"Christ Has Arisen, Alleluia"

When I wrote about the Biblical sources for "Christ Has Arisen, Alleluia," I noticed a small connection between the text and the tune ("Mfurahini Haleluya").

What I noticed concerns the first musical phrase:

In the first verse, the text here is "Christ has arisen, alleluia," and in the fifth verse, the text is "Christ has arisen; He sets us free."  For both of these, the first two syllables of "arisen" are sung to an ascending interval (a fourth: C to F), musically giving a sense of the word's meaning.

LSB #466 "Christ Has Arisen, Alleluia"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Matthew 28:5-7, 1 Corinthians 15:55-57

Matthew 28:5-7:  "5 But the angel said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.  6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said.  Come, see the place where he lay.  7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him.  See, I have told you.'"

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."

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The verses from Matthew appear in the third verse and the first half of the fourth verse ("The angel said to them, 'Do not fear! / You look for Jesus who is not here...'" and "'Go spread the news:  He's not in the grave...'").  The verses from 1 Corinthians appear most clearly in the refrain, specifically in the line "Death's fearful sting He has come to destroy," but "the victory" in verse 57 seems to be referenced in the line "Even the battle with sin is won" at the end of the hymn's fourth verse.

"For our Redeemer burst from the tomb, / Even from death, dispelling its gloom" in the first verse is drawn from Job 19:25:  "For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth."

"Helft mir Gott's Güte" (TLH #112)

Because I'll be travelling to two different weddings next month, I'm putting these recordings on hiatus until July.

"Lift High the Cross"

"Lift High the Cross" was one of the hymns in church this week, so I thought I'd finally get around to writing about something I noticed in it years ago.

The first line of the refrain is "Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim," sung to this musical phrase from the tune "Crucifer":

The first interval is an ascending fourth (G to C), musically representing that "Lift[ing] high."

LSB #465 "Now All the Vault of Heaven Resounds"

Biblical citations in the hymnal: Revelation 5:13, 7:11-12; Romans 8:11; Colossians 3:1-12; 1 Corinthians 15:57

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!'"

Revelation 7:11-12:  "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.'"

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."

Colossians 3:1-12:  "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.

"5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.  6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming.  7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them.  8 But now you must put them all away:  anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.  9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.  11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

"12 Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience..."

1 Corinthians 15:57:  "But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

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The first verse - particularly the lines "Now all the vault of heav'n resounds" and "Sing, choirs of angels, loud and clear!" - comes from both citations from Revelation.

The verse from Romans appears in the line "Now still He comes to give us life" in the second verse.

The first two lines of the third verse come from Colossians 3, although they're in the opposite order.  "O fill us, Lord with dauntless love" seems to be drawn from verse 12, and the next line "Set heart and will on things above" comes from verses 1 and 2.

The line "Christ has triumphed!" appears throughout the hymn, and I think this is what's taken from 1 Corinthians 15:57.

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The third line of the third verse ("That we conquer through Your triumph") has some resemblance to Romans 8:37:  "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."

The fourth line of the third verse ("Grant grace sufficient for life's day") seems to draw from 2 Corinthians 12:9:  "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."

"Aus der Tiefe" (TLH #111)

Since this is a shorter tune, I went through it three times.

"I Am Jesus' Little Lamb"

On Worship Anew for Good Shepherd Sunday, one of the hymns was "I Am Jesus' Little Lamb," and I noticed a small thing about just the text.

The second line of the second verse is "Jesus is my staff and stay, " and the alliteration of "staff and stay" illustrates the order that God maintains over creation for the sake of His sheep.

LSB #464 "The Strife Is O'er, the Battle Done"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  1 Corinthians 15:55-57; 2 Timothy 1:10; Ephesians 2:1, 4-6; Isaiah 53:5

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."

2 Timothy 1:10:  "and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel"

Ephesians 2:1:  "And you were dead in the trespasses and sins"

Ephesians 2:4-6:  "4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved - 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus"

Isaiah 53:5:  "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."

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The text is public domain:

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

The strife is o'er, the battle done;
Now is the victor's triumph won;
Now be the song of praise begun.
Alleluia!

The pow'rs of death have done their worst,
But Christ their legions hath dispersed.
Let shouts of holy joy outburst.
Alleluia!

The three sad days have quickly sped,
He rises glorious from the dead.
All glory to our risen Head!
Alleluia!

He broke the age-bound chains of hell;
The bars from heav'n's high portals fell.
Let hymns of praise His triumph tell.
Alleluia!

Lord, by the stripes which wounded Thee,
From death's dread sting Thy servants free
That we may live and sing to Thee.
Alleluia!

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

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The text from 1 Corinthians seems to be the main source, and it appears most clearly in the first verse and the phrase "death's dread sting" in the fifth verse.

The 1 Corinthians text could also be cited for the second through fourth verses, but "abolish[ing] death" from 2 Timothy 1:10 seems to be drawn from too.

The other three citations (Ephesians 2:1, 4-6 and Isaiah 53:5) all seem to be in the last verse.  Isaiah 53:5 is the most clear, appearing at the beginning: "by the stripes which wounded Thee."  Although it uses a specific phrase from 1 Corinthians 15:55, the line "From death's dread sting Thy servants free" contains the idea of freedom from the death that is sin that's present in the verses from Ephesians.

