Time Out » Podcasts

Time Out, Episode 76

Dan — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:15:37 +0000

Text: Jonah 2
Hymn: 766, Our Father, Who from Heaven Above
Kretzmann Commentary: Jonah
Bonus Bumper: Jonah and the Whale

I find it slightly humorous that Jonah considers himself saved in Chapter 2, while he is still in the belly of the fish, and not when his feet are again on terra firma. Jonah 2 then is a wonderful prayer of thanksgiving. Salvation belongs to the Lord.

766 is Martin Luther’s catechism hymn for the Lord’s Prayer. Nine verses sounds like a lot, but Cantor Beethe keeps it from dragging. Check out the “text painting” — how he plays — on verse 7, emphasizing the mood of the text.

Text (sts. 2-5, 7): © 1980 Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved.
Podcast under OneLicense.Net A-718131.

Our Father, Who from Heaven Above

Our Father, who from heav’n above
Bids all of us to live in love
As members of one family
And pray to You in unity,
Teach us no thoughtless words to say
But from our inmost hearts to pray.
Your name be hallowed. Help us, Lord,
In purity to keep Your Word,
That to the glory of Your name
We walk before You free from blame.
Let no false teaching us pervert;
All poor deluded souls convert.
Your kingdom come. Guard Your domain
And Your eternal righteous reign.
That to the glory of Your name
We walk before You free from blame.
Break Satan’s pow’r defeat his rage;
Preserve Your Church from age to age.
Your gracious will on earth be done
As it is done before Your throne,
That patiently we may obey
Throughout our lives all that You say.
Curb flesh and blood and ev’ry ill
That sets itself against Your will.
Give us this day our daily bread,
And let us all be clothed and fed.
Save us from hardship, war, and strife;
In plague and famine, spare our life.
That we in honest peace may live,
To care and greed no entrance give.
Forgive our sins, Lord, we implore,
That they may trouble us no more;
We, too, will gladly those forgive
Who hurt us by the way they live.
Help us in our community
To serve each other willingly.
Lead not into temptation, Lord,
Where our grim foe and all his horde
Would vex our souls on ev’ry hand.
Help us resist, help us to stand
Firm in the faith, a mighty host,
Through comfort of the Holy Ghost.
From evil, Lord, deliver us;
The times and days are perilous.
Redeem us from eternal death,
And, when we yield our dying breath,
Console us, grant us calm release,
And take our souls to You in peace.
Amen, that is so shall it be.
Make strong our faith in You, that we
May doubt not but with trust believe
That what we ask we shall receive.
Thus in Your name and at Your Word
We say, “Amen, O hear us, Lord!”

Time Out, Episode 75

Dan — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 16:15:26 +0000

Text: Amos 9
Hymn: 954, We All Believe in One True God
Kretzmann Commentary: Amos and Obadiah
Bonus Bumper: Mozart – Requiem, “Dies Irae”

This podcast not only contains the episode from Pirate Christian Radio and the Kretzmann commentary, but there is also an “Overtime” with submissions from listeners celebrating my birthday and podcast #75.

Amos 8 would have been a good chapter to read also:

“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord GOD,
“when I will send a famine on the land—
not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water,
but of hearing the words of the LORD.”

Amos 9, though, contains both Law and Gospel. The booth/shelter of David, God’s people will be repaired and raised up, never to be uprooted again.

The hymn for today is Martin Luther’s catechism hymn for the Apostles’ Creed and definitely worth your time to replay and commit to memory. There are not many hymns that teach the faith as much as Luther’s catechism hymns and perhaps the Te Deum laudamus.

Setting: © 2006 Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved.
Podcast under OneLicense.Net A-718131.

