LSB #837 "Lift High the Cross"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  John 12:32; Hebrews 13:12-15; Isaiah 11:10, 12; Matthew 16:24

John 12:32:  "'And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.'"

Hebrews 13:12-15:  "12 So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood.  13 Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured.  14 For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.  15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name."

Isaiah 11:10:  "In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples - of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious."

Isaiah 11:12:  "He will raise a signal for the nations and will assemble the banished of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth."

Matthew 16:24:  "Then Jesus told his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.'"

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John 12:32 is referred to in the fourth verse:  "O Lord, once lifted on the glorious tree, / As Thou hast promised, draw us all to Thee."

The passage from Hebrews 13 appears in the fifth and sixth verses:  "Let ev'ry race and ev'ry language tell / Of Him who saves our lives from death and hell. // So shall our song of triumph ever be: / Praise to the Crucified for victory!"

Both passages from Isaiah 11 are alluded to at the beginning of the second verse ("Led on their way by this triumphant sign") and in the first line of the refrain ("Lift high the cross..."), and Isaiah 11:12 (specifically "gather the dispersed of Judah...") overlaps with John 12:32 in the fourth verse.

Matthew 16:24 is the basis for the first line of the first verse:  "Come, Christians, follow where our Captain trod."

"O Sons and Daughters of the King"

I wrote about a couple small features in "O Sons and Daughters of the King" last year, but I recently found an-other small point when it was the hymn in the Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service on 16 April (specifically LSB #471, where the text is paired with the tune "O filii et filiae").

Here's the first musical phrase:

The second verse starts with the line "That Easter morn, at break of day."  "Break" is sung with a melisma (C Bb), giving a slightly more literal representation of its metaphorical meaning here.

LSB #836 "O God of Light"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Psalm 119:105, 1 Peter 1:10-12, Isaiah 51:4

Psalm 119:105:  "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."

1 Peter 1:10-12:  "10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories.  12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look."

Isaiah 51:4:  "'Give attention to me, my people, and give ear to me, my nation; for a law will go out from me, and I will set my justice for a light to the peoples.'"

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Psalm 119:105 appears in the first verse, especially in the first and last lines:  "O God of light, Your Word, a lamp unfailing, / Shall... guide our footsteps to the perfect day."

The passage from 1 Peter 1 is the basis for the second half of the second verse and the third verse.

Isaiah 51:4 overlaps a bit with the light imagery in Psalm 119:105, but it also appears at the beginning of the third verse:  "Undimmed by time, those words are still revealing / To sinful hearts Your justice and Your grace."

LSB #835 "On Galilee's High Mountain"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Matthew 28:16-20, Isaiah 49:6, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, 2 Corinthians 4:10-11

Matthew 28:16-20:  "16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.  17 And when they saw him they worshipped him, but some doubted.  18 And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me, 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.  And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'"

Isaiah 49:6:  "he says:  'It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.'"

2 Corinthians 12:9-10:  "9 But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities.  For when I am weak, then I am strong."

2 Corinthians 4:10-11:  "10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.  11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh."

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The passage from Matthew 28 is paraphrased in the first verse, and the rest of the hymn expands upon it.

Isaiah 49:6 seems to be alluded to at the end of the second verse:  "This Lord, our living brother... Has chosen us to carry / His truth to ev'ry land."  This also echoes Matthew 28:19.

The passage from 2 Corinthians 12 appears at the beginning of the third verse:  "His strength within my weakness / Will make me bold...."

The passage from 2 Corinthians 4 seems to be referred to at the end of the fourth verse:  "Let them through me see Jesus, / Who served and saved us all."

LSB #834 "O God, O Lord of Heaven and Earth"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  John 1:1-7; Hebrews 2:14-15; Romans 5:17; 15:5-6

John 1:1-7:  "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.  5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

"6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.  7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him."

Hebrews 2:14-15:  "14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery."

Romans 5:17:  "For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ."

Romans 15:5-6:  "5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."

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The passage from John 1 is alluded to at the end of the first verse:  "Thy Word meant life triumphant hurled / In splendor through Thy broken world. / Since light awoke and life began, / Thou hast desired Thy life for man."

The passage from Hebrews 2 appears at the end of the second verse ("Thy servant, Prince of Peace, / Breached all its walls for our release"), but most of the verse comes from Romans 5:17.

The passage from Romans 15 is the basis for the fourth verse:  "O Spirit... Breathe on Thy cloven Church once more, / That... There may be those whose life is praise, / Each life a high doxology / To Father, Son, and unto Thee."

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The title "Prince of Peace" in the second verse comes from Isaiah 9:6:  "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

The phrase "How beautiful the feet," which occurs twice in the third verse, refers to Isaiah 52:7:  "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, 'Your God reigns.'"  This verse is also cited in Romans 10:15.

LSB #833 "Listen, God Is Calling"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  2 Thessalonians 2:14, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15-16, 1 Corinthians 15:58

2 Thessalonians 2:14:  "To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Matthew 28:18-20:  "18 And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me, 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.  And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'"

Mark 16:15-16:  "15 And he said to them, 'Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.'"

