The Lutheran church enjoys a long tradition of identifying one “Hymn of the Week” for every Sunday of the church year. Such a hymn should reflect the unifying theme of the service, and is intended to be sung on that Sunday every year. In this series, Pastor Nathanael Mayhew gives us a brief overview of the Hymns of the Week for the coming month.
The Season of Easter – Since the earliest days of the New Testament church, believers in Jesus have gathered for worship on Sunday to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Christians still gather on Sunday to sing praises to the Lord and celebrate the hope and joy of Christ’s victory over death, and the assurance that because He lives, we will live also. While it is true that every Sunday is a mini celebration of Jesus’ resurrection, this is especially true during the Easter season as we reflect on how Christ’s resurrection impacts our lives still today.
- May 4—The Second Sunday after Easter in most church calendars is known as Good Shepherd Sunday. The readings on this weekend highlight the security which the Lord provides for His people through His love and power as our Good Shepherd. The hymn of the week for this weekend is “The King of Love My Shepherd Is” (TLH 431; LSB 709). Based on the familiar words of Psalm 23, we confess our confidence in the Lord because of His love and concern for us, His weak and wandering sheep.
- May 11— “Jubilate” is the Latin name given to The Third Sunday after Easter. The mournful melody of the hymn of the day might seem out of place during Easter and especially on a day called Jubilate. But true joy can only be known when a person experiences deep loss, grief, or pain. The readings on this Sunday often highlight examples of mourning or grief in order to help us fully appreciate the joy that Jesus offers to us through His life, and in the new life we have in Him. “O Little Flock, Fear Not the Foe” (TLH 263; LSB 666) beautifully describes the reality of the enemy, while pointing to our joy in Christ’s certain victory for sinners.
- May 18—The Fourth Sunday after Easter marks a shift in the Easter season. In Psalm 98:1 (the Psalm for this Sunday) the Christian is encouraged to “Sing to the Lord a new song! For He has done marvelous things.” Those “marvelous things” include Jesus’ promise of the Holy Spirit whom He sends to bring us to faith and strengthen our faith as we face the sinful world around us. In the magnificent hymn “Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice” (TLH 387; LSB 556), by Paul Speratus, we confess our inability to save ourselves, and sing of God’s work of salvation by grace, through faith in Jesus.
- May 25—The Fifth Sunday after Easter focuses on another gift of our risen Lord: prayer. Jesus repeatedly taught His disciples about proper prayer and assured them that prayers offered to the Father through Him would be heard and answered. What a blessing prayer is, and how much more we should use it! The hymn for this day is Martin Luther’s catechism hymn on the Lord’s Prayer, “Our Father, Thou in Heaven Above” (TLH 458; LSB 766). In this hymn, Luther takes each of the petitions and teaches us how we should pray in our own lives, confident that our Father in Heaven hears us for Jesus’ sake.
- May 29—The Festival of the Ascension of Jesus is celebrated forty days after Easter. Many churches no longer have worship services on Ascension Day, but this is the day our Savior takes His place at the “right hand of the Father.” Jaroslav Vajda’s hymn “Up through Endless Ranks of Angels” (WS 737; LSB 491), wonderfully captures the meaning of Christ’s ascension, declaring Christ to be the “death destroying, life restoring” Savior of mankind.
Jesus, give us true joy in You as our victorious Lord and Savior!
is a pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Mankato, Minnesota.