"For the Fruits of His Creation"

I was looking at "For the Fruits of His Creation" last month and noticed a small feature.  The third and fourth lines of the first verse are "For His gifts to ev'ry nation, / Thanks be to God," sung to these musical phrases from the tune "Ar hyd y nos":

The phrase "ev'ry nation" is sung to notes of all different pitches (A G F# D), giving a sense of number.

LSB #789 "Praise and Thanksgiving"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Ephesians 5:19-20; Psalm 105:1-2; 107:31-38

Ephesians 5:19-20:  "19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ"

Psalm 105:1-2:  "1 Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples!  2 Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!"

Psalm 107:31-38:  "31 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!  32 Let them extol him in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.

"33 He turns rivers into a desert, springs of water into thirsty ground, 34 a fruitful land into a salty waste, because of the evil of its inhabitants.  35 He turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water.  36 And there he lets the hungry dwell, and they establish a city to live in; 37 they sow fields and plant vineyards and get a fruitful yield.  38 By his blessing they multiply greatly, and he does not let their livestock diminish."

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All of the cited passages are combined in the first two lines:  "Praise and thanksgiving, / Father, we offer."  The passage from Psalm 107 is the main source for the hymn, though; verse 37 seems to be the basis for the second half of the first verse:  "Harvest of sown fields, / Fruits of the orchard, / Hay from the mown fields, / Blossom and wood."

"Come, Ye Thankful People, Come"

I've written about small features in "Come, Ye Thankful People, Come" twice before, but I found an-other one when I was looking at the hymn a couple months ago.  The third verse begins with the lines "For the Lord, our God, shall come / And shall take His harvest home, / From His field shall in that day / All offenses purge away."  The third and fourth lines are sung to these musical phrases from the tune "St. George's, Windsor":

The phrase "all offenses" is sung to notes of all different pitches (spanning a fifth:  A B C F), providing a sense of this entirety.  Since one of these notes is an accidental (a B natural in F major), there's an even greater sense of totality or, alternatively, a sense of the meaning of "offenses."

LSB #788 "Forgive Us, Lord, for Shallow Thankfulness"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Philippians 1:9-11, Ephesians 4:32-5:2, Romans 2:4, Galatians 6:9-10

Philippians 1:9-11:  "9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God."

Ephesians 4:32-5:2:  "32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.  5:1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.   2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."

Romans 2:4:  "Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?"

Galatians 6:9-10:  "9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.  10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith."

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Philippians 1:9-11, specifically the "knowledge and all discernment," seems to appear in the lines "Open our eyes to see Your love's intent, / To know with minds and hearts its depth and height" in the sixth verse.  These lines also draw from Ephesians 3:17-19:  "17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith - that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."

Being "imitators of God" from Ephesians 5:1 may appear in the lines "Teach us, O Lord, true thankfulness divine, / That gives as Christ gave, never counting cost" in the fourth verse.

Romans 2:4 informs the hymn generally and appears throughout in the various instances of "Forgive us, Lord, for...."

"Do[ing] good" in the passage from Galatians 6 seems to appear in the line "May thankfulness be days in service spent" in the sixth verse.

"Awake, My Heart, with Gladness"

A couple years ago, I wrote a post about some small features in "Awake, My Heart, with Gladness," but when it was the hymn in a Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service last month (on 1 May), I found a couple more.

The hymn is sung to the tune "Auf, auf, mein Herz."  Here's the fourth musical phrase:

In the third verse, the text here is "The joy within my heart" (continuing the sense from the previous line:  "Now nothing ever saddens").  "Joy" is sung with a melisma (B C#), lending a sense of this ebullience.

In the sixth verse, the text is "Whate'er He passes through" (again continuing the sense from the previous line:  "My Lord will leave me never").  "Whate'er" is sung with a melisma, and each note is a different pitch (A B C#).  Both aspects of this articulation provide a sense of breadth.

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I wrote about the Biblical sources for the hymn text before, but I also noticed that the line "He who is strong to save" in the second verse bears some resemblance to part of Psalm 31:2:  "Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me!"

LSB #787 "The Temple Rang with Golden Coins"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Mark 12:41-44, Hebrews 10:4-12

Mark 12:41-44:  "41 And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box.  Many rich people put in large sums.  42 And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny.  43 And he called his disciples to him and said to them, 'Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box.  44 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.'"

Hebrews 10:4-12:  "4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

"5 Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, 'Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; 6 in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure.  7 Then I said, "Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book."'  8 When he said above, 'You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings' (these are offered according to the law), 9 then he added, 'Behold, I have come to do your will.'  He does away with the first in order to establish the second.  10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

"11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.  12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God"

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The text from Mark is paraphrased in the first three verses of the hymn (roughly, the hymn's first verse corresponds to verse 41; the second to verse 42; and the third to verses 43-44).  The text from Hebrews, especially verse 10, is the basis for the hymn's fourth verse.

"With High Delight Let Us Unite"

A few weeks ago, I watched the Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service from 30 April, which was a lessons and carols sort of service with an Easter theme.  One of the hymns was "With High Delight Let Us Unite."  I wrote about some features in this hymn before, but I found a new one.

