LSB #706 "Love in Christ Is Strong and Living"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Colossians 3:12-14; Ephesians 5:2; 1 Corinthians 13; Ephesians 4:2, 32

Colossians 3:12-14:  "12 Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.  14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony."

Ephesians 5:2:  "And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."

1 Corinthians 13:  "1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have no love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have no love, I gain nothing.

"4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude.  It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.  7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

"8 Love never ends.  As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.  9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.  11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.  When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.  12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face.  Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

"13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love."

Ephesians 4:2:  "with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love"

Ephesians 4:32:  "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."

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All but the last cited text mention love, and so there's quite a bit of overlap, but there are parts of the hymn that clearly come from one text more than an-other.

The line "Binding faithful hearts in one" in the first verse comes from Colossians 3:14.  The line "May His will in us be done" at the end of the verse seems to be patterned on "Thy will be done" in the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:10), although in the hymn, the "His" is referring to Christ where in the Lord's Prayer, the "Thy" refers to God the Father.  Taken together with the preceding line ("Love in Christ is true and giving"), this may come from Ephesians 5:2.

The second verse contains a list of love's attributes and combines qualities from 1 Corinthians 13 (particularly verse 4), Colossians 3:12-13, and the two verses from Ephesians 4.

The line "Love in Christ abides forever" at the beginning of the third verse comes from 1 Corinthians 13 (apparently combining parts of verses 8 and 13), and the line "Love, forgiving and forgiven" from later in the verse combines Colossians 3:13 and Ephesians 4:32.

"Herr, ich habe missgehandelt" (TLH #326)

Transposed from F minor to A minor

"Lift Every Voice and Sing"

A couple years ago, I noticed some features in "Lift Every Voice and Sing," sung to the tune "Lift Every Voice."

Here's the first musical phrase:

The hymn starts with the line "Lift ev'ry voice and sing," and since the first musical phrase ascends, there's a sense of the meaning.

There's a similar feature a bit later in the first verse; the line "Let our rejoicing rise" is also sung to an ascending phrase:

Near the end of the third verse, there are the line "Shadowed beneath Thy hand, / May we forever stand," sung to these musical phrase:

"Forever" is sung with a melisma (B C B A), and since it's drawn out, there's a sense of duration.

LSB #705 "The Man Is Ever Blessed"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Psalm 1; Psalm 119:16, 35; Psalm 92:12-14; Psalm 145:20

Psalm 1:  "1 Blessed in the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.

"3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.  In all that he does, he prospers.  4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

"5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgement, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; 6 for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish."

Psalm 119:16:  "I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word."

Psalm 119:35:  "Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it."

Psalm 92:12-14:  "12 The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.  13 They are planted in the house of the LORD; they flourish in the courts of our God.  14 They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green"

Psalm 145:20:  "The LORD preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy."

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The text is public domain:

1 The man is ever blessed

Who shuns the sinners' ways,

Among their counsels never stands,

Nor takes the scorners' place.

2 But makes the Law of God

His study and delight

Amid the labors of the day

And watches of the night.

3 He like a tree shall thrive,

With waters near the root;

Fresh as the leaf his name shall live,

His works are heav'nly fruit.

4 Not so the wicked race,

They no such blessings find;

Their hopes shall fleet like empty chaff

Before the driving wind.

5 How will they bear to stand

Before the judgement seat

Where all the saints at Christ's right hand

In full assembly meet?

6 He knows and He approves

The way the righteous go;

But sinners and their works shall meet

A dreadful overthrow.

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This hymn is a paraphrase of Psalm 1; each verse of the hymn corresponds to the same numbered verse in the Psalm.  The other Psalm verses cited in the hymnal simply overlap with sentiments in Psalm 1.  The two verses from Psalm 119 overlap with the second verse (of Psalm 1 and of the hymn); Psalm 92:12-14 overlaps with the third verse; and Psalm 145:20 overlaps with the sixth verse.