We All Believe in One True God

We all believe in one true God,
Who created earth and heaven,
The Father, who to us in love
Has the right of children given.
He in soul and body feeds us;
All we need His hand provides us;
Through all snares and perils leads us,
Watching that no harm betide us.
He cares for us by day and night,
All things are governed by His might.
We all believe in Jesus Christ,
His own Son, our Lord, possessing
An equal Godhead, throne, and might,
Source of every grace and blessing.
Born of Mary, virgin mother,
By the power of the Spirit,
Word made flesh, our elder brother,
That the lost might life inherit.
Was crucified for all our sin
And raised by God to life again.
We all confess the Holy Ghost,
Who, in highest heaven dwelling
With God the Father and the Son,
Comforts us beyond all telling;
Who the Church, His own creation,
Keeps in unity of spirit.
Here forgiveness and salvation
Daily come through Jesus’ merit.
All flesh shall rise, and we shall be
In bliss with God eternally.
Amen, amen.

Time Out, Episode 74

Dan — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 16:15:47 +0000

Text: Joel 2
Hymn: 536, One Thing’s Needful
Kretzmann Commentary: Joel
Bonus Bumper: Mendelsohnn – Elijah, “Ye People, Rend Your Hearts”

Nobody reads Joel, right? Yet there in Joel 2 we see several familiar themes. Rend your hearts and not your garments. The Lord God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. Finally the passage cited in Acts that pertains to Pentecost.

Michele Bunyon lent her voice again, this time on “One Thing’s Needful.” The first part of each stanza is in 4/4 time, while the backside is in 3/4 and a little faster.

Setting: © 2006 Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved.
Podcast under OneLicense.Net A-718131.

One Thing’s Needful

One thing’s needful; Lord this treasure
Teach me highly to regard.
All else, though it first give pleasure,
Is a yoke that presses hard.
Beneath it the heart is still fretting and striving,
No true, lasting happiness ever deriving.
This one thing is needful; all others are vain–
I count all but loss that I Christ may obtain!
How were Mary’s thoughts devoted,
Her eternal joy to find
As intent each word she noted,
At her Savior’s feet reclined!
How kindled her heart, how devout was its feeling,
While hearing the lessons that Christ was revealing!
All earthly concerns she forgot for her Lord
And found her contentment in hearing His Word.
Wisdom’s highest, noblest treasure,
Jesus, is revealed in You.
Let me find in You my pleasure,
And my wayward will subdue.
Humility there and simplicity reigning,
In paths of true wisdom my steps ever training.
If I learn from Jesus this knowledge divine,
The blessing of heavenly wisdom is mine.
Nothing have I, Christ to offer,
You alone, my highest good.
Nothing have I, Lord, to proffer
But Your crimson-colored blood.
Your death on the cross hath death wholly defeated
And thereby my righteousness fully completed;
Salvation’s white raiments I there did obtain,
And in them in glory with You I shall reign.
Therefore You alone, my Savior,
Shall be all in all to me;
Search my heart and my behavior,
Root out all hypocrisy.
Through all my life’s pilgrimage, guard and uphold me,
In loving forgiveness, O Jesus, enfold me.
This one thing is needful, all others are vain–
I count all but loss that I Christ may obtain.

Time Out, Episode 73

Dan — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 16:15:22 +0000

Text: Hosea 11
Hymn: 533, Jesus Has Come and Brings Pleasure
Kretzmann Commentary: Hosea
Bonus Bumper: Blessed Be the Tie that Binds

Hymn 533 was featured Pr. Tom Baker on his show, Law and Gospel, on June 28 (MP3). It’s another great hymn that confesses and celebrates so many things about the Christ.

The title in the LSB is a bit misleading without the next word, eternal. He brings pleasure eternal; he doesn’t bring just pleasure.

Hosea 11 is messianic: the “out of egypt” verse two is cited in Matthew 2:15. We also see that God is the faithful one and we are the ones who reject him. He threatens not to raise us, but he has compassion for us. It will be because of the Son that God will not return for us in wrath.

Text and setting: © 1982 Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved.
Podcast under OneLicense.Net A-718131.

