446. Advent 1 (Series C)

The lessons for this Sunday are Jeremiah 33:14-16, 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 and either Luke 19:28-40 or Luke 21:25-36. The tune is WIR HATTEN GEBAUET (above), a.k.a. CHRISTMAS DAWN, a.k.a. THURINGIA, a.k.a. WIE LIEBLICH ISTS HIENIEDEN, a German folksong dated 1823 and used in several hymnals with the text "When Christmas morn is dawning" and in at least one hymanl each with "How good it is for brethren" and "Our song shall be of Jesus." Also, I previously used it with this hymn in Useful Hymns.

Come, righteous Branch of David!
The hour is all but ripe.
The earth with hope is gravid;
Her birthpangs sorely gripe.
We pray with ardor avid:
Come, David's Antitype!

Come, all injustice righting;
Come, spoils of sin restore;
Come, just decrees inditing
Where malice ruled before.
The ancient dragon smiting,
Unseal Your city's door.

Come quickly, Zion saving,
Yea, all who love You well:
All who the prize are craving
Whereof Your prophets tell,
While still the salvos braving
Of Satan, sin and hell.

Come, heaven's gates unsealing,
Jerusalem on high;
Come, all our bruises healing;
Come, every tear wipe dry;
Come, perfect bliss revealing
To faith's imperfect eye.

Come soon; and till Your coming
Direct our way to You,
That we, Your mercies plumbing,
May love each other, too,
And at our final summons
With joy Your glory view.

445. Confirmation Hymn

Here's a hymn outside the run of "Series A, B and C" lectionary hymns that I've been meditating on for a little bit. The tune is the other SCHWING DICH AUF – not the one I used here – by Johann Georg Ebeling (1666). TLH paired it with "Come, ye faithful, raise the strain," while Australian LH used it for "With the Lord thy task begin." Their versions of the tune are slightly different; I'm following the Australian LH version, which is a little more interesting rhythmically, and also in a more comfortable key.

Christ, to You we here commend
These fresh-armored forces.
Send them where You choose to send;
Guide them on their courses.
Let what You gave on the cross
Be their constant ration;
On their hearts Yourself emboss
And their lives refashion.

Let them on Your teachings feed,
Keeping Your commandments,
And, committed to Your creed,
Spurn the world's enchantments;
Pray at all times, and confess;
Trust Your absolution;
Wear baptism as daily dress,
Cleansed of all pollution.

Let them run to gain a crown
That will never perish;
Box their flesh, and when knocked down,
Your forgiveness cherish;
Answer gently when reviled,
Your closeness discerning;
Always know they are Your child,
To their home returning.

444. Proper 29 (Series B)

The lessons for this service, the last Sunday of the church year during Nov. 20-26, are either Isaiah 51:4-6 or Daniel 7:9-10 skipping to 13-14, either Jude 20-25 or Revelation 1:4b-8, and either Mark 13:24-37 or John 18:33-37, apparently because the lectionary people lost count of the number of Sundays after Trinity (or, probably, Pentecost) and couldn't bear to let the extra one go. It's one of those Sundays when you find out which set of texts you're working with when the church publishing house sends out its proprietary bulletin insert for the week; by which time, dollars to donuts, you've prepared for the other set.

The tune is ES IST GENUG (a.k.a. AUGSBURG, a.k.a. GOTT IST GETREU), attr. Johann Rudolph Ahle (1560), from Drittes Zehn neuer geistlicher Arien (Mühlhausen, 1672). One may find it paired, in anywhere from one to four or more hymnals each, with "I am content," "Lead on, O Lord," "My course is run," "O Father, Thou who hast created all," "There still is room," not to mention some beautiful arrangements by J.S. Bach and (complete with Bach's arrangement) a violin concerto by Alban Berg. It has a Lydian mode thing going on that you don't see in a lot of hymn tunes, which gives it a striking, if not unique, character.

"My realm," said Jesus, "is not of this world;
Else would my hosts resist,
That I might not for sinful man be killed;
But I have come for this,
That all the world with good news reaching,
I may save them who trust My teaching."
Amen, we sing!
Come soon, dear King!

"Watch," Jesus said, "and recognize the signs
That show the end is near,
Lest unprepared the Lord His servant finds
When swiftly He appears!
The stars will fall and heaven shatter
When angels all My chosen gather."
Amen, we sing!
Come soon, dear King!

Says He, "My law will run ahead of me;
My justifying Word
To all the peoples saving light will be,
Whereso its sound is heard.
Though earth and heaven be demolished,
My righteousness is ne'er abolished."
Amen, we sing!
Come soon, dear King!

To Him whose love has cleansed our ev'ry stain
Through His redeeming blood,
Be glory now and till He comes again,
Our Savior and our God.
Alpha, Omega, all creation
Groans for the day of restoration:
Amen, we sing!
Come soon, dear King!

443. Proper 28 (Series B)

The lessons for this service, a Sunday after Trinity during Nov. 13-19, are Daniel 12:1-3, Hebrews 10:11-25 and Mark 13:1-13. The tune is WAS GOTT TUT, from a Weimar Gesangbuch of 1681, attributed to Severus Gastorius (1675), and widely set to the hymn "What God ordains is always good." It has also appeared with "O Son of God, we wait for Thee" in four or five hymnals, and "In Jesus I find peace and rest" in the Australian LH.

