Hymns

Hymn of the Day–“Christ, Mighty Savior”

Maybe it’s the darkness of winter, but I’m really enjoying the “evening” hymns in Lutheran Service Book right now!

Christ, mighty Savior, Light of all creation,
You make the daytime radiant with the sunlight
And to the night give glittering adornment,
Stars in the heavens.

Now comes the day’s end as the sun is setting,
Mirror of daybreak, pledge of resurrection;
While in the heavens choirs of stars appearing
Hallow the nightfall.

Therefore we come now evening rights to offer,
Joyfully chanting holy hymns to praise You,
With all creation joining hearts and voices
Singing Your glory.

Give heed, we pray You, to our supplication,
That You may grant us pardon for offenses,
Strength for our weak hearts, rest for aching bodies,
Soothing the weary.

Though bodies slumber, hearts shall keep their vigil,
Forever resting in the peace of Jesus,
In light or darkness worshipping our Savior
Now and forever. Lutheran Service Book #881

Hymn of the Day–“All Praise to Thee, My God, This Night”

I haven’t shared a hymn here in quite some time. This is one of my new favorite hymns, and one I don’t remember singing much in the past. I especially like the fifth verse, and wish I could have it printed on the wall above our bed!

All praise to Thee, my God, this night
For all the blessings of the light.
Keep me, O keep me, King of kings,
Beneath Thine own almighty wings.

Forgive me, Lord, for Thy dear Son,
The ill that I this day have done,
That with the world, myself, and Thee,
I, ere I sleep, at peace may be.

Teach me to live that I may dread
The grave as little as my bed.
Teach me to die that so I may
Rise glorious at the awefull day.

Oh, may my soul in Thee repose,
And may sweet sleep mine eyelids close,
Sleep that shall me more vig’rous make
To serve my God when I awake!

When in the night I sleepless lie,
My soul with heav’nly thoughts supply;
Let no ill dreams disturb my rest,
No pow’rs of darkness me molest.

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heav’nly host:
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Lutheran Service Book #883

2013-14 School Year–Memory Work

Now that we’re almost done with the 2013-14 school year, I thought I’d share our list of memory work. Since we’ve memorized Bible verses and Luther’s Small Catechism in the past, I thought it would be a nice change of pace to memorize hymns from Lutheran Service Book instead. We will have learned 23 hymns when we’re done with school at the end of next week…there were a few hymns that took us two weeks to memorize. We also didn’t memorize every verse of every hymn. I tried to follow the liturgical year for the most part, throwing a few personal favorites in here and there (although, not the ones I like so much, that the children memorized them long ago!).

Advent/Christmas/Epiphany

  • The Church’s One Foundation–#644

Lent/Easter

  • Alleluia, Song of Gladness–#417 (Transfiguration Day, so not technically Lent yet, but kind of the unofficial beginning of Lent)
  • Christ, the Life of All the Living–#420
  • O Sacred Head, Now Wounded–#449
  • Lamb of God, Pure and Holy–#434
  • All Glory, Laud, and Honor–#442
  • Go to Dark Gethsemane–#436
  • I Know That My Redeemer Lives–#461
  • Built on the Rock–#645
  • Savior, Again to Thy Dear Name We Raise–#917 (A closing hymn to close out our year)

This was a fun and different approach to memory work…I hope that in the future, my children will appreciate having committed so many hymns to memory!’

Maundy Thursday

Too soon we rise; the vessels disappear;
The feast, though not the love, is past and gone;
The bread and wine remove, but Thou art here;
Nearer than ever; still my shield and sun. “Here, O My Lord, I See Thee Face to Face” verse six

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Hymn of the Day–“Come, Ye Thankful People, Come”

This is the hymn we’ve been memorizing in school the last two weeks. It’s the hymn I mostly strongly associate with Thanksgiving, because I’m pretty sure we sang it every year on Thanksgiving Eve when I was a child. It’s sung to the same tune as “Songs of Thankfulness and Praise,” which is an Epiphany hymn.

Come, ye, thankful people, come;
Raise the song of harvest home.
All be safely gathered in
Ere the winter storms begin;
God, our maker, doth provide
For our wants to be supplied.
Come to God’s own temple, come;
Raise the song of harvest home.

All the world is God’s own field,
Fruit unto His praise to yield;
Wheat and tares together sown,
Unto joy or sorrow grown.
First the blade and then the ear,
Then the full corn shall appear.
Lord of harvest, grant that we
Wholesome grain and pure may be.

For the Lord, our God, shall come
And shall take His harvest home,
From His field shall in that day
All offenses purge away,
Give His angels charge at last
In the fire the tares to cast,
But the fruitful ears to store
In His garner evermore.