Jesus Has Come and Brings Pleasure

Jesus has come and brings pleasure eternal,
Alpha, Omega, Beginning and End;
Godhead, humanity, union supernal;
O great Redeemer, You come as our friend!
Heaven and earth, now proclaim this great wonder:
Jesus has come and brings pleasure eternal!
Jesus has come! Now see bonds rent asunder!
Fetters of death now dissolve, disappear.
See Him burst through with a voice as of thunder!
He sets us free from our guilt and our fear,
Lifts us from shame to the place of His honor.
Jesus has come! Hear the roll of God’s thunder!
Jesus has come as the mighty Redeemer.
See now the threatening strong one disarmed!
Jesus breaks down all the walls of death’s fortress,
Brings for the pris’ners triumphant, unharmed.
Satan, you wicked one, own now your master!
Jesus has come! He, the mighty Redeemer.
Jesus has come as the King of all glory!
Heaven and earth, O declare His great pow’r.
Capturing hearts with the heavenly story;
Welcome Him now in this fastfleeting hour!
Ponder His love! Take the crown He has for you!
Jesus has come! He, the King of all glory!

Time Out, Episode 72

Dan — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 16:15:31 +0000

Text: Daniel 7
Hymn: 853, How Clear Is Our Vocation, Lord
Kretzmann Commentary: Daniel
Bonus Bumper: The Fourth Man in the Fire

When the book of Daniel was covered in Sunday School, we learned more about the handwriting on the wall, the lion’s den, and the fourth man in the fire, but the actual prophecies of Daniel got less attention. Daniel 7 has some crazy imagery in it, but it’s another one of those examples of the gospel in the Old Testament. Dominion, glory, and a kingdom without end are given to one like a son of man by the Ancient of Days. The enemies of God will devour the earth for a time, but they will be consumed and destroyed. The kingdom will be given to the saints of the Most High, and their dominion will be forever.

How Clear Is Our Vocation, Lord is one I was asked to sing at Memorial Lutheran Church in Houston, TX. The text and music together provide some mechanical challenges; one can slur like a lounge singer if one isn’t careful. The last verse is a nice prayer: may we not cease to look to Christ in all we are given to do, Christ having done what he was sent to do.

Text: © 1982 Hope Publishing Co. All rights reserved.
Podcast under OneLicense.Net A-718131.

How Clear Is Our Vocation, Lord

How clear is our vocation, Lord,
When once we heed Your call:
To live according to Your Word
And daily learn, refreshed, restored,
That You are Lord of all
And will not let us fall.
But if, forgetful, we should find
Your yoke is hard to bear;
If worldly pressures fray the mind,
And love itself cannot unwind
Its tangled skein of care:
Our inward life repair.
We marvel how Your saints become
In hindrances more sure;
Whose joyful virtues put to shame
The casual way we wear Your name
And by our faults obscure
Your pow’r to cleanse and cure.
In what You give us, Lord, to do
Together or alone,
In old routines or ventures new,
May we not cease to look to You,
The cross You hung upon–
All You endeavored done.

Time Out, Episode 71

Dan — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 16:15:49 +0000

Text: Ezekiel 3
Hymn: 825, Rise, Shine, You People
Kretzmann Commentary: Ezekiel
Bonus Bumper: Ezekiel Saw De Wheel

In Ezekiel 3, God holds Ezekiel accountable for the preaching of repentance and deliverance of his people. These are stern words for both the person who would speak for God words that God did not deliver and the person who was given words to say by God in his word and did not deliver his message.

Hymn 825, in the Mission and Witness section of the Lutheran Service Book, ties into this by reminding us that we are to celebrate and spread the good news about the triune God that saves us.

Text and music: © 1967 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved.
Podcast under OneLicense.Net A-718131.

Rise, Shine, You People

Rise, shine, you people! Christ the Lord has entered
Our human story; God in Him is centered.
He comes to us, by death and sin surrounded,
With grace unbounded.
See how He sends the pow’rs of evil reeling;
He brings us freedom, light and life and healing.
All men and women, who by guilt are driven,
Now are forgiven.
Come, celebrate, your banners high unfurling,
Your songs and prayers against the darkness hurling.
To all the world go out and tell the story
Of Jesus’ glory.
Tell how the Father sent His Son to save us.
Tell of the Son, who life and freedom gave us.
Tell how the Spirit calls from ev’ry nation
His new creation.

