534. St. Andrew Hymn

The feast of St. Andrew the apostle is Nov. 30. Why write a hymn about it now? Well, it's a "backfill" for my cycle of Heroes of the Faith hymns for future book Profitable Hymns – actually the first (in church year order) of the saints' days that I plan to cover. The readings Lutheran Service Book appoints for it are Ezekiel 3:16-21, Romans 10:8-18 and John 1:35-42. It's often mentioned, if "often" is the word for whenever Andrew's feast is observed, that it's significant that he's the first apostle feted in the church year – in fact, the start of Advent is pegged to his feast – since he was the first apostle and missionary of Christ, the one who went to his brother, Simon Peter, to say, "We have found the Messiah," and brought him to Jesus. Eastern Orthodoxy calls him Prōtoklētos, First-Called.

There's a tradition that I like, hinting that the other disciple of John the Baptist, who joined Andrew in turning aside to follow Jesus, was John (the apostle and evangelist), since it would be just like him to omit his own name from the story. And so I like to imagine that a similar scene played out between John and his brother James; and with Philip and Nathanael joining the party later in John 1, by the time Jesus performs his water-into-wine miracle in John 2, the number of disciples who were traveling with him might have been at least six.

Andrew isn't one of the inner trio of disciples with Peter, James and John. However, he joins them as the fourth disciple in a couple stories, such as the calling of four fishermen at to follow Jesus (Matthew 4, Mark 1), the healing of Simon's mother-in-law (also in Mark 1) and their questions about the signs of the end (Mark 13). He has a line in the John 6 account of the feeding of the 5,000. In John 12, Philip (who, like Andrew, is from Bethsaida) involves him in a request from some Greeks who want to see Jesus. Other than that, Andrew's name only comes up in lists of the apostles. So we have to look outside of Scripture for any significant data about him. Tradition holds that he was crucified on an X-shaped cross, preaching the gospel throughout the two agonizing days he took to die. And there are some other medievally weird superstitions about him that I won't go into here. So, on to the hymn!

O Lord, how lovely are the feet
That run to bring us tidings sweet,
The feet of those who publish peace
And preach the captive's glad release!
Yea, when the Spirit's bowstring bends,
Their fletch'd words fly to all earth's ends.

Behold the Lamb, the baptist said
When he had bathed Messiah's head.
Then Andrew, on that saying's power,
To follow Jesus turned that hour:
First called to learn the gospel's sound,
First witness that the Christ was found.

Today, dear Lord, the faithful wish
For Andrews, who for souls will fish.
Such witnesses, such preachers send,
Who strangers seeking You befriend,
Who bring to You in prayer their need
And all Your hungry children feed.

For Andrew, since the first be last,
His wages were both sharp and vast—
To summon Simon to the Lord;
To die proclaiming Jesus' word.
With him we would the Savior see;
Come, Lamb of God, so let it be!

David

I traveled a couple hours, round trip, to see this movie yesterday – the animated musical David, from Angel and whatnot. Without any big-name stars in the voice cast, it is well-acted, with beautiful art and superb animation that brings to convincing life so many details, from the weave of fabric to the dust and scrubby vegetation of the desert, the movement of hair and the rustle of wind in the grass – not to mention the way clothing moves against flesh. The animated characters are striking to look at and none of them particularly suffer from that "uncanny valley" that has so long bedeviled computer-assisted animation. And its depiction of young David's early rise from shepherd boy to king of Israel, while not always spiritually deep – especially during most of its musical numbers – at least doesn't leave me feeling like theologically spitting something out, as did (for example) the recent animated Jesus movie, Light of the World.

I thought the David and Goliath bit played excellently. David taming Saul's madness with music was fairly well done. Characters like the flamboyantly wicked King Achish of Gath and even some of Saul's minor hangers-on left definite impressions. You'll remember Saul's hairy-armed armor bearer, a nervous courtier, a lazy little brother, a vivacious baby sister, some of David's comic-relief lieutenants and other members of a colorful cast, with some family drama livening up the storyline. Above all, there is a sometimes villainous, sometimes sympathetic Saul, a loyal friend in his son Jonathan, and the especially striking portrayal of the prophet Samuel. And boy, are those Amalekites creepy!

I would almost say I have no complaints about this movie. But, while I'm not going to ding it doctrinally, as I did Light of the World, I do feel it went a little soft on its portrayal of David after his bout with Goliath. I mean, outside of a musical montage depicting him and Jonathan kicking enemy butt up and down the borders of Israel, it doesn't really show David doing anything. While he and his cronies do put on Philistine uniforms (supposedly in a ruse to attack them from the rear as they meet Israel in battle), the film shies away from depicting the one year and four months David spent actually serving under Achish according to 1 Samuel 27 – though, to be sure, David only pretended to be raiding the Israelites when in fact he was exterminating his people's enemies. I guess that would have been too harsh for a kids' movie, or perhaps too complex for the desired pacing of the story. But I think the movie could have done better than just have him pull back from the battle (conflated with Saul and Jonathan's fatal campaign) and do nothing.