The first verse ends with the lines "Forever, He / Is ris'n and sends / To all earth's ends / Good news to save ev'ry nation."  The phrase "all earth's ends" is sung to notes of all different pitches (F# G A), giving a sense of this breadth.  Here's the musical phrase to which that line is sung, from the tune "Mit Freuden zart":

LSB #786 "Lord of All Good"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Romans 12:1, 1 Peter 4:10-11

Romans 12:1:  "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship."

1 Peter 4:10-11:  "10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace:   11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies - in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.  To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever.  Amen."

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1 Peter 4:10-11 appears in the first two verses of the hymn, most clearly in the first line of the first verse ("Lord of all good, our gifts we bring You now") and the last line of the second ("Thus for Your glory all our pow'rs combine"), and Romans 12:1 is paraphrased in the last line of the third verse ("To You [the Trinity] with grateful hearts ourselves we give").  The image of the body as a "living sacrifice" from Romans 12:1 and the various gifts and service from 1 Peter 4:10-11 are also combined in the second verse:  "We give our minds to understand Your ways; / Hands, eyes, and voice to serve Your great design; / Hearts with the flame of Your own love ablaze."

"O Sons and Daughters of the King"

A few weeks ago, I watched the Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service from 29 April.  The hymn was "O Sons and Daughters of the King" (LSB #471, paired with the tune "O filii et filiae"), and I noticed a couple small features to note.

Here's the first musical phrase:

In the ninth verse, the text here is "On this most holy day of days."  "Holy" is sung with a melisma (D C Bb), giving a sense of the modifying "most" (more notes for the superlative degree).

The third musical phrase:

In the third verse, the text here is what the angel says to the women at the tomb:  "Your Lord will go to Galilee."  "Go" is sung with a melisma (G F), giving a slight sense of this movement.

LSB #785 "We Praise You, O God"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Psalm 107:31-32; Psalm 44:1-8; 95:1-7

Psalm 107:31-32:  "31 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!  32 Let them extol him in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders."

Psalm 44:1-8:  "1 O God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us, what deeds you performed in their days, in the days of old:  2 you with your own hand drove out the nations, but them you planted; you afflicted the peoples, but them you set free; 3 for not by their own sword did they win the land, nor did their own arm save them, but your right hand and your arm, and the light of your face, for you delighted in them.

"4 You are my King, O God; ordain salvation for Jacob!  5 Through you we push down our foes; through your name we tread down those who rise up against us.  6 For not in my bow do I trust, nor can my sword save me.  7 But you have saved us from our foes and have put to shame those who hate us.  8 In God we have boasted continually, and we will give thanks to your name forever."

Psalm 95:1-7:  "1 Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!  2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!  3 For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.  4 In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also.  5 The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.

"6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our maker!  7 For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.  Today, if you hear his voice,"

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The text is public domain:

1 We praise You, O God, our Redeemer, Creator;

In grateful devotion our tribute we bring.

We lay it before You, we kneel and adore You;

We bless Your holy name, glad praises we sing.

2 We worship You, God of our fathers, we bless You;

Through trial and tempest our guide You have been.

When perils o'ertake us, You will not forsake us,

And with Your help, O Lord, our struggles we win.

3 With voices united our praises we offer

And gladly our songs of thanksgiving we raise.

With You, Lord, beside us, Your strong arm will guide us.

To You, our great Redeemer, forever be praise!

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The passages from the Psalms have similar themes (thanksgiving and praise), but there are some elements in the hymn that can be traced to a specific passage.

The title "Creator" in the first verse alludes to Psalm 95:5 ("The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land."), and the kneeling ("we kneel and adore You") comes from Psalm 95:6 ("let us kneel before the LORD, our maker!").  The title "God of our fathers" in the second verse seems to allude to Psalm 44:1 ("O God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us, what deeds you performed in their days, in the days of old."), and the "trial and tempest" and "perils" in the second verse and God's "strong arm" in the third also come from the passage from Psalm 44, especially verses 2-3.  The "voices united" in "songs of thanksgiving" at the beginning of the third verse come from Psalm 95:1-2 ("let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise... with thanksgiving").

The passage from Psalm 107 seems to appear only generally.

"Now All the Vault of Heaven Resounds"

A couple weeks ago, I watched the Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service from 28 April, in which the hymn was "Now All the Vault of Heaven Resounds."  I noticed a small feature in the line "All the glory, never ending!" near the end of the fourth verse, sung to this musical phrase from the tune "Lasst uns erfreuen":

The phrase "All the glory" is sung to notes of all different pitches (Ab G F Eb), providing a sense of this entirety.

LSB #783, 784 "Take My Life and Let It Be"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Romans 12:1-2, Romans 6:13, 1 Corinthians 6:20, 2 Corinthians 5:15

Romans 12:1-2:  "1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.  2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

Romans 6:13:  "Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness."

1 Corinthians 6:20:  "for you were bought with a price.  So glorify God in your body."

2 Corinthians 5:15:  "and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised."

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The text is public domain:

1 Take my life and let it be

Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;

Take my moments and my days,

Let them flow in ceaseless praise.

2 Take my hands and let them move

At the impulse of Thy love;

Take my feet and let them be

Swift and beautiful for Thee.

