LSB #715 "Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me"

Biblical citation in the hymnal:  Matthew 8:23-27

Matthew 8:23-27:  "23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him.  24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep.  25 And they went and woke him, saying, 'Save us, Lord; we are perishing.'  26 And he said to them, 'Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?'  Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.  27 And the men marveled, saying, 'What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?'"

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The text is public domain:

1 Jesus, Savior, pilot me

Over life's tempestuous sea;

Unknown waves before me roll,

Hiding rock and treach'rous shoal.

Chart and compass come from Thee.

Jesus, Savior, pilot me.

2 As a mother stills her child,

Thou canst hush the ocean wild;

Boist'rous waves obey Thy will

When Thou say'st to them, "Be still!"

Wondrous Sov'reign of the sea,

Jesus, Savior, pilot me.

3 When at last I near the shore

And the fearful breakers roar

Twist me and the peaceful rest,

Then, while leaning on Thy breast,

May I hear Thee say to me,

"Fear not, I will pilot thee."

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There's not much to say about this hymn.  The passage from Matthew 8 appears in the second verse, and obviously, the rest of the hymn expands upon it.

"Mein Schöpfer, steh mir bei" (TLH #335)

"Entrust Your Days and Burdens"

Last month, I wrote a post on the Biblical sources for "Entrust Your Days and Burdens" (to be published later this year).  While doing so, I noticed a few musical features.  The hymn is sung to the tune "Sufficientia."  Here's the third musical phrase:

In the third verse, the text here is "God helps in ev'ry trial."  The phrase "ev'ry trial" is sung to notes of almost all different pitches, and "trial" is sung with a melisma (F E D C).  Both of these features provide a sense of the entirety of "ev'ry."

The fourth musical phrase:

In the fourth verse, the text here is "At all His love can do" (continuing the sense from the previous lines "His wisdom rules for you / In ways to rouse your wonder"), and in the sixth verse, the text is "Of all our life's distress" (again continuing the sense from the previous lines "With joy our spirits bless / Until we see the ending").  In both of these, "all" is sung with a melisma (A G), musically giving a sense of entirety.

LSB #714 "Who Trusts in God a Strong Abode"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Psalm 73:25-26, Hebrews 12:2-3, Romans 8:38-39, Titus 3:5-7

Psalm 73:25-26:  "25 Whom have I in heaven but you?  And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.  26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

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."

Romans 8:38-39:  "38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Titus 3:5-7:  "5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life."

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The text is public domain:

1 Who trusts in God

A strong abode

In heav'n and earth possesses;

Who looks in love

To Christ above,

No fear that heart oppresses.

In You alone,

Dear Lord, we own

Sweet hope and consolation.

Our shield from foes,

Our balm for woes,

Our great and sure salvation.

2 Though Satan's wrath

Beset our path

And worldly scorn assail us,

While You are near,

We shall not fear;

Your strength will never fail us.

Your rod and staff

Will keep us safe

And guide our steps forever;

Nor shades of death

Nor hell beneath

Our lives from You will sever.

3 In all the strife

Of mortal life

Our feet will stand securely;

Temptation's hour

Will lose its pow'r,

For you will guard us surely.

O God, renew

With heav'nly dew

Our body, soul, and spirit

Until we stand

At Your right hand

Through Jesus' saving merit.

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The verses from Psalm 73 appear in the first few lines of the hymn ("Who trusts in God / A strong abode / In heav'n and earth possesses").  These lines also bear some resemblance to Proverbs 18:10:  "The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe."

The verses from Hebrews 12 appear in the next few lines:  "Who looks in love / To Christ above, / No fear that heart oppresses."

The passage from Romans 8 appears at the end of the second verse:  "Nor shades of death / Nor hell beneath / Our lives from You will sever."

The passage from Titus 3 seems merely to be hinted at in the hymn, at the end of the first verse ("Our great and sure salvation") and at the end of the third verse ("Through Jesus' saving merit").

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The lines "Your rod and staff / Will keep us safe / And guide our steps forever" in the second verse are drawn from Psalm 23:4:  "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."

The line "Our feet will stand securely" near the beginning of the third verse may come from the first part of Psalm 121:3:  "He will not let your foot be moved."

"Ich dank' dir, lieber Herre" (TLH #334)

There's a marking in the last phrase of the tenor part that I'm not sure I understood correctly.  I played it as if it's a tie, but it might just indicate a sort of articulation.

I also played the Amen cadence an octave higher in the tenor part.  I didn't want to have to put my guitar in drop D tuning just for one note.

"From Depths of Woe I Cry to Thee"

Last month, I watched the Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service from 1 December.  The hymn was "From Depths of Woe I Cry to Thee."  I noticed a couple features while following along in my hymnal, and I also discovered that I'd previously noted some features that I neglected to write about.

The hymn is sung to the tune "Aus tiefer Not."  Here's the first musical phrase:

The first line is "From depths of woe I cry to Thee."  As if to reflect those "depths," that word is sung to the lowest pitch in the phrase (and in the entire hymn).

The same musical phrase is repeated as the third phrase, and in the first verse, the text there is "Bend down Thy gracious ear to me."  Here, the initial falling fifth (B to E) illustrates that "Bend[ing] down."

Here's the second musical phrase:

In the fifth verse, the text here is "Is God's abundant favor" (it completes the sense from the previous line:  "Though great our sins, yet greater still").  "Favor" is sung with a melisma (G F E), giving a sense of amount (for "abundant").

