LSB #827 "Hark, the Voice of Jesus Calling"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Isaiah 6:8; 55:10-11; Luke 10:2

Isaiah 6:8:  "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.'"

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.'"

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.'"

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Only the first stanza is public domain:

Hark, the voice of Jesus calling,

"Who will go and work today?

Fields are white and harvests waiting -

Who will bear the sheaves away?"

Loud and long the Master calleth;

Rich reward He offers thee.

Who will answer, gladly saying,

"Here am I, send me, send me"?

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The first verse is almost the same as the first verse of "Hark, the Voice of Jesus Crying" (LSB #826), so my comments on it are basically the same, too:

Isaiah 6:8 appears in the first verse ("Hark, the voice of Jesus calling, / 'Who will go and work today?'... 'Here am I, send me, send me'").

The harvest imagery in Luke 10:2 [LSB #826 also cites Matthew 9:37-38] is used in the lines "'Fields are white and harvests waiting - / Who will bear the sheaves away?'" in the first verse, although these lines also borrow from John 4:35:  "'Do you not say, "There are yet four months, then comes the harvest"?  Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest.'"

Isaiah 55:10-11 is paraphrased in the third verse.

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The second verse paraphrases the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16).

In the fourth verse, the lines "When with His angelic reapers / He in glory shall descend" borrow imagery from the explanation of the Parable of the Weeds in Matthew 13, specifically part of verse 39:  '''The harvest is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels.'"  The lines "Soon the night, the final harvest; / Soon the time for work shall cease" may borrow from John 9:4:  "'We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.'"

"From All That Dwell Below the Skies"

Months ago, I watched the Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service from 21 November.  The processional hymn was "From All That Dwell Below the Skies," and I noticed two small features in it.

The hymn is sung to the tune "Lasst uns erfreuen."  Here's the second musical phrase:

In the first verse, the text here is "Let the Creator's praise arise," and the ascending melody portrays this "aris[ing]," albeit a bit more literally.

Here's the fifth musical phrase:

In the first verse, the text here is "Through ev'ry land by ev'ry tongue" (it continues the sense from the previous line:  "Let the Redeemer's name be sung").  The phrase "ev'ry tongue" is sung to notes of all different pitches (F# G A), giving a sense of breadth or entirety.

LSB #826 "Hark, the Voice of Jesus Crying"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Isaiah 6:8, Luke 10:2, Matthew 9:37-38, Colossians 4:3-4

Isaiah 6:8:  "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.'"

Luke 10:2:  "And he said to them [the seventy-two He sent out], '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.'"

Matthew 9:37-38:  "37 Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.'"

Colossians 4:3-4:  "3 At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison - 4 that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak."

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The text is public domain:

1 Hark, the voice of Jesus crying,

"Who will go and work today?

Fields are white and harvests waiting -

Who will bear the sheaves away?"

Loud and long the Master calleth;

Rich reward He offers thee.

Who will answer, gladly saying,

"Here am I, send me, send me"?

2 If you cannot speak like angels,

If you cannot preach like Paul,

You can tell the love of Jesus,

You can say He died for all.

If you cannot rouse the wicked

With the judgement's dread alarms,

You can lead the little children

To the Savior's waiting arms.

3 If you cannot be a watchman,

Standing high on Zion's wall,

Pointing out the path to heaven,

Off'ring life and peace to all,

With your prayers and with your bounties

You can do what God commands;

You can be like faithful Aaron,

Holding up the prophet's hands.

4 Let none hear you idly saying,

"There is nothing I can do,"

While the multitudes are dying

And the Master calls for you.

Take the task He gives you gladly,

Let His work your pleasure be;

Answer quickly when He calleth,

"Here am I, send me, send me!"

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Isaiah 6:8 appears in the first verse ("Hark, the voice of Jesus crying, / 'Who will go and work today?'... 'Here am I, send me, send me'") and in the fourth ("'Here am I, send me, send me!'").

The harvest imagery in Luke 10:2 and Matthew 9:37-38 is used in the lines "'Fields are white and harvests waiting - / Who will bear the sheaves away?'" in the first verse, although these lines also borrow from John 4:35:  "'Do you not say, "There are yet four months, then comes the harvest"?  Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest.'"

