliance on God and His deliverance, appears in every verse:  "Who shall help us in the strife / Lest the foe confound us? / Thou only, Lord, Thou only!" in the first, "Who will help when they assail, / Who secure will make us? / Thou only, Lord, Thou only!" in the second, and "Where shall we for refuge go, / Where for grace to bless us? / To Thee, Lord Jesus, only!" in the third.

It's unclear where exactly the other two passages show up.  My best guess is that both are behind the lines "Lord, preserve and keep us / In the peace that faith can give" near the end of the third verse.

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The line "Snares of death surround us" near the beginning of the first verse is drawn from Psalm 18:4-5:  "4 The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction assailed me; 5 the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me."

The line "In the midst of death's dark vale" at the beginning of the second verse alludes to Psalm 23:4:  "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."

"Nun freut euch" (TLH #375)

"Come, My Soul, with Every Care"

Last month, I watched the Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service from the 3rd.  The hymn was "Come, My Soul, with Every Care," and I noticed an-other instance of a feature I've been finding a lot lately.

The hymn is sung to the tune "Vienna."  Here's the first musical phrase:

In the first verse, the text here is "Come, my soul, with ev'ry care."  The phrase "ev'ry care" is sung to notes of all different pitches (D C B), giving a sense of breadth.

LSB #754 "Entrust Your Days and Burdens"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Psalm 37:5; 125:1; Philippians 4:6-7; 1 Peter 5:6-7

Psalm 37:5:  "Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act."

Psalm 125:1:  "Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever."

Philippians 4:6-7:  "6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

1 Peter 5:6-7:  "6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you."

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The two verses from the Psalms and the verses from 1 Peter 5 all appear in the first few lines of the hymn:  "Entrust your days and burdens / To God's most loving hand; / He cares for you while ruling / The sky, the sea, the land."  The rest of the hymn expands upon this.

The text from Philippians 4 is referred to in the second verse:  "No anxious thought, no worry, / No self-tormenting care / Can win your Father's favor; / His heart is moved by prayer."

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The lines "For He who guides the tempests... Will find for you a pathway / And guide you all your days" at the end of the first verse may be drawn from Proverbs 3:5-6:  "5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."

The lines "Take heart, have hope, my spirit, / And do not be dismayed; / God helps in ev'ry trial / And makes you unafraid" at the beginning of the third verse bear some resemblance to Isaiah 41:10:  "fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

The line "When you with life are crowned" in the fifth verse could refer to either James 1:12 or Revelation 2:10.

"Energy" (TLH #374)

"Our Father, by Whose Name"

On Worship Anew a few weeks ago (6 October, Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost), one of the hymns was "Our Father, by Whose Name," and I noticed a small feature in it.  The hymn is sung to the tune "Rhosymedre."  Here's the fifth musical phrase:

In the second verse, the text here is "Our children bless in ev'ry place" (the structure is inverted so that the direct object comes first; in a more normal word order, it's "Bless our children in ev'ry place").  "Ev'ry place" is sung to notes of all different pitches (Bb A G), giving a sense of breadth.

This hymn was also in the Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service on 7 October, and when I heard it again, I noticed that the same feature is also in the third verse.  In the lines "That ev'ry home by this release / May be the dwelling place of peace," the phrase "ev'ry home" is sung to notes of all different pitches (Bb A G).  Here's that musical phrase (the sixth):

LSB #753 "All for Christ I Have Forsaken"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Philippians 3:7-14, Matthew 10:38-39, Luke 9:62, Revelation 2:10

Philippians 3:7-14:  "7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.  8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.  For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith - 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

"12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.  13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own.  But one thing I do:  forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

Matthew 10:38-39:  "38 'And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.  39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.'"

Luke 9:62:  "Jesus said to him, 'No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.'"

Revelation 2:10:  "'Do not fear what you are about to suffer.  Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation.  Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.'"

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The passage from Philippians 3 is the main source for the hymn.  Philippians 3:7 and the verses from Matthew 10 are particularly evident in the first verse:  "All for Christ I have forsaken / And have taken up my cross."

Luke 9:62 appears at the end of the second verse ("Hand to plow, at peace I follow / Where He leads me... why look back?"), and Revelation 2:10 is referred to at the end of the third verse ("Firm and faithful unto death").

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The line "Strong in Christ through death's dark valley" in the third verse refers to Psalm 23:4:  "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."

The lines "God will keep my spouse and children / As the apple of His eye" at the end of the fourth verse are drawn from Psalm 17:8:  "Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings."