11 January 2009

The Hymn We Should Have, But Didn't Sing Today

To Jordan came the Christ, our Lord,
To do His Father's pleasure;
Baptized by John, the Father's Word
Was given us to treasure.
This heav'nly washing now shall be
A cleansing from transgression
And by His blood and agony
Release from death's oppression.
A new life now awaits us!

O hear and mark the message well,
For God Himself has spoken.
Let faith, not doubt, among us dwell
And so receive this token.
Our Lord here with His Word endows
Pure water, freely flowing.
God's Holy Spirit here avows
Our kinship while bestowing
The Baptism of His blessing.

These truths on Jordan's banks were shown
By mighty word and wonder.
The Father's voice from heav'n came down
Which we do well to ponder:
"This man is My beloved Son,
In Whom My heart has pleasure.
Him you must hear and Him alone
And trust in fullest measure
The word that He has spoken."

There stood the Son of God in love,
His grace to us extending;
The Holy Spirit like a dove
Upon the scene descending;
The triune God assuring us,
With promises compelling
That in our Baptism He will thus
Among us find a dwelling
To comfort and sustain us.

To His disciples spoke the Lord,
"Go out to ev'ry nation,
And bring to them the living Word
And this My invitation:
Let ev'ryone abandon sin
And come in true contrition
To be baptized and thereby win
Full pardon and remission
And heav'nly bliss inherit.

But woe to those who cast aside
This grace so freely given;
They shall in sin and shame abide
And to despair be driven.
For born in sin, their works must fail,
Their striving saves them never;
Their pious acts do not avail
And they are lost forever,
Eternal death their portion.

All that the mortal eye beholds
Is water as we pour it.
Before the eye of faith unfolds
The pow'r of Jesus' merit.
For here it sees the crimson flood
To all our ills brings healing;
The wonders of His precious blood
The love of God revealing,
Assuring His own pardon.
LSB 406

6 comments:

Sarah M. Arnold said...

We sang it! I love that hymn.

Rev. Josh Sullivan said...

We sang it for the sermon hymn. Beautiful hymn. The congregation had trouble catching the melody. We did have a resounding rendition of 594 though, another stellar hymn in my not so humble opinion.

Anonymous said...

We sang it to the tune Elvet Banks (LSB 407). It seems a bit easier for the less musically inclined and has brought two Luther hymn texts into more frequent use in our congregation. (It also is used with "May God Bestow on Us His Grace" - LSB 824.)

You don't get the 16th century German flavor with Elvet Banks, but it works well with both texts and the congregation sings with confidence.

Anonymous said...

One of my favorites - it was my newest daughter's Baptism hymn, so I've gotten to sing it both this past November and yesterday. Such a beautiful exposition of Baptismal theology.

Anonymous said...

We sang it also as it was the hymn of the day. It was a bit difficult for the congregation, but worth it.

Anonymous said...

We also sang it as the Hymn of the Day this past Lord's Day to the tune Elvet Banks. I agree that it is easier for the congregation to sing (but I turned on my lapel mic all the same for the first couple of verses until they got the hang of it).
Excellent hymn with a wonderful text.

Former vicar