415. Easter 7 (Series B)

This is the next approaching milestone in my current hymn project that I hinted at back here. With Series B's Pentecost, Trinity and Propers 3-29 coming right up, this hymn scratches the halfway-done notch in this series of hymns for every Sunday of the LSB three-year series. A short break might be in order, for mental health reasons. I mean, I can't recall the last time I blogged 56 times in one month, let alone wrote 56 hymns. Anyway, the lessons for this service are Acts 1:12-26, 1 John 5:9-15 and John 17:11b-19. The melody is one of several known hymn tunes called LUSATIA, this one by Melchior Vulpius (†1616). It was paired with "Father, Son and Holy Spirit (I'm baptized)" in the Lutheran Hymnary as well as J.F. Ohl's 1903 School and Parish Hymnal. If it has another, more historic title (or a rhythmic version), I'd like to know about it.

Brethren, for advantage striving,
Even in Christ's holy church,
Cease from worldly wrangling, driving,
Lest His Body you besmirch.
Rather, for each other living,
For your neighbor's interest search.

What does Jesus know of voting,
Party spirit or campaign?
Satan must indeed be gloating
O'er our schisms, oft insane,
Trivialities promoting
Over Christ's tremendous reign!

Let the holy writ suffice you
And pure doctrine's trusty form;
Nor let idle points entice you,
Stacking norm on norm on norm,
Lest the enemy divide you
From true fellowship and warm.

Be no more the foe's abettors,
Nor in worldly mazes caught.
Take example from your betters,
Who Matthias chose by lot:
Shedding human judgment's fetters,
Leave it to the hand of God!

Sanctify us, heav'nly Father,
In the truth, that is, Your word.
Jesus, Your disciples gather,
Open questions though deferred.
Spirit, light the fires that matter,
Till our breaches are repaired.

414. Easter 6 (Series B)

The lessons for this service are Acts 10:34-48, 1 John 5:1-8 and John 15:9-17. The tune is NEW ULM by Friedrich O. "Fritz" Reuter (1910) and, as far as I know, has only ever been used as a tune for "Lord dismiss us with Thy blessing" in TLH and CWALH – and (in TLH) a rarely-if-ever-used alternate tune at that, eclipsed by Henry Smart's REGENT SQUARE. Nevertheless, it's a lovely tune, well harmonized, and I think it deserves better.

Jesus, Source of faith victorious,
Which the world has overcome;
End of faith as well, all-glorious
Sun that lights our heav'nly home:
Oh, perfect us! Resurrect us!
Draw us whither You are gone!

Greater love than this has no one
Than to give His life for men.
Give us now the means to go on
Being what You name us: friends!
Loving, sharing, good fruit bearing,
May we serve Your kingdom's ends!

Let the Breath You blew while dying
Bear You witness in our hearts!
Let the tears Your breast was crying—
Blood and water in like parts—
Be our payment, be our raiment
When the heav'nly banquet starts!

Where shall we, then, find this Spirit?
Always, Savior, in Your Word!
Where do we apply Your merit?
In Your sacraments, dear Lord!
As we listen, graces glisten;
Life and pardon You afford.

Since You, Christ, Your life have given
Once for all, dispense again
All Your gifts that bring us heaven,
Daily giving life to men!
Bring us running to the stunning
Goodness of our God and Friend!

413. Easter 5 (Series B)

If you wonder what all the rush is about, I've been pushing for the next milestone in the present project, and with this hymn, I reach it. Believe it or not, this is the 100th original hymn written for Bountiful Hymns. Call it superstition, but I haven't considered any of my hymnbooks to be a book until it grew past 100 hymns (cf. the first edition of Useful Hymns, which had exactly that number). Another milestone is coming up shortly; can you guess? Anyway, the lessons for this service are Acts 8:26-40, 1 John 4:1-11 (optional 12-21) and John 15:1-8. I've previously written a hymn on part of the Epistle lesson, as well as multiple hymns running with the Gospel's vine-and-branches material. The tune is HANOVER (a.k.a. CONQUEST, a.k.a. DELAY NOT) by William Croft (1708), sometimes also attributed to Georg Friedrich Handel (†1759). The old Ev. Luth. Hymn-Book paired it with "Delay not, delay not, O sinner, draw near." All right, and pretty much all the books pair it with "O worship the King." It's a tune with more baggage than the ones I usually go for, but a glint of familiarity now and then doesn't hurt.

O Spirit, who all the Scriptures inspired,
Blow through them that faith to life may be fired
And, burning the tinder of falsehood away,
Be proven like steel, or as flame hardens clay.

But who shall explain, who shall make it clear?
Unless one is sent, Lord, how shall men hear?
A little while, Savior, Your presence You hide;
That we may perceive it, oh! send us a guide!

Then, having been taught, why need we delay?
Extend us the means You founded, we pray!
Baptize us, absolve us, feed us from Your board,
And let faith be joined to Your promises, Lord!

412. Easter 4 (Series B)

The lessons for this "Good Shepherd Sunday" service are Acts 4:1-12, 1 John 3:16-24 and John 10:11-18. The tune is O GROSSER GOTT, from a Stuttgart songbook of 1744, which was set to "O God of God, O Light of Light" (or "O God from God, O Light from Light") in TLH, LBW, LW, CWALH, LSB and CWH; to "Praise be to Christ, in whom we see" in LSB and CWH; and to "Our fathers' God in years long gone" in LW and CWALH.