Time Out, Episode 70

Dan — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 16:15:43 +0000

Text: Lamentations 3:22-66
Hymn: 834, O God, O Lord of Heaven and Earth
Kretzmann Commentary: Lamentations
Bonus Bumper: Thomas Tallis – Lamentations I

This hymn has a tricky tune, Wittenberg New, by Jan O. Bender. One either chooses to grab a big breath after the first line and sing the next four lyrical phrases in one breath, or one steals a break here and there. On the first and fourth verses, I broke after “mote” and “men,” respectively.

Higher Things has chosen O God, O Lord of Heaven and Earth to be their conference hymn at their two “Given” conferences at Utah State University and Vanderbilt University this summer. I hope they enjoy singing it as much as I have. Pastor George Borghardt and conference music director Chris Loemker discuss the lyrics on the weekly Higher Things podcast.

Text and tune: © 1967 Augsburg Fortress.
Setting: © 1969 Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved.
Podcast under OneLicense.Net A-718131.

O God, O Lord of Heaven and Earth

O God, O Lord of heav’n and earth,
Thy living finger never wrote
That life should be an aimless mote,
A deathward drift from futile birth.
Thy Word meant life triumphant hurled
In splendor through Thy broken world.
Since light awoke and life began,
Thou hast desired Thy life for man.
Our fatal will to equal Thee,
Our rebel will wrought death and night.
We seized and used in prideful spite
Thy wondrous gift of liberty.
We housed us in this house of doom,
Where death had royal scope and room,
Until Thy servant, Prince of Peace,
Breached all its walls for our release.
Thou camest to our hall of death,
O Christ, to breathe our poisoned air,
To drink for us the dark despair
That strangled our reluctant breath.
How beautiful the feet that trod
The road that leads us back to God!
How beautiful the feet that ran
To bring the great good news to man!
O Spirit, who didst once restore
Thy Church that it might be again
The bringer of good news to men,
Breathe on Thy cloven Church once more,
That in these gray and latter days
There may be those whose life is praise,
Each life a high doxology
To Father, Son, and unto Thee.

Time Out, Episode 69

Dan — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 16:15:21 +0000

Text: Jeremiah 31:1-34
Hymn: 846, Your Hand, O Lord, in Days of Old
Kretzmann Commentary: Jeremiah
Bonus Bumper: There is a Balm in Gilead

I originally wanted to put all of Jeremiah 31 on the program. The chapter has all sorts of good stuff: the prophecy of the new covenant, the prophecy of the slaughter of the Holy Innocents, Israel and Judah reunited and reseeded, et cetera.

The hymn is also quite catchy. Sing it through a couple of times, and it’ll get rid of a lot of bad ear worms.

Your Hand, O Lord, in Days of Old

Your hand, O Lord, in days of old
Was strong to heal and save;
It triumphed over ills and death,
O’er darkness and the grave.
To You they came, the blind, the mute,
The palsied and the lame,
The lepers in their misery,
The sick with fevered frame.
Your touch then, Lord, brought life and health,
Gave speech and strength and sight;
And youth renewed and frenzy calmed
Revealed You, Lord of light.
And now, O Lord, be near to bless,
Almighty as before,
In crowded street, by beds of pain,
As by Gennes’ret’s shore.
Oh, be our great deliv’rer still,
The Lord of life and death;
Restore and quicken, soothe and bless,
With your life giving breath.
To hands that work and eyes that see.
Give wisdom’s healing power
That whole and sick and weak and strong
May praise you evermore.

Time Out, Episode 68

Dan — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 16:15:03 +0000

Text: Isaiah 6
Hymn: 507, Holy, Holy, Holy
Kretzmann Commentary: Isaiah
Bonus bumper: Praetorius, Jesaja Dem Propheten Das Gaschah, Mass for Christmas Morning.

That Isaiah lined up with the Thursday after Trinity and “Holy, Holy, Holy” is a wonderful divine coincidence. Thanks be to God.

I love Isaiah 6 for several reasons. For all our desires to see the supernatural, Isaiah’s reaction to the six-winged seraphim reminds us that holy angels can frighten our unholy selves: see the Anunciation of Gabriel to the Virgin Mary in Luke 1:30 and the angels’ report to the shepherds in Luke 2:10. Let’s be careful what we wish for!

