"God Loves Me Dearly"

"God Loves Me Dearly" was one of the hymns in the Christmas Eve service I attended, and I noticed a couple small features about it.

The hymn is sung to the tune "Gott ist die Liebe," and this title is taken from 1 John 4:8, 16:  "God is love."

The refrain is:

Therefore I'll say again:

God loves me dearly,

God loves me dearly,

Loves even me.

The recurring nature of the refrain relates to the "again" in the text.  Both involve repetition.

LSB #817 "Earth and All Stars"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Psalm 96:1; 149:1-3; Isaiah 42:10-12; Exodus 15:1-2

Psalm 96:1:  "Oh sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth!"

Psalm 149:1-3:  "1 Praise the LORD!  Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of the godly!  2 Let Israel be glad in his Maker; let the children of Zion rejoice in their King!  3 Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with tambourine and lyre!"

Isaiah 42:10-12:  "10 Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise from the end of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that fills it, the coastlands and their inhabitants.  11 Let the desert and its cities lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar inhabits; let the habitants of Sela sing for joy, let them shout from the top of the mountains.  12 Let them give glory to the LORD, and declare his praise in the coastlands."

Exodus 15:1-2:  "1 Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the LORD, saying, 'I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.  2 The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him.'"

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All of the cited passages mention singing to the Lord, and this is present throughout the hymn in the recurring line "Sing to the Lord a new song!" (taken verbatim from any of the first three citations).  The passage from Exodus 15 may also be alluded to in the first line of the refrain:  "He has done marvelous things."

Psalm 148 seems to be an important source, too.  Similar to the hymn, it's a rhetorical catalogue of various entities who are encouraged to "Praise the LORD!"  The strongest resemblance is between the hymn's title line ("Earth and all stars!") and Psalm 148:3:  "Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars!"

"Of the Father's Love Begotten"

Last year, I noticed a feature in nearly every musical phrase "Of the Father's Love Begotten."  The hymn is sung to the tune "Divinum Mysterium."  Here's the first phrase:

In the second verse, the text here is "Oh, that birth forever blessed."  "Blessed" is sung with a melisma (G F Eb), giving a sense of the duration of the modifying "forever."

The second musical phrase:

The second verse continues with the line "When the virgin, full of grace."  Here, "full" is sung with a melisma (Bb G), lending a sense of abundance.

The fourth musical phrase:

In the fifth verse, part of the doxology here is "And unending praises be."  Similar to "blessed" above, "praises" is sung with a melisma (Eb C D), giving a sense of this extended duration.

The fifth musical phrase:

In the third verse, the text here is "Now He shines, the long-expected."  "Long-expected" is sung with a melisma (G F Bb C Bb G Ab Bb), once again providing a sense of duration.

The sixth musical phrase:

In the fourth verse, the text here is "Ev'ry voice in concert ring."  The phrase "ev'ry voice" is sung to notes of all different pitches (Eb D C), indicating this breadth.

The seventh musical phrase:

Every verse ends with the line "Evermore and evermore," and once again, a melisma provides a sense of duration:  the second "evermore" is sung to the notes G Eb F Eb.

[Years ago, I wrote about a small feature in the third phrase.]

LSB #816 "From All That Dwell Below the Skies"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Psalm 117, Isaiah 45:22-23, Philippians 2:5-11

Psalm 117:  "1 Praise the LORD, all nations!  Extol him, all peoples!  2 For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.  Praise the LORD!"

Isaiah 45:22-23:  "22 'Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth!  For I am God, and there is no other.  23 By myself I have sworn; from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return:  "To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance."'"

Philippians 2:5-11:  "5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.  9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

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The text is public domain:

1 From all that dwell below the skies

Let the Creator's praise arise;

Alleluia, alleluia!

Let the Redeemer's name be sung

Through ev'ry land by ev'ry tongue.

Alleluia, alleluia!

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

2 Eternal are Thy mercies, Lord;

Eternal truth attends Thy Word.

Alleluia, alleluia!

Thy praise shall sound from shore to shore

Till suns shall rise and set no more.

Alleluia, alleluia!

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

3 All praise to God the Father be,

All praise, eternal Son, to Thee.

Alleluia, alleluia!

Whom with the Spirit we adore

Forever and forevermore:

Alleluia, alleluia!

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

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Psalm 117 seems to appear throughout the hymn in the calls to praise God, but there are other verses in the Psalms to which the hymn text bears a stronger resemblance.  The lines "From all that dwell below the skies / Let the Creator's praise arise" in the first verse are similar to Psalm 150:6 ("Let everything that has breath praise the LORD!  Praise the LORD!"), and the lines "Thy praise shall sound from shore to shore / Till suns shall rise and set no more" in the second verse use the same sort of imagery that's in Psalm 113:3 ("From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised!").

"Every tongue shall swear allegiance" from Isaiah 45:23 and "every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord" from Philippians 2:11 are combined in the lines "Let the Redeemer's name be sung / Through ev'ry land by ev'ry tongue" in the first verse.