1 Corinthians 15:58:  "Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain."

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2 Thessalonians 2:14 is referred to in the title line (in the refrain):  "Listen, listen, God is calling."

Matthew 28:18-20 (but mostly just verse 19) is paraphrased in the hymn's second verse:  "Let none be forgotten / Throughout the world. / In the triune name of God / Go and baptize."

Mark 16:15-16 is referred to in the first verse:  "Jesus gave His mandate: / Share the good news."

1 Corinthians 15:58 seems to appear in the first half of the third verse ("Help us to be faithful, / Standing steadfast"), but the hymn text also bears some similarity to Colossians 1:23:  "if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister."

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The alliteration in "standing steadfast" provides a sense of constancy, which matches the meaning of the phrase.

"The Tree of Life"

"The Tree of Life" was the hymn in the Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service on 23 February, and I noticed a couple small features in it.

It's sung to the tune "Tree of Life."  Here's the first musical phrase:

The text here is "The tree of life with ev'ry good" (the sense continues into the next line:  "In Eden's holy orchard stood").  The phrase "ev'ry good" is sung to notes of all different pitches (D C A), lending a sense of this breadth.

Near the end of the first verse, there's the line "Its lovely limbs with fruit adorned."  The phrase "lovely limbs" exhibits consonance, and the euphony of this effect matches the meaning of the description itself.

LSB #832 "Jesus Shall Reign"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Psalm 72:5-11, 17; Revelation 11:15; Psalm 8:2; Matthew 21:15-16; Matthew 11:28

Psalm 72:5-11:  "5 May they fear you while the sun endures, and as long as the moon, throughout all generations!  6 May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth!  7 In his days may the righteous flourish, and peace abound, till the moon be no more!

"8 May he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth!  9 May desert tribes bow down before him, and his enemies lick the dust!  10 May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands render him tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts!  11 May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him!"

Psalm 72:17:  "May his name endure forever, his fame continue as long as the sun!  May people be blessed in him, all nations call him blessed!"

Revelation 11:15:  "Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, 'The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.'"

Psalm 8:2:  "Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger."

Matthew 21:15-16:  "15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, 'Hosanna to the Son of David!' they were indignant, 16 and they said to him, 'Do you hear what these are saying?'  And Jesus said to them, 'Yes; have you never read, "Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise"?'"

Matthew 11:28:  "'Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.'"

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The text is public domain:

1 Jesus shall reign where'er the sun

Does its successive journeys run;

His kingdom stretch from shore to shore

Till moons shall wax and wane no more.

2 To Him shall endless prayer be made,

And endless praises crown His head;

His name like sweet perfume shall rise

With ev'ry morning sacrifice.

3 People and realms of ev'ry tongue

Dwell on His love with sweetest song;

And infant voices shall proclaim

Their early blessings on His name.

4 Blessings abound where'er He reigns:

The pris'ners leap, unloose their chains,

The weary find eternal rest,

And all who suffer want are blest.

5 Let ev'ry creature rise and bring

Honors peculiar to our King;

Angels descend with songs again,

And earth repeat the loud amen.

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The two passages from Psalm 72 and Revelation 11:15 are the basis for the first verse.

Psalm 8:2 and Matthew 21:15-16 appear at the end of the third verse:  "And infant voices shall proclaim / Their early blessings on His name."

Matthew 11:28 is alluded to in the fourth verse:  "The weary find eternal rest."

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The lines "Blessings abound where'er He reigns: / The pris'ners leap, unloose their chains" at the beginning of the fourth verse may refer to part of Isaiah 61:1:  "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me... to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound...."  Jesus quotes this passage in Luke 4:18.

"The Royal Banners Forward Go"

Last year, I noticed a number of small features in "The Royal Banners Forward Go."

It's sung to the tune "Vexilla regis nova."  Here's the first musical phrase:

In the third verse, the text here is "Fulfilled is all that David told."  "All" is sung with a melisma (B A), lending a slight sense of this entirety.

In the fourth verse, the text - describing "the King of Glory" from the end of the previous verse - is "On whose hard arms, so widely flung" (the sense is continued into the next line:  "The weight of this world's ransom hung").  "Widely" is sung with a melisma (A G F#), giving a sense of degree (for the modifying "so").  That the notes are all different pitches also illustrates the word's meaning in a small way.

In the sixth verse, the text is "To Thee, eternal Three in One."  "Eternal" is sung with a melisma (C B A G), giving a sense of this duration.

The second musical phrase:

In the sixth verse, the text here is "Let homage meet by all be done."  As above, the "all" here is also sung with a melisma (F# E), lending a slight sense of entirety.

The fourth musical phrase:

In the last verse, the text here is "So guide and keep us evermore."  As with "eternal" above, "evermore" is sung with a melisma (F# E D E), giving a sense of this duration.  "Guide" and "keep" are also sung with melismas (B C and A B, respectively), in a way representing this continuation.