Colossians 4:3-4 seems to be the basis for the second and third verses.

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The lines "You can lead the little children / To the Savior's waiting arms" at the end of the second verse allude to an event recounted in Matthew 19:13-15, Mark 10:13-16, and Luke 18:15-17.

The lines "You can be like faithful Aaron, / Holding up the prophet's hands" at the end of the third verse refer to Exodus 17:11-12:  "11 Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed.  12 But Moses' hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side.  So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun."

The lines "Take the task he gives you gladly, / Let His work your pleasure be" in the fourth verse bear some resemblance to 1 Corinthians 7:17 ("Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him.  This is my rule in all the churches.") and Ecclesiastes 3:22 ("So I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, for that is his lot.  Who can bring him to see what will be after him?").

"Abide with Me"

A couple weeks ago, I read the clause "the darkness deepens," and it occurred to me that the repetition involved in the alliteration lends a slight sense of this greater degree.  I remembered that this clause also appears in "Abide with Me" (specifically the second line of the first verse:  "The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide"), so I thought I would note it here, too.

LSB #825 "Rise, Shine, You People"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Ephesians 5:14, Colossians 2:13-15, Isaiah 60:1, Matthew 28:18-20

Ephesians 5:14:  "for anything that becomes visible is light.  Therefore it says, 'Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.'"

Colossians 2:13-15:  "13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by cancelling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands.  This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.  15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him."

Isaiah 60:1:  "1 Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you."

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.'"

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Ephesians 5:14 and Isaiah 60:1 are combined at the beginning of the first line ("Rise, shine, you people!").

The passage from Colossians 2 is the basis for the second verse, and Matthew 28:18-20 (particularly, "'Go therefore and make disciples of all nations'") appears at the end of the third verse ("To all the world go out and tell the story / Of Jesus' glory") and throughout the fourth verse.

"Jesus Has Come and Brings Pleasure"

Last week, I watched the Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service from 23 January.  The hymn was "Jesus Has Come and Brings Pleasure," and I noticed in particular the first line:  "Jesus has come and brings pleasure eternal."  It may allude to the last part of Psalm 16:11:  "at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

LSB #823, 824 "May God Bestow on Us His Grace"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Psalm 67:1-2; 96:10-13; Isaiah 55:10-11; 62:1-2

Psalm 67:1-2:  "1 May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, 2 that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations."

Psalm 96:10-13:  "10 Say among the nations, 'The LORD reigns!  Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.'

"11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; 12 let the field exult, and everything in it!  Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy 13 before the LORD, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth.  He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness."

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.'"

Isaiah 62:1-2:  "1 For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not be quiet, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a burning torch.  2 The nations shall see your righteousness, and all the kings your glory, and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will give."

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The text is public domain:

1 May God bestow on us His grace,

With blessings rich provide us;

And may the brightness of His face

To life eternal guide us,

That we His saving health may know,

His gracious will and pleasure,

And also to the nations show

Christ's riches without measure

And unto God convert them.

2 Thine over all shall be the praise

And thanks of ev'ry nation;

And all the world with joy shall raise

The voice of exultation.

For Thou shalt judge the earth, O Lord,

Nor suffer sin to flourish;

Thy people's pasture is Thy Word

Their souls to feed and nourish,

In righteous paths to keep them.

3 O let the people praise Thy worth,

In all good works increasing;

The land shall plenteous fruit bring forth,

Thy Word is rich in blessing.

May God the Father, God the Son,

And God the Spirit bless us!

Let all the world praise Him alone,

Let solemn awe possess us.

Now let our hearts say, "Amen!"

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Psalm 67:1-2 is paraphrased in the first verse, and the passage from Isaiah 62 is also incorporated near the end ("And also to the nations show / Christ's riches without measure").

The passage from Psalm 96 is paraphrased in the second verse, and Isaiah 55:10-11 appears near the beginning of the third verse, particularly in the lines "The land shall plenteous fruit bring forth, / Thy Word is rich in blessing."