3 Take my voice and let me sing

Always, only for my King;

Take my lips and let them be

Filled with messages from Thee.

4 Take my silver and my gold,

Not a mite would I withhold;

Take my intellect and use

Ev'ry pow'r as Thou shalt choose.

5 Take my will and make it Thine,

It shall be no longer mine;

Take my heart, it is Thine own,

It shall be Thy royal throne.

6 Take my love, my Lord, I pour

At Thy feet its treasure store;

Take myself, and I will be

Ever, only, all for Thee.

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All of the cited passages have a similar theme, which is summarized in the first two lines of the hymn:  "Take my life and let it be / Consecrated, Lord to Thee."  Romans 6:13 is a bit more prominent than the other texts; the hymn expands on "present... your members to God as instruments for righteousness" and provides specific examples:  "Take my hands... Take my feet..." and so on.

The lines "Take my feet and let them be / Swift and beautiful for Thee" refer to Isaiah 52:7:  "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, 'Your God reigns.'"

"God's Own Child, I Gladly Say It"

A number of years ago, I wrote a post about some small features in "God's Own Child, I Gladly Say It," but when it was the hymn in a Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service recently (on 16 April), I found more to add.  The third line of the fourth verse is "When I die, I leave all sadness," sung to this musical phrase from the tune "Bachofen":

"All" is sung with a melisma (G F), and the phrase "All sadness" is sung to notes of all different pitches (G F E C).  Both of these articulations provide a sense of breadth or entirety.

LSB #782 "Gracious God, You Send Great Blessings"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Lamentations 3:22-23, 1 Peter 4:10-11, 1 John 3:16-18, Matthew 5:16

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."

1 Peter 4:10-11:  "10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace:  11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies - in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.  To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever.  Amen."

1 John 3:16-18:  "16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.  17 But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?  18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth."

Matthew 5:16:  "'In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.'"

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The passage from Lamentations 3 appears in the first verse:  "Gracious God, You send great blessings / New each morning all our days. / For Your mercies never-ending, / For Your love we offer praise."

1 Peter 4:10 appears in the lines "As we tend that endless treasure / May our care encircle all" in the second verse and in the line "Who Your gifts unnumbered claim" in the refrain.  1 Peter 4:11 is combined with Matthew 5:16 in the rest of the refrain:  "Lord, we pray that we... Through the sharing of Your blessings / May bring glory to Your name."

The text from 1 John 3 is the basis for the third verse, especially the second half:  "May our deeds of dedication / Offer love that never ends."

"O Lord, We Praise Thee"

"O Lord, We Praise Thee" was one of the hymns in a church service I attended a couple weeks ago, and I noticed a small feature in it.  Near the end of the second verse, there's the line "All our debt Thou hast paid," sung to this musical phrase from the tune "Gott sei gelobet und gebenedeiet":

The phrase "All our debt" is sung to notes of all different pitches (E F G), giving something of a sense of this entirety.

LSB #781 "We Give Thee But Thine Own"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  1 John 3:16-18, Matthew 25:40, Exodus 23:19a, James 1:27

1 John 3:16-18:  "16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.  17 But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?  18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth."

Matthew 25:40:  "'And the King will answer them, "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me."'"

Exodus 23:19a:  "'The best of the firstfruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of the LORD your God.'"

James 1:27:  "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this:  to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world."

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The text is public domain:

1 We give Thee but Thine own,

Whate'er the gift may be;

All that we have is Thine alone,

A trust, O Lord, from Thee.

2 May we Thy bounties thus

As stewards true receive

And gladly, as Thou blessest us,

To Thee our firstfruits give!

3 Oh, hearts are bruised and dead,

And homes are bare and cold,

And lambs for whom the Shepherd bled

Are straying from the fold.

4 To comfort and to bless,

To find a balm for woe,

To tend the lone and fatherless

Is angels' work below.

5 The captive to release,

To God the lost to bring,

To teach the way of life and peace,

It is a Christ-like thing.

6 And we believe Thy Word,

Though dim our faith may be:

Whate'er for Thine we do, O Lord,

We do it unto Thee.

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1 John 3:16-18 and Matthew 25:40 are the basis for the lines "Whate'er for Thine we do, O Lord, / We do it unto Thee" at the end of the sixth verse, although Matthew 25:40 is more prominent.

Exodus 23:19a is referred to in the lines "And gladly, as Thou blessest us, / To Thee our firstfruits give!" at the end of the second verse, and James 1:27 appears in the lines "To tend the lone and fatherless / Is angels' work below" at the end of the fourth verse.

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The first verse may come in part from 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."

The lines "And lambs for whom the Shepherd bled / Are straying from the fold" at the end of the third verse use the same imagery as Isaiah 53:6 and Psalm 119:176.

The fifth verse is drawn from Isaiah 61:1-2 ("1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor, and that day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn"), which is also cited in Luke 4:18-19.

