LSB #848 "Lord, Whose Love through Humble Service"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Matthew 25:34-40, Galatians 6:10, Romans 12:1

Matthew 25:34-40:  "34 'Then the King will say to those on his right, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.  35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me."  37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirst and give you drink?  38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?  39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?"  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."'"

Galatians 6:10:  "So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith."

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."

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As with the previous hymn, all of the cited passages have a similar theme (doing good works), and this appears throughout the hymn, particularly in the lines "We, your servants, bring the worship / Not of voice alone, but heart, / Consecrating to Your purpose / Ev'ry gift that You impart" at the end of the first verse, "Stirring us to tireless striving" near the end of the third, and "Called by worship to Your service, / Forth in Your dear name we go, / To the child, the youth, the aged, / Love in living deeds to show" at the beginning of the fourth.

Some of the conditions in the passage from Matthew 25 are also present near the beginning of the second verse:  "Still the hungry cry for bread; / Still the captives long for freedom."

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The lines "As we worship, grant us vision, / Till your love's revealing light / In its height and depth and greatness, / Dawns upon our quickened sight" at the beginning of the third verse are drawn 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."

Both the Biblical passage and the hymn text derived from it exhibit polysyndeton ("breadth and length and height and depth" and "height and depth and greatness"), and this provides an additional sense of that vastness (beyond just the listing of the various directions).

"O Christ, Our True and Only Light"

Last week, I finally caught up on watching the last couple summer chapel services from Concordia University Wisconsin.  In the service from 17 June, the hymn was "O Christ, Our True and Only Light," and while I've written about small features in it twice before, I found two more.

Both are in the third musical phrase (the tune is "O Jesu Christe, wahres Licht"):

In the third verse, the text here is "Let ev'ry conscience sore oppressed" (the sense continues into the next line:  "In You find peace and heav'nly rest").  "Conscience" is sung with a melisma, giving a sense of the range of "ev'ry" (especially since the notes are all different pitches:  A G F#).

In the fourth verse, the text is "Unite all those who walk apart."  Similar to the above, "those" is sung with a melisma (A G), hinting at the entirety of "all."

LSB #847 "Christ, Our Human Likeness Sharing"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Titus 3:4-8, Ephesians 2:10, Titus 2:11-14, Romans 12:1-2

Titus 3:4-8:  "4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 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.  8 The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works.  These things are excellent and profitable for people."

Ephesians 2:10:  "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

Titus 2:11-14:  "11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works."

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."

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All of the cited passages have a similar theme (doing good works), which appears throughout the hymn, particularly the second verse:  "Hear the word that Christ has spoken, / Help the weak, the hungry feed... Christ the Savior, Christ the Servant, / Help us meet our neighbor's need."

Parts of the two passages from Titus also appear in the line "In His death our ransom paid" in the first verse.

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The lines "Come, O living Christ, renew us, / As of old in wind and flame" at the beginning of the fourth verse refer to Acts 2, especially verses 2-4:  "2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.  3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them.  4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit...."

LSB #846 "Your Hand, O Lord, in Days of Old"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Luke 19:10, Matthew 9:35, John 10:10, 1 Peter 2:9

Luke 19:10:  "'For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.'"

Matthew 9:35:  "And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction."

John 10:10:  "'The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.  I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.'"

1 Peter 2:9:  "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."

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The text is public domain:

1 Your hand, O Lord, in days of old

Was strong to heal and save;

It triumphed over ills and death,

O'er darkness and the grave.

To You they came, the blind, the mute,

The palsied and the lame,

The lepers in their misery,

The sick with fevered frame.

2 Your touch then, Lord, brought life and health,

Gave speech and strength and sight;

And youth renewed and frenzy calmed

Revealed You, Lord of light.

And now, O Lord, be near to bless,

Almighty as before,

In crowded street, by beds of pain,

As by Gennes'ret's shore.

3 O be our great deliv'rer still,

The Lord of life and death;

Restore and quicken, soothe and bless,

With Your life-giving breath.

To hands that work and eyes that see

Give wisdom's healing pow'r

That whole and sick and weak and strong

May praise You evermore.

