Messiah: No. 31 He was cut off

The text is from Isaiah 53:8:  "By oppression and judgement he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people?"

"Valet will ich dir geben" (TLH #138)

I recorded this on Friday, and on Saturday, I listened to Bach's cantata Christus, der ist mein Leben, BWV 95, which uses this tune in the third movement.  The first verse of TLH #407 "Farewell I Gladly Bid Thee" is a translation of the same text that's in the Bach cantata, so - apparently - that's the original text that goes with this tune.

"It Came upon the Midnight Clear"

Two years ago, I realized something about the Carpenters' version of "It Came upon a Midnight Clear" that's also present in LSB #366 "It Came upon the Midnight Clear."  Here's the third phrase of "Carol," the tune to which it's sung:

In the first verse, the text here is "From angels bending near the earth."  "Bending" is sung with a melisma (D Bb G), musically giving a sense of the word's meaning.

While looking at the hymn again in order to write this post, I also noticed that in the second verse, "cloven" in the line "Still through the cloven skies they come" is sung with this same melisma, musically giving a sense of that division.  (That's the first line of the verse, but the first and third musical phrases are the same.)

Four years ago, while practicing a section of this tune in my beginning piano book (meant to demonstrate how to turn the thumb under the hand when playing long ascending phrases), I realized something about the text accompanying the fifth musical phrase:

In the first verse, the text here is "'Peace on the earth, goodwill to all.'"  This is taken from Luke 2:14, where the angel says to the shepherds:  "'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!'"  While not all of this is included in the hymn, the octave drop in the melody gives a musical sense of these different levels (peace from "the highest" sent "on earth").

While looking at the hymn again recently, I noticed that this octave difference gives a musical sense of height in the second verse ("Above its sad and lowly plains") and in the third verse ("Look up, for golden is the hour.").

There's also a second melisma'd "bend" (C Bb) in the sixth phrase of the second verse:  "They bend on hov'ring wing," sung to this phrase:

LSB #497 "Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Luke 11:13, 1 Corinthians 12:13, John 16:13-14, 2 Timothy 1:14

Luke 11:13:  "'If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!'"

1 Corinthians 12:13:  "For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body - Jews or Greeks, slaves or free - and all were made to drink of one Spirit."

John 16:13-14:  "13 'When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.  14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.'"

2 Timothy 1:14:  "By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you."

+++

Luke 11:13 seems to appear in the first verse, but where the Biblical text is a summary statement, the hymn is more specific and implores:  "Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord, / With all Your graces now out-poured / On each believer's mind and heart; / Your fervent love to them impart."

The unity mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:13 appears at the end of the first verse:  "In holy faith Your Church unite; / From ev'ry land and ev'ry tongue."

The verses from John 16 appear at the beginning of the second verse:  "Come, holy Light, guide divine, / Now cause the Word of life to shine. / Teach us to know our God aright / And call Him Father with delight."

The idea of "guard[ing] the good deposit entrusted to you" from 2 Timothy 1 seems to appear in the second half of the second verse:  "From ev'ry error keep us free; / Let none but Christ our master be / That we in living faith abide."  The third verse also deals with this, but referring more to action:  "Grant us the will Your work to do / And in Your service to abide."

Messiah: No. 28 He trusted in God that he would deliver him

This is an-other thing I didn't notice until I started looking into the notation:  the choral parts are written in such a way that "deliver" and "delight" are sometimes sung simultaneously.  I'm not sure if there's any religious meaning behind this, but there's at least a poetic one, since "deliver" and "delight" exhibit consonance.

Later in this section, there's a melisma on one of the "delight"s so that it sounds like a laugh.  It's similar to the previous section (All they that see him laugh him to scorn) in that it's a musical effect to portray laughing and it's an-other way in which Christ was mocked.

"Mit Fried' und Freud'" (TLH #137)

"Jesus, Thy Church with Longing Eyes"

Last summer I recorded the tune "O Jesu Christ, mein's," used for TLH #64 "Jesus, Thy Church with Longing Eyes" (in the Advent section).  I noticed a small feature, specifically regarding the first musical phrase:

In the fourth verse, the text here is "Oh, come and reign o'er every land."  Because the text for the fourth verse is printed below the music staves, it's a bit unclear whether "every" is meant to be sung with three syllables or (as "ev'ry") with a melisma (G A B), but either articulation gives a sense of number.

LSB #496 "Holy Spirit, Light Divine"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  John 16:13, 1 Thessalonians 5:23, 1 Corinthians 6:19, 2 Timothy 1:7

John 16:13:  "'When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.'"

1 Thessalonians 5:23:  "Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

1 Corinthians 6:19:  "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?  You are not your own"

2 Timothy 1:7:  "for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control."

+++

The text is public domain:

Holy Spirit, light divine,
Shine upon this heart of mine;
Chase the shades of night away,
Turn the darkness into day.

Let me see my Savior's face,
Let me all His beauties trace;
Show those glorious truths to me
Which are only known to Thee.

Holy Spirit, pow'r divine,
Cleanse this guilty heart of mine;
In Thy mercy pity me,
From sin's bondage set me free.