"All Christians Who Have Been Baptized"

Many years ago, I wrote a post pointing out a couple instances in "All Christians Who Have Been Baptized" where "forever" is sung with a melisma, providing a sense of this duration.  Earlier this month, "All Christians Who Have Been Baptized" was the hymn in a Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service (on the 3rd), and I found one I'd missed (probably because it's divided by a line break in the notation).  Here's the second phrase from the hymn's tune, "Nun freut euch":

In the third verse, the text here is "Immersed and drowned forever," with "forever" sung to the notes G D E F.

(More recently, I also wrote about some other features in the hymn.)

LSB #780 "O Lord, Hear My Prayer"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Psalm 31:12; 102:1-2

Psalm 31:12:  "I have been forgotten like one who is dead; I have become like a broken vessel."

Psalm 31:2 seems more likely:  "Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily!  Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me!"

Psalm 102:1-2:  "1 Hear my prayer, O LORD; let my cry come to you!  2 Do not hide your face from me in the day of my distress!  Incline your ear to me; answer me speedily in the day when I call!"

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The first part of Psalm 102:1 is simply inverted in the recurring line "O Lord, hear my prayer," and the second half of Psalm 102:2 is paraphrased in the lines "When I call answer me" and (with part of Psalm 31:2) "Come and listen to me."

"From Depths of Woe I Cry to Thee"

Previously, I wrote about some small features in "From Depths of Woe I Cry to Thee," but when I watched the Worship Anew program for Ash Wednesday a couple weeks ago (about a month late), I found a couple more, both in the line "If Thou rememb'rest ev'ry sin" in the first verse, sung to this melody (from the tune "Aus tiefer Not"):

(The sense is completed in the following lines:  "Who then could heaven ever win / Or stand before Thy presence?")

"Ev'ry" is sung with a melisma (D C B), and the phrase "ev'ry sin" is sung to notes of all different pitches (D C B A), and both of these articulations provide a sense of number.

LSB #779 "Come, My Soul, with Every Care"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Matthew 6:5-13; 7:7-11; Luke 11:5-13; Hebrews 4:16

Matthew 6:5-13:  "5 'And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites.  For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others.  Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.  6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret.  And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

"7 'And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.  8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.  9 Pray then like this:  Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.  10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.  11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.  13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.'"

Matthew 7:7-11:  "7 'Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.  9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?  10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?  11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!'"

Luke 11:5-13:  "5 And he said to them, 'Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, "Friend, lend me three loaves, 6 for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him"; 7 and he will answer from within, "Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed.  I cannot get up and give you anything"?  8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he need.  9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.  11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?  13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!'"

Hebrews 4:16:  "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

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The text is public domain:

1 Come, my soul, with ev'ry care,

Jesus loves to answer prayer;

He Himself has bid thee pray,

Therefore will not turn away.

2 Thou art coming to a King,

Large petitions with thee bring;

For His grace and pow'r are such

None can ever ask too much.

3 With my burden I begin:

Lord, remove this load of sin;

Let Thy blood, for sinners spilt,

Set my conscience free from guilt.

4 Lord, Thy rest to me impart,

Take possession of my heart;

There Thy blood-bought right maintain

And without a rival reign.

5 While I am a pilgrim here,

Let Thy love my spirit cheer;

As my guide, my guard, my friend,

Lead me to my journey's end.

6 Show me what is mine to do;

Ev'ry hour my strength renew.

Let me live a life of faith;

Let me die Thy people's death.

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The passage from Matthew 6 is alluded to in the line "He Himself has bid thee pray" in the first verse.

The passages from Matthew 7 and Luke 11 (specifically the parts about asking) may also be included in "He Himself has bid thee pray," but they also seem to be referred to at the end of the second verse:  "His grace and pow'r are such / None can ever ask too much."

"The throne of grace" from Hebrews 4:16 seems to be the basis for the line "Thou art coming to a King" in the second verse.  The confidence and grace in the passage also appear more generally in the first three verses.

The line "Lord, Thy rest to me impart" at the beginning of the fourth verse may refer to Matthew 11:28:  "'Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.'"

"Jesus, Thy Boundless Love to Me"

Last month, I watched the Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service from the 21st.  The hymn was "Jesus, Thy Boundless Love to Me," and I noticed a few small features.  It's sung to the tune "Ryburn."  Here's the fifth musical phrase:

In the second verse, the text here is "All coldness from my heart remove."  "All coldness" is sung to notes of all different pitches (F# A B), giving a sense of entirety.

In the third verse, the text is "And day and night, be all my care."  Here, "all" is sung with a melisma (D C#), providing a sense of entirety.

The sixth musical phrase:

In the second verse, the text here is "My ev'ry act, word, thought be love."  Similar to the above, the phrase "ev'ry act" is sung to notes of all different pitches (G F# E), but here, this articulation gives more of a sense of number.

LSB #777, 778 "Grant Peace, We Pray, in Mercy, Lord"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  2 Thessalonians 3:16; Psalm 62:2, 6; Isaiah 31:5

2 Thessalonians 3:16:  "Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way.  The Lord be with you all."

Psalm 62:2:  "He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken."

Psalm 62:6:  "He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken."

Isaiah 31:5:  "'Like birds hovering, so the LORD of hosts will protect Jerusalem; he will protect and deliver it; he will spare and rescue it.'"