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Taken in a physical sense, "sav[ing] the lost" from Luke 19:10 is combined with Matthew 9:35 in the accounts of healing throughout the hymn, but taken in a more spiritual sense, it appears in the first halves of the first and third verses, especially in the first two lines:  "Your hand, O Lord, in days of old / Was strong to heal and save."  There's a similar division of application with "hav[ing] life" from John 10:10; in its physical sense, it appears in the line "Your touch then, Lord, brought life and health" at the beginning of the second verse, but in its spiritual sense, it's referred to in the lines "O be our great deliv'rer still, / The Lord of life and death" and in the phrase "Your life-giving breath" in the third verse.

1 Peter 2:9 (specifically "who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light") is alluded to in the first verse ("Your hand... triumphed... O'er darkness") and in the second ("Lord of light").

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The phrase "youth renewed" in the second verse seems to come from Isaiah 40:30-31:  "30 Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; 31 but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

The line "As by Gennes'ret's shore" at the end of the second verse refers to Jesus' healings in Matthew 14:34-36 and Mark 6:53-56.

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The phrase "whole and sick and weak and strong" in the third verse exhibits polysyndeton and contains two merisms, and these features provide a sense of breadth.

LSB #845 "Where Charity and Love Prevail"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  John 13:1-17, 1 John 4:7-21, Ephesians 4:29-32

John 13:1-17:  "1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.  2 During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, 4 rose from supper.  He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist.  5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.  6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, 'Lord, do you wash my feet?'  7 Jesus answered him, 'What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.'  8 Peter said to him, 'You shall never wash my feet.'  Jesus answered him, 'If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.'  9 Simon Peter said to him, 'Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!'  10 Jesus said to him, 'The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean.  And you are clean, but not every one of you.'  11 For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, 'Not all of you are clean.'

"12 When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, 'Do you understand what I have done to you?  13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am.  14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.  15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.  16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.  17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.'"

1 John 4:7-21:  "7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.  8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.  9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.  10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

"13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.  14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.  15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.  16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us.  God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.  17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgement, because as he is so also are we in this world.  18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.  For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.  19 We love because he first loved us.  20 If anyone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.  21 And this commandment we have from him:  whoever loves God must also love his brother."

Ephesians 4:29-32:  "29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.  30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.  32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

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The passage from John 13 seems to be what's alluded to in the lines "With grateful joy and holy fear / His charity we learn."

Part of 1 John 4:12 is paraphrased in the hymn's first two lines:  "Where charity and love prevail / There God is ever found."  1 John 4:11 and 21 are the basis for the line "And let us love each other well" in the third verse.  This is the same general idea as "'you also ought to wash one another's feet'" from John 13:14 and "forgiving one another" from Ephesians 4:32.  1 John 4:21 is also the basis for the sixth verse:  "For love excludes no race or clan / That names the Savior's name; / His family embraces all / Whose Father is the same."

Ephesians 4:29 and 31 are echoed in the lines "Let strife among us be unknown; / Let all contention cease" at the beginning of the fourth verse.  "Forgiving one another" from verse 32 appears in the lines "Forgive we now each other's faults / As we our faults confess" at the beginning of the third verse, although the structure in the hymn text is closer to Luke 11:4:  "'and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.  And lead us not into temptation.'"

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The lines "As members of His body joined / We are in Him made one" at the end of the fifth verse use the same imagery as Romans 12:5 ("so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another") and Ephesians 4:15-16 ("15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.").

LSB #844 "Lord of All Nations, Grant Me Grace"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Philippians 1:9, Leviticus 19:34, 1 John 4:12

Philippians 1:9:  "And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment"

Leviticus 19:34:  "'You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt:  I am the LORD your God.'"

1 John 4:12:  "No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us."

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All of the cited passages seem to be combined in the lines "Lord of all nations, grant me grace / To love all people, ev'ry race" in the first verse and the line "Let Christian love bind warm and true" at the end of the second.  The rest of the hymn text expands upon these.

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There's a significant line break in the lines "Break down the wall that would divide / Thy children, Lord, on ev'ry side" in the second verse.  It interrupts the meaning (separating the verb from its direct object), and this draws attention to that division.

There's a slant rhyme between "erred" and "word" in the lines "Forgive me, Lord, where I have erred / By loveless act and thoughtless word" in the third verse, and to some degree, this emphasizes both the meaning of "erred" and the "thoughtless" nature of that "word."