Then there's the way David saves his families and those of his comrades from the Amalekites. In the Bible, he actually raided them and delivered the captives, including (ahem) his at the time two wives. The movie scrubs the wives from the storyline and replaces them with his parents and younger siblings, and all the other women, children and elders who were captured from Ziklag. It also scrubs anything that David effectively does, replacing the raid (which would have been, you know, violent) with a bit of business where he gets captured and is about to be executed when the captives cowboy up and deliver themselves. And him. It left me struggling to see why the kingdom rallied to him, when he never really did anything.

A third opportunity this movie misses, probably on purpose, is a potentially spooky scene in which Saul conjures Samuel's ghost, resulting in a prophecy of death. That would have been vastly more impressive than the way the movie conveys what came between Samuel (before his death) and Saul. But it does establish a theme involving a piece of the king's cloak being torn or cut off, which pays dividends later.

I call these instances of the film shrinking back from the jagged edges of the story, childproofing them to a fault, and thus (if you think about it, as I unfortunately tend to do) robbing it of a goodly share of its dramatic power. It could be a more inspiring and thrilling film, on a deeper level, I think. And the lyrics of its songs could be a little more to the point, sometimes. I do appreciate the use of such psalmic language as "Why, God, have you forsaken me" at low points in David's career. I appreciate that the film at least doesn't paper over the dismal and depressing times that even heroes of the faith have to go through. And overall, I give this movie my seal of approval, for what it's worth.

And there are really Three Scenes That Made It For Me: (1) The whole Goliath sequence. (2) David, pursued by Saul, has an opportunity to sneak up behind him and stick a sword in. That he doesn't, and why he doesn't, is spot on. (3) David's raiders (including his until-then often unsympathetic oldest brother) show up just on time, with the sunrise, in a scene that I like because of its clear and welcome allusion to the arrival of Gandalf, Eomer and his cavalry at the crucial moment in the battle of Helm's Deep. Yeah, so it's a Tolkien moment in a Bible movie. I loved it.

533. Holy Innocents Hymn

Today is the commemoration of the Holy Innocents, a.k.a. the fourth day of Christmas. This concluding installment in the trilogy of saints' days immediately following Christmas focuses on the boy children of Bethlehem, aged 2 and younger, whom Herod commanded to be slain based on the tidings of a newborn king that the eastern magi had brought him. The church counts them as martyrs, and the celebration carries a lot of resonance particularly with people who have buried their own dear children. According to the Lutheran Service Book lectionary of feasts and festivals, the lessons for today are Jeremiah 31:15-17, Rev. 14:1-5 and Matthew 2:13-18. And in this instance, I actually have a tune in mind – COMMITTAL, a tune I wrote in 2014 for the burial hymn posted here, and which I later paired here with a subsequent hymn about civic duty.

Weep, earth, for the babes whose blameless blood
Was spilled and for baptism thus sufficed;
Yet heaven will make the matter good,
As sure as they now belong to Christ.

For though they fell foul of Herod's rage,
Unmade by a tyrant's lust for power,
Another cause glows from Scripture's page:
They served our Lord Jesus in that hour.

Now rest from your weeping, Israel's wife:
Your sacrifice will not lack reward.
Your babes shall be raised to joyful life,
When unto the land returns the Lord.

Till then, let this comfort heal your smart:
For twelve times twelve thousand voices strong,
They bring to the Lamb with unspoiled heart
Firstfruits of the Spirit—perfect song.

ART: "The Massacre of the Innocents" by Angelo Visconti, 1829-1861, public domain per Wikimedia Commons.

Afterword: Apparently, a "Heroes of the Faith" section in Profitable Hymns is going to happen, with a hymn for each date on the LSB sanctoral calendar with the following exceptions, mostly because I've already covered them: the Confession of St. Peter (see Edifying Hymns 264); the Conversion of St. Paul (see Useful Hymns 11); New Years Eve & the Circumcision / Name of Jesus (UH 8); the Marian feasts of Presentation (UH 12), Annunciation (UH 15) and Visitation (UH 19); Holy Cross Day (because I don't hold with it); All Saints (EH 263 and UH 22); and Reformation Day (UH 20 and 21). If I continue posting them on the day of each observance, my next assignment will be due on Jan. 24 (St. Timothy); though I may want to backfill with the first two installments in church-year order, St. Andrew (Nov. 30) and St. Thomas (Dec. 21) and anyway, why wait? Look for more of these hymns in the near future!