The same musical phrase is also repeated as the fourth phrase, and in the fifth verse, the text there is "Abandon us, nor waver" (again, this completes the sense from the previous line:  "His hand of mercy never will").  "Waver" is sung with the same melisma (G F E), so while it's negated, there's a sense of the word's meaning.

LSB #713 "From God Can Nothing Move Me"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Romans 8:38-39, Joshua 24:16, Psalm 73:23

Romans 8:38-39:  "38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Joshua 24:16:  "Then the people answered, 'Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods'"

Psalm 73:23:  "Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand."

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The three cited passages all seem to inform the hymn more generally than specifically.  The greatest similarity between these citations and the hymn text is in the title line ("From God can nothing move me").

The lines "In His good time He changes / All sorrow into joy" in the third verse bear some resemblance to Psalm 30:11:  "You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness."

The line "He ev'ry gift imparts" in the fourth verse may refer to James 1:17:  "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change."

This is a minor point, but there's a temporal merism ("in evening and in morning") in the second half of the first verse:  "He stretches out His hand / In evening and in morning, / My life with grace adorning / Wherever I may stand."  The imagery here may come from Psalm 145:16:  "You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing."

"O du Liebe" (TLH #333)

"Angels from the Realms of Glory"

Recently, I discovered a passage that's alluded to in "Angels from the Realms of Glory" and that I missed when I wrote a post about the hymn's Biblical sources.  The line "Ye who sang creation's story" in the first verse, addressing the angels, refers to God's questions to Job in Job 38:4-7:  "'4 Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?  Tell me, if you have understanding, 5 Who determined its measurements - surely you know!  Or who stretched the line upon it?  6 On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, 7 when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?'"

LSB #712 "Seek Ye First"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Matthew 6:33; 7:7; Matthew 4:4

Matthew 6:33:  "'But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.'"

Matthew 7:7:  "'Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.'"

Matthew 4:4:  "But he answered, 'It is written, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God."'"

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The Biblical sources for this hymn are easy to distinguish:  the first verse comes from Matthew 6:33; the second verse comes from Matthew 7:7; and the third verse comes from Matthew 4:4.

"Erhalt uns, Herr" (TLH #332)

Transposed from E minor to A minor

"Now Greet the Swiftly Changing Year"

A couple years ago, I noticed some features in "Now Greet the Swiftly Changing Year" (in the "New Year" section of The Lutheran Service Book), and I've been waiting until it was seasonally appropriate to write about.

The hymn is sung to the tune "Sixth Night."  Here's the first phrase:

The first line is "Now greet the swiftly changing year."  "Changing" is sung with a melisma (G F# G), giving something of a sense of its meaning.

In the fourth verse, the text is "His love abundant far exceeds."  Here, "far" is sung with a melisma (G F#), giving a sense of degree.

The first musical phrase is repeated as the second musical phrase, and the fourth verse continues with the line "The volume of a whole year's needs."  Here, "whole" is sung with the same melisma, providing a sense of that entirety.

In the fifth verse, the second line is "In want and in prosperity."  "Prosperity" is sung with a melisma (A G F# G E), providing a sense of that abundance.  Incidentally, "In want and in prosperity" is a merism.

LSB #711 "Savior, like a Shepherd Lead Us"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Psalm 23, John 10:1-16, Ephesians 2:4-5, Romans 5:8

Psalm 23:  "1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.  2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.  He leads me beside still waters.  3 He restores my soul.  He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

"4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

"5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.  6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever."

John 10:1-16:  "1 'Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber.  2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.  3 To him the gatekeeper opens.  The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.  5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.'  6 This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

"7 So Jesus again said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.  8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.  9 I am the door.  If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.  10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.  I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.  11 I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.  12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.  13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.  14 I am the good shepherd.  I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.  16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold.  I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice.  So there will be one flock, one shepherd.'"

Ephesians 2:4-5:  "4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved"

Romans 5:8:  "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

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The text is public domain:

1 Savior, like a shepherd lead us;

Much we need Your tender care.

In Your pleasant pastures feed us,

For our use Your fold prepare.

Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,

You have bought us; we are Yours.

Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,

You have bought us; we are Yours.

2 We are Yours; in love befriend us,

Be the guardian of our way;

Keep Your flock, from sin defend us,

Seek us when we go astray.

Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,

Hear us children when we pray.

Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,

Hear us children when we pray.

3 You have promised to receive us,

Poor and sinful though we be;

You have mercy to relieve us,

Grace to cleanse, and pow'r to free.

Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,

Early let us turn to You.

Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,

Early let us turn to You.

4 Early let us seek Your favor,

Early let us do Your will;

Blessed Lord and only Savior,

With Your love our spirits fill.

Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,

You have loved us, love us still.

Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,

You have loved us, love us still.

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The shepherd imagery in Psalm 23 and the passage from John 10 appears in the first two verses.  The first verse draws a bit more from Psalm 23 (particularly the line "In Your pleasant pastures feed us," which comes from Psalm 23:2), and the second verse draws a bit more from John 10.

Romans 5:8 seems to appear in the lines "You have promised to receive us, / Poor and sinful though we be" at the beginning of the third verse, although this also bears some resemblance to John 6:37:  "'All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.'"  The passage from Ephesians appears in the second half of the third verse:  "You have mercy to relieve us, / Grace to cleanse, and pow'r to free."

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The line "You have bought us; we are Yours" at the end of the first verse may come from 1 Peter 1:18-19:  "18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot."

The line "Seek us when we go astray" in the second verse may refer to the Parable of the Lost Sheep (Luke 15:3-7).

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The phrase "pleasant pastures" in the first verse has alliteration and syllabic balance, and this euphony matches that "pleasant" description.