+++

2 Thessalonians 3:16 appears in the first two lines:  "Grant peace, we pray, in mercy, Lord; / Peace in our time, O send us!"  The other cited passages are combined in the lines "For there is none on earth but You, / None other to defend us. / You only, Lord, can fight for us," although the two instances of "He only" from Psalm 62 are more prominent than the verse from Isaiah.

"I Walk in Danger All the Way"

Last month, I watched the Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service from the 10th.  The hymn was "I Walk in Danger All the Way," and I noticed a feature that recurs throughout.

It's sung to the tune "Der lieben Sonne Licht und Pracht."  Here's the first musical phrase:

In the first verse, the text here is "I walk in danger all the way."  The phrase "all the way" is sung to notes of all different pitches (A F E), providing a sense of entirety.  This feature is present in every verse; each initial line ends with the phrase "all the way."

LSB #776 "Come, Lord Jesus, Be Our Guest"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Psalm 145:15-16, Luke 24:29-30, James 1:17a

Psalm 145:15-16:  "15 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season.  16 You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing."

Luke 24:29-30:  "29 but they urged him strongly, saying, 'Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.'  So he went in to stay with them.  30 When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them."

James 1:17a:  "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above"

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The text is public domain:

Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest, and let these gifts to us be blest.

Amen, amen, amen.

+++

The hymn text is fairly general, but the passage from Luke 24 seems to be the main source (especially for "be our guest"), and the other cited texts are combined with it in "let these gifts to us be blest."

"Lord, Support Us All Day Long"

Recently, I was looking at "Lord, Support Us All Day Long" and noticed a very small feature in it, similar to what I found in "Lord, Take My Hand and Lead Me" a number of years ago.

The hymn is sung to the tune "Gwalchmai," which alternates between long and short phrases.  Here's the fourth phrase, which is only one measure:

In the first verse, the text here is "Shadows length."  The note values expand from quarter notes to half notes, giving a musical impression of this "length[ening]."

LSB #775 "Be Present at Our Table, Lord"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Psalm 145:15-16, Revelation 19:9, Isaiah 25:6

Psalm 145:15-16:  "15 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season.  16 You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing.  17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works."

Revelation 19:9:  "And the angel said to me, 'Write this:  Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.'  And he said to me, 'These are the true words of God.'"

Isaiah 25:6:  "On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined."

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The text is public domain:

Be present at our table, Lord;

Be here and ev'rywhere adored;

Thy creatures bless, and grant that we

May feast in paradise with Thee.

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The passage from Psalm 145 seems to appear in "Thy creatures bless," although there's also some overlap with Revelation 19:9.

"The marriage supper of the Lamb" from Revelation 19:9 and the "feast" in Isaiah 25:6 are combined in "grant that we / May feast in paradise with Thee."

"Jesus Christ, My Sure Defense"

A few weeks ago, I watched the Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service from 25 February, in which the hymn was "Jesus Christ, My Sure Defense."  I noticed a small feature in it but also discovered a note I'd previously made but neglected to write about here.

The hymn is sung to the tune "Jesus, meine Zuversicht."  Here's the fourth musical phrase:

In the eighth verse, the text here is "While you here His footsteps follow."  The melody is mostly conjunct (from A to C), so there's a musical sense of these "footsteps."

Here are the last two musical phrases:

In the fifth verse, the text here is "In this flesh I then shall see / Jesus Christ eternally."  "Eternally" is sung to notes that have a combined total of seven beats (a quarter note, a dotted quarter note, an eighth note, and a whole note), the longest of any single word in the entire hymn.  This musical duration matches the meaning of the word.

LSB #774 "Feed Thy Children, God Most Holy"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Psalm 145:15-17, John 6:35-38, Revelation 19:7-9

Psalm 145:15-17:  "15 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season.  16 You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing.  17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works."

John 6:35-38:  "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.  36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe.  37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.  38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.'"

Revelation 19:7-9:  "7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; 8 it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure' - for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

"9 And the angel said to me, 'Write this:  Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.'  And he said to me, 'These are the true words of God.'"

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The passage from Psalm 145 is referred to in the first line:  "Feed Thy children, God most holy."  The text from John 6 is the source for the title "Bread of Life" ("O Thou Bread of Life from heaven, / Bless the food Thou here hast given!"), and the passage from Revelation 19 appears at the end of the hymn:  "Till with saints in heav'nly splendor / At Thy feast due thanks we render."

"O Wondrous Type! O Vision Fair"

Last year, I noticed a small feature in the Transfiguration hymn "O Wondrous Type! O Vision Fair."  It's sung to the tune "Deo gracias."  Here's the third musical phrase:

In the fourth verse, the text here is "For which in joyful strains we raise" (the sense is continued into the next line:  "The voice of prayer, the hymn of praise").  "Joyful" is sung with a melisma (C Bb Ab), providing a sense of either ebullience or abundance (for the "-ful" suffix).

LSB #773 "Hear Us, Father, When We Pray"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Matthew 6:9-13, Romans 8:26-27, Hebrews 4:14-16, Psalm 141:1-2

Matthew 6:9-13:  "9 'Pray then like this:  Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.  11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.  13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.'"

Romans 8:26-27:  "26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.  27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God."

