"Beautiful Isle of Somewhere"

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"Es ist gewisslich" (TLH #293)

"My Song Is Love Unknown"

I wrote about the Biblical sources for "My Song Is Love Unknown" years ago, but recently, I was thinking about the hymn and noticed a similarity between it and part of a Psalm.  The hymn's first verse ends with the lines "Oh, who am I / That for my sake / My Lord should take / Frail flesh and die?"  In essence, this asks the same question as Psalm 144:3:  "O Lord, what is man that you regard him, or the son of man that you think of him?"  The hymn considers this question in the context of the crucifixion.

LSB #672 "Jerusalem the Golden"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Revelation 21:18-23, 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, Revelation 7:9-17, Isaiah 60:19-20

Revelation 21:18-23:  "18 The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, clear as glass.  19 The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel.  The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst.  21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, transparent as glass.

"22 And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb.  23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb."

2 Corinthians 4:17-18:  "17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.  For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."

Revelation 7:9-17:  "9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, 'Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!'  11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, 'Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.'

"13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, 'Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?'  14 I said to him, 'Sir, you know.'  And he said to me, 'These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation.  They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

"15 'Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.  16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.  17 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.'"

Isaiah 60:19-20:  "19 The sun shall be no more your light be day, nor for brightness shall the moon give you light; but the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.  20 Your sun shall no more go down, nor your moon withdraw itself; for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended."

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The text is public domain:

Jerusalem the golden,

With milk and honey blest -

The promise of salvation,

The place of peace and rest -

We know not, oh, we know not

What joys await us there:

The radiancy of glory,

The bliss beyond compare!

Within those walls of Zion

Sounds forth the joyful song,

As saints join with the angels

And all the martyr throng.

The Prince is ever with them;

The daylight is serene;

The city of the blessed

Shines bright with glorious sheen.

Around the throne of David,

The saints, from care released,

Raise loud their songs of triumph

To celebrate the feast.

They sing to Christ their leader,

Who conquered in the fight,

Who won for them forever

Their gleaming robes of white.

O sweet and blessed country,

The home of God's elect!

O sweet and blessed country

That faithful hearts expect!

In mercy, Jesus, bring us

To that eternal rest

With You and God the Father

And Spirit, ever blest.

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The text from Revelation 21 appears in the first two verses.  The first line of the hymn ("Jerusalem the golden") is derived from the description in verses 18-21, and the second half of the hymn's second verse ("The Prince is ever with them; / The daylight is serene; / The city of the blessed / Shines bright with glorious sheen") comes from verses 22-23, although there's an overlap here with Isaiah 60:19-20.

The passage from 2 Corinthians 4 seems to appear in the second half of the first verse:  "We know not, oh, we know not / What joys await us there: / The radiancy of glory, / The bliss beyond compare!"

The text from Revelation 7 appears in the first half of the second verse and the entirety of the third verse.

The line "With milk and honey blest" in the first verse comes from the description of the promised land in Exodus.  I think the first occurrence is in Exodus 3:8.

The "eternal rest" mentioned in the fourth verse may refer to Matthew 11:28-29:  "28 'Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.'"

"Amazing Grace"

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Played with the "mellow" drawbar organ sound on my Hammond SKX, with the Hammond XPK-130G pedals

"Ach bleib bei uns" (TLH #292)

"Lord, Whose Love through Humble Service"

A couple years ago, I noted a few instances in "Lord, Whose Love through Humble Service" where "freedom" or "freed" are sung with melismas.  Since the words aren't constrained to only one or two syllables, there's a sense of their meaning.

The first instance is in the third line of the second verse:  "Still the captives long for freedom," sung to this phrase from the tune "Beach Spring":

"Freedom" is sung to the notes G F D.

Later in the second verse, there's the line "Healed the sick and freed the soul," sung to this musical phrase:

"Freed" is sung to the notes A G.

Finally, at the end of the fourth verse, there are the lines "That Your servants, Lord, in freedom / May Your mercy know and live."  The first of these two lines is sung to this phrase:

Here, "freedom" is again sung to the notes G F D.

LSB #671 "Sing with All the Saints in Glory"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Revelation 7:9-17; 21:1-5; 1 Corinthians 2:9; John 14:1-3

Revelation 7:9-17:  "9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, 'Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!'  11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, 'Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.'

