Advent I: "Savior of the Nations" (Luther's adaptation of St. Ambrose's classic text)
Christmas Eve: "From Heaven Above to Earth I Come"
Christmas Day: "We Praise, O Christ, Your Holy Name"
Baptism of Our Lord: "To Jordan Came the Christ, Our Lord"
Sexagesima: "May God Bestow on Us His Grace"
Ash Wednesday: "From Depths of Woe I Cry to Thee"
Invocabit: "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God"
Maundy Thursday: "O Lord, We Praise Thee"
Easter Day: "Christ Jesus Lay in Death's Strong Bands"
Cantate: "Dear Christians, One and All Rejoice"
Rogate: "Our Father, Who From Heav'n Above"
Pentecost: "Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord"
Trinity 1: "To God the Holy Spirit, Let Us Pray"
Trinity 21: "From Depths of Woe I Cry to Thee"
Trinity 24: "In the Very Midst of Life"
The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary: "From East to West" (Luther's adaptation of classic hymn from Lauds)
Reformation: "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God"
Mission Observance: "May God Bestow on Us His Grace"
Day of Supplication and Prayer: "Our Father, Who from Heav'n Above"
His hymns are never ditties. They never come just tripping off the tongue. There is a weight to them, and learning them is a lot of work and singing them is almost always also a lot of work. But oh, what blessed work! Today, as we had the raising of the ruler's daughter and the healing of the woman with the 12 year issue of blood, so we sang the very solemn "In the Very Midst of Life."
Ponder the depth of these words, people loved by God:
In the very midst of life
Snares of death surround us;
Who shall help us in the strife
Lest the foe confound us?
Thou only, Lord, Thou only!
We mourn that we have greatly erred,
That our sins Thy wrath have stirred.
Holy and righteous God!
Holy and mighty God!
Holy and all-merciful Savior!
Eternal Lord God!
Save us lest we perish
In the bitter pangs of death.
Have mercy, O Lord!
In the midst of death's dark vale
Pow'rs of hell o'ertake us.
Who will help when they assail,
Who secure will make us?
Thou only, Lord, Thou only!
Thy heart is moved with tenderness,
Pities us in our distress.
Holy and righteous God!
Holy and mighty God!
Holy and all-merciful Savior!
Eternal Lord God!
Save us from the terror
Of the fiery pit of hell.
Have mercy, O Lord!
In the midst of utter woe
When our sins oppress us,
Where shall we for refuge go,
Where for grace to bless us?
To Thee, Lord Jesus, only!
Thy precious blood was shed to win
Full atonement for our sin.
Holy and righteous God!
Holy and mighty God!
Holy and all-merciful Savior!
Eternal Lord God!
Lord, preserve and keep us
In the peace that faith can give.
Have mercy, O Lord! - LSB 755
As we sang these awesome words today, Kantor helped us proclaim them with such meaning. Dropping to octaves whenever we came to: Thou only, Lord, Thou only / To Thee, Lord Jesus, only. There really is but one refuge, one place to go when death, when hell, when sins, when sorrows press in and the darkness grows. We flee to Him whose precious blood was shed to win full atonement for our sin. And what greater things can we ask than that He save us lest we perish in the bitter pangs of death, lest we despair before the fiery pit of hell? What greater gift than that He preserve and keep us in the peace that faith can give?
Have mercy, O Lord!
Have mercy, O Lord!
Have mercy, O Lord!
Luther's hymns for the Sundays, feasts, and festivals have a way of reaching very deep down, and you can almost sense in them how the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing deep, deep into the depths of our being. They are a gift to the Church Universal and they are our own birthright and heritage as Lutheran Christians.
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