532. St. John's Day Hymn

Today is the feast of St. John, also known as the third Day of Christmas, the middle of three consecutive days immediately following Christmas celebrating some of the heroes of our faith. According to the Lutheran Service Book lectionary for feasts and festivals, its readings are Revelation 1:1-6, 1 John 1:1–2:2 and John 21:20-25. So, a triple whammy of John's writings! And here, with my usual "no particular tune in mind," is the next hymn in a series that I've suddenly decided to write on this calendar/lectionary in LSB.

Grace, peace to you from Jesus Christ the Son,
Who is and who was and who is to come,
And from the seven spirits at His throne:
The faithful Witness, Firstborn from the dead,
Of all the kings of earth eternal Head:
Grace, peace to you, His faithful servant said.

For John, his faithful testimony true,
And with Him, Lord, we praise and worship You;
Who, had You willed a thing, it would ensue:
To die or live, his witness all the same
Could fill the world with neither stint nor shame,
All to the glory of Your holy name.

He testified to life made manifest
In You, the Word, Son of the Father blest,
In Whose full fellowship the faithful rest;
Declared Your light, that we may have full joy,
Which neither sin nor darkness can destroy,
Cleansed by Your blood from all corrupt alloy.

And now with John we praise You, First and Last,
Whose offered blood has made salvation fast,
Through which from death to glory we have passed—
From slaves to kings and priests unto the Lord.
Amen! Come soon, with Paradise restored,
By every eye eternally adored!

ART: Eagle representing St. John, from a baptismal font carved by Robert Mawer in 1853, formerly displayed in the Church of St. Mark, Woodhouse, Leeds, West Yorkshire. Licensed via Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0.

531. St. Stephen's Day Hymn

I actually had a tune in mind while starting to write this hymn ... and then I departed from it and wrote something that wouldn't have fit the melody. So, once again, I'm wide open as to what tune to pair with this text, written with today's feast of Stephen in mind (and no King Wenceslaus). ART: The Stoning of St Stephen, attr. to Orazio Sammacchini, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.

Move, Holy Spirit, men to speak
Wise words and bold, the lost to seek.
Speak words of life that we may live;
Convict our conscience and forgive.
Unstop our ears; unclose our eyes
To Him who earthly pow'r defies.

Lo, men may scream and gnash their teeth,
May try God's two-edged sword to sheath
With crosses, stones and fiery brands;
And yet the Word forever stands
Whose faithful witness, sown in blood,
Shall sprout and grow to fruited bud.

In ages past, few prophets ran
But were abused by faithless man.
For Stephen, Peter, even Paul,
In Jesus' name our spirits call:
Bless them who run, speak, suffer, die,
And gather us to them on high.

530. Christmas Eve Hymn

Here's yet another attempt to transform "The 12 Days of Christmas" into a substantively Christian, Christmas hymn – more specifically, a hymn for Christmas Eve. It also has a bit of "Deck the Halls" in it, and a hint of "Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day." What can I say? I can't help myself. And in case you miss it, stanza 2 is trying to draw a connection between the mystery of the incarnation and the Holy Sacrament. As I saw written somewhere, "what was laid in the manger is raised up at the altar." I have no particular tune in mind at this time.

Dark and expectant was the night,
All hope so long since stilled,
When o'er the fields the sons of light
Declared the time fulfilled.
Drum, hearts! Pipe, voices! Leap and dance
That our true Love so much did chance!

Let us away to view the sign—
The Babe in manger laid—
Where God in flesh has pitched His shrine
And very Man is made!
Caress, yea, kiss the Virgin's Son;
Receive by mouth all He has won!

The milk of kindness pours on earth;
All eyes with joy must swim.
The broody time brings forth to birth
The light of life in Him.
Now don we all a jeweled crown,
Since God with us is bended down.

Bold let us call the tidings out,
Nor merely cluck and coo!
For Christ will come down with a shout
Once more, in public view:
He who alone on tree was hung
Shall then by all be seen and sung.

ART: "Annunciation to the Shepherds," miniature, c. 1485-1490, public domain.

529. Prayer During an Illness

Some of this poem echoes a prayer that welled up in my heart during a recent illness, which included a five-day stay in the hospital earlier this month and continues to unsettle my previous conviction of invulnerability as I face specialist consultations and who knows what else in the weeks to come. I suppose this could go on for a lot more stanzas, but on this occasion I feel that brevity is the soul of, um, prayer. So, with no particular tune in mind:

Hear me, Savior, in this hour
When disorders sap my power.
Though my prayer be feeble, frail,
Though my coward spirit quail,
Answer from Your throne of light;
Hold me up with gracious might.

When anxieties abound,
When uncertain is the ground
That with fearful steps I trace,
Show me, Lord, a loving face.
Keep me, sinner that I am,
Like a favored little lamb.

Help me, for I am afraid!
Let my heart on You be stayed.
Strengthen me against all loss,
Pouring courage from Your cross.
Though dark fears my heart appall,
Once more be my All in all.

ART: "King Hezekiah on his sickbed" in the Wellcome Collection, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.