"Hamburg" (TLH #325)

I had new strings put on my mandolin, so this sounds a bit different.

Also, I discovered a mistake in the notation for this hymn.  At the end of the first phrase, the soprano and alto parts each have a whole note, but in the tenor and bass parts, there are only half notes.  Here's a scan from hymnary.org:

Of course, these should be whole notes, too, and that's how I played them.

"Agnus Dei" (LSB #962)

A couple years ago, I noticed a small feature in "Agnus Dei" (LSB #962).  "Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world" is sung three times, to two different musical phrases:

In both, "away" is sung with a melisma (G A C and G G C, respectively), giving a sense of distance or movement.

LSB #704 "Renew Me, O Eternal Light"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  2 Corinthians 3:18, Colossians 3:1-10, Psalm 51:10-12

2 Corinthians 3:18:  "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.  For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit."

Colossians 3:1-10:  "1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.  3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

"5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you:  sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.  6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming.  7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them.  8 But now you must put them all away:  anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.  9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator."

Psalm 51:10-12:  "10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.  11 Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.  12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit."

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The text is public domain:

1 Renew me, O eternal Light,

And let my heart and soul be bright,

Illumined with the light of grace

That issues from Your holy face.

2 Remove the pow'r of sin from me

And cleanse all my impurity

That I may have the strength and will

Temptations of the flesh to still.

3 Create in me a new heart, Lord,

That gladly I obey Your Word.

Let what You will be my desire,

And with new life my soul inspire.

4 Grant that I only You may love

And seek those things which are above

Till I behold You face to face,

O Light eternal, through Your grace.

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2 Corinthians 3:18 appears in the first verse, although there's a bit of overlap here with Colossians 3:10 and Psalm 51:10.

The first part of the text from Colossians 3 appears in the fourth verse ("And seek those things which are above"), and the second part seems to appear at the end of the second verse ("That I may have the strength and will / Temptations of the flesh to still").

The passage from Psalm 51 appears in the third verse.

The line "Till I behold You face to face" in the fourth verse seems to come from the first part of 1 Corinthians 13:12:  "For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face."

"Meinen Jesum lass' ich nicht" (TLH #324)

One of the strings on my mandolin broke, so I had to do the soprano and alto parts on guitar this week.

"Rejoice, My Heart, Be Glad and Sing"

I wrote about "Rejoice, My Heart, Be Glad and Sing" a couple years ago, but it was the hymn in a Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service I watched last month, and I noticed an-other small feature in it.

The line "His rod falls gently down" in the fifth verse is sung to this musical phrase from the tune "Ich singe dir":

The words "falls gently down" are sung to a descending group of notes (A G G F), illustrating that "fall[ing]."  Additionally, since the descent is diatonic, there's a musical sense of "gently."

LSB #703 "How Can I Thank You, Lord"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Colossians 1:12-14, Psalm 107:20-22, Ephesians 2:8-10, Philippians 1:6

Colossians 1:12-14:  "12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.  13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."

Psalm 107:20-22:  "20 He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction.  21 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!  22 And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of his deeds in songs of joy!"

Ephesians 2:8-10:  "8 For by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.  10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

Philippians 1:6:  "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."

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The text is public domain:

1 How can I thank You, Lord,

For all Your loving-kindness,

That You have patiently

Borne with me in my blindness!

When dead in many sins

And trespasses I lay,

I kindled, holy God,

Your anger ev'ry day.

2 It is Your work alone

That I am now converted;

O'er Satan's work in me

You have Your pow'r asserted.

Your mercy and Your grace

That rise afresh each morn

Have turned my stony heart

Into a heart newborn.

3 Lord, You have raised me up

To joy and exultation

And clearly shown the way

That leads me to salvation.

My sins are washed away;

For this I thank You, Lord.

Now with my heart and soul

All evil I abhor.