Holy Spirit, joy divine,
Cheer this saddened heart of mine;
Yield a sacred, settled peace,
Let it grow and still increase.

Holy Spirit, all divine,
Dwell within this heart of mine;
Cast down ev'ry idol throne,
Reign supreme, and reign alone.

+++

John 16:13 appears in the second verse, specifically in the line "Show those glorious truths to me," and 1 Thessalonians 5:23 appears in the third verse.

"The Holy Spirit within you" from 1 Corinthians 6:19 appears in the line "Dwell within this heart of mine" in the last verse.

I must admit I don't fully understand how the hymn uses the verse from 2 Timothy.  The only explanation I can come up with is that the various activities mentioned in the verses are examples of the work of that "spirit... of power and love and self-control."

Messiah: No. 27 All they that see him laugh him to scorn

After the first line of this section, there are figures in the violin part that sound like laughing:

"Regent Square" (TLH #136)

I transposed this from Bb major to A major, thinking it would make it easier to double half of the verse on recorder, which is something I've been thinking about doing for a while.

"Jesus Came, the Heavens Adoring"

Two years ago, I noticed a feature in "Jesus Came, the Heavens Adoring," specifically with regard to the second musical phrase from the tune "Sieh, hier bin ich" ("Behold, here I am"):

There's a cross inscription in the tune, and this connects with the text in the third verse:  "Bringing news of sins forgiv'n."  Jesus' death on the cross is what gives us this forgiveness of sins.

LSB #495 "Look, Ye Saints, the Sight Is Glorious"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Philippians 2:9-11, Revelation 7:9-14, Daniel 7:14, Acts 2:31-36

Philippians 2:9-11:  "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."

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."

Daniel 7:14:  "'And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.'"

Acts 2:31-36:  "31 'he [David] foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption.  32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.  33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.  34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, "The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand, 35 until I make your enemies your footstool."  36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.'"

+++

The text is public domain:

Look, ye saints, the sight is glorious;
See the Man of Sorrows now!
From the fight returned victorious,
Ev'ry knee to Him shall bow.
Crown Him! Crown him!
Crown Him! Crown him!
Crown Him! Crown him!
Crowns become the victor's brow.
Crowns become the victor's brow.

Crown the Savior! Angels, crown Him!
Rich the trophies Jesus brings;
On the seat of pow'r enthrone Him
While the vault of heaven rings.
Crown Him! Crown him!
Crown Him! Crown him!
Crown Him! Crown him!
Crown the Savior King of kings.
Crown the Savior King of kings.

Sinners in derision crowned Him,
Mocking thus the Savior's claim;
Saints and angels crowd around Him,
Own His title, praise His name.
Crown Him! Crown him!
Crown Him! Crown him!
Crown Him! Crown him!
Spread abroad the victor's fame.
Spread abroad the victor's fame.

Hark, those bursts of acclamation!
Hark, those loud triumphant chords!
Jesus takes the highest station;
Oh, what joy the sight affords!
Crown Him! Crown him!
Crown Him! Crown him!
Crown Him! Crown him!
King of kings and Lord of lords!
King of kings and Lord of lords!

+++

The Biblical texts all talk about Christ reigning in glory, so it's a bit difficult to distinguish them in the hymn.  Philippians 2:10 clearly appears in the first verse:  "Ev'ry knee to Him shall bow," and the multitude around the throne in Revelation 7 seems to appear in the third verse:  "Saints and angels crowd around Him."

"King of kings and Lord of lords" comes from Revelation 19:16:  "On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords."

Messiah: No. 26 All we like sheep have gone astray

The text is from Isaiah 53:6:  "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned - every one - to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all."

The ends of some of the "have gone astray" phrases sort of trail off to mirror the wandering.

Once I started looking into the notation, I also noticed that in some places, the melodies of the various parts are going in opposite directions ("we have turned ev'ry one to his own way").  Some are going up while other are going down.

"Potsdam" (TLH #135)

"Comfort, Comfort Ye My People"

Last year, I noticed a small feature in "Comfort, Comfort Ye My People," specifically regarding the line "Mourning 'neath their sorrows' load," sung to this phrase from the tune "Freu dich sehr":

The end of the phrase descends, musically giving a sense of the weight of "sorrows' load."

LSB #494 "See, the Lord Ascends in Triumph"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Mark 16:19, Colossians 3:1-4, Psalm 110:1, Revelation 6:11-13

Mark 16:19:  "So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God."

Colossians 3:1-4:  "1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.  3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."

Psalm 110:1:  "The LORD says to my Lord: 'Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.'"

Revelation 6:11-13:  "11 Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.

"12 When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, 13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale."

+++

I think that last citation should actually be Revelation 5:11-13:  "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!'"

+++

The text is public domain:

See, the Lord ascends in triumph;
Conqu'ring King in royal state,
Riding on the clouds, His chariot,
To His heav'nly palace gate.
Hark! The choirs of angel voices
Joyful alleluias sing,
And the portals high are lifted
To receive their heav'nly King.