Hebrews 4:14-16:  "14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.  15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.  16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

Psalm 141:1-2:  "1 O LORD, I call upon you; hasten to me!  Give ear to my voice when I call to you!  2 Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!"

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Each verse of the hymn corresponds to one of the cited passages.  Matthew 6:9-13 is alluded to in the first verse ("Hear us, Father, when we pray..."); Romans 8:26-27 is paraphrased in the second verse ("When we know not what to say... May Your Spirit... Groan within us interceding; / By His sighs, too deep for words"); Hebrews 4:14-16 is the basis for the third verse ("Jesus, advocate on high... Through Your priestly blood we cry; / Hear our prayers... Place them on Your Father's throne"); and Psalm 141:1-2 appears in the fourth verse ("By Your Spirit now attend / To our prayers and supplications, / As like incense they ascend").

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"Night and day" in the second verse ("May Your Spirit, night and day, / Groan within us interceding") is a temporal merism.

"Jesus on the Mountain Peak"

Last year, I found a small feature in "Jesus on the Mountain Peak."  It's a Transfiguration hymn, though, so I had to wait a while until it was seasonally appropriate to write about.

The hymn is sung to the tune "Seward."  Here's the fourth musical phrase:

In the fourth verse, the text here is "All creation shall adore Him!"  "Creation" is sung with a melisma (A G F# D), giving a sense of the entirety of "all."

In looking at the hymn again in order to write this post, I also noticed that the phrase "All creation" is sung to notes of all different pitches (spanning a sixth:  B | A G F# D), and this also provides a sense of breadth.

LSB #772 "In Holy Conversation"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Psalm 50:15, Philippians 4:6, Isaiah 65:24, 1 John 5:14

Psalm 50:15:  "'and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.'"

Philippians 4:6:  "do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."

Isaiah 65:24:  "Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear."

1 John 5:14:  "And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us."

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Psalm 50:15 and Philippians 4:6 seem to appear in the lines "In holy conversation / We speak to God in prayer" at the beginning of the first verse, although they also inform the hymn generally.  Isaiah 65:24 and 1 John 5:14 are alluded to in the lines "With care our Father listens / To ev'ry thought expressed, / Then answers our petitions / In ways He knows are best" at the end of the second verse and (particularly 1 John 5:14) in the lines "So let us pray securely, / Expressing hopes and fears / With confidence that surely / Our Father ever hears" at the end of the third.

+++

The lines "And to support our prayer, / His Spirit intercedes" at the end of the first verse seem to be drawn from Romans 8:26:  "Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words."

As with the previous hymn, the lines "Then [our Father] answers our petitions / In ways He knows are best" may refer to Romans 8:28 ("And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.") or even Genesis 50:20, where Joseph tells his brothers, "'As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.'"

"Have No Fear, Little Flock"

In the fourth verse of "Have No Fear, Little Flock," there's the repeated line "Thankful hearts raise to God."  A couple months ago, I discovered that this is at least related to, if not directly drawn from, part of Colossians 3:16:  "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God."

Here's a link to my post on the hymn's Biblical sources.

LSB #771 "Be Still, My Soul, before the Lord"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Matthew 7:7-8, Isaiah 65:24, 1 John 5:14, Psalm 27:13-14

Matthew 7:7-8:  "7 'Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.'"

Isaiah 65:24:  "Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear."

1 John 5:14:  "And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us."

Psalm 27:13-14:  "13 I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living!  14 Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!"

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Isaiah 65:24 appears in the lines "Before your mind is moved to pray, God listens and will hear" at the end of the first verse, although this may overlap a bit with 1 John 5:14 and even Matthew 7:7.  1 John 5:14 and Psalm 27:14 seem to be combined in the line "Wait, then, in quiet confidence" at the beginning of the third verse, and Psalm 27:14 by itself appears again in the line "On God in patience wait" in the fourth verse.

The passage from Matthew 7 may also be alluded to in the line "God's help will not be late" at the end of the fourth verse.

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This line "Be still, my soul, before the Lord," which occurs at the beginning of the first and fourth verses may come from the first part of Psalm 46:10:  "'Be still, and know that I am God.'"

The line "You need not multiply your words" at the beginning of the second verse seems to refer to Matthew 6:7:  "'And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.'"  

The line "God knows your needs before you ask" in the third verse paraphrases part of Matthew 6:8 ("'Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.'"), and the following line "And works for what is best" may refer to Romans 8:28 ("And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.") or even Genesis 50:20, where Joseph tells his brothers, "'As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.'"

"Word of God, Come Down on Earth"

Years ago, I wrote about some small features in "Word of God, Come Down on Earth," but when it was in a Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service recently (on the 4th), I noticed an-other small point.

The hymn is sung to the tune "Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier."  Here's the second-to-last phrase:

In the fourth verse, the text here is "Word of truth, to all truth lead us."  The second "truth" is sung with a melisma (A G), giving a sense of the entirety of that modifying "all."

LSB #770 "What a Friend We Have in Jesus"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Matthew 7:7-8, Hebrews 4:15, John 15:14-16, 1 Peter 2:24

Matthew 7:7-8:  "7 'Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.'"

Hebrews 4:15:  "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin."