I also like the confession of unclean lips. Been there too often.

Our sin also is atoned for, not with hot coals but with wood and nails, blood and water, death and resurrection. Only then are we sent out, with deeds prepared by God and made good in Christ.

Holy, Holy, Holy

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee;
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessèd Trinity!
Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore Thee,
Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee,
Which wert and art and evermore shall be.
Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide Thee,
Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see;
Only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee,
Perfect in pow’r, in love, and purity.
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
All Thy works shall praise Thy Name, in earth, and sky, and sea.
Holy, holy, holy; merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessèd Trinity!

Time Out, Episode 67

Dan — Thu, 27 May 2010 16:15:00 +0000

Text: Song of Solomon 4
Hymn: 497, Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord
Kretzmann Commentary: Song of Solomon
Bonus bumper: My Song is Love Unknown

I know some don’t like to read Song of Solomon because of the PG-13 imagery, but as I was reading it I got the same feeling I get when I read Ephesians 5 sometimes. This is how Solomon and Shulammite, Christ and the Church made holy, man and woman talk to each other in love, putting Hallmark to shame, and I am undone.

The “He” and the “She” that I read are from the ESV translators’ notes, depending on the gender of the Hebrew text.

The hymn, Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord, is a great Pentecost hymn. It’s tricky with both range and words.

Text: © 1941 Concordia Publishing House.
Setting: © 2006 Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved.
Podcast under OneLicense.Net A-718131.

Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord

Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord,
With all Your graces now outpoured
On each believer’s mind and heart;
Your fervent love to them impart.
Lord, by the brightness of Your light,
In holy faith Your Church unite
From ev’ry land and every tongue;
This to Your praise, O Lord, our God, be sung.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Come, holy Light, guide divine,
Now cause the Word of Life to shine.
Teach us to know our God aright
And call Him Father with delight.
From ev’ry error keep us free;
Let none but Christ our Master be
That we in living faith abide,
In Him, our Lord, with all our might confide.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Come, holy Fire, comfort true,
Grant us the will Your work to do
And in Your service to abide;
Let trials turn us not aside.
Lord, by Your pow’r prepare each heart
And to our weakness strength impart
That bravely here we may contend,
Through life and death to You, our Lord, ascend.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

Time Out, Episode 66

Dan — Thu, 20 May 2010 16:15:38 +0000

Text: Ecclesiastes 3
Hymn: 473, Our Paschal Lamb That Sets Us Free
Kretzmann Commentary: Ecclesiastes

This week the Pirate Christian Radio listeners got a treat, as the bonus commentary normally heard only on the podcast made its way on the air.

Ecclesiastes 3 is included in the 1960′s song, “Turn, Turn, Turn,” written by Peter Seeger and famously performed by The Byrds.

Singing melody on all three verses of the hymn is Michele Bunyon, who sings for Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Columbus, OH. I enjoyed recording with Michele and look forward to performing more hymns in the future.

Text and music: © 1974 Augsburg Publishing House. All rights reserved.
Podcast under OneLicense.Net A-718131.

Our Paschal Lamb, That Sets Us Free

Our Paschal Lamb, that sets us free,
Is sacrificed. O keep
The feast of freedom gallantly;
Let alleluias leap:

Refrain:
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Alleluia! Again
Sing alleluia, cry aloud:
Alleluia! Amen!
Let all our lives now celebrate
The feast; let malice die.
Let love grow strong anew, and great,
Let truth stamp out the lie.

Refrain
Let all our deeds, unanimous,
Confess Him as our Lord
Who by the Spirit lives in us,
The Father’s living Word.

Refrain

Time Out, Episode 65

Dan — Thu, 13 May 2010 16:15:09 +0000

Text: Proverbs 8
Hymn: 494, See, the Lord Ascends in Triumph
Kretzmann Commentary: Proverbs

Vocals were recorded at Concordia Lutheran Church in Williston, ND. Thanks to Pastor Jay Reinke for letting me record in the sanctuary.