Who is this that comes in glory
With the trump of jubilee?
Lord of battles, God of armies,
He has gained the victory.
He who on the cross did suffer,
He who from the grave arose,
He has vanquished sin and Satan;
He by death has crushed His foes.

While He lifts His hands in blessing,
He is parted from His friends;
While their eager eyes behold Him,
He upon the clouds ascends.
He who walked with God and pleased Him,
Preaching truth and doom to come,
He, our Enoch, is translated
To His everlasting home.

Now our heav'nly Aaron enters
With His blood within the veil;
Joshua now is come to Canaan,
And the kings before Him quail.
Now He plants the tribes of Israel
In their promised resting place;
Now our great Elijah offers
Double portion of His grace.

He has raised our human nature
On the clouds to God's right hand;
There we sit in heav'nly places,
There with Him in glory stand.
Jesus reigns, adored by angels;
Man with God is on the throne.
By our mighty Lord's ascension
We by faith behold our own.

+++

All of the Biblical texts cited deal with Christ's Ascension and sitting at the right hand of God, and generally, this is also what the hymn is about.  Some passages, however, show up more clearly in some verses.

The verse from Mark is the basis of the beginning of the third verse:  "While He lifts His hands in blessing, / He is parted from His friends; / While their eager eyes behold Him, / He upon the clouds ascends."  The first few verses in the passage from Colossians 3 appear at the beginning of the last verse:  "He has raised our human nature / On the clouds to God's right hand."  Psalm 110:1 is elaborated upon in the second verse, which extols God's power, and the praise given to the Lamb in Revelation 5 appears in the first and final verses.

+++

The first few lines of the second verse ("Who is this that comes in glory / With the trump of jubilee? / Lord of battles, God of armies, / He has gained the victory") bear some resemblance to Psalm 24:8:  "Who is the King of glory?  The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle!"

Messiah: No. 25 And with his stripes we are healed

The text is from Isaiah 53:5, continuing from the previous movement:  "... and with his stripes we are healed."

"St. George" (TLH #134)

"Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland"

This summer I bought an alto recorder.  I haven't done much with it yet, so I thought I'd try recording a hymn tune with it.  Since it's Advent now, I did "Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland," the tune to which "Savior of the Nations, Come" is sung.  This is also the tune I started with when I began re-learning how to read music seven years ago.

I followed the arrangement in The Lutheran Hymnal (in which "Savior of the Nations, Come" is #95).  The higher two voices are on soprano recorder; the lowest is on alto.

"What a Friend We Have in Jesus"

Recently, I was thinking about "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" and discovered a musical feature in one of the lines, but then I found that I'd already noticed this and added it to my list of things to write about.  Lest I rediscover this a third time, I'm writing about it now.

In the first verse, there are the lines "What a privilege to carry / Ev'rything to God in prayer!"  At the end of the verse there are similar lines (sung to the same musical phrase) reflecting on the "needless pain we bear - / All because we do not carry / Ev'rything to God in prayer!"  Here's the notation for those two lines, from the tune "Converse":

The syllables of those two "ev'rything"s are all sung to different pitches (C F A) and - altogether - span a sixth, and these two musical features highlight the variety and breadth of "ev'rything."

---

For what it's worth, here's a post from last June about some more musical features in "What a Friend We Have in Jesus."

LSB #493 "A Hymn of Glory Let Us Sing"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Acts 1:9-11, Colossians 3:1-4, Psalm 47:5-9, Revelation 5:13

Acts 1:9-11:  "9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.  10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, 'Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven?  This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.'"

Colossians 3:1-4:  "1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.  3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."

Psalm 47:5-9:  "5 God has gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet.  6 Sing praises to God, sing praises!  Sing praises to our King, sing praises!  7 For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm!

"8 God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne.  9 The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham.  For the shields of the earth belong to God; he is highly exalted!"

Revelation 5:13:  "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!'"

+++

The text from Acts is the main source and appears in verses one through four.  The text from Psalm 47 could also be cited for some portions of these verses.

The text from Colossians seems to appear in the fifth verse, specifically in the lines "Be now our joy on earth, O Lord, / And be our future great reward."

The verse from Revelation appears in the hymn's last verse, in the lines "O risen Christ, ascended Lord, / All praise to You let earth accord."

Messiah: No. 24 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows

The text is from Isaiah 53:4-5 (although only the first part of verse 5):  "4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried out sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.  5 But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace..."

"Franconia" (TLH #133)

"Today Your Mercy Calls Us"

A little over a year ago, I noticed a small thing in "Today Your Mercy Calls Us."  The third verse ends with the line "It is our Father's home," sung to this phrase from the tune "Anthes":

The tune is in G major, and "home" is sung to a G note (the tonic), so the "home" in the text is matched with the home in the music.

LSB #492 "On Christ's Ascension I Now Build"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  John 14:3, Colossians 3:1-4

John 14:3:  "'And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.'"

Colossians 3:1-4:  "1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.  3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."

