Unless stated otherwise, my source for hymn texts and tunes is The Lutheran Service Book.

Friday, April 13, 2018

"Oh, for a Faith That Will Not Shrink"

One of the hymns in a church service last year (I think it was the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost) was "Oh, for a Faith That Will Not Shrink" (#396 in The Lutheran Hymnal).  The last verse is:
Lord, give us such a faith as this;
And then, what'er may come,
We'll taste e'en now the hallowed bliss
Of an eternal home.
The last line is sung to this musical phrase (from the tune "St. Peter"):


The tune is in Eb major, and the last note is an Eb.  This is the tonic - or "home" - note of that key, so "home" in the text is sung to the musical home of the tune.