John 15:14-16:  "14 'You are my friends if you do what I command you.  15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.  16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.'"

1 Peter 2:24:  "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.  By his wounds you have been healed."

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The text is public domain:

1 What a friend we have in Jesus,

All our sins and griefs to bear!

What a privilege to carry

Ev'rything to God in prayer!

Oh, what peace we often forfeit;

Oh, what needless pain we bear -

All because we do not carry

Ev'rything to God in prayer!

2 Have we trials and temptations?

Is there trouble anywhere?

We should never be discouraged -

Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Can we find a friend so faithful

Who will all our sorrows share?

Jesus knows our ev'ry weakness -

Take it to the Lord in prayer.

3 Are we weak and heavy laden,

Cumbered with a load of care?

Precious Savior, still our refuge -

Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?

Take it to the Lord in prayer.

In His arms He'll take and shield thee;

Thou wilt find a solace there.

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The passage from Matthew 7 and the end of John 15:16 seem to appear in the recurring references to prayer ("What a privilege to carry / Ev'rything to God in prayer" in the first verse and "Take it to the Lord in prayer" in the second and third).

Hebrews 4:15 appears in the lines "Can we find a friend so faithful / Who will all our sorrows share? / Jesus knows our ev'ry weakness" in the second verse.

The passage from John 15 is the basis for the line "What a friend we have in Jesus," although there's a bit of overlap with Hebrews 4:15, and 1 Peter 2:24 appears in the following line:  "All our sins and griefs to bear!"

+++

The repeated reference to prayer may allude to "Be constant in prayer" from Romans 12:12.  The first half of the second verse also bears some similarity to Philippians 4:6:  "do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."

"With the Lord Begin Your Task"

I was looking at "With the Lord Begin Your Task" a couple months ago and found a number of instances of the same sort of feature.  The hymn is sung to the tune "Fang dein Werk."  Here are the first two musical phrases:

In the fifth verse, the text here is "Thus, Lord Jesus, ev'ry task / Be to You commended."  The phrase "ev'ry task" is sung to notes of all different pitches (A G E), giving a sense of breadth or entirety.

These musical phrases are repeated for the next two lines.  In the second verse, the text is "On the Lord cast ev'ry care; / He is your salvation," and the phrase "ev'ry care" is sung to the same group of notes (A G E), providing the same effect.

Here are the fifth and sixth musical phrases:

In the first verse, the text here is "Ev'ry morn with Jesus rise, / And when day is ended."  The same feature is here, too:  the phrase "ev'ry morn" is sung to notes of all different pitches (A B C), but now this articulation lends something more like a sense of number.

In the third verse, the text is "All your trust and hope repose / In the mighty Master."  Like the above, the phrase "all your trust" is sung to notes of all different pitches (A B C), giving a sense of entirety.

LSB #769 "Eternal Spirit of the Living Christ"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Romans 8:26-27; Ephesians 6:18; Luke 11:1-4; 22:42

Romans 8:26-27:  "26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.  27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God."

Ephesians 6:18:  "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"

Luke 11:1-4:  "1 Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, 'Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.'  2 And he said to them, 'When you pray, say:  Father, hallowed be your name, Your kingdom come.  3 Give us each day our daily bread, 4 and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.  And lead us not into temptation.'"

Luke 22:42:  "saying, 'Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me.  Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.'"

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The passage from Romans 8 and the verse from Ephesians seem to be the basis for the hymn.  Part of Romans 8:26 is paraphrased in the first verse as "I know not how to ask or what to say."  The line "Come, pray in me the prayer I need this day" at the beginning of the second verse bears the closest resemblance to Ephesians 6:18.

The first part of the passage from Luke 11 is alluded to at the end of the first verse:  "And only You can teach me how to pray."  Both passages from Luke also seem to be referred to in the second verse:  Luke 22:42 in the line "Help me to see Your purpose and Your will" and Luke 11:1-4 (particularly verse 4) in the line "Held in forgiving love, let me be still."

Messiah: No. 36 Thou art gone up on high

I've been reading a German/English edition of Luther's Small Catechism, and recently, I found a text that's used in Handel's Messiah.  Among the Biblical citations under "What do the Scriptures testify concerning Christ's ascension into heaven?" in the explanation to the second article of the creed is Psalm 68:18:  "Thou hast ascended on high, Thou hast led captivity captive; Thou hast received gifts for men, yea, for the rebellious also."  In Handel's Messiah, this appears in Part II, No. 36 as "Thou art gone up on high, thou hast led captivity captive, and received gifts for men, yea even for thine enemies, that the Lord God might dwell among them."

Previously, I'd noted that the Messiah text resembles Ephesians 4:8, but that verse is actually quoting Psalm 68:18.

In thinking about the movement, I realized that the music matches the text in that the repeated "Thou art gone up" is sung to phrases that generally ascend:

In some instances, particularly the third, "high" is sung to the highest pitch in the phrase, and this also illustrates the meaning.

[Notation source]

"Rise! To Arms! With Prayer Employ You"

I wrote about the Biblical sources for "Rise! To Arms! With Prayer Employ You" a couple years ago, but when it was in the Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service for 24 January, I found an-other one.  The last lines of the second verse are "The race well run, / Your long war won, / Your crown shines splendid as the sun."  As I noted before, the general situation here comes from 1 Corinthians 9:24-25, but the last line specifically ("Your crown shines splendid as the sun") alludes to Psalm 132:18, where the LORD says, "His enemies I will clothe with shame, but on him his crown will shine."