+++

John 14:3 appears near the end of the first verse:  "For where the Head is, there as well / I know His members are to dwell / When Christ will come and call them."  These lines also incorporate the image of us as members of one body (Romans 12:4-5) with Christ as the head (Ephesians 5:23, Colossians 1:18).

"Seek[ing] the things that are above" and "set[ting] your minds on things that are above" from Colossians 3 appear in the second verse, specifically in the lines "For where my treasure went before, / There all my thoughts will ever soar."  This also resembles Matthew 6:21:  "'For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.'"

Messiah: No. 23 He was despised and rejected of men

The text is from Isaiah 53:3:  "He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide the faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not." and from Isaiah 50:6:  "I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting."

An-other thing I didn't notice until I started following along with the notation is the cross-like figure inscribed here with "he was despised."

I first ran across this cross-inscribing feature in John Eliot Gardiner's Bach: Music in the Castle of Heaven, where he points out how Bach does this in Christ lag in Todes Banden, BWV 4:

I'm not sure if it was Handel's intent here (I don't know how well-known this cross-inscription technique was in the 1700s), but it does provide an example of one of the forms in which Christ was despised - the crucifixion.

"O grosser Gott" (TLH #132)

"Eternal Father, Strong to Save"

Two years ago, I wrote about some features in "Eternal Father, Strong to Save."  I sang the hymn in church last week (it was included apparently to coincide with Veterans Day this week), and I noticed an-other small feature in it.

The fourth line of the fourth verse is "Protect them wheresoe'er they go," sung to this musical phrase from the tune "Melita":

The three syllables of "whereso'er" are each sung to a different pitch (E A G), musically giving a sense of that breadth.

LSB #491 "Up through Endless Ranks of Angels"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Mark 16:19, 1 John 2:1-2, John 14:16-18

Mark 16:19:  "So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God."

1 John 2:1-2:  "1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.  But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.  2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world."

John 14:16-18:  "16 'And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him.  You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

"18 'I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you."

+++

The verse from Mark 16 appears in the first verse, which - with some elaboration - describes Christ's Ascension.

The verses from 1 John 2 appear in the second half of the second verse: "Now for us before the Father / As our brother intercede; / Flesh that for our world was wounded, / Living, for the wounded plead!"

The verses from John 14 are in the third verse, specifically in the line "Send Your Spirit, promised guide."

Messiah: No. 22 Behold the Lamb of God

The text is from John 1:29:  "The next day he [John] saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, 'Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!'"

One of the instances of "away" splits the two syllables into the interval of a fifth, which helps to underscore the completeness or the distance to which "the sin of the world" is taken away.

"Wo Gott zum Haus" (TLH #131)

I transposed this from Eb major to D major, and since it's a shorter tune, I went though it three times.

"For All the Saints"

All Saints' Day was observed on Sunday, and - of course - "For All the Saints" was one of the hymns in church.  I noticed a couple things while singing it, re-discovered a note about something else I'd noticed a year ago and hadn't written about yet, and found yet an-other thing while looking at the hymn again in order to write this post.

The tune to which the hymn is sung is titled "Sine nomine," which I think might be something of a joke because this means "without a name" in Latin.  I should also note that from verse to verse there are occasionally some differences in the music in order to accommodate the text.

Here's the first musical phrase:

In the second verse, the text here is "Thou wast their rock, their fortress, and their might."  The tune is in G major, and "rock" is sung to a G (the tonic note), so there's a musical representation of that firm foundation.

In the fifth verse, the text is "And when the fight is fierce, the warfare long."  "Long" is sung to a whole note, and since this is the longest note in the phrase, there's a sense of duration.

The third musical phrase:

In the first verse, the text here is "Thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest."  "Forever" is sung with a melisma (D C B A G), musically giving a sense of duration.

In the fourth verse, the text is "Yet all are one in Thee, for all are Thine."  Here, "all" is sung with a melisma (C B), musically giving something of a sense of entirety.

LSB #490 "Jesus Lives! The Victory's Won"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Romans 8:11, 35-39; 2 Corinthians 5:15; Philippians 1:20-21

Romans 8:11:  "If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you."

Romans 8:35-39:  "35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?  36 As it is written, 'For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.'  37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

2 Corinthians 5:15:  "and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised."

Philippians 1:20-21:  "20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.  21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."

+++

The text is public domain:

Jesus lives! The vict'ry's won!
Death no longer can appall me;
Jesus lives! Death's reign is done!
From the grave will Christ recall me.
Bright scenes will then commence;
This shall be my confidence.

Jesus lives! To Him the throne
High above all things is given.
I shall go where He is gone,
Live and reign with Him in heaven.
God is faithful; doubtings, hence!
This shall be my confidence.

Jesus lives! For me He died,
Hence will I, to Jesus living,
Pure in heart and act abide,
Praise to Him and glory giving.
All I need God will dispense;
This shall be my confidence.

Jesus lives! I know full well
Nothing me from Him shall sever.
Neither death nor pow'rs of hell
Part me now from Christ forever.
God will be my sure defense;
This shall be my confidence.

Jesus lives! And now is death
But the gate of life immortal;
This shall calm my trembling breath
When I pass its gloomy portal.
Faith shall cry, as fails each sense;
Jesus is my confidence!

