LSB #681 "Send, O Lord, Your Holy Spirit"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  John 20:21-23; 2 Timothy 1:13-14; 3:14-17; John 21:15-17

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.'"

2 Timothy 1:13-14:  "13 Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.  14 By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you."

2 Timothy 3:14-17:  "14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.  16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work."

John 21:15-17:  "15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?'  He said to him, 'Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.'  He said to him, 'Feed my lambs.'  16 He said to him a second time, 'Simon, son of John, do you love me?'  He said to him, 'Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.'  He said to him, 'Tend my sheep.'  17 He said to him the third time, 'Simon, son of John, do you love me?'  Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, 'Do you love me?' and he said to him, 'Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.'  Jesus said to him, 'Feed my sheep.'"

+++

The text is public domain:

Send, O Lord, Your Holy Spirit

On Your servant now, we pray;

Let him prove a faithful shepherd

That no lamb be led astray.

Your pure teaching to proclaim,

To extol your holy name,

And to feed Your lambs, dear Savior,

Make his aim and sole endeavor.

You, O Lord, Yourself have called him

For Your precious lambs to care;

But to prosper in his calling,

He the Spirit's gifts must share.

Give him wisdom from above,

Fill his heart with holy love;

In his weakness, Lord, be near him,

In his prayers, Good Shepherd, hear him.

Help, Lord Jesus, help him nourish

All our children with Your Word

That in fervent love they serve You

Till in heav'n their song is heard.

Boundless blessings, Lord, bestow

On his faithful toil below

Till by grace to him be given

His reward, the crown of heaven.

+++

The cited texts occur mostly in the first verse.  The passage from John 20 appears in the first two lines:  "Send, O Lord, Your Holy Spirit / On Your servant now, we pray."  The two passages from 1 Timothy seem to appear in the next two lines, although where those passages have "follow" and "continue," the hymn looks at this from the opposite direction with "Let him prove a faithful shepherd / That no lamb be led astray."  Perhaps coincidentally, this same type of language is used in Isaiah 53:6 ("All we like sheep have gone astray...").

The passage from John 21 appears at the end of the first verse ("And to feed Your lambs, dear Savior, / Make his aim and sole endeavor") and at the beginning of the second verse ("You, O Lord, Yourself have called him / For Your precious lambs to care").

The name "Good Shepherd" at the end of the second verse comes from John 10:11, and "the crown of heaven" at the end of the third verse seems to refer to part of Revelation 2:10 ("'Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.'").