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The end of the second verse ("Thy people's pasture is Thy Word / Their souls to feed and nourish, / In righteous paths to keep them") alludes to Psalm 23:2-3:  "2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.  He leads me beside still waters.  3 He restores my soul.  He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake."

"In Adam We Have All Been One"

A few months ago, I watched the Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service from 27 October, where the hymn was "In Adam We Have All Been One."  The last verse ends with the lines "Where with the Father evermore / And Spirit Thou art one," sung to these musical phrases from the tune "The Saints' Delight":

"Evermore" is sung with a melisma (G G F# E), and this drawing out of the word lends a slight sense of duration.

LSB #822 "Alleluia! Let Praises Ring"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Revelation 19:1, Psalm 145:15-16, Revelation 7:9-17, Titus 3:4-7

Revelation 19:1:  "1 After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, 'Hallelujah!  Salvation and glory and power belong to our God'"

Psalm 145:15-16:  "15 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season.  16 You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing."

Revelation 7:9-17:  "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!'  11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, 'Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.'

"13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, 'Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?'  14 I said to him, 'Sir, you know.'  And he said to me, 'These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation.  They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

"15 'Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.  16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.  17 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.'"

Titus 3:4-7:  "4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life."

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The text is public domain:

1 Alleluia!  Let praises ring!

To God the Father let us bring

Our songs of adoration.

To Him through everlasting days

Be worship, honor, pow'r, and praise,

Whose hand sustains creation.

Singing, ringing:

Holy, holy,

God is holy;

Spread the story

Of our God, the Lord of glory.

2 Alleluia!  Let praises ring!

Unto the Lamb of God we sing,

In whom we are elected.

He bought His Church with His own blood,

He cleansed her in that blessed flood,

And as His bride selected.

Holy, holy

Is our union

And communion.

His befriending

Gives us joy and peace unending.

3 Alleluia!  Let praises ring!

Unto the Holy Ghost we sing

For our regeneration.

The saving faith in us He wrought

And us unto the Bridegroom brought,

Made us His chosen nation.

Glory!  Glory!

Joy eternal,

Bliss supernal;

There is manna

And an endless, glad hosanna.

4 Alleluia!  Let praises ring!

Unto our triune God we sing;

Blest be His name forever!

With angel hosts let us adore

And sing His praises evermore

For all His grace and favor!

Singing, ringing:

Holy, holy

God is holy;

Spread the story

Of our God, the Lord of glory!

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Revelation 19:1 seems to appear in the recurring line "Alleluia!  Let praises ring!" at the beginning of each verse.

The passage from Psalm 145:15-16 seems to be the basis for the line "Whose hand sustains creation" in the first verse and possibly also the line "There is manna" in the third verse.

The passage from Revelation 7 appears throughout the hymn but especially in the first verse, the lines "He bought His Church with His own blood, / He cleansed her in that blessed flood" in the second verse, and "With angel hosts let us adore / And sing His praises evermore" in the fourth verse.

The passage from Titus 3 is combined with Revelation 7:14 in the lines "He bought His Church with His own blood, / He cleansed her in that blessed flood" in the second verse and is also alluded to in the lines "Unto the Holy Ghost we sing / For our regeneration" in the third verse.

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The lines "Holy, holy, / God is holy" in the first and fourth verses may refer to the "Holy, holy, holy" in Isaiah 6:3 or Revelation 4:8.

The title "the Lamb of God" in the second verse comes from John 1:29, 36.

The line "Made us His chosen nation" in the third verse may refer to 1 Peter 2:9:  "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."

"Our Father, Who from Heaven Above"

A few months ago, I watched the Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service from 21 October.  The hymn was "Our Father, Who from Heaven Above," and I noticed three instances where phrases are sung to notes of all different pitches, lending a sense of breadth or entirety.

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

In the first verse, the text here is "Bids all of us to live in love" (the subject is "Our Father" from the previous line).  The phrase "all of us" is sung to the notes G F Bb.

In the seventh verse, the text, describing temptation, is "Where our grim foe and all his horde" (the sense carries over into the next line:  "Would vex our souls on ev'ry hand").  Here, the phrase "all his horde" is sung to the notes Eb F G.