+++

Romans 8:11 appears in the first verse, most clearly in the line "From the grave will Christ recall me."

The other text from Romans 8 (verses 35-39) appears in the fourth verse:  "Nothing me from Him shall sever. / Neither death nor pow'rs of hell / Part me now from Christ forever."

2 Corinthians 5:15 is in the first four lines of the third verse.  The hymn makes it more personal, though, by using "For me He died" where the Biblical text has "he died for all."  Philippians 1:20-21 seems to be tied in with this too, specifically with regard to "Christ will be honored in my body."

+++

The line "All I need God will dispense" in the third verse reminded me of Genesis 22 (where Abraham nearly sacrifices Isaac, but instead God provides a ram in his place), and I realized that in the hymn, this line could be taken in two ways.  Especially since it follows a description of Jesus' death, there's the connection to God's "provid[ing] for himself the lamb" of sacrifice (Genesis 22:8), who "takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29) and grants salvation.  But in a more straight-forward way, it could also refer to earthly necessities, as Luther writes in his explanation of the first article of the Apostles' Creed:  "He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life."

Messiah: No. 21 His yoke is easy

The text is from Matthew 11:30:  "'For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.'"

"Valet will ich dir geben" (TLH #130)

"Thy Strong Word"

On two different occasions a number of months ago, I found a handful of things to note in "Thy Strong Word."  They're all within the first two phrases of the tune "Ebenezer":

The first line of the hymn is "Thy strong word did cleave the darkness."  "Darkness" is sung with a melisma (Ab G F at the end of the second measure), musically giving a sense of having been "cleave[d]."

The fourth verse begins with the lines "From the cross Thy wisdom shining / Breaketh forth in conqu'ring might."  Similar to the cloven "darkness," here "Breaketh" is sung with a melisma (C Bb C Db) musically giving something of a sense of the word's meaning.

The second verse starts with the lines "Lo, on those who dwelt in darkness, / Dark as night and deep as death" (adapted from Isaiah 9:2).  Reflecting that "deep as death" musically, there's a descent in the melody (Bb Ab G F).

LSB #489 "Hail Thee, Festival Day"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Psalm 118:13-24, Ephesians 1:19b-23, Romans 6:4, Acts 2:1-4

Psalm 118:13-24:  "13 I was pushed hard, so that I was falling, but the LORD helped me.

"14 The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.  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."

Ephesians 1:19b-23:  "according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.  22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all."

Romans 6:4:  "We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life."

Acts 2:1-4:  "1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place.  2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.  3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them.  4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance."

+++

This hymn is formatted a bit differently, and it has three sets of initial two verses - one set for Easter, one for Ascension, and one for Pentecost.  Romans 6:4 is the text for the Easter verses, the text from Ephesians 1 is the basis for the Ascension verses, and Acts 2:1-4 is the text for the Pentecost verses (and perhaps also the fifth verse, which begins:  "Spirit of life and of pow'r, / Now flow in us, fount of our being").

That leaves only the text from Psalm 118.  There are some small connections between it and the specific verses for Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost, but I think it appears most clearly in the refrain.  "Hail thee, festival day! / Blest day to be hallowed forever" has the same feeling as verse 24:  "This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."

Messiah: No. 20 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd

The text is from Isaiah 40:11:  "He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young." and from Matthew 11:28-29:  "28 'Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  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.'"

"O Durchbrecher" (TLH #129)

"Father Welcomes"

A little over a year ago, I noticed a small feature in the refrain of "Father Welcomes."  The first line is "Father welcomes all His children," sung to this musical phrase (the title of the tune is also "Father Welcomes"):

"All" is sung with a melisma (F G), musically giving a sense of entirety.

LSB #488 "He Is Arisen! Glorious Word"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  1 Corinthians 15:3-8, 12-23

1 Corinthians 15:3-8:  "3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received:  that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.  6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.  7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.  8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me."

1 Corinthians 15:12-23:  "12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?  13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.  14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.  15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised.  16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised.  17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.  18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.  19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

"20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.  21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.  22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.  23 But each in his own order:  Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ."

+++

The text is public domain:

He is arisen! Glorious Word!
Now reconciled is God, my Lord;
The gates of heav'n are open.
My Jesus did triumphant die,
And Satan's arrows broken lie,
Destroyed hell's fiercest weapon.
O hear what cheer!
Christ victorious,
Rising glorious,
Life is giving.
He was dead but now is living!

+++

Roughly, the first half of the hymn (which is only one verse) is from verses 3-8, and the second half is from verses 12-23.

The first Biblical citation deals mainly with Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, and it appears in the hymn in the lines "He is arisen!" and "My Jesus did triumphant die."

The second citation deals mainly with Christ's resurrection and victory over death, which is basically the whole second half of the hymn.  

Messiah: No. 19 Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened

The text is from Isaiah 35:5-6a: "5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; 6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy."

