LSB #631 "Here, O My Lord, I See Thee Face to Face"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  John 6:35, 51, 58; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; 1 John 1:7; Revelation 19:7-9

John 6:35:  "Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.'"

John 6:51:  "'I am the living bread that came down from heaven.  If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.  And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.'"

John 6:58:  "'This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate and died.  Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.'"

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."

1 John 1:7:  "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin."

Revelation 19:7-9:  "7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; 8 it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure' - for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

"9 And the angel said to me, 'Write this:  Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.'  And he said to me, 'These are the true words of God.'"

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The text is public domain:

Here, O my Lord, I see Thee face to face;

Here would I touch and handle things unseen;

Here grasp with firmer hand the eternal grace,

And all my weariness upon Thee lean.

Here would I feed upon the bread of God,

Here drink with Thee the royal wine of heav'n;

Here would I lay aside each earthly load,

Here taste afresh the calm of sin forgiv'n.

This is the hour of banquet and of song;

This is the heav'nly table spread for me;

Here let me feast and, feasting, still prolong

The brief bright hour of fellowship with Thee.

I have no help but Thine; nor do I need

Another arm but Thine to lean upon.

It is enough, my Lord, enough indeed;

My strength is in Thy might, Thy might alone.

Mine is the sin, but Thine the righteousness;

Mine is the guilt, but Thine the cleansing blood;

Here is my robe, my refuge, and my peace:

Thy blood, Thy righteousness, O Lord my God.

Too soon we rise; the vessels disappear;

The feast, though not the love, is past and gone;

The bread and wine remove, but Thou art here;

Nearer than ever; still my shield and sun.

Feast after feast thus comes and passes by,

Yet, passing, points to that glad feast above,

Giving sweet foretaste of the festal joy,

The Lamb's great marriage feast of bliss and love.

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The passage from 1 Corinthians 11 is the main source for the hymn, but the verses from John 6 are also incorporated, particularly at the beginning of the second verse:  "Here would I feed upon the bread of God."

The second half of 1 John 1:7 ("the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin") appears in the fifth verse:  "Mine is the guilt, but Thine the cleansing blood."

The passage from Revelation 19 appears in the last verse, but the "fine linen" in verse 8 seems to be what the hymn's fifth verse refers to with "Here is my robe."

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The first line ("Here, O my Lord, I see Thee face to face") may be patterned on part of 1 Corinthians 13:12:  "For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face."

The line "This is the heav'nly table spread for me" in the third verse has an echo of the first part of Psalm 23:5:  "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies."

The lines "nor do I need / Another arm but Thine to lean upon" and "My strength is in Thy might, Thy might alone" in the fourth verse seem to refer to an expression that appears in slightly different forms throughout the Bible.  In Psalm 136:12, it's "a strong hand and an outstretched arm."

At the end of the sixth verse, God is called "my shield and sun."  God is also called a shield in Psalm 3:3 and Psalm 28:7.

"St. Hilary"

Lately, I haven't been doing much work on my project of recording the hymn tunes named after saints, partially because the prospect of recording "St. Gertrude" is a bit intimidating.  For now, to get things going again, I'm temporarily skipping it.

Of my three main hymnals, "St. Hilary" is in only one; it's #640 in The Lutheran Hymnal.  I transposed it from D major to C major.

"Wir glauben all' an einen Gott" (TLH #252)

Transposed from Eb major to F major

"Shepherd of Tender Youth"

The first line of the fourth verse of "Shepherd of Tender Youth" is "O ever be our guide," sung to this phrase from the tune "Italian Hymn":

"Be" is sung with a melisma (G F), musically giving a sense of the duration of "ever."

LSB #630 "Now, My Tongue, the Mystery Telling"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  1 Corinthians 11:23-26; Matthew 26:26-28; John 1:1-3, 14

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.'"

John 1:1-3:  "1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  2 He was in the beginning with God.  3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made."

John 1:14:  "14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."

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The passages from 1 Corinthians 11 and Matthew 26 are the main sources for the hymn and are seen most clearly in the third and fourth verses.

The verses from John 1 (but mostly verse 14) appear near the end of the first verse ("Once on earth among us dwelling"), in the second verse ("condescending / To be born for us below, / He with us... dwelt"), and the beginning of the fourth verse ("Word made flesh...").

"Wir glauben all' an einen Gott" (TLH #251b)

"Jesus, Priceless Treasure"

A couple months ago, one of the hymns in church was "Jesus, Priceless Treasure," sung to the tune "Jesu, meine Freude."  Near the end of each verse, there are two shorter lines, sung to this phrase:

(According to the metrical classification, there's only one line here; but the text is formatted as two separate lines.)

In the sixth verse, the text here is "Yea, whate'er / I here must bear."  The sense is completed with the following lines:  "Thou art still my purest pleasure, / Jesus, priceless treasure!"  One of the syllables of "whate'er" is sung to an accidental (Ab), and because this pitch is outside of the tune's key (G minor), there's something of a sense of the breadth that "whate'er" entails.

LSB #629 "What Is This Bread"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  1 Corinthians 11:23-29, Psalm 34:8, 1 Peter 2:2-3

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."

