LSB #795 "Voices Raised to You We Offer"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Colossians 3:16, Isaiah 12:2, 2 Corinthians 4:13, Psalm 147:1

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."

Isaiah 12:2:  "'Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.'"

2 Corinthians 4:13:  "Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, 'I believed, and so I spoke,' we also believe, and so we also speak"

Psalm 147:1:  "Praise the LORD!  For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting."

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Most of the cited passages (Colossians 3:16, Isaiah 12:2, and Psalm 147:1) are combined in the first two lines ("Voiced raised to You we offer; / Tune them, God, for songs of praise") and in the line "Triune God, to You we sing!" at the end of the first and fifth verses.

2 Corinthians 4:13 seems to be the basis for the lines "Spirit, flaming through creation, / Kindle faith within each heart. / Lift our voices high in chorus" in the fourth verse.

"Praise the LORD!" in Psalm 147:1 also appears in the third verse:  "For Your living, suff'ring, dying, / For Your rising, hear our praise!"

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The line "All creation joins to praise You" at the beginning of the second verse seems to be drawn from Psalm 148, which lists many parts of creation and, like Psalm 147:1, exhorts them to "Praise the LORD!"  The following line, "Earth and sky Your works display," paraphrases Psalm 19:1:  "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork."

"Lord, This Day We've Come to Worship"

I was looking at "Lord, This Day We've Come to Worship" last month and found an-other instance where a phrase is sung to notes of all different pitches, resulting in something of a sense of breadth or entirety.  The last line of the hymn (aside from the refrain) is "Serve the Lord through all our days," sung to this musical phrase from the tune "Glorious Name":

The phrase "all our days" is sung to the notes A G F.

LSB #794 "The Lord, My God, Be Praised"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Deuteronomy 32:3; Psalm 5:11-12; Romans 3:24-25a; 8:26-27

Deuteronomy 32:3:  "For I will proclaim the name of the LORD; ascribe greatness to our God!"

Psalm 5:11-12:  "11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you.  12 For you bless the righteous, O LORD; you cover him with favor as with a shield."

Romans 3:24-25a: "24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith."

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."

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The text is public domain:

1 The Lord, my God, be praised,

My light, my life from heaven;

My maker, who to me

Has soul and body given;

My Father, who will shield

And keep me day by day

And make each moment yield

New blessings on my way.

2 The Lord, my God, be praised,

My trust, my life from heaven,

The Father's own dear Son,

Whose life for me was given,

Who for my sin atoned

With His most precious blood

And gives to me by faith

The highest heav'nly good.

3 The Lord, my God, be praised,

My hope, my life from heaven,

The Spirit, whom the Son

In love to me has given.

His grace revives my heart

And gives my spirit pow'r,

Help, comfort, and support

In sorrow's gloomy hour.

4 The Lord, my God, be praised,

My God, the everliving,

To whom the heav'nly host

Their laud and praise are giving.

The Lord, my God, be praised,

In whose great name I boast,

God Father, God the Son,

And God the Holy Ghost.

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Deuteronomy 32:3 appears in the lines "The Lord, my God, be praised, / In whose great name I boast" in the last verse, although these lines may also draw from 1 Corinthians 1:31 (apparently referencing Jeremiah 9:23-24):  "so that, as it is written, 'Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.'"

Psalm 5:11-12 appears in the first verse, specifically the lines "My Father, who will shield / And keep me day by day."  Romans 3:24-25a is the basis for the second verse, but the phrase "precious blood" seems to indicate 1 Peter 1:18-19 as a source, too:  "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."  Romans 8:26-27 is the basis for the third verse.

"Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation"

I wrote about some small features in "Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation" before, but when I was looking at the hymn again last month, I found an-other instance of a feature I've been noticing a lot lately.

The third verse begins with the lines "Grant, we pray, to all Your faithful / All the gifts they ask to gain."  The first of these lines is sung to this musical phrase from the tune "Westminster Abbey":

The phrase "all Your faithful" is sung to notes of all different pitches (spanning nearly an octave:  C A F# D), giving a sense of the entirety of "all."