"13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, 'Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?'  14 I said to him, 'Sir, you know.'  And he said to me, 'These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation.  They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

"15 'Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.  16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.  17 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.'"

Revelation 21:1-5:  "1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.  2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.  He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.  4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.'

"5 And he who was seated on the throne said, 'Behold, I am making all things new.'  Also he said, 'Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.'"

1 Corinthians 2:9:  "But, as it is written, 'What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him'"

John 14:1-3:  "1 'Let not your hearts be troubled.  Believe in God; believe also in me.  2 In my Father's house are many rooms.  If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?  3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.'"

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The text is public domain:

Sing with all the saints in glory,

Sing the resurrection song!

Death and sorrow, earth's dark story,

To the former days belong.

All around the clouds are breaking;

Soon the storms of time shall cease;

In God's likeness we awaken,

Knowing everlasting peace.

Oh, what glory, far exceeding

All that eye has yet perceived!

Holiest hearts for ages pleading

Never that full joy conceived.

God has promised, Christ prepares it;

There on high our welcome waits.

Ev'ry humble spirit shares it,

Christ has passed the eternal gates.

Life eternal! Heav'n rejoices:

Jesus lives who once was dead.

Shout with joy, O deathless voices!

Child of God, lift up your head!

Life eternal! Oh, what wonders

Crowd on faith; what joy unknown,

When, amid earth's closing thunders,

Saints shall stand before the throne!

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Most of the hymn is drawn from the passages from Revelation.

The first half of the second verse comes from 1 Corinthians 2:9, and the following lines ("God has promised, Christ prepares it; / There on high our welcome waits") are from the passage from John 14.

"Praise to the Lord"

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Pedal:  44

Played with the "mellow" drawbar organ sound on my Hammond SKX, with the Hammond XPK-130G pedals

"St. Anne" (TLH #291)

"Through Jesus' Blood and Merit"

About a year ago, I wrote a post about some features in "Through Jesus' Blood and Merit," but when it was the hymn in a Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service I watched recently, I found an-other small point to note.

The third line in the third verse, continuing the list of things that cannot separate us from the love of God, is "Nor angels of high station," sung to this phrase from the tune "Lob Gott getrost mit Singen":

"High" is sung to the highest pitch in the phrase (an A), so there's something of a sense of its meaning.

LSB #670 "Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Revelation 7:9-15; 14:1-3; Ephesians 5:19; Luke 1:46-55

Revelation 7:9-15:  "9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, 'Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!'  11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, 'Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.'

13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, 'Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?'  14 I said to him, 'Sir, you know.'  And he said to me, 'These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation.  They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

15 'Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.'"

Revelation 14:1-3:  "1 Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads.  2 And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder.  The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, 3 and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders.  No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth."

Ephesians 5:19:  "addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart"

Luke 1:46-55:  "46 And Mary said, 'My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.  For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.  50 And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.  51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; 52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; 53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.  54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55 as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.'"

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The text is public domain:

Ye watchers and ye holy ones,

Bright seraphs, cherubim, and thrones,

Raise the glad strain: "Alleluia!"

Cry out, dominions, princedoms, pow'rs,

Virtues, arch-angels, angels' choirs:

"Alleluia, alleluia!

"Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!"

O higher than the cherubim,

More glorious than the seraphim,

Lead their praises: "Alleluia!"

Thou bearer of the eternal Word,

Most gracious, magnify the Lord:

"Alleluia, alleluia!

"Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!"

Respond, ye souls in endless rest,

Ye patriarchs and prophets blest:

"Alleluia, alleluia!"

Ye holy Twelve, ye martyrs strong,

All saints triumphant, raise the song:

"Alleluia, alleluia!

"Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!"

O friends, in gladness let us sing,

Supernal anthems echoing:

"Alleluia, alleluia!"

To God the Father, God the Son,

And God the Spirit, Three in One:

"Alleluia, alleluia!

"Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!"

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The two passages from Revelation appear throughout the hymn but in a more general way.

The passage from Luke is referred to in the lines "Thou bearer of the eternal Word, / Most gracious, magnify the Lord" in the second verse, and Ephesians 5:19 appears in the lines "O friends, in gladness let us sing, / Supernal anthems echoing" in the fourth verse.