Psalm 34:8:  "Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!  Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!"

1 Peter 2:2-3:  "2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation - 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good."

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The passage from 1 Corinthians 11 is the main source and appears throughout the hymn.  The other two passages are at the end of each verse; the last lines all begin with "O taste and see...."

Some lines in the third verse ("My God, my God, / Why have You not forsaken me?") are clearly patterned on the first part of Psalm 22:1:  "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

"Wir glauben all' an einen Gott" (TLH #251a)

This hymn is a setting of the Nicene Creed, and since it would have felt wrong to do only two verses, I went through it three times.

Confusingly, this and the next two tunes all have the same title.

"The Temple Rang with Golden Coins"

The fifth verse of "The Temple Rang with Golden Coins" begins with the lines "Lord, help us all, with You, to yield / Whatever love demands," sung to these phrases from the tune "St. Flavian":

The three syllables of "whatever" are each sung to a different pitch (F Bb A), musically giving a sense of that breadth of possibility.

LSB #628 "Your Table I Approach"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  1 Corinthians 11:23-29, Luke 5:31-32, Mark 2:17, 1 Corinthians 10:16, Romans 11:33-36

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 5:31-32:  "31 And Jesus answered them, 'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  32 I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.'"

Mark 2:17:  "And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, 'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.'"

1 Corinthians 10:16:  "The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ?  The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?"

Romans 11:33-36:  "33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!  How unsearchable are his judgements and how inscrutable his ways!  34 "For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?"  35 "Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?"  36 For from him and through him and to him are all things.  To him be glory forever.  Amen."

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The text is public domain:

Your table I approach;

Dear Savior, hear my prayer.

Let not an unrepentant heart

Prove hurtful to me there.

Lord, I confess my sins

And mourn their wretched bands;

A contrite heart is sure to find

Forgiveness at Your hands.

Your body and Your blood,

Once slain and shed for me,

Are taken at Your table, Lord,

In blest reality.

Search not how this takes place,

This wondrous mystery;

God can accomplish vastly more

Than what we think could be.

O grant, most blessèd Lord,

That earth and hell combined

May not about this sacrament

Raise doubt within my mind.

Oh, may I never fail

To thank You day and night

For Your true body and true blood,

O God, my peace and light.

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The two passages from 1 Corinthians are the main sources for the hymn and appear most clearly in the first and third verses.  1 Corinthians 11:27-29 in particular appears in the second half of the first verse:  "Let not an unrepentant heart / Prove hurtful to me there."

Luke 5:31-32 and Mark 2:17 seem to be in the background of the second verse, but the hymn text bears more resemblance to Psalm 51:17:  "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."

The passage from Romans informs the fourth verse:  "Search not how this takes place... God can accomplish vastly more / Than what we think could be."

"Day and night" in the last verse is a merism.

"Grosser Gott" (TLH #250)

"Isaiah, Mighty Seer, in Days of Old"

When I recorded "Jesaia, dem Propheten" for Sunday, I noticed a small connection between it and its text "Isaiah, Mighty Seer, in Days of Old."  In the line "High on a lofty throne, in splendor bright," sung to this musical phrase:

the words "lofty throne" are sung to the highest pitches (D notes), giving a sense of that height.

LSB #627 "Jesus Christ, Our Blessed Savior"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Romans 5:9-10, 1 Corinthians 11:23-29, John 6:50-57, 1 John 1:9

Romans 5:9-10:  "9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.  10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life."

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."

John 6:50-57:  "50 'This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.  51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven.  If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.  And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.'

"52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, 'How can this man give us his flesh to eat?'  53 So Jesus said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.  54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.  55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.  56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.  57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.'"

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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Only some of the verses are public domain:

1 Jesus Christ, our blessed Savior,

Turned away God's wrath forever;

By His bitter grief and woe

He saved us from the evil foe.

2 As His pledge of love undying,

He, this precious food supplying,

Gives His body with the bread,

And with the wine the blood He shed.

4 Praise the Father, who from heaven

To His own this food has given,

Who, to mend what we have done,

Gave into death His only Son.

5 Firmly hold with faith unshaken

That this food is to be taken

By the sick who are distressed,

By hearts that long for peace and rest.

7 Christ says: "Come, all you that labor,

And receive My grace and favor:

Those who feel no pain or ill

Need no physician's help or skill."

9 If your heart this truth professes

And your mouth your sin confesses,

You will be your Savior's guest,

Be at His banquet truly blest.

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Romans 5:9-10 appears in the first verse and the second half of the fourth verse.

The passages from 1 Corinthians 11:23-29 and John 6:50-57 are the primary sources for the hymn.  They appear in most of the verses and especially in the second and third.  The third and sixth verses are drawn specifically from 1 Corinthians 11:27-29.

1 John 1:9 is in the ninth verse, although the hymn seems also to incorporate Romans 10:10:  "For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved."

The beginning of the seventh verse ("Christ says: 'Come, all you that labor, / And receive My grace and favor'") seems to be patterned on Matthew 11:28:  "'Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.'"