Here's the fifth musical phrase:

In the fourth verse, the text here is "Curb flesh and blood and ev'ry ill," and the phrase "ev'ry ill" is sung to the notes G F Eb.

LSB #821 "Alleluia! Sing to Jesus"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Revelation 7:9-14; Hebrews 9:11-28; John 6:31-35, 48-51; 14:18-19

Revelation 7:9-14:  "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!'  11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, 'Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.'

"13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, 'Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?'  14 I said to him, 'Sir, you know.'  And he said to me, 'These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation.  They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.'"

Hebrews 9:11-28:  "11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.  13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

"15 Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.  16 For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established.  17 For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive.  18 Therefore not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood.  19 For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, 20 saying, 'This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you.'  21 And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship.  22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.

"23 Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.  24 For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.  25 Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, 26 for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world.  But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.  27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgement, 28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him."

John 6:31-35:  "31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, "He gave them bread from heaven to eat."'  32 Jesus then said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.  33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.'  34 They said to him, 'Sir, give us this bread always.'

"35 Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.'"

John 6:48-51:  "48 'I am the bread of life.  49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.  50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.  51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven.  If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.  And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.'"

John 14:18-19:  "18 'I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.  19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me.  Because I live, you also will live.'"

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The text is public domain:

1 Alleluia!  Sing to Jesus;

His the scepter, His the throne;

Alleluia!  His the triumph, His the victory alone.

Hark!  The songs of peaceful Zion

Thunder like a mighty flood:

"Jesus out of ev'ry nation

Has redeemed us by His blood."

2 Alleluia!  Not as orphans

Are we left in sorrow now;

Alleluia!  He is near us;

Faith believes, nor questions how.

Though the cloud from sight received Him

When the forty days were o'er,

Shall our hearts forget His promise:

"I am with you evermore"?

3 Alleluia!  Bread of heaven,

Here on earth our food, our stay;

Alleluia!  Here the sinful

Flee to You from day to day.

Intercessor, Friend of sinners,

Earth's Redeemer, hear our plea

Where the songs of all the sinless

Sweep across the crystal sea.

4 Alleluia!  King eternal,

Lord omnipotent we own;

Alleluia!  Born of Mary,

Earth Your footstool, heav'n Your throne.

As within the veil You entered,

Robed in flesh, our great High Priest,

Here on earth both priest and victim

In the euchatistic feast.

5 Alleluia!  Sing to Jesus;

His the scepter, His the throne;

Alleluia!  His the triumph,

His the victory alone.

Hark!  The songs of peaceful Zion

Thunder like a mighty flood:

"Jesus out of ev'ry nation

Has redeemed us by His blood."

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Revelation 7:9-14 and Hebrews 9:11-28 appear at the end of the first verse (repeated as the fifth verse):  "'Jesus out of ev'ry nation / Has redeemed us by His blood.'"  Hebrews 9:11-28 is also referred to in the second half of the fourth verse.

The two passages from John 6 are the basis for the third verse, especially the title "Bread of heaven."

The passage from John 14, particularly verse 18, is referred to at the beginning of the second verse:  "Alleluia!  Not as orphans / Are we left in sorrow now."

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The line "His the scepter, His the throne" in the first and fifth verses may refer to Psalm 45:6:  "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.  The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness."  This passage is also cited in Hebrews 1:8.

The lines "Though the cloud from sight received Him / When the forty days were o'er" in the second verse refer to the account of the Ascension in Acts 1, specifically verses 3 (the forty days) and 9 ("a cloud took him out of their sight").

The line "Earth Your footstool, heav'n Your throne" in the fourth verse borrows descriptions from Matthew 5:34-35:  "34 'But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.'"

"To Jordan Came the Christ, Our Lord"

Last week, I watched the Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service from the 13th, in which the hymn was "To Jordan Came the Christ, Our Lord."  I've written about this hymn before, but I noticed an-other small feature in it.

Near the end of the sixth verse, there's the line "And they are lost forever," referring to "those who cast aside / This grace so freely given" from earlier in the verse.  It's sung to this musical phrase from the tune "Christ, unser Herr":

"Forever" is sung with a melisma (Eb F Eb D C), lending a sense of this extended duration.