LSB #768 "To God the Holy Spirit Let Us Pray"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  John 16:13, Ephesians 4:3-6, Romans 8:26, 1 Corinthians 12:3

John 16:13:  "'When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.'"

Ephesians 4:3-6:  "3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  4 There is one body and one Spirit - just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call - 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."

Romans 8:26:  "Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words."

1 Corinthians 12:3:  "Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says 'Jesus is accursed!' and no one can say 'Jesus is Lord' except in the Holy Spirit."

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John 16:13 appears in the lines "To God the Holy Spirit let us pray / For the true faith needed on our way" in the first verse.  It also seems to appear, along with 1 Corinthians 12:3, in the line "Teach us Jesus Christ to know aright" in the fourth verse.

The passage from Ephesians 4 is the basis for the second verse, especially the lines "That with hearts united we love each other, / Ev'ry stranger, sister, and brother."

Romans 8:26 appears throughout the hymn but particularly in the line "To God the Holy Spirit let us pray" in the first verse and in all of the third verse, which describes "our weakness" ("in our ev'ry need, / Help us... That we may not falter nor courage fail us / When the foe shall taunt and assail us").

"The Day Is Surely Drawing Near"

A couple months ago, I watched the Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service from 22 November.  The hymn was "The Day Is Surely Drawing Near," and I noticed two instances of the same sort of feature.

The hymn is sung to the tune "Es ist gewisslich."  Here's the second musical phrase:

In the second verse, the text here is "And all the earth be shaken."  The phrase "all the earth" is sung to notes of all different pitches (B C D), giving a sense of that breadth.

Here's the fifth musical phrase:

In the third verse, the text here is "And ev'ry heart be clearly seen."  Here, the phrase "ev'ry heart" is sung to notes of all different pitches (B A G), providing a similar effect as above.

LSB #767 "Jesus, Remember Me"

The text of this hymn is taken directly from Luke 23:42.  I'm including it anyway for the sake of completeness, but when I get to the Biblical Canticles and Liturgical Music sections, there will be some hymns I'll skip because they're just the Biblical texts set to music.

Luke 23:42:  "And he said, 'Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.'"

"No Temple Now, No Gift of Price"

A couple months ago, I watched the Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service from 14 November.  The hymn was "No Temple Now, No Gift of Price," and I noticed a small feature in it.  It's sung to the tune "Kirkwood"; here's the third musical phrase:

In the second verse, the text here is "Complete in ev'ry part" (it further describes the previous lines:  "The dying Lord our ransom paid, / One final full self-off'ring made").  The words "ev'ry part" are sung to notes of all different pitches (F E D), giving a sense of this entirety.

LSB #766 "Our Father, Who from Heaven Above"

Biblical citation in the hymnal:  Matthew 6:9-13

Matthew 6:9-13:  "9 'Pray then like this: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.  11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.  13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."'"

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Only some of the stanzas are public domain:

1 Our Father, who from heav'n above

Bids all of us to live in love

As members of one family

And pray to You in unity,

Teach us no thoughtless words to say

But from our inmost hearts to pray.

6 Forgive our sins, Lord, we implore,

That they may trouble us no more;

We, too, will gladly those forgive

Who hurt us by the way they live.

Help us in our community

To serve each other willingly.

8 From evil, Lord, deliver us;

The times and days are perilous.

Redeem us from eternal death,

And, when we yield our dying breath,

Console us, grant us calm release,

And take our souls to You in peace.

9 Amen, that is, so shall it be.

Make strong our faith in You, that we

May doubt not but with trust believe

That what we ask we shall receive.

Thus in Your name and at Your Word

We say, "Amen, O hear us, Lord!"

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The hymn is an expansion of the text of the Lord's Prayer from Matthew 6.  Along with the introduction and conclusion, each petition (as outlined in Luther's Small Catechism) has its own verse.

The last line of the fifth verse ("To care and greed no entrance give") may allude to Proverbs 30:8-9:  "8 Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, 9 lest I be full and deny you and say, 'Who is the LORD?' or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God."

The line "That what we ask we shall receive" in the ninth verse refers to Matthew 7:7-8:  "7 'Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.'"

"O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright"

Last year, I noticed a few features in "O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright."  Because it's an Epiphany hymn, though, I waited to write about it until it was seasonally appropriate.

It's sung to the tune "Wie schön leuchtet."  Here's the third musical phrase:

In the third verse, the text here is "A ray of purest pleasure."  It's sung to a generally descending phrase, so there's a sense of its "fall[ing]," which is described in the previous line:  "At once there falls from God above."  (Years ago, I noted that the second half of the line "At once there falls from God above" also descends, matching the "fall[ing]" there.)

Here's the last musical phrase:

In the first verse, the text here, apparently still describing the Morning Star, is "Rule and might o'er all possessing!"  Pitch-wise, "Rule" (sung to a D) and "might" (sung to a B) really are over "all" (sung to a G).