Once for all men, once for all crime,
One off'ring having given,
Christ was exalted for all time
To God's right hand in heaven.
Before the Lord
His blood was poured,
That all may be perfected
Who in Him are elected.

Near, even now, those latter days
When, on our hearts engraving
His laws, God will our former ways
Forget, His people saving!
Therefore make bold
Through Jesus' blood
The Holiest to enter;
To God Your praises render.

Since in our midst the Lord is born,
Our High Priest is forever,
And in His flesh the veil is torn
That us from God would sever.
Let us draw near
With trusting fear,
Hearts cleansed with living water,
Thus pleasing to our Father.

Hold fast our hope in faith and creed,
Upon His word relying.
To acts of love each other lead,
The body edifying;
Nor hesitate
To congregate,
The one thing needful hearing,
More as the day is nearing.

For our Redeemer, who atoned
By blood for all our error,
Will soon return, on clouds enthroned,
In majesty and terror.
But we who know
His truth will glow
With those we turn to rightness,
In everlasting brightness!

442. Proper 27 (Series B)

The lessons for this service, a Sunday after Trinity during Nov. 6-12, are 1 Kings 17:8-16, Hebrews 9:24-28 and Mark 12:38-44. The tune is STABAT MATER (a.k.a. MAINZ), from a Mainz Gesangbuch of 1661, which SBH and LBW (appropriately) paired with a Stabat Mater hymn, "At the cross, her station keeping." These hymnals format the hymn in six-line stanzas; however, because the Latin original comes in three-line stanzas, and because the second half of the tune is an exact copy of the first (even with the same harmony, except for one chord), I'm chopping it down to a three line form and just letting there be more stanzas.

Tenderly, Lord, let it move You,
When You see poor widows love You,
Serving You with scant reward.

Her of Zarephath examine,
Who, though perishing of famine,
With Elijah shared her bread;

Or, to take Your own example,
Her who passed You in the temple,
Giving her last mite to God.

Some perhaps, who wore fine clothing,
Looked upon her rags with loathing
Or her urgent need ignored.

Let our hearts, therefore, be humbled
When we have far more, yet grumble,
Or regard sharp need with dread.

Not in fortune or ambition,
Men's regard or high position
Lies the grace of widowhood;

Neither in our pious posing,
While upon the poor foreclosing,
Do we please You as we should.

Rather, let us take as pattern
Her, perceived as ragged slattern,
But most dear to You, O Lord.

Let us give, Your goodness trusting,
In Your hand our pittance thrusting,
From whence comes our daily bread.

Let us serve, till strength deserts us;
Pray, when other labor hurts us;
Treasure up Your lively word.

Homeward, then, Lord Jesus, call us;
Let us taste Your promised solace
And in Your rich gifts be glad.

441. Proper 26 (Series B)

The lessons for this service, a Sunday after Trinity during Oct. 30-Nov. 5 (if it isn't pre-empted by either Reformation or All Saints), are Deuteronomy 6:1-9, Hebrews 9:11-14 (optional 15-22) and Mark 12:28-37. The tune is UXBRIDGE by Lowell Mason (1830), which TLH and LW paired with "This child we dedicate to Thee" and ELHB with "Now Christ, the very Son of God."

O mystery most rich and sweet!
Christ, High Priest of good things to come,
Went in before the Mercy Seat
Not of men's making, to atone.

No goats' or bulls' blood, but His own
In that most holy place He spilled:
Himself, though spotless, bound and prone,
He offered to redeem the world.

Such deep exchange our Savior struck
While on the cross His flesh was rent,
His perfect blood o'er all our muck
As covenant—nay! testament.

For ere a will may take effect,
The testator must surely die.
So Christ secured for His elect
A heritage, and life thereby.

And lo, no covenant is sealed,
No vessel set apart to God,
No sin forgiven once revealed
Except by means of sprinkled blood.

O Lord our God, Lord who is One,
Who once for all gave and received
The sacrifice of Your dear Son,
Help us this testament believe:

That, sprinkled free of every stain,
We imitate Your total love
In serving all, unchecked by pain,
Eyes fixed on Christ who reigns above.

440. Proper 25 (Series B)

The lessons for this service, a Sunday after Trinity during Oct. 23-29, are Jeremiah 31:7-9, Hebrews 7:23-28 and Mark 10:46-52. The tune is THANKSGIVING by Walter B. Gilbert (1865), not to be confused with the tune by the same name by John B. Dykes (which I used here), nor with my own tune by that name, which I wrote for this hymn. Gilbert's tune was used in the Ev. Luth. Hymn-Book for "Swell the anthem, raise the song." I actually transposed this tune down by a minor third, so I hope it doesn't end up sounding muddy.

Jesus, Master, hear my prayer!
Yea, have mercy, David's Son!
For You bid me cast all care
Onto You; and having gone
Through the heavens, over all,
You will surely hear my call.
Help, Lord! My petition bear
To our Father's holy throne!

At the gates of Jericho
Bartimaeus called your name.
You, though sure all needs to know,
Bade the beggar state his claim.
Since our pleas thus please You well,
I my needs will daily tell
You, from whom all graces flow,
Even on the blind and lame.

So the blind will see Your love
And the lame with joy will leap,
Singing praise to You above,
Shepherd of such scattered sheep.
Jesus, draw us from the brink;
Lead us by fresh streams to drink;
Plumb the way on which we rove
Till no more we sigh and weep.