Take Courage, Brothers, In the Lord

This text was written to the glory of God on the occasion of The Rev. Dr. Harold L. Senkbeil's 45th anniversary in the Office of the Holy Ministry, celebrated on September 29th at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis.  The tune composed for this text is EPISTLE by Phillip Magness, Director of Music at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

1.  

Take courage, brothers, in the Lord,

In face of danger, terror, sword,

Of hatred, scorn, or strife;

Be not afraid to suffer loss

As boldly you proclaim the cross

That throned the Lord of Life.

2.  

For on that cross our great High Priest,

From bonds of sin has us released;

Our debt He paid in full!

For Christ alone could sin redress

And robe us in His righteousness,

Like snow or whitest wool.

3.  

You are the ones God recommends,

The very letters that Christ sends;

Not scribed on slabs of stone,

But penned on hearts by hand unflawed,

The Spirit of the living God—

Go forth and make Christ known!

4.  

Yours is a ministry of grace!

Reflect God’s love with unveiled face,

His glory to reveal:

God’s splendor that will never fade,

His grace in Christ, for all displayed,

In Word, at Font and Meal.

5.  

These mysteries, God’s gracious means,

By which His Spirit sows and gleans,

Are trusted to your care;

Be faithful in your stewardship,

As saints for service you equip,

With nurture, love, and prayer.

6.  

Be strong, beloved, God’s dear ward,

Though parted now from Christ our Lord,

You walk by faith, not sight.

Come, make your aim the Lord to please,

Each timely moment gladly seize,

To toil while fades the light.

7.  

Soon comes that Day for which we yearn,

Our gracious Master’s sure return;

Let zeal your duties fill!

Unworthy servants all are we,

And yet through us the Trinity

Performs His saving will!

8.  

Praise God the Father’s love in Christ.

Whose plan of rescue sacrificed

His one and only Son; 

Extol His Son, the Lamb once slain,

The Spirit’s praise be our refrain—
Thrice Holy Three-in-One!

Bread of Heaven, Living Manna

Inspired by the Welsh tune, SUO GAN, I recently wrote this hymn text as a meditation upon the John 6:22-59 "Bread of Life" passage.

1.  

Bread of heaven, living manna,          

Love and mercy You exude;           

Perfect off’ring, freely given

On the blood-marked Paschal rood;

Bread unleavened, Lamb unblemished,

Freeing sin-bound slaves from strife:

Feed us on our desert journey,

Holy Jesus, Bread of Life.

2.  

Bread of heaven, living manna,

Sure Your promise—faithful, true:

“Take and eat; this bread here broken

Is My body giv’n for you.

Take and drink; this cup of blessing

Is My very blood outpoured.”

With thanksgiving—sins forgiven—

We will ever bless You, Lord!

3.  

Bread of heaven, living manna,

Bread the ancients never knew;

You, Lord Jesus, came from heaven,

That our world be fed by You;

Now in You we never hunger,

And believing, thirst no more;

Living in You, Lord, we ever

Have our being and adore.

rood: a cross as used in crucifixion;

         the cross on which Christ died.

Holy Spirit, God Proceeding

This text on the work of the Holy Spirit was written to the glory of God in thanksgiving for Kantor Stephen Rosebrock and his ministry at Hope Lutheran Church in St. Louis.  It was recently sung at a hymn festival of Welsh hymn tunes here in Bay City and is set to the Welsh tune BLAENWERN by William Penfro Rowlands, 1860-1937.  We confirmed seven young people today on Pentecost at St. John Ev. Lutheran Church of Amelith!

1.
Holy Spirit, God proceeding
From the Father and the Son,
For us sinners ever pleading
That God's will in us be done;
Deep the Spirit's groans and sighing
When we know not what to pray,
As we carry Jesus' dying
In these fragile jars of clay.

2.
Holy Spirit, God releasing,
Setting captive debtors free,
Sins forgiving, faith increasing,
Through the gifts from Calvary.
Born again, a new creation,
What was old has been removed;
Clothed in garments of salvation
By the King of kings approved.

3.
Holy Spirit, God indwelling,
Source of comfort in all strife,
With the love of Christ compelling
All our good throughout our life:
He our heart of flesh transforming,
Gone our hardened heart of stone,
To the world no more conforming,
Patterned after Christ alone.

