"Nearer, My God, to Thee"

Registration:

Upper:  00 7856 321

Lower:  00 5432 222

Pedal:  44

Played with the "mellow" drawbar organ sound on my Hammond SKX, with the Hammond XPK-130G pedals

"Dies sind die heil'gen" (TLH #287)

"Christ, Our Human Likeness Sharing"

About two years ago, I found a small point to note in "Christ, Our Human Likeness Sharing."  The first two lines of the third verse are "Christ, in ev'ry congregation / Build Your temple, stone by stone," sung to these musical phrases (from the tune "Grafton"):

"Congregation" is sung with a melisma (G F G Ab Bb G), musically giving a sense of number (for "ev'ry").

LSB #666 "O Little Flock, Fear Not the Foe"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Luke 12:32, 2 Timothy 4:18, Luke 18:7-8a, Revelation 7:9-17

Luke 12:32:  "'Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.'"

2 Timothy 4:18:  "The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom.  To him be the glory forever and ever.  Amen."

Luke 18:7-8a:  "7 'And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night?  Will he delay long over them?  8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily.'"

Revelation 7:9-17:  "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.

"15 'Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.  16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.  17 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.'"

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The text is public domain:

O little flock, fear not the foe

Who madly seeks your overthrow;

Dread not his rage and pow'r.

And though your courage sometimes faints,

His seeming triumph o'er God's saints

Lasts but a little hour.

Be of good cheer; your cause belongs

To Him who can avenge your wrongs;

Leave it to Him, our Lord.

Though hidden yet from mortal eyes,

His Gideon shall for you arise,

Uphold you and His Word.

As true as God's own Word is true,

Not earth nor hell's satanic crew

Against us shall prevail.

Their might?  A joke, a mere facade!

God is with us and we with God -

Our vict'ry cannot fail.

Amen, Lord Jesus, grant our prayer;

Great Captain, now Thine arm make bare,

Fight for us once again!

So shall Thy saints and martyrs raise

A mighty chorus to Thy praise

Forevermore.  Amen.

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The first three verses of the hymn are drawn from the first three cited passages (Luke 12:32, 2 Timothy 4:18, and Luke 18:7-8a), although Luke 12:32 is the clearest to see (in the first line).

The passage from Revelation appears in the lines "So shall Thy saints and martyrs raise / A mighty chorus to Thy praise / Forevermore" at the end of the fourth verse.

The life of Gideon, who is mentioned in the second verse, is detailed in Judges 6-8.

The lines "Not earth nor hell's satanic crew / Against us shall prevail" in the third verse may be patterned after Matthew 16:18:  "'And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.'"

"Jesus Calls Us"

Registration:

Upper:  00 3675 210

Lower:  00 4321 000

Pedal:  22

Played with the "mellow" drawbar organ sound on my Hammond SKX, with the Hammond XPK-130G pedals

"St. Peter" (TLH #286)

Transposed from Eb major to F major

"From Greenland's Icy Mountains"

Two years ago, I happened to look at "From Greenland's Icy Mountains" in Lutheran Worship (#322), and I noticed that the first verse contains a number of merisms.  The first few lines name specific countries ("From Greenland's icy mountains / To India's coral strand") and continents ("From Africa's bright fountains / To Asia's golden sand"), but the third pair is more general ("From many an upland river / To many a coastal plain").  Because of the great distances between these places or the marked differences in these geographic features (both "icy mountains" to "coral strand" and "upland river" to "coastal plain"), naming them in pairs like this provides a sense of breadth.

LSB #665 "Be Strong in the Lord"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Ephesians 6:10-18, 1 Corinthians 16:13, 1 Peter 5:8-10, 1 John 5:4-5

Ephesians 6:10-18:  "10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.  11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.  12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.  13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.  14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.  16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.  To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints"

1 Corinthians 16:13:  "Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong."

1 Peter 5:8-10:  "8 Be sober-minded; be watchful.  Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.  9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.  10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you."

1 John 5:4-5:  "4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world.  And this is the victory that has overcome the world - our faith.  5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?"

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The passage from Ephesians is the main source for the hymn text.

1 Corinthians 16:13 is incorporated with the shoes of readiness from Ephesians 6:15 at the beginning of the hymn's third verse:  "With eagerness shod / Stand firm in your place."

1 Peter 5:8-10 appears at the beginning of the fourth verse:  "Though Satan presume / To test you and try."

The victory in 1 John 5:4-5 seems to appear at the end of the fifth verse:  "Then in Him victorious / Your armor lay down."

"Just a Closer Walk with Thee"

Registration:

Upper:  88 8888 003

Lower:  00 7643 234

Pedal:  54

Played with the "mellow" drawbar organ sound on my Hammond SKX, with the Hammond XPK-130G pedals

"Walder" (TLH #285)

Transposed from Ab major to G major

"Savior, Again to Thy Dear Name We Raise"

A couple years ago, I noticed some melodic shapes in the tune "Ellers" that match the text in the first verse of "Savior, Again to Thy Dear Name We Raise."