"The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came"

Last year, I noticed two instances in "The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came" where groups of words are sung to notes of all different pitches, giving a sense of entirety or breadth.

The second line of the second verse is "All generations laud and honor thee," sung to this musical phrase from the tune "Gabriel's Message":

The phrase "All generations" is sung to the notes D G Bb A C.  That these pitches span nearly an octave also lends a sense of this breadth.

The third line of the fourth verse is "And Christian folk throughout the world will ever say," sung to this musical phrase:

"Throughout the world" is sung to the notes A Bb C D.  Additionally, the note values lengthen at the end of the phrase (with "say" sung to the longest, five beats), illustrating the duration of "ever."

LSB #815 "All Praise to Thee, for Thou, O King Divine"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Philippians 2:5-11, Mark 10:45, Isaiah 55:10-11

Philippians 2:5-11:  "5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.  9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Mark 10:45:  "'For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'"

Isaiah 55:10-11:  "10 'For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.'"

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The passage from Philippians 2 is paraphrased in the third through fifth verses of the hymn, specifically verses 5-8 in the hymn's third verse, verse 9 and the first part of verse 10 in the hymn's fourth verse, and the second half of verse 10 and verse 11 in the hymn's fifth verse.

Mark 10:45 is the basis for the second verse.

The passage from Isaiah 55 (specifically "it shall accomplish that which I purpose") is alluded to in the line "Wherefore, by God's eternal purpose, Thou..." in the fourth verse.

"Arise, O Christian People"

Last year, I noticed a handful of small features in "Arise, O Christian People."  The hymn is sung to the tune "Aus meines Herzens Grunde."  Here's the fifth musical phrase:

In the second verse, the text here is "Make straight, make plain the way."  The phrases "make straight" and "make plain" are each sung to notes of the same pitch, so even musically, there's a representation of this levelness.

In the fourth verse, the text is "From stall and manger low."  "Low" is sung to the lowest pitch (G), giving something of a sense of its meaning.

The seventh musical phrase:

In the second verse, the text here is "The heights of pride abasing."  This line exhibits the opposite sort of feature as above:  "heights" is sung to the highest pitch in the phrase (C), illustrating its meaning (albeit more metaphorically).

The eighth musical phrase:

In the first verse, the text here is "To all the world is shown" (the subject is "The promised Lord from heaven" in the preceding line).  The phrase "all the world" is sung to notes of all different pitches (C A G), lending a sense of the breadth or entirety of "all."

LSB #814 "O Bless the Lord, My Soul"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Psalm 103; John 1:1-4, 14

Psalm 103:  "1 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!  2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, 3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, 5 who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

"6 The LORD works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed.  7 He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel.  8 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.  9 He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever.  10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.  11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.  13 As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.  14 For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.  15 As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; 16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more.  17 But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children, 18 to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments.  19 The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.

"20 Bless the LORD, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word!  21 Bless the LORD, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will!  22 Bless the LORD, all his works, in all places of his dominion.  Bless the LORD, O my soul!"

John 1:1-4:  "1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  2 He was in the beginning with God.  3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.  4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men."

John 1:14:  "14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."

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The text is public domain:

1 O bless the Lord, my soul!

Let all within me join

And aid my tongue to bless His name

Whose favors are divine.

2 O bless the Lord, my soul,

Nor let His mercies lie

Forgotten in unthankfulness

And without praises die!

3 'Tis He forgives thy sins;

'Tis He relieves thy pain;

'Tis He that heals thy sicknesses

And makes thee young again.

4 He crowns thy life with love

When ransomed from the grave;

He that redeemed my soul from hell

Hath sov'reign pow'r to save.

5 He fills the poor with good;

He gives the suff'rers rest.

The Lord hath judgements for the proud

And justice for th'oppressed.

6 His wondrous works and ways

He made by Moses known,

But sent the world His truth and grace

By His belovèd Son.

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The hymn text paraphrases the first seven verses from Psalm 103.  The first four verses of the hymn correspond to the first four verses of the Psalm; the hymn's fifth verse comes from verses 5-6 of the Psalm; and the first half of the hymn's sixth verse comes from verse 7.

The two passages from John 1 (but mostly just verse 14) appear in the lines "But sent the world His truth and grace / By His belovèd Son" at the end of the sixth verse.

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The line "He fills the poor with good" at the beginning of the fifth verse echoes "he has filled the hungry with good things" in the Magnificat (Luke 1:53).

"Sing with All the Saints in Glory"

On Worship Anew a couple weeks ago (18 November, Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost), the Gospel reading was from Luke 21.  In his sermon, Pastor Jonker alluded to verse 28 a couple times:  "'Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.'"  This seems to be referenced in the line "Child of God, lift up your head!" in the third verse of "Sing with All the Saints in Glory."

(Here's a link to my post about the Biblical sources.)