Even the Proverbs speak of Christ, notably in Chapter 8. Verse 22: “the LORD possessed (ESV notes say fathered also works) me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old.” Christ is our wisdom in addition to being our savior. Good stuff.

We also have a nice Ascension Day hymn. Christ returns to the Father in victory, having conquered death and proclaimed to the spirits in prison (1 Peter 3:18-20). Note also the references to Enoch, Aaron, Joshua, and Elijah.

Setting: © 2006 Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved.
Podcast under OneLicense.Net A-718131.

See, the Lord Ascends in Triumph

See, the Lord ascends in triumph,
Conq-’ring king in royal state,
Riding on the clouds, His chariot,
To His heav’nly palace gate!
Hark! the choirs of angel voices
Joyful alleluias sing,
And the portals high are lifted
To receive their heav’nly King.
Who is this that comes in glory,
With the trump of jubilee?
Lord of battles, God of armies,
He has gained the victory!
He Who on the cross did suffer,
He Who from the grave arose,
He has vanquished sin and Satan;
He by death has crushed His foes.
While He lifts His hands in blessing,
He is parted from His friends;
While their eager eyes behold Him,
He upon the clouds ascends;
He Who walked with God and pleased Him,
Preaching truth and doom to come,
He, our Enoch, is translated,
To His everlasting home.
Now our heavenly Aaron enters,
With His blood, within the veil;
Joshua now is come to Canaan,
And the kings before Him quail;
Now He plants the tribes of Israel
In their promised resting-place;
Now our great Elijah offers
Double portion of His grace.
He has raised our human nature
On the clouds to God’s right hand:
There we sit in heav’nly places,
There with Him in glory stand.
Jesus reigns, adored by angels;
Man with God is on the throne;
By our mighty Lord’s ascension,
We by faith behold our own.

Time Out, Episode 64

Dan — Thu, 06 May 2010 16:15:45 +0000

Text: Psalm 51
Hymn: 633, At the Lamb’s High Feast We Sing
Kretzmann Commentary: Psalms

Dr. Kretzmann has some great commentary, including the five functions of the Psalms identified by Martin Luther.

Psalm 23 may be the most famous and memorized psalm, but the layman may be surprised as to how much of Psalm 51 he already knows: “Create in me a clean heart…”, “Purge me with hyssop…”, “O Lord, open my lips…”, et cetera. The doctrine of original sin is supported in verse 5.

Setting: © 1969 Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved.
Podcast under OneLicense.Net A-718131.

At the Lamb’s High Feast We Sing

At the Lamb’s high feast we sing
Praise to our victorious king,
Who has washed us in the tide
Flowing from his pierced side.
Alleluia!
Praise we him, whose love divine
Gives his sacred blood for wine,
Gives his body for the feast
Christ the victim, Christ the priest.
Alleluia!
Where the paschal blood is poured,
Death’s dread angel sheathes the sword;
Israel’s hosts triumphant go
Through the wave that drowns the foe.
Alleluia!
Praise we Christ, whose blood was shed,
Paschal victim, paschal bread;
With sincerity and love
Eat we manna from above.
Alleluia!
Mighty Victim from the sky,
Hell’s fierce powers beneath you lie;
You have conquered in the fight
You have brought us life and light.
Alleluia!
Now no more can death appall,
Now no more the grave enthrall;
You have opened paradise,
And your saints in you shall rise.
Alleluia!
Easter triumph, Easter joy!
This alone can sin destroy;
From sin’s power, Lord, set us free,
Newborn souls in you to be.
Alleluia!
Father, who the crown shall give,
Savior, by whose death we live,
Spirit, guide through all our days;
Three in One, Your name we praise.
Alleluia!

Time Out, Episode 63

Dan — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 16:15:15 +0000

Text: Job 40, 41:1-11
Hymn: 483, With High Delight Let Us Unite
Kretzmann Commentary: Job

For more great commentary on Job, check out the two-hour Issues, Etc. 24 episode (MP3) featuring Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller, a host of Table Talk Radio.