LSB #831 "'How Shall They Hear,' Who Have Not Heard"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Romans 10:14-15, Matthew 28:18-20, Isaiah 6:5-8, Acts 4:29-31

Romans 10:14-15:  "14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed?  And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?  And how are they to hear without someone preaching?  15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent?  As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!'"

Matthew 28:18-20:  "18 And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me, 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.  And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'"

Isaiah 6:5-8:  "5 And I said:  'Woe is me!  For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!'

"6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar.  7 And he touched my mouth and said:  'Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilty is taken away, and your sin atoned for.'

"8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?'  Then I said, 'Here am I!  Send me.'"

Acts 4:29-31:  "29 'And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.'  31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness."

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The passage from Romans 10 appears in the first verse, particularly the first line ("'How shall they hear,' who have not heard"), and it's referred to again in the fifth verse ("So shall they hear and find and prove / Christ is their life, their joy, their crown").

Matthew 28:18-20, especially verse 19, is alluded to in the second verse ("'To all the world,' to ev'ry place... Preach the good news").

Isaiah 6:5-8 is the basis for the third and fourth verses and appears most clearly at the beginning of each ("'Whom shall I send?'" and "'Lord, here am I'").  The burning coal touching Isaiah's lips is also alluded to in the fourth verse:  "Your fire impart... Touch but my lips."

The passage from Acts 4 seems to be referred to in the fifth verse, especially the first two lines:  "Spirit of love, within us move: / Spirit of truth, in pow'r come down!"

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The line "Neighbors and friends and far-off lands" in the second verse exhibits polysyndeton (the repeated "and"), and this provides a sense of the entirety of "all the world" and "ev'ry place" from the preceding line.

"Ride On, Ride On in Majesty"

Last year, I watched the Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service from 14 April.  The recording begins in progress, but the hymn - "Ride On, Ride On in Majesty" - is intact.  In it, I noticed yet an-other instance where a phrase is sung to notes of all different pitches, lending a sense of breadth or entirety.

The hymn is sung to the tune "Winchester New."  Here's the second musical phrase:

In the first verse, the text here is "Hark! All the tribes hosanna cry," and the phrase "All the tribes" is sung to the notes Eb D C.

LSB #830 "Spread the Reign of God the Lord"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Psalm 96:1-5; Matthew 22:9-10; Luke 10:2; 24:47-48; Romans 8:32; 10:15

Psalm 96:1-5:  "1 Oh sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth!  2 Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.  3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!  4 For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods.  5 For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the LORD made the heavens."

Matthew 22:9-10:  "9 '"Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find."  10 And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good.  So the wedding halls was filled with guests.'"

Luke 10:2:  "And he said to them, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.  Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.'"

Luke 24:47-48:  "47 'and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.  48 You are witnesses of these things.'"

Romans 8:32:  "He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?"

Romans 10:15:  "And how are they to preach unless they are sent?  As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!'"

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The text is public domain:

1 Spread the reign of God the Lord,

Spoken, written, mighty Word;

Ev'rywhere His creatures call

To His heav'nly banquet hall.

2 Tell how God the Father's will

Made the world, upholds it still,

How His own dear Son He gave

Us from sin and death to save.

3 Tell of our Redeemer's grace,

Who, to save our human race

And to pay rebellion's price,

Gave Himself as sacrifice.

4 Tell of God the Spirit giv'n

Now to guide us on to heav'n,

Strong and holy, just and true,

Working both to will and do.

5 Enter, mighty Word, the field;

Ripe the promise of its yield.

But the reapers, oh, how few

For the work there is to do!

6 Lord of harvest, great and kind,

Rouse to action heart and mind;

Let the gath'ring nations all

See Your light and heed Your call.

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The passage from Psalm 96 appears at the beginning of the first verse ("Spread the reign of God the Lord") and at the beginning of the second verse ("Tell how God the Father's will / Made the world, upholds it still").  The beginnings of the third and fourth verses ("Tell of our Redeemer's grace" and "Tell of God the Spirit giv'n") may be patterned on "tell of his salvation from day to day" in Psalm 96:2.

Matthew 22:9-10 appears at the end of the first verse:  "Ev'rywhere His creatures call / To His heav'nly banquet hall."

Luke 10:2 is referred to in the fifth verse, particularly the last two lines:  "But the reapers, oh, how few / For the work there is to do!"

Luke 24:47-48 overlaps a bit with Psalm 96 at the beginning of the first verse ("Spread the reign of God the Lord") and also appears at the end of the sixth verse:  "Let the gath'ring nations all / See Your light and heed Your call."

Romans 8:32 is the basis for the second half of the second verse ("How His own dear Son He gave / Us from sin and death to save") and all of the third verse.

Romans 10:15 also overlaps with Psalm 96 and Luke 24:47-48 at the beginning of the first verse ("Spread the reign of God the Lord, / Spoken, written, mighty Word").