Although not cited, the third verse - specifically Christ as the "Head" - seems to draw from Colossians 1:18, which also mentions the resurrection:  "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."

"Allein Gott in der Höh'" (TLH #110)

"Long before the World Is Waking"

One of the hymns in church on Sunday was "Long before the World Is Waking" (the text is drawn from John 21:1-17, which was one of the readings).  I noticed a few small features.

The first is purely about the text.  The third and fourth lines of the fourth verse are: "Fear and failure, doubt, denying, / Full and free forgiveness find."  The alliteration of "Full and free forgiveness find" helps to give a sense of the all-encompassing nature of that forgiveness.

The other things I noticed deal with the fifth and sixth musical phrases (the tune is "All Saints"):

In the fourth verse, the text here is "All the soul's dark night is past, / Morning breaks in joy at last" (which I believe is taken from Psalm 30:5).  "Breaks" is sung with a melisma (G A), so while it's used in a more metaphorical sense, there's a musical "break[ing]" of the word into more than one pitch.

In the fifth verse, the text is "All our days, on ev'ry shore, / Christ is ours forevermore!"  "Ev'ry" is sung with a melisma here (D C Bb), and that extra syllable gives a sense of number.

LSB #463 "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today; Alleluia"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Matthew 28:5-7, 1 Corinthians 5:7-8, John 1:29, Romans 6:9

Matthew 28:5-7:  "5 But the angel said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.  6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said.  Come, see the place where he lay.  7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him.  See, I have told you.'"

1 Corinthians 5:7-8:  "7 Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened.  For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.  8 Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth."

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

Romans 6:9:  "We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him."

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The text is public domain:

Christ the Lord is ris'n today;
Alleluia!
Christians, hasten on your way;
Alleluia!
Offer praise with love replete,
Alleluia!
At the paschal victim's feet.
Alleluia!

For the sheep the Lamb has bled,
Alleluia!
Sinless in the sinner's stead.
Alleluia!
Christ the Lord is ris'n on high;
Alleluia!
Now He lives, no more to die.
Alleluia!

Hail, the victim undefiled,
Alleluia!
God and sinners reconciled,
Alleluia!
When contending death and life,
Alleluia!
Met in strange and awesome strife.
Alleluia!

Christians, on this holy day,
Alleluia!
All your grateful homage pay;
Alleluia!
Christ the Lord is ris'n on high;
Alleluia!
Now He lives, no more to die.
Alleluia!

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The first line is from Matthew 28:6, specifically "He is not here, for he has risen."

Parts of verses two and three ("For the sheep the Lamb has bled... Sinless in the sinner's stead" and "God and sinners reconciled... When contending death and life... Met in strange and awesome strife") could be drawn from either 1 Corinthians 5:7-8 or John 1:29.

Romans 6:9 appears in the line "Now He lives, no more to die," which occurs at the end of the second and fourth verses.

"Bethlehem"(TLH #109)

"All the Earth with Joy Is Sounding"

While writing the post about the Biblical sources for "All the Earth with Joy Is Sounding," I noticed a small connection between the text and the tune ("Michael").  Here are the last three musical phrases:

In the third verse, the text here is "From His face / Shines the grace / Meant for all our fallen race."  "All" is sung with a melisma (F G), musically giving something of a sense of that entirety.

In looking over the hymn again in order to write this post, I also noticed a small thing about the text here in the first verse:  "Wins the price: / Death's demise - / Songs of triumph fill the skies."  "Fill" is sung with a melisma (G F), musically giving a sense of the abundance.

LSB #462 "All the Earth with Joy Is Sounding"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Matthew 12:39-41; Mark 3:27; Hebrews 2:7-15, 12:2

Matthew 12:39-41:  "39 But he answered them, 'An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.  40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.  41 The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgement with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.'"

Mark 3:27:  "'But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man.  Then indeed he may plunder his house.'"

Hebrews 2:7-15:  "7 'You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, 8 putting everything in subjection under his feet.'  Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control.  At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him.  9 But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

"10 For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.  11 For he who sanctified and those who are sanctified all have one source.  That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, 12 saying 'I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.'  13 And again, 'I will put my trust in him.'  And again, 'Behold, I and the children God has given me.'

"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.

Hebrews 12:2:  "looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."

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The text from Matthew appears in the first verse:  "He [Christ], the greater Jonah, bounding / From the grave, His three-day bed."  The verse from Mark is in the second verse:  "Stronger He, the strong man binding / Takes, disarms his house of doom."

The third verse is drawn from the cited verses from Hebrews 2.  "Jesus, author of salvation, / Shared in our humanity" takes a phrase from verse 10 ("the founder of their salvation") and summarizes some other verses.  "Crowned with radiant exaltation, / Now He shares His victory! / From His face / Shines the grace / Meant for all our fall race" comes from verse 9:  "But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone."

The fourth verse comes from Hebrews 12:2.  Primarily, the hymn draws from "seated at the right hand of the throne of God" as an image of sovereignty (the verse starts with the line "Praise the Lord, His reign commences"), but - like the verse from Hebrews - the hymn verse is also something of a summary:  "Paschal Lamb, for our offenses, / Slain and raised to set us free!"  This line also seems to draw from John 1:29:  "The next day he [John the Baptist] saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, 'Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!'"