LSB #793 "Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven"

Biblical citation in the hymnal:  Psalm 103

Psalm 103:  "1 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!  2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, 3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, 5 who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

"6 The LORD works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed.  7 He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel.  8 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.  9 He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever.  10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.  11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.  13 As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.  14 For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.  15 As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; 16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more.  17 But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children, 18 to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments.  19 The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.

"20 Bless the LORD, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word!  21 Bless the LORD, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will!  22 Bless the LORD, all his works, in all places of his dominion.  Bless the LORD, O my soul!"

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The text is public domain:

1 Praise, my soul, the King of heaven;

To His feet your tribute bring;

Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,

Evermore His praises sing:

Alleluia, alleluia!

Praise the everlasting King.

2 Praise Him for His grace and favor

To His people in distress;

Praise Him still the same as ever,

Slow to chide and swift to bless:

Alleluia, alleluia!

Glorious in His faithfulness.

3 Father-like He tends and spares us;

Well our feeble frame He knows;

In His hand He gently bears us,

Rescues us from all our foes.

Alleluia, alleluia!

Widely yet His mercy flows.

4 Angels, help us to adore Him;

You behold Him face to face;

Sun and moon, bow down before Him,

All who dwell in time and space.

Alleluia, alleluia!

Praise with us the God of grace.

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Psalm 103:1-5 is the basis for the hymn's first verse; verses 8-9 for the second verse; verses 11-14 for the third verse (albeit in opposite order:  the lines "Father-like He tends and spares us; / Well our feeble frame He knows" are drawn from verses 13-14, and "widely yet His mercy flows" seems to refer to the height and breadth mentioned in verses 11-12); and verses 20-22 for the fourth verse.

The line "Praise Him still the same as ever" in the second verse may refer to Hebrews 13:8:  "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."

Perhaps just coincidentally, the line "Sun and moon, bow down before Him" in the fourth verse uses the same imagery as Joseph's dream in Genesis 37:9:  "Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, 'Behold, I have dreamed another dream.  Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.'"

"Come, Thou Almighty King"

I've written about small features in "Come, Thou Almighty King" twice before, but I found an-other one a couple months ago.  Near the end of the third verse, there are the lines "Thou, who almighty art, / Now rule in ev'ry heart," sung to these musical phrases from the tune "Italian Hymn":

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

LSB #792 "New Songs of Celebration Render"

Biblical citation in the hymnal:  Psalm 98

Psalm 98:  "1 Oh sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things!  His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.  2 The LORD has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.  3 He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel.  All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

"4 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!  5 Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody!  6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD!

"7 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it!  8 Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together 9 before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth.  He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity."

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The hymn is basically just a paraphrase of Psalm 98.  The first verse comes from verses 1-3; the second verse from verses 4-7; and the third verse from verses 8-9.

"O Christ, Our True and Only Light"

"O Christ, Our True and Only Light" was one of the hymns on Worship Anew a couple months ago (4 May, The Third Sunday of Easter), and I noticed a small feature in it.  The last two lines of the hymn are "And endless praise to You be giv'n / By all Your Church in earth and heav'n."  The second of these lines is sung to this musical phrase from the tune "O Jesu Christe, wahres Licht":

The phrase "all Your Church" is sung to notes of all different pitches (A B C), giving a slight sense of this entirety.

LSB #791 "All People That on Earth Do Dwell"

Biblical citation in the hymnal:  Psalm 100

Psalm 100:  "1 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!  2 Serve the LORD with gladness!  Come into his presence with singing!

"3 Know that the LORD, he is God!  It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.  4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!

"5 For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations."

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The text is public domain:

1 All people that on earth do dwell,

Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice.

Him serve with mirth, His praise forthtell;

Come ye before Him and rejoice.

2 Know that the Lord is God indeed;

Without our aid He did us make.

We are His folk, He doth us feed,

And for His sheep He doth us take.

3 O enter then His gates with praise;

Approach with joy His courts unto.

Praise, laud, and bless His name always,

For it is seemly so to do.

4 For why? The Lord our God is good:

His mercy is forever sure.

His truth at all times firmly stood

And shall from age to age endure.

5 To Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,

The God whom heav'n and earth adore,

From us and from the angel host

Be praise and glory evermore.

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The hymn text basically just paraphrases Psalm 100.  The hymn's first verse comes from verses 1-2; the second verse from verse 3; the third verse from verse 4; and the fourth verse from verse 5.