"Morning Star" (TLH #128)

"Crown Him with Many Crowns"

Last year, I noticed a small thing about "Crown Him with Many Crowns" when I watched the One LSB Hymn a Week video for it:

In the fourth verse, there's the line "Who died and rose on high," sung to this musical phrase from the tune "Diademata":

"High" is sung to the highest note in the phrase (and there's a rather large interval [a sixth] between it and the preceding note, which emphasizes this), musically giving a sense of its meaning.

The week after I noticed this, "Crown Him with Many Crowns" was one of the distribution hymns in church, and I noticed a second thing.  In the third verse, the line "But downward bend their wond'ring eyes" (describing the angels who cannot "fully bear that sight" of Jesus' wounds) is sung to a (generally) descending melody, illustrating that "downward bend[ing]" musically:

LSB #487 "Come, You Faithful, Raise the Strain"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Exodus 15:1-21, John 20:19-21, Romans 6:9-11

Exodus 15:1-21:  "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.  3 The LORD is a man of war; the LORD is his name.

"'4 Pharaoh's chariots and his host he cast into the sea, and his chosen officers were sunk in the Red Sea.  5 The floods covered them; they went down into the depths like a stone.  6 Your right hand, O LORD, glorious in power, your right hand, O LORD, shatters the enemy.  7 In the greatness of your majesty you overthrow your adversaries; you send out your fury; it consumes them like stubble.  8 At the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up; the floods stood up in a heap; the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea.  9 The enemy said, "I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them.  I will draw my sword; my hand shall destroy them."  10 You blew with your wind; the sea covered them; they sank like lead in the mighty waters.

"'11 Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods?  Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?  12 You stretched out your right hand; the earth swallowed them.

"'13 You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed; you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode.  14 The peoples have heard; they tremble; pangs have seized the inhabitants of Philistia.  15 Now are the chiefs of Edom dismayed; trembling seizes the leaders of Moab; all the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away.  16 Terror and dread fall upon them; because of the greatness of your arm, they are still as a stone, till your people, O LORD, pass by, till the people pass by whom you have purchased.  17 You will bring them in and plant them on your own mountain, the place, O LORD, which you have made for your abode, the sanctuary, O LORD, which your hands have established.  18 The LORD will reign forever and ever.'

"19 For when the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his horsemen went into the sea, the LORD brought back the waters of the sea upon them, but the people of Israel walked on dry ground in the midst of the sea.  20 Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and dancing.  21 And Miriam sang to them:

"'Sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.'"

John 20:19-21:  "19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, 'Peace be with you.'  20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.  Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.  21 Jesus said to them again, 'Peace be with you.  As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.'"

Romans 6:9-11:  "9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.  10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.  11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus."

+++

The text is public domain:

Come, you faithful, raise the strain
Of triumphant gladness!
God has brought His Israel
Into joy from sadness,
Loosed from Pharaoh's bitter yoke
Jacob's sons and daughters,
Led them with unmoistened foot
Through the Red Sea waters.

'Tis the spring of souls today:
Christ has burst His prison
And from three days' sleep in death
As a sun has risen;
All the winter of our sins,
Long and dark, is flying
From His light, to whom is giv'n
Laud and praise undying.

Now the queen of seasons, bright
With the day of splendor,
With the royal feast of feasts
Comes its joy to render;
Comes to gladden faithful hearts
Which with true affection
Welcome in unwearied strain
Jesus' resurrection!

For today among His own
Christ appeared, bestowing
His deep peace, which evermore
Passes human knowing.
Neither could the gates of death
Nor the tomb's dark portal
Nor the watchers nor the seal
Hold Him as a mortal.

Alleluia! Now we cry
To our King immortal,
Who, triumphant, burst the bars
Of the tomb's dark portal.
Come, you faithful, raise the strain
Of triumphant gladness!
God has brought His Israel
Into joy from sadness!

+++

The first verse of the hymn summarizes the events recounted in the text from Exodus, and "raise the strain / Of triumphant gladness" seems to come from the singing mentioned in verse 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 text from Romans might appear in the second verse - particularly the line "Christ has burst His prison" - but I think it shows up more clearly in the last verse.  The lines "Who, triumphant, burst the bars / Of the tomb's dark portal" give a better sense of the finality of Christ's victory over death from verse 9:  "We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him."

The text from John appears at the beginning of the fourth verse:  "For today among His own / Christ appeared, bestowing / His deep peace."  The relative clause describing that "deep peace" ("which evermore / Passes human knowing") comes from Philippians 4:7:  "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Messiah: No. 18 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion

The text is from Zechariah 9:9-10:  "9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!  Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!  Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.  10 I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall speak peace to the nations; his rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth."

"Dix" (TLH #127)

"Dives and Lazarus"

In church last week for the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels, one of the readings was Luke 16:19-31, the story of the rich man and Lazarus.  (Apparently this is a departure from the lectionary, but it's an appropriate text because Lazarus "was carried by the angels to Abraham's side" after he died.)

The reading reminded me of the song "Dives and Lazarus," which is derived from this particular text and which was included in Roger McGuinn's Folk Den a few years ago.  More recently, a different version also appeared on Worship Anew.