The book of Job continues the theme that God is holy and just, that his ways are certainly not our ways, and that he is the creator of all things and will redeem his world in the end. In Job, this doesn’t sound like a good thing to us, until we remember that this is the God who does send his Redeemer who lives, who will stand at the last day upon the earth, whom we shall see even though our flesh decomposes in the grave (Job 19:25-26).

It is good for us that the God who sends his Son to be our atoning sacrifice is high and powerful enough to be far beyond our understanding; otherwise, his atonement wouldn’t be very powerful at all. Thank God that he sent the Son of the Most High to cover our sins and wash us whiter than snow before him.

Wouldn’t it be cool to see Leviathan at that point?

Text: © 1969 Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved.
Podcast under OneLicense.Net A-718131.

With High Delight Let Us Unite

With high delight
Let us unite
In songs of great jubilation.
Ye pure in heart,
All bear your part,
Sing Jesus Christ, our salvation.
To set us free
Forever, He
Is ris’n and sends
To all earth’s ends
Good news to save ev’ry nation.
True God, He first
From death has burst
Forth into life, all subduing.
His enemy
Doth vanquished lie;
His death has been death’s undoing.
“And your shall be
Like victory
O’er death and grave,”
Saith He, who gave
His life for us, life renewing.
Let praises ring;
Give thanks, and bring
To Christ our Lord adoration.
His honor speed
By word and deed
To ev’ry land, ev’ry nation.
So shall His love
Give us above,
From misery
And death set free,
All joy and full consolation.

Time Out, Episode 62

Dan — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 16:15:11 +0000

Text: Esther 6-7
Hymn: 709, The King of Love My Shepherd Is
Kretzmann Commentary: Esther

The story of Haman having to serve his enemy Mordecai is a dry joke: Haman thinks the king is asking him whatever he wants, not whatever he thinks Mordecai should have. He is also hung on the gallows he made for Mordecai. Hopefully this comes out in the way I read the two chapters.

The hymn obviously references Psalm 23, which the Christian cannot read without thinking of Jesus the Good Shepherd in John 10:11 or maybe the parable of the good shepherd in Luke 15:4-7. This is what it means when we say we let scripture interpret scripture and that all of scripture testifies about Christ. It’s a little easier to see it in Psalm 23 than in the Book of Esther.

The King of Love My Shepherd Is

The King of love my shepherd is,
Whose goodness faileth never,
I nothing lack if I am His
And He is mine forever.
Where streams of living water flow
My ransomed soul He leadeth
And, where the verdant pastures grow,
With food celestial feedeth.
Perverse and foolish oft I strayed,
But yet in love He sought me,
And on His shoulder gently laid,
And home rejoicing brought me.
In death’s dark vale I fear no ill
With Thee, dear Lord, beside me;
Thy rod and staff my comfort still,
Thy cross before to guide me.
Thou spreadst a table in my sight;
Thine unction grace bestoweth;
And, oh, what transport of delight
From Thy pure chalice floweth!
And so through all the length of days
Thy goodness faileth never;
Good Shepherd, may I sing Thy praise
Within Thy house forever!

Time Out, Episode 61

Dan — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 16:15:48 +0000

Text: Ezra 6
Hymn: 472, These Things Did Thomas Count as Real
Kretzmann Commentary: Ezra and Nehemiah

472 is a new hymn to me, and I found the lyrics to be very, very good. Thomas’s doubt came from his certainty of how things are. “Until his fingers read like braille the markings of the spear and nail” is a modern yet faithful interpretation of Thomas’s desire. This is a good hymn about moving from doubt to faith.

Some time in the future I hope to chat with Stephen R. Johnson, who wrote REALITER for this hymn. We exchanged pleasantries on Facebook, but I will have to wait until I’m on the road before I can spend an evening on the phone with him.

Ezra and Nehemiah are about rebuilding the temple and the city of Jerusalem. The Hebrews came out of the Babylonian captivity and rediscovered how God wanted them to worship and obey him. Kretzmann notes that there are no more incidences of rank idolatry written after this, but as we can tell from the four Gospels, there was idolatry of a different sort when the Son of Man came around.