The first two lines of the hymn are "Savior, again to Thy dear name we raise / With one accord our parting hymn of praise," sung to these musical phrases:

The "rais[ing]" is metaphorical, but because these phrases ascend, there's a literal sense of it in the music, for both the verb ("we raise") and the direct object ("our parting hymn of praise").

The last line of the first verse is "Then, lowly bending, wait Thy word of peace," sung to this phrase:

The opposite effect is illustrated here:  the phrase "lowly bending" is sung to a descending group of notes (A G G E), providing a sense of that action.

LSB #664 "Fight the Good Fight"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  1 Timothy 6:12, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, 1 Peter 5:7, Psalm 55:22

1 Timothy 6:12:  "Fight the good fight of the faith.  Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses."

1 Corinthians 9:24-27:  "24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize?  So run that you may obtain it.  25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things.  They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.  26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air.  27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified."

1 Peter 5:7:  "casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you."

Psalm 55:22:  "Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved."

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The text is public domain:

Fight the good fight with all your might;

Christ is your strength, and Christ your right.

Lay hold on life, and it shall be

Your joy and crown eternally.

Run the straight race through God's good grace;

Lift up your eyes, and seek His face.

Life with its way before us lies;

Christ is the path, and Christ the prize.

Cast care aside, lean on your guide;

His boundless mercy will provide.

Trust, and enduring faith shall prove

Christ is your life and Christ your love.

Faint not nor fear, His arms are near;

He changes not who holds you dear;

Only believe, and you will see

That Christ is all eternally.

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The cited passages are easy to distinguish in the hymn text.  1 Timothy 6:12 appears in the first verse; 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 appears in the second verse; and 1 Peter 5:7 and Psalm 55:22 both appear in the third verse.

The first half of the line "He changes not who holds you dear" in the fourth verse may be drawn from Hebrews 13:8:  "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."

"Rock of Ages"

Registration:

Upper:  00 7856 321

Lower:  00 5432 222

Pedal:  44

Played with the "mellow" drawbar organ sound on my Hammond SKX, with the Hammond XPK-130G pedals

"Bedford" (TLH #284)

"Your Hand, O Lord, in Days of Old"

Over the last two years, I found a couple small features to note in "Your Hand, O Lord, in Days of Old," sung to the tune "Kingsfold."

Near the end of the second verse, there's a line that describes God as "Almighty as before," sung to this musical phrase:

The "al-" of "almighty" is sung with a merism (G A), giving a sense of this entirety.

The last two lines of the third verse (and of the whole hymn) are "That whole and sick and weak and strong / May praise You evermore."  That last line is sung to this phrase:

"Evermore" is sung with a melisma (A G E E), and since it's drawn out, there's a sense of that duration.

LSB #663 "Rise, My Soul, to Watch and Pray"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Matthew 25:5, 13; 26:41; 1 Thessalonians 5:5-9; Revelation 16:15

Matthew 25:5:  "'As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept.'"

Matthew 25:13:  "'Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.'"

Matthew 26:41:  "'Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation.  The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.'"

1 Thessalonians 5:5-9:  "5 For you are all children of light, children of the day.  We are not of the night or of the darkness.  6 So then let us not sleep, as other do, but let us keep awake and be sober.  7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night.  8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.  9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ"

Revelation 16:15:  "('Behold, I am coming like a thief!  Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!')"

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The text is public domain:

Rise, my soul, to watch and pray;

From your sleep awaken!

Be not by the evil day

Unawares o'ertaken;

For the foe,

Well we know,

Is a harvest reaping

While the saints are sleeping.

Watch against the devil's snares

Lest asleep he find you;

For indeed no pains he spares

To deceive and blind you.

Satan's prey

Oft are they

Who secure are sleeping

And no watch are keeping.

Watch! Let not the wicked world

With its lies defeat you

Lest with bold deceptions hurled

It betray and cheat you.

Watch and see

Lest there be

Faithless friends to charm you,

Who but seek to harm you.

Watch against yourself, my soul,

Lest with grace you trifle;

Let not self your thoughts control

Nor God's mercy stifle.

Pride and sin

Lurk within,

All your hopes to shatter;

Heed not when they flatter.

But while watching, also pray

To the Lord unceasing.

God protects you day by day,

Strength and faith increasing,

So that still

Mind and will

Shall unite to serve Him

And forever love Him.

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Much of the hymn is about staying awake and watchful.  All of the cited passages deal with at least one of these, so it's difficult to tell where or if the hymn draws from one passage more than an-other.  The first two verses, however, mention sleep, and this indicates a bit more influence from Matthew 25:5, 1 Thessalonians 5:5-9, and Revelation 16:15.