I wrote about the song about a year ago, when I discovered that Dives' name comes from a Latin word that means "rich."  In thinking about all of this again, I realized a second thing about the song.  A couple times, the rich man is called "Rich man Dives."  Since Dives means "rich [man]" in Latin, this is a redundant "rich man Rich [Man]."  This redundancy illustrates the excessive nature of the man's wealth, which is described in the first verse of the text: "There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day."

LSB #486 "If Christ Had Not Been Raised from Death"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  1 Corinthians 15:12-26, Job 19:25

1 Corinthians 15:12-26:  "12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?  13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.  14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.  15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised.  16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised.  17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.  18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.  19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

"20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.  21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.  22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.  23 But each in his own order:  Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.  24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.  25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.  26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death."

Job 19:25:  "For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth."

+++

Each verse of the hymn follows the structure and content of the text from 1 Corinthians; the first four lines are drawn from verses 12-19, and the last four lines are drawn from verses 20-26.  Each hymn verse starts with an "if" statement - "If Christ had not been raised from death..." "If Christ still lay within the tomb..." and "If Christ had not been truly raised...."  Following these are hopeless descriptions, paraphrasing and expanding upon verse 14:  "our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain."  Halfway through each verse, however, there's shift, and - like verse 20 - the Lord's resurrection is affirmed and emphasized:  "But now the Lord is ris'n indeed," "But now the Savior is raised up," and "But now our great Redeemer lives."

Job 19:25 appears at the tonal shift in the third verse:  "But now our great Redeemer lives."

Messiah: No. 17 Glory to God in the highest

The text is from Luke 2:14:  "'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!'"

There are actually two things here that emphasize the distance between "the highest" and "on earth."  The "highest" is at a higher pitch than "on earth," but it's also sung by the higher registers (sopranos and altos [and also tenors]) where "on earth" is sung by the lower registers (tenors and basses).

"O Welt, ich muss dich lassen" (TLH #126)

"Christ, the Lord of Hosts, Unshaken"

Because Sunday was the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels, one of the hymns in church was "Christ, the Lord of Hosts, Unshaken."  I think this was the first time I'd sung it, and I noticed a small feature in it.

The fifth line of the first verse is "Conquers sin and death forever," sung to this phrase from the tune "Fortunatus New":

"Forever" is sung with a melisma (G Bb A A), and because it's stretched out, there's a musical sense of duration.

LSB #485 "Long before the World Is Waking"

Biblical citation in the hymnal:  John 21:1-17

John 21:1-17:  "1 After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way.  2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together.  3 Simon Peter said to them, 'I am going fishing.'  They said to him, 'We will go with you.'  They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

"4 Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.  5 Jesus said to them, 'Children, do you have any fish?'  They answered him, 'No.'  6 He said to them, 'Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.'  So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish.  7 That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, 'It is the Lord!'  When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea.  8 The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.

"9 When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread.  10 Jesus said to them, 'Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.'  11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them.  And although there were so many, the net was not torn.  12 Jesus said to them, 'Come and have breakfast.'  Now none of the disciples dared ask him, 'Who are you?'  They knew it was the Lord.  13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish.  14 This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

"15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?'  He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.'  He said to him, 'Feed my lambs.'  16 He said to him a second time, 'Simon, son of John, do you love me?'  He said to him, 'Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.'  He said to him, 'Tend my sheep.'  17 He said to him the third time, 'Simon, son of John, do you love me?'  Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, 'Do you love me?' and he said to him, 'Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.'  Jesus said to him, 'Feed my sheep.'"

+++

The first three verses of the hymn simply paraphrase the text from John, although only verses 4 to 12.  The hymn's last two verses are more of a reflection of what Jesus' resurrection means for us.

The lines "All the soul's dark night is past, / Morning breaks in joy at last" at the end of the fourth verse seem to come from Psalm 30:5:  "For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime.  Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning."

Messiah: No. 16 And suddenly there was with the angel

The text is from Luke 2:13:  "And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,"

"Herr Jesu Christ, dich" (TLH #125)

"Tell Out, My Soul, the Greatness of the Lord"

About a year ago, I sang "Tell Out, My Soul, the Greatness of the Lord" in church and noticed something about the last phrase:

(The tune is "Woodlands.")

The last two lines of the hymn (in the fourth verse) are "Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord / To children's children and forevermore!"  "Forevermore" is sung to the last four notes:  a quarter note (D), a dotted half note (E), a quarter note (D), and a whole note (D), for a total of nine beats.  "Forevermore" is held longer than any other word in the hymn, providing a sense of duration.

LSB #484 "Make Songs of Joy"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  1 Corinthians 15:55-57, Isaiah 53:4-5

1 Corinthians 15:55-57:  "55 'O death, where is your victory?  O death, where is your sting?'  56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Isaiah 53:4-5:  "4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.  5 But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed."

+++

The verses from 1 Corinthians appear in the hymn's third and fourth verses.  The third verse starts with the line "O death, where is your deadly sting?" and the fourth verse with the line "And where your victory, O grave."

The verses from Isaiah appear in the hymn's second verse:  "Our life was purchased by His loss... He died our death upon the cross."

