LSB #618 "I Come, O Savior, to Thy Table"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  1 Corinthians 11:23-29, Luke 22:17-20, Mark 14:22-25, Matthew 26:26-28, Psalm 130

1 Corinthians 11:23-29:  "23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, 'This is my body which is for you.  Do this in remembrance of me.'  25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood.  Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.'  26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

"27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord.  28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.  29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgement on himself."

Luke 22:17-20:  "17 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, 'Take this, and divide it among yourselves.  18 For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.'  19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body, which is given for you.  Do this in remembrance of me.'  20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, 'This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.'"

Mark 14:22-25:  "22 And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, 'Take; this is my body.'  23 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it.  24 And he said to them, 'This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.  25 Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.'"

Matthew 26:26-28:  "26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, 'Take, eat; this is my body.'  27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, 'Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.'"

Psalm 130:  "1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD!  2 O Lord, hear my voice!  Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy!

"3 If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?  4 But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.

"5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; 6 my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.

"7 O Israel, hope in the LORD!  For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption.  8 And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities."

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The passages from 1 Corinthians 11:23-29, Luke 22:17-20, Mark 14:22-25, and Matthew 26:26-28 are all fairly similar and are the basis for the hymn.  In the hymn text itself, they show up most clearly in the first verse, the end of the fifth verse ("The covenant of hope and grace"), and the refrain ("Lord, may Thy body and Thy blood / Be for my soul the highest good!").

Psalm 130 is more difficult to see.  Verse 7 seems to appear in the lines "Thy heart is filled with fervent yearning / That sinners may salvation see" in the second verse.

The lines "Yet Thou Thy lamb wilt banish never, / For Thou my faithful shepherd art" in the third verse use the sheep and shepherd imagery that occurs in a number of places in the Bible, notably John 10.

"St. Flavian"

Sorting through the various arrangements of this tune took some time.  All of its appearances in The Lutheran Hymnal are the same (I used #22).  Only one note differs between the two appearances in Lutheran Worship (what's an E in the alto part in #342 is a D in #502), but I suspect this difference is an error, and/so I didn't play through both.  There are two different arrangements of the tune in The Lutheran Service Book.  The arrangement that's #577 and #857 also appears as #885 in Hymnal Supplement 98, and I played from that notation while I had my copy of LSB open to the other arrangement (#787).  (Confusingly, while LSB 787 and HS98 885 are different arrangements, the texts are the same:  "The Temple Rang with Golden Coins").

Altogether then, my recording is one verse each from TLH 22, LW 502, LSB 787, HS98 885, and then the Amen cadence from TLH.

"Herzliebster Jesu" (TLH #240)

Transposed from G minor to A minor

"In the Very Midst of Life"

"In the Very Midst of Life" is sung to the tune "Mitten wir im Leben sind."  Here's the third musical phrase:

In the third verse, the text here is "Where shall we for refuge go?"  "Go" is sung with a melisma (B A), musically giving a sense of movement (either literal or metaphorical).

LSB #617 "O Lord, We Praise Thee"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  1 Corinthians 11:23-26, Matthew 26:26-28, 1 Peter 2:24

1 Corinthians 11:23-26:  "23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, 'This is my body which is for you.  Do this in remembrance of me.'  25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood.  Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.'  26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes."

Matthew 26:26-28:  "26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, 'Take, eat; this is my body.'  27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, 'Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.'"

1 Peter 2:24:  "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.  By his wounds you have been healed."

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The passages from 1 Corinthians 11 and Matthew 26 are fairly similar, and both could be cited for the lines "Thou with Thy body and Thy blood didst nourish / Our weak souls that they may flourish" in the first verse.  The passage from 1 Corinthians 11 (specifically the "remembrance" parts) also seems to be referred to in the line "May this feast thereof remind us!" in the second verse.

1 Peter 2:24 appears near the end of the first verse:  "May Thy body, Lord, born of Mary, / That our sins and sorrows did carry, / And Thy blood for us plead."  It may even extend into the beginning of the second verse:  "Thy holy body into death was given, / Life to win for us in heaven."

"Italian Hymn" (TLH #239)

"Through Jesus' Blood and Merit"

I found a couple small features to note in "Through Jesus' Blood and Merit," sung to the tune "Lob Gott getrost mit Singen."

Here's the third musical phrase:

In the second verse, the text here (based on part of Romans 8:38-39) is "No want, no pain whatever."  The three syllables of "whatever" are each sung to a different pitch (A F# D), musically giving a sense of breadth.

The last musical phrase:

In the third verse, the text (still drawing from Romans 8) is "Nor darkest depths of gloom."  "Depths" is sung with a descending melisma (D C B), giving a sense of its meaning.  In Lutheran Worship, this line is "Nor depth of deepest gloom," where "deepest" is sung with a melisma (D C B A), which gives a sense not only of the meaning, but also of the superlative nature of this adjective (more notes for a greater degree).

LSB #616 "Baptismal Waters Cover Me"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Hebrews 10:19-23, Psalm 51:1-2, Hebrews 4:16, 1 John 1:9

Hebrews 10:19-23:  "19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.  23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful."    

Psalm 51:1-2:  "1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.  2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!"

Hebrews 4:16:  "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

1 John 1:9:  "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

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Most of the cited passages mention cleansing, and any of these could be cited for the hymn's title line, which occurs at the beginning of the first and fifth verses.