LSB #813 "Rejoice, O Pilgrim Throng"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Psalm 20:5; 118:15-26; Colossians 3:16; Hebrews 13:14

Psalm 20:5: "May we shout for joy over your salvation, and in the name of our God set up our banners!  May the LORD fulfill all your petitions!"

Psalm 118:15-26:  "15 Glad songs of salvation are in the tents of the righteous:  'The right hand of the LORD does valiantly, 16 the right hand of the LORD exalts, the right hand of the LORD does valiantly!'

"17 I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the LORD.  18 The LORD has disciplined me severely, but he has not given me over to death.

"19 Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the LORD.  20 This is the gate of the LORD; the righteous shall enter through it.  21 I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation.  22 The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.  23 This is the LORD's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.  24 This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

"25 Save us, we pray, O LORD!  O LORD, we pray, give us success!

"26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!  We bless you from the house of the LORD."

Colossians 3:16:  "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God."

Hebrews 13:14:  "For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come."

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The text is public domain:

1 Rejoice, O pilgrim throng!

Rejoice, give thanks, and sing;

Your festal banner wave on high,

The cross of Christ your king.

Rejoice!  Rejoice!  Rejoice, give thanks, and sing!

2 With voice as full and strong

As ocean's surging praise,

Send forth the sturdy hymns of old,

The psalms of ancient days.

Rejoice!  Rejoice!  Rejoice, give thanks, and sing!

3 With all the angel choirs,

With all the saints on earth

Pour out the strains of joy and bliss,

True rapture, noblest mirth.

Rejoice!  Rejoice!  Rejoice, give thanks, and sing!

4 Yet on and onward still,

With hymn and chant and song,

Through gate and porch and columned aisle

The hallowed pathways throng.

Rejoice!  Rejoice!  Rejoice, give thanks, and sing!

5 Still lift your standard high,

Still march in firm array,

As pilgrims through the darkness wend

Till dawns the golden day.

Rejoice!  Rejoice!  Rejoice, give thanks, and sing!

6 At last the march shall end;

The wearied ones shall rest;

The pilgrims find their home at last,

Jerusalem the blest.

Rejoice!  Rejoice!  Rejoice, give thanks, and sing!

7 Praise Him who reigns on high,

The Lord whom we adore:

The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,

One God forevermore.

Rejoice!  Rejoice!  Rejoice, give thanks, and sing!

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Psalm 20:5 is the basis for the lines "Your festal banner wave on high" in the first verse and "Still lift your standard high" in the fifth, and "shout for joy" is combined with part of Psalm 118:24 in the hymn's multiple calls to "Rejoice" in the first verse and refrain.

The passages from Psalm 118 and Colossians 3 both mention thankfulness and singing, and these appear most clearly in "give thanks, and sing" in the first verse and refrain.  The second through fourth verses continue the theme of singing.  The lines "Send forth the sturdy hymns of old, / The psalms of ancient days" in the second verse and "With hymn and chant and song" in the fourth echo "psalms and hymns and spiritual songs" from Colossians 3:16.

Hebrews 13:14 is alluded to in the pilgrim imagery, primarily in the sixth verse, although also in the first ("O pilgrim throng!") and the fifth ("As pilgrims through the darkness wend").

"Thee Will I Love, My Strength, My Tower"

I wrote about a small feature in "Thee Will I Love, My Strength, My Tower" about a year ago, but when it was the hymn in a Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service last month (on the 13th), I found two more instances of something I've been noticing a lot lately:  phrases beginning with "all" are sung to notes of all different pitches, lending a sense of entirety.

In the line "Thee will I love with all my power" in the first verse, the phrase "all my power" is sung to the notes B A G F# in this musical phrase (from the tune "Ich will dich lieben"):

In the line "Thee will I love with all my heart" near the end of the second verse, the phrase "all my heart" is sung to the notes F# G E in this musical phrase:

LSB #812 "Come, Let Us Join Our Cheerful Songs"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Revelation 5:6-14, Psalm 95:1-2

Revelation 5:6-14:  "6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.  7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne.  8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.  9 And they sang a new song, saying, 'Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, 10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.'  11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, 'Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!'  13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, 'To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!'  14 And the four living creatures said, 'Amen!' and the elders fell down and worshiped."

Psalm 95:1-2:  "1 Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!  2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!"

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The text is public domain:

1 Come, let us join our cheerful songs

With angels round the throne;

Ten thousand thousand are their tongues,

But all their joys are one.

2 "Worthy the Lamb that died," they cry,

"To be exalted thus!"

"Worthy the Lamb," our lips reply,

"For He was slain for us!"

3 Jesus is worthy to receive

Honor and pow'r divine;

And blessings more than we can give

Be, Lord, forever Thine.

4 Let all creation join in one

To bless the sacred name

Of Him who sits upon the throne

And to adore the Lamb.

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The hymn summarizes the text from Revelation 5, particularly verses 11-13.  The passage from Psalm 95, especially the "joyful noise," appears in the first line:  "Come, let us join our cheerful songs."