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

Wednesday, July 13, 2022

LSB #633 "At the Lamb's High Feast We Sing"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Exodus 12:22, Matthew 26:26-28, John 6:32-35, 1 Corinthians 15:54-57

Exodus 12:22:  "Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin.  None of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning."

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 6:32-35:  "32 Jesus then said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.  33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.'  34 They said to him, 'Sir, give us this bread always.'

"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.'"

1 Corinthians 15:54-57:  "54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:  'Death is swallowed up in victory.'  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 text is public domain:
At the Lamb's high feast we sing
Praise to our victorious King,
Who has washed us in the tide
Flowing from His pierced side.
Alleluia!
Praise we Him, whose love divine
Gives His sacred blood for wine,
Gives His body for the feast -
Christ the victim, Christ the priest.
Alleluia!
Where the paschal blood is poured,
Death's dread angel sheathes the sword;
Israel's hosts triumphant go
Through the wave that drowns the foe.
Alleluia!
Praise we Christ, whose blood was shed,
Paschal victim, paschal bread;
With sincerity and love
Eat we manna from above.
Alleluia!
Mighty Victim from the sky,
Hell's fierce pow'rs beneath You lie;
You have conquered in the fight,
You have brought us life and light.
Alleluia!
Now no more can death appall,
Now no more the grave enthrall;
You have opened paradise,
And Your saints in You shall rise.
Alleluia!
Easter triumph, Easter joy!
This alone can sin destroy;
From sin's pow'r, Lord, set us free,
Newborn souls in You to be.
Alleluia!
Father, who the crown shall give,
Savior, by whose death we live,
Spirit, guide through all our days:
Three in One, Your name we praise.
Alleluia!
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Most of the first verse comes from Revelation 7:9-17.  The lines "Who has washed us in the tide / Flowing from His pierced side" combine part of Revelation 7:14 ("'They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.'") with John 19:34 ("But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water.").

The second and fourth verses come from Matthew 26:26-28 and John 6:32-35.  The passage from Matthew is more prominent in the second verse, and the passage from John is more prominent in the fourth verse.

Exodus 12:22 appears in the third verse, but I think the citation should be broader than just this single verse.  The lines "Where the paschal blood is poured, / Death's dread angel sheathes the sword" actually bear more resemblance to Exodus 12:13:  "'The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are.  And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.'"  The second half of the verse ("Israel's hosts triumphant go / Through the wave that drowns the foe") summarizes Exodus 14.

The fifth and sixth verses (and possibly even the seventh) are drawn from 1 Corinthians 15:54-57.

The relative clause "who the crown shall give" in the last verse seems to refer to James 1:12:  "Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him."