4 Grant that Your Spirit's help

To me be always given

Lest I should fall again

And lose the way to heaven.

Grant that He give me strength

In my infirmity;

May He renew my heart

To serve You willingly.

5 O Father, God of love,

Now hear my supplication;

O Savior, Son of God,

Accept my adoration;

O Holy Spirit, be

My ever faithful guide

That I may serve You here

And there with You abide.

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The first two cited passages (Colossians 1:12-14 and Psalm 107:20-22) both seem to appear in the first stanza, particularly the first two lines:  "How can I thank You, Lord, / For all Your loving-kindness."

Ephesians 2:8-9 appears at the beginning of the second verse ("It is Your work alone / That I am now converted").  The "good work" in Ephesians 2:10 and Philippians 1:6 seems to be referred to at the ends of the fourth and fifth verses:  "May He renew my heart / To serve You willingly... That I may serve You here / And there with You abide."

The second half of the second verse combines texts from Lamentations and Ezekiel.  The lines "Your mercy and Your grace / That rise afresh each morn" come from Lamentations 3:22-23 ("22 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."), and the lines "Have turned my stony heart / Into a heart newborn" refer to Ezekiel 36:26 ("And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you.  And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.").  Ezekiel 11:19 is also similar.

"St. Luke" (TLH #323)

Transposed from F minor to A minor

"Renew Me, O Eternal Light"

Last month, I watched the Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service from 3 October.  The hymn was "Renew Me, O Eternal Light," and I noticed a small feature in it.  The hymn is sung to the tune "Herr Jesu Christ, mein's."  Here's the second phrase:

In the second verse, the text here is "And cleanse all my impurity."  "Impurity" is sung to notes of all different pitches (F# G E D), giving a sense of the breadth of that "all."  The notes to which the word is sung also span more than two full measures, and this contributes to the sense of breadth, too.

LSB #702 "My Faith Looks Up to Thee"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  John 1:29, 36; Hebrews 12:2-3; Ephesians 3:12; Revelation 2:10-11

John 1:29:  "The next day he [John the Baptist] saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, 'Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!'"

John 1:36:  "and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, 'Behold, the Lamb of God!'"

Hebrews 12:2-3:  "2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

"3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted."

Ephesians 3:12:  "in whom [Christ Jesus] we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him."

Revelation 2:10-11:  "10 'Do not fear what you are about to suffer.  Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation.  Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.  11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.  The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.'"

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The text is public domain:

1 My faith looks up to Thee,

Thou Lamb of Calvary,

Savior divine.

Now hear me while I pray;

Take all my guilt away;

O let me from this day

Be wholly Thine!

2 May Thy rich grace impart

Strength to my fainting heart;

My zeal inspire!

As Thou hast died for me,

Oh, may my love to Thee

Pure, warm, and changeless be,

A living fire!

3 While life's dark maze I tread

And griefs around me spread,

Be Thou my guide;

Bid darkness turn to day,

Wipe sorrow's tears away,

Nor let me ever stray

From Thee aside.

4 When ends life's transient dream,

When death's cold, sullen stream

Shall o'er Me roll,

Blest Savior, then, in love,

Fear and distrust remove;

O bear me safe above,

A ransomed soul!

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"'Behold, the Lamb of God'" from both verses from John 1 and "looking to Jesus" in Hebrews 12:2 are combined in the hymn's first two lines:  "My faith looks up to Thee, / Thou Lamb of Calvary."  The relative clause "'who takes away the sin of the world!'" from John 1:29 seems to be rendered as "Take all my guilt away" in the hymn's first verse.

Hebrews 12:3 and Ephesians 3:12 appear at the beginning of the hymn's second verse:  "May Thy rich grace impart / Strength to my fainting heart; / My zeal inspire!"

The text from Revelation 2 seems to appear in the fourth verse.

The line "Wipe sorrow's tears away" in the third verse comes from Revelation 21:4:  "'He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.'"