4.
Holy Spirit, God inspiring,
Sanctifying works we do;
Comes, ignites our heart's desiring
For the noble, right, and true;
With our spirit testifying,
We are God's adopted heirs:
"Abba, Father," we are crying;
Christ the "Amen" to our prayers!

5.
Holy Spirit, God eternal
With the Father and the Son,
One in Three, the Lord supernal,
Mighty God, the Three in One!
Saints and angels sing, rejoicing,
Raising hymns with one accord;
We with them our praises voicing--
"Holy, holy, holy LORD!"

The Gifts Christ Freely Gives

Johann Walter, Kantor (1496-1570), is remembered today as the first Lutheran kantor and composer of church music. In 1524, Walter published a collection of hymns arranged according to the Church Year.  It was well received and served as a model for many subsequent hymnals.  In addition to serving thirty years as kantor (church musician) in the German cities of Torgau and Dresden, he also assisted  Martin Luther in the preparation of the Deutsche Messe, or "German Mass" (1526).  [Divine Service Setting 5 in Lutheran Service Book, 2006]  We are blessed with so many fine church musicians who fill the role of kantor in our parishes.  One kantor who has touched the lives of so many Lutheran pastors is Kantor Richard Resch, emeritus kantor of Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne and St. Paul Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne.  His text on the means of grace, "The Gifts Christ Freely Gives," is a great addition to Lutheran Service Book.

1.
The gifts Christ freely gives
He gives to you and me
To be His Church, His bride,
His chosen, saved and free!
Saints blest with these rich gifts
Are children who proclaim
That they were won by Christ
And cling to His strong name.

2.
The gifts flow from the font
Where He calls us His own;
New life He gives that makes 
Us His and His alone.
Here He forgives our sins
With water and His Word;
The triune God Himself
Gives pow'r to call Him Lord.

3.
The gifts of grace and peace
From absolution flow;
The pastor's words are Christ's
For us to trust and know.
Forgiveness that we need
Is granted to us there;
The Lord of mercy sends 
Us forth in His blest care.

4.
The gifts are there each day
The holy Word is read;
God's children listen, hear,
Receive, and they are fed.
Christ fills them with Himself,
Blest words that give them life,
Restoring and refreshing
Them for this world's strife.

5.
The gifts are in the feast,
Gifts far more than we see;
Beneath the bread and wine
Is food from Calvary.
The body and the blood
Remove our ev'ry sin;
We leave His presence in
His peace, renewed again.

6.
All glory to the One
Who lavishes such love;
The triune God in love
Assures our life above.
His means of grace for us
Are gifts He loves to give;
All thanks and praise for His
Great love by which we live!

Shine Like Stars

Jaroslav Vajda's text "Shine Like Stars" is a wonderful hymn text to consider as we mark the Epiphany of our Lord.  One thinks of these passages from Daniel and Isaiah and how Vajda ties them together: "And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever." (Dan. 12:3) "Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you." (Is. 60:1) Vajda's text helps us focus upon the One who is the bright Morning Star, Christ Jesus, who asks us as His disciples to let our light shine before others and so glorify our Father in heaven (Matt. 5:16): 

1.    

See how the galaxies are always there,

Made by the One whose glories they declare,

Signs of a God with might and care to spare:

Shine like those stars!

2.    

So we are made to occupy a place

Within a firmament of time and space,

Each one enlightened with a special grace

To shine like stars.

3.    
Who were the stars God gave us in our youth?
Who led us to the Way, the Life, the Truth?
Now when we show our children that same route,
We shine like stars.

4.    
Who are those loved ones always at our side,
Who walk before us, each a trusted guide,
Who give us only what true friends provide,
Who shine like stars?

5.    
Here by our faith and hope and love we shine,
Revealing by our deeds a pow’r divine,
One almost hears God saying, “You are mine,
You shine like stars!"

6.    
Though passing clouds may for a moment hide
Our gleams of faith, God’s promises abide:
One day our orbits will be glorified—
So shine like stars! 

7.    
How many have been led to Bethlehem
To see the Morning Star arise for them?
Now glitt’ring di’monds in His diadem,
They shine like stars.

8.    
There we are set to occupy the height,
To glow the brightest in the darkest night,
That many still may know the world’s true Light,
Shine, shine like stars!