The lines "As I approach on bended knee; / My Father's mercy here I plead" in the first verse seem to be taken from Hebrews 4:16 (specifically:  "draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy"), although "draw near with a true heart" from Hebrews 10:22 could also be cited.

1 John 1:9 appears in the line "I lay before Him all my sin" in the second verse and in the general theme of cleansing.

The text from Hebrews 10 (particularly verses 19-20) also seems to appear in the lines "Lord, may Your wounded hand impart / Your healing to my broken heart" in the third verse and "Christ's wounded hand has set me free" in the fifth.

"All' Ehr' und Lob" (TLH #238)

This tune was also #236.  I did it at a slightly slower tempo this time to make it a bit different.

"Cross of Jesus, Cross of Sorrow"

The last lines of "Cross of Jesus, Cross of Sorrow" are "Perfect man on thee did suffer, / Perfect God on thee has bled!"  These lines have a parallel structure, and this is used to indicate that Jesus is both fully man and fully God.  As Luther puts it in the explanation to the second article of the Apostles' Creed, Jesus is "true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary."

LSB #615 "When in the Hour of Deepest Need"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Psalm 102:1-2, Psalm 25:15-22, Romans 9:17-19, Micah 7:7

Psalm 102:1-2:  "1 Hear my prayer, O LORD; let my cry come to you!  2 Do not hide your face from me in the day of my distress!  Incline your ear to me; answer me speedily in the day when I call!"

Psalm 25:15-22:  "15 My eyes are ever toward the LORD, for he will pluck my feet out of the net.

"16 Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.  17 The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distresses.  18 Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins.

 "19 Consider how many are my foes, and with what violent hatred they hate me.  20 Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me!  Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.  21 May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you.

"22 Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles."

Romans 9:17-19:  "17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, 'For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.'  18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.

"19 You will say to me then, 'Why does he still find fault?  For who can resist his will?'"

Micah 7:7:  "But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me."

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The text is public domain:

When in the hour of deepest need

We know not where to look for aid;

When days and nights of anxious thought

No help or counsel yet have brought,

Then is our comfort this alone

That we may meet before Your throne;

To You, O faithful God, we cry

For rescue in our misery.

For You have promised, Lord, to heed

Your children's cries in time of need

Through Him whose name alone is great,

Our Savior and our advocate.

And so we come, O God, today

And all our woes before You lay;

For sorely tried, cast down, we stand,

Perplexed by fears on ev'ry hand.

O from our sins, Lord, turn Your face;

Absolve us through Your boundless grace.

Be with us in our anguish still;

Free us at last from ev'ry ill.

So we with all our hearts each day

To You our glad thanksgiving pay,

Then walk obedient to Your Word,

And now and ever praise You, Lord.

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The hymnal does cite Romans 9:17-19, but because it's oddly excerpted and doesn't address the same themes as the hymn or the other citations, I suspect this is not actually the passage that was intended.

The hymn draws from the other three texts in a more general way, but there are a few instances where clearer connections can be made.  Micah 7:7 is the basis for the first three verses, specifically for looking to God for aid and knowing that He will hear.  The lines "To You, O faithful God, we cry / For rescue in our misery" seem to incorporate Psalm 102:1-2 too.

The passage from Psalm 25 seems to appear in the fourth verse, which - like the Biblical text - describes the multitude of the narrator's afflictions.

"Allein Gott in der Höh'" (TLH #237)

"When Peace, like a River"

In the fourth verse of "When Peace, like a River," the second-to-last line is "The trumpet shall sound and the Lord shall descend."  Mirroring that "descend[ing]," the end of the musical phrase to which this line is sung falls in pitch:

The tune is "It Is Well."

LSB #614 "'As Surely as I Live,' God Said"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Ezekiel 33:11, John 20:21-23, Matthew 16:19, Romans 3:23-24

Ezekiel 33:11:  "'Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?'"

John 20:21-23:  "21 Jesus said to them again, 'Peace be with you.  As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.'  22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit.  23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.'"

Matthew 16:19:  "'I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.'"

Romans 3:23-24:  "23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus"

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The text is public domain:

"As surely as I live," God said,

"I would not see the sinner dead.

I want him turned from error's ways,

Repentant, living endless days."

And so our Lord gave this command:

"Go forth and preach in ev'ry land;

Bestow on all My pard'ning grace

Who will repent and mend their ways.

"All those whose sins you thus remit

I truly pardon and acquit,

And those whose sins you will retain

Condemned and guilty shall remain.

"What you will bind, that bound shall be;

What you will loose, that shall be free;

To My dear Church the keys are giv'n

To open, close the gates and heav'n."

The words which absolution give

Are His who died that we might live;

The minister whom Christ has sent

Is but His humble instrument.

When ministers lay on their hands,

Absolved by Christ the sinner stands;

He who by grace the Word believes

The purchase of His blood receives.

All praise to You, O Christ, shall be

For absolution full and free,

In which You show Your richest grace;

From false indulgence guard our race.

Praise God the Father and the Son

And Holy Spirit, Three in One,

As was, is now, and so shall be

World without end, eternally!

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The first verse comes from Ezekiel 33:11.  The second and third verses are from John 20:21-23, although "Go forth and preach in ev'ry land" bears more resemblance to "'Go therefore and make disciples of all nations...'" from Matthew 28:19.  The fourth verse comes from Matthew 16:19.

Romans 3:23-24, particularly "justified by his grace as a gift," appears in the seventh verse ("absolution full and free, / In which You show Your richest grace").