Good Shepherd, lo, You know Your own,
By whom Your living voice is known.
You gave Your life to save Your sheep
From wolves and thieves, one flock to keep:
Now seek us, scattered in the night,
Confused, exhausted from our flight;
Lead us on wholesome ground to feed;
With living water slake our need.

There yet are sheep without Your fold,
Names in Your book of life enrolled.
Lord, raise the staff their eyes have craved,
The Name whereby souls must be saved.
For there's none other under heav'n
Whereby salvation has been giv'n;
Make haste, therefore! Send lovely feet
To carry wondrous news and sweet!

Good Shepherd, what more do I need
Than what You give on which to feed?
What vintage can relieve my pains
But what You open from Your veins?
In righteous paths, through shadowed vale,
Lead me and drive me without fail;
Anoint me, fill my cup with grace,
That I may dwell before Your face!

411. Easter 3 (Series B)

The lessons for this service are Acts 3:11-21, 1 John 3:1-7 and Luke 24:36-49. The tune is one of my favorite one-hymnal wonders: NU ER FRELSENS DAG OPRUNDET by Ludvig M. Lindeman (†1887), which the old Lutheran Hymnary paired with C.J.P. Spitta's Christmas hymn, "Thou, whose coming seers and sages." I've been waiting a long time for a chance to use this tune! P.S. (further to my gripe in 410): I seem to have found an alternate route to a JPG of the tune. I hope it holds!

See, what love the Father shows us,
Calling us His little ones!
Kindly, perfectly He knows us,
Choosing us as daughters, sons.
We ourselves have yet to see
What He fashions us to be,
But with Christ our type supplying,
Hope sustains us, purifying.

Loved ones, keep the good news spreading;
Boldly speak it where you may!
Trust its power, no trouble dreading,
Nor expect reward or pay.
For the Lord Himself ordains
Where and how and at what pains
Those He sends to men will teach them,
And in His good time will reach them.

Meanwhile, brethren, live repenting,
Knowing Christ your sin blots out!
He all things is reinventing,
Soon returning with a shout:
Bringing to all mortal flesh
Gifts that quicken and refresh,
Kept for those His precepts hearing,
Holding hope for His appearing.

410. Easter 2 (Series B)

The lessons for this service are Acts 4:32-35, 1 John 1:1-2:2 and John 20:19-31. Sneakily, Easter 2 has the same Gospel lesson all three years of LSB's A-B-C lectionary; I wrote a hymn on it here. The tune is HARLECH, a traditional Welsh tune that the Common Service Book paired with two different hymns beginning with the line "Hail, Holy, Holy, Holy Lord" – one by Edward Perronet, the other by Charles Wesley – with the American Lutheran Hymnal seconding the Perronet pairing. I decided to scotch a slur in the second phrase, changing the tune's meter from CM (8686) to 8886. Sorry, no more tune images for the time being; I seem to have exceeded my share of free PDF to JPG conversions and frankly, as a paying subscriber to Adobe Creative Cloud, I'm kind of mad about that.

The Word of life, who all things made,
As Man with men made manifest,
Bestows a joy that will not fade:
Thus witnesses attest.

From Him they have the truth passed down
That God is Light, and we receive
Through fellowship in Him a crown,
Who in His blood believe.

Sin dwells in us, if we speak truth;
Yet through Christ's blood, when we confess,
Our God is faithful to impute
To us His righteousness.

Doubt not, therefore, but let belief
Probe in the risen Jesus' wounds;
Receive the joy, embracing grief,
That in His word abounds!

For Jesus suffered, once for all,
And rose, and speaks for us in heav'n;
Take heart, therefore, and on Him call
By whom we are forgiv'n!

EDIT: Here's the tune, by the way:

409. Easter Day (Series B)

The lessons for this service are Isaiah 25:6-9, 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 and Mark 16:1-8. The tune is FRED TIL BOD, the Ludvig M. Lindeman (†1887) version this time: originally a tune to "Peace to soothe our bitter woes" (cf. the Hartmann tune by the same name, used here) but also, in various hymnals, paired with "Christ, whose glory fills the skies," "Father, who the light this day," "For the beauty of the earth," "Jesus, Sun of righteousness," "What our Father does is well," and most frequently of all, "Hallelujah! Jesus lives." By the way, it is a.k.a. EASTER GLORY, JESUS SUN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS and LUDOVICA.

Rise, beloved! Greet the day,
Holiest to Christendom!
Death is swallowed up for aye;
Jesus' triumph has begun.
He has swept the veil away;
Our salvation He has won.

"Faithful women, have no fear;
Jesus, who was crucified,
Lives again, no longer here."
As the Scriptures testified,
On the third day bright and clear
Is the grave its prey denied.

"Faithful men, your Master seek
Where He offers to be found"—
Not in artifacts antique
Nor in novel notions' sound,
But the word His envoys speak,
Means that with His grace abound.

Brothers, sisters, young and old,
Taste His feast, for it is good!
Christ has fought, our champion bold,
Yea, has triumphed by His blood,
Buying us with more than gold
Richest wine and choicest food!