Even so, Lord, quickly come
To Thy final harvest home;
Gather Thou Thy people in,
Free from sorrow, free from sin,
There, forever purified,
In Thy garner to abide:
Come with all Thine angels, come,
Raise the glorious harvest home. Lutheran Service Book #892

Hymn of the Day–LCMS Convention

This is the convention hymn by Stephen Starke, which was sung at tonight’s Opening Service:

Baptized into Christ Jesus’ death,
One with Him on that cursed tree;
Just as He rose, So also those
Baptized into His victory!
Praise God! We are one in Christ and baptized for this moment!
Praise God! We are one in Christ and baptized for this moment!

For God so loved the human race,
He gave His one and only Son;
All who believe In Christ receive
Life everlasting He has won.
Praise God! We are one in Christ and baptized for this moment!
Praise God! We are one in Christ and baptized for this moment!

Receive forgiveness for your sins,
The Holy Spirit from on high:
Rich gifts for all whom God will call,
To live in Christ that self may die.
Praise God! We are one in Christ and baptized for this moment!
Praise God! We are one in Christ and baptized for this moment!

Now clothed with Christ, we are renewed,
Cleansed by this washing of rebirth!
His Church Christ sends, to her commends
His great good news for all the earth.
Praise God! We are one in Christ and baptized for this moment!
Praise God! We are one in Christ and baptized for this moment!

Baptized into Christ Jesus’ death!
Alive in Christ, raised from His grave!
To all who hear, both far and near,
Go, speak that Name with pow’r to save!
Praise God! We are one in Christ and baptized for this moment!
Praise God! We are one in Christ and baptized for this moment!

Hymn of the Day–Easter

Awake, my heart, with gladness,
See what today is done;
Now, after gloom and sadness,
Comes forth the glorious sun.
My Savior there was laid
Where our bed must be made
When to the realms of light
Our spirit wings its flight.

The foe in triumph shouted
When Christ lay in the tomb;
But lo, he now is routed,
His boast is turned to gloom.
For Christ again is free;
In glorious victory
He who is strong to save
Has triumphed o’er the grave.

This is a sight that gladdens
What peace it doth impart!
Now nothing ever saddens
The joy within my heart.
No gloom shall ever shake,
No foe shall ever take
The hope which God’s own Son
In love for me has won.

Now hell, its prince, the devil,
Of all their pow’r are shorn;
Now I am safe from evil,
And sin I laugh to scorn.
Grim death with all its might
Cannot my soul affright;
It is a pow’rless form,
Howe’er it rave and storm.

The world against me rages,
Its fury I disdain;
Though bitter war it wages,
Its work is all in vain.
My heart from care is free,
No trouble troubles me.
Misfortune now is play,
And night is bright as day.

Now I will cling forever
To Christ, my Savior true;
My Lord will leave me never,
What’er He passes through.
He rends death’s iron chain;
He breaks through sin and pain;
He shatters hell’s grim thrall;
I follow Him through all.

He brings me to the portal
That leads to bliss untold,
Whereon this rhyme immortal
Is found in script of gold:
“Who there My cross has shared
Find here a crown prepared;
Who there with Me has died
Shall here be glorified.” Lutheran Service Book # 467

Hymn of the Day–St. Patrick’s Day

The hymn, “I Bind unto Myself Today,” is attributed to the famed missionary to Ireland, and is based on St. Patrick’s Breastplate:

I bind unto myself today
The strong name of the Trinity
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.

I bind this day to me forever,
By pow’r of faith, Christ’s incarnation,
His Baptism in the Jordan River,
His cross of death for my salvation,
His bursting from the spiced tomb,
His riding up the heav’nly way,
His coming at the day of doom,
I bind unto myself today.

I bind unto myself today
The pow’r of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, His might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need,
The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, His shield to ward,
The Word of God to give me speech,
His heav’nly host to be my guard.

Against the demon snares of sin,
The vice that gives temptation force,
The natural lusts that war within,
The hostile foes that mar my course;
Or few or many, far or nigh,
In ev’ry place and in all hours,
Against their fierce hostility,
I bind to me those holy pow’rs.

I bind unto myself the name,
The strong name of the Trinity
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three,
Of whom all nature has creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word.
Praise to the Lord of my salvation;
Salvation is of Christ the Lord! Lutheran Service Book # 604

Hymn of the Day–All Saints’ Sunday

I’ve sung this hymn many times before, but I never really paid attention to the words until today. Like the Te Deum, it lists members of the Church Triumphant, and reminds us that all the saints, past and present, in heaven and on earth, join together in singing praises to God. I think it’s now one of my favorite hymns!

Ye watchers and ye holy ones,
Bright seraphs, cherubim, and thrones,
Raise the glad strain: “Alleluia!”
Cry out, dominions, princedoms, pow’rs,
Virtues, archangels, 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!” Lutheran Service Book #670