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A Hymn Of Glory Let Us Sing

Come, Ye Faithful, Raise the Strain TLH 204, WS 726, LSB 487

Because of editing deadlines, I am writing this Easter piece for the Spokesman today, though Easter itself lies many weeks in the future. Looking out my office window, I see nothing but snow, the thermometer stands at -9° F, and most schools in the state are closed for the next two days. It’s the end of January, and all anyone is talking about right now is winter. Can there be an Easter hymn somewhere in all this?

One line in particular came to mind from the second verse of a very old hymn by John of Damascus. It dates from the eighth century: “All the winter of our sins, / Long and dark, is flying from His light. . . .” So there it is, Easter springing from the depths of a polar vortex!Read More »Come, Ye Faithful, Raise the Strain TLH 204, WS 726, LSB 487

WS 717 “Bright and Glorious Is the Sky”

The creation account gives surprisingly little attention to the stars. It tells us that on the fourth day God made lights and placed them in the sky, but it calls our attention mostly to the sun and the moon. The stars almost seem to be just mentioned: “He made the stars also.” Yet the stars, too, are called God’s lights “set in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth.” (Genesis 1:16-17)

The stars in God’s creation have a prominent place in this Epiphany hymn by Nicolai F. S. Grundtvig (1783-1875). The stars in the night sky make it “bright and glorious.” They make the high heavens “radiant.” When God set them in the heavens, He made them so that their rays of light incline to the earth and “beckon us to heaven above.” They lift our thoughts from earthly things to God the Maker of all things.Read More »WS 717 “Bright and Glorious Is the Sky”

“All Praise to Thee, Eternal God” – TLH 80

A HYMN OF GLORY LET US SING

Have you ever noticed that “firsts” seem to have special interest for us? We remember them as being particularly notable. For example,

• First humans: Adam and Eve, created on the sixth day of Creation.

• First President of the United States of America elected after adoption of the Constitution: George Washington, elected February 4th, 1789.

• First production gasoline-powered automobile: The Benz Patent-Motorwagon, patented by Karl Benz in 1886. It had three wheels, and was powered by a one-cylinder motor producing 2/3 horsepower.Read More »“All Praise to Thee, Eternal God” – TLH 80

TLH 6, LSB 924 “Kyrie, God Father in Heaven Above”

A HYMN OF GLORY LET US SING (THIRTY-THIRD IN A SERIES)

On His way to Jerusalem, Jesus passed through a village where He was met by a group of ten men who were afflicted with leprosy. Not daring to approach too closely—for lepers were forbidden close contact with the general population—they called out to Him from a distance, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” (Luke 17:13) On another occasion two blind men followed Jesus and cried out to Him, “Son of David, have mercy on us!” (Matthew 9:27)

Their cries for mercy were not in vain. Jesus healed the ten lepers and opened the eyes of the two blind men.Read More »TLH 6, LSB 924 “Kyrie, God Father in Heaven Above”

TLH Hymn 577 “God Bless Our Native Land”

A HYMN OF GLORY LET US SING (THIRTY-Third IN A SERIES)

History indicates that nations or governments almost never last more than five hundred years. By that measure, the United States of America today would be considered middle-aged. Although she may seem a great power that can never be toppled, so did the Roman Empire at one time. And remember the old saying, “The sun never sets on the British Empire”? Well, it does now. Therefore we would do well to keep the nation in our prayers because one of these years she could be gone—along with all our treasured security and freedoms.

Prayers for our country are always appropriate, as the Apostle Paul indicates: “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority.” (1 Timothy 2:1-2 NIV84) So one may hear national and patriotic hymns in church, especially during the first week of July. One of the most stirring of these is the prayer expressed by the poem “God Bless Our Native Land” (TLH 577).Read More »TLH Hymn 577 “God Bless Our Native Land”

TLH Hymn 240 “Father Most Holy, Merciful, and Tender”

A HYMN OF GLORY LET US SING (THIRTY-second IN A SERIES)

The doctrine of the Trinity has been called “The supreme mystery which theology is to proclaim.”1 The Bible clearly teaches that there is one and only one God, and that this one true God exists as three separate persons—yet each person individually is fully God, not one third of God. Martin Luther wrote and preached much on the subject, but always with the understanding that the nature of God is, ultimately, beyond human understanding. So, for example, he said with regard to this doctrine, “Here reason, corrupted by original sin, must be taken captive in the obedience of faith, nay, must be extinguished together with its light and wisdom.”Read More »TLH Hymn 240 “Father Most Holy, Merciful, and Tender”