+++

The first verse seems to come from Colossians 1:18:  "And he is the head of the body, the church.  He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent."  The hymn draws on Christ as "the head" and His resurrection:  "Make songs of joy to Christ, our head... He lives again who once was dead!"

Messiah: No. 15 And the angel said unto them

The text is from Luke 2:10-11:  "10 And the angel said to them, 'Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people.  11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.'"

"Nun freut euch" (TLH #124)

"O God, Our Help in Ages Past"

The hymn tune I recorded this week was "St. Anne," used for "O God, Our Help in Ages Past."  While looking at the hymn, I noticed a connection between the text and the last musical phrase:

The first and the last (sixth) verse both end with the line "And our eternal home."  "Home" is sung to the tonic note (a C in C major), so there's "home" in the text and home in the tune.

LSB #483 "With High Delight Let Us Unite"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Isaiah 52:9-10, 1 Corinthians 15:20-23, Mark 16:15

Isaiah 52:9-10:  "9 Break forth together into singing, you waste places of Jerusalem, for the LORD has comforted his people; he has redeemed Jerusalem.  10 The LORD has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God."

1 Corinthians 15:20-23:  "20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.  21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.  22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.  23 But each in his own order:  Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ."

Mark 16:15:  "And he said to them, 'Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.'"

+++

The hymn has three verses, and each verse is drawn from one of the Biblical citations.  The verses from Isaiah appear in the hymn's first verse, particularly at the beginning ("With high delight / Let us unite / In songs of great jubilation") and the end ("To all earth's ends / Good news to save ev'ry nation").

The verses from 1 Corinthians appear in the hymn's second verse, which is about Christ's resurrection and victory over death.  Mark 16:15 is in the third verse:  "His honor speed / By word and deed / To ev'ry land, ev'ry nation."

Messiah: No. 14 There were shepherds abiding in the fields

The text is from Luke 2:8-9:  "8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear."

The shape of this phrase is interesting.  Visually (and I suppose also audibly), it goes really well with the text.  "Keeping watch over their flock by night" forms an arc, as if to symbolize the shepherds' watching, and the highest note in the phrase occurs over "flock," the object over which they're watching.

"St. Anne" (TLH #123)

"Glory Be to Jesus"

I recently watched the Worship Anew program from 25 August (Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost).  The Epistle reading was from Hebrews 12, and I think part of this appears in the fourth verse of "Glory Be to Jesus":

Abel's blood for vengeance
Pleaded to the skies;
But the blood of Jesus
For our pardon cries.

In my original post on the Biblical sources, I wrote that this verse comes from Genesis 4:10:  "And the LORD said, 'What have you done?  The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground.'"  But this contrast between Abel's blood and Jesus' blood is specifically mentioned in Hebrews 12:24:  "and [you have come] to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel."  While Genesis 4:10 is important as far as the context, this verse from Hebrews seems to be the actual source for this hymn verse.

LSB #482 "This Joyful Eastertide"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  1 Corinthians 15:17-20, 51-52; Revelation 14:13

1 Corinthians 15:17-20:  "17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.  18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.  19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

"20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep."

1 Corinthians 15:51-52:  "51 Behold!  I tell you a mystery.  We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.  For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed."

Revelation 14:13:  "And I heard a voice from heaven saying, 'Write this:  Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.'  'Blessed indeed,' says the Spirit, 'that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!'"

+++

The text is public domain:

This joyful Eastertide
Away with sin and sorrow!
My love, the Crucified,
Has sprung to life this morrow:

Had Christ, who once was slain,
Not burst His three-day prison,
Our faith had been in vain:
But now has Christ arisen, arisen, arisen;
But now has Christ arisen!

Death's flood has lost its chill
Since Jesus crossed the river;
Lover of souls, from ill
My passing soul deliver:

Had Christ, who once was slain,
Not burst His three-day prison,
Our faith had been in vain:
But now has Christ arisen, arisen, arisen;
But now has Christ arisen!

My flesh in hope shall rest
And for a season slumber
Till trump from east to west
Shall wake the dead in number:

Had Christ, who once was slain,
Not burst His three-day prison,
Our faith had been in vain:
But now has Christ arisen, arisen, arisen;
But now has Christ arisen!

+++

1 Corinthians 15:17-20 (particularly verse 17) appears most clearly in the refrain:  "Had Christ... Not burst His three-day prison, / Our faith had been in vain."  The resurrection is mentioned in verse 20 ("Christ has been raised from the dead"), which seems to be the source for the second half of the hymn's first verse:  "My love, the Crucified, / Has sprung to life this morrow."

The other two Biblical citations appear in the third verse.  "My flesh in hope shall rest / And for a season slumber" seems to be drawn from "the dead... rest[ing] from their labors" in Revelation 14:13, and "Till trump from east to west / Shall wake the dead in number" comes from 1 Corinthians 15:51-52.  (Incidentally, "from east to west" is a merism.)

Messiah: No. 12 For unto us a child is born

The text is 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."

"Nun lasst uns Gott, dem Herren" (TLH #122)