Text: © 1984 Oxford University Press, Inc.
Music: © 2003 Stephen R. Johnson
All rights reserved.
Podcast under OneLicense.Net A-718131.

These Things Did Thomas Count as Real

These things did Thomas count as real:
The warmth of blood, the chill of steel,
The grain of wood, the heft of stone,
The last frail twitch of flesh and bone.
The vision of his skeptic mind
Was keen enough to make him blind
To any unexpected act
Too large for his small world of fact.
His reasoned certainties denied
That one could live when one had died,
Until his fingers read like braille
The markings of the spear and nail.
May we, O God, by grace believe
And thus the risen Christ receive,
Whose raw imprinted palms reached out
And beckoned Thomas from his doubt.

Time Out, Episode 60

Dan — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 16:15:14 +0000

Text: 2 Chronicles 34:1-21
Hymn: 467, Awake, My Heart, with Gladness
Kretzmann Commentary: 1 and 2 Chronicles

A boy assumes the throne as an eight-year-old. At 16 he tears down the idols around Jerusalem. At 26 he orders the temple repaired, and the Book of the Law of the LORD is recovered. King Josiah reads the entire contents of the Book to everybody under his rule, so that the word of the Lord is back in everyone’s hearts and minds. Because of this repristination, God delays the curses brought upon the people of Israel by their forefathers’ idolatry, so that Josiah would not see them. May we continue to keep the Word in our hearts and minds, and may God be as merciful to us.

Blessed Easter to you.

Setting: © 2006 Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved.
Podcast under OneLicense.Net A-718131.

Awake, My Heart, With Gladness

Awake, my heart, with gladness,
See what today is done;
Now, after gloom and sadness,
Comes forth the glorious sun.
My Savior there was laid
Where our bed must be made
When to the realms of light
Our spirit wings its flight.
The foe in triumph shouted
When Christ lay in the tomb;
But lo, he now is routed,
His boast is turned to gloom.
For Christ again is free;
In glorious victory
He who is strong to save
Has triumphed o’er the grave.
This is a sight that gladdens–
What peace it does impart!
Now nothing ever saddens
The joy within my heart.
No gloom shall ever shake,
No foe shall ever take
The hope which God’s own Son
In love for me has won.
Now hell, its prince, the devil,
Of all their pow’r are shorn;
Now I am safe from evil,
And sin I laugh to scorn.
Grim death with all its might
Cannot my soul affright;
It is a pow’rless form,
Howe’er it rave and storm.
The world against me rages,
Its fury I disdain;
Though bitter war it wages,
Its work is all in vain.
My heart from care is free,
No trouble troubles me.
Misfortune now is play,
And night is bright as day.
Now I will cling forever
To Christ, my Savior true;
My Lord will leave me never,
Whate’er he passes through.
He rends death’s iron chain;
He breaks through sin and pain;
He shatters hell’s grim thrall;
I follow him through all.
He brings me to the portal
That leads to bliss untold,
Whereon this rhyme immortal
Is found is script of gold:
“Who there My cross has shard
Finds here a crown prepared;
Who there with Me has died
Shall here be glorified.”

Time Out, Episode 59

Dan — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 16:15:47 +0000

Text: 1 Kings 17:8-24
Hymns: 617, O Lord, We Praise Thee; 454, Sing, My Tongue, the Glorious Battle
Kretzmann Commentary: 1 and 2 Kings

The accompaniment for 454 was recorded at the Chapel of St. Timothy and St. Titus on the grounds of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, MO, when Cantor Beethe and I were there in January.

The story of Elijah is worth and has received a lot of study. Mendelssohn wrote a wonderful cantata on his story. Most people remember Elijah and the prophets of Baal, which is indeed a cool story, but not as many remember that Elijah with God’s help raised a child from the dead and made a little flour and oil go a long way.

The hymns of course reflect the institution of the Lord’s Supper and Christ’s final victory over sin, death, and the devil.

617 Text: © 1941 Concordia Publishing House.
454 Music: © 1967 Concordia Publishing House.
All rights reserved.
Podcast under OneLicense.Net A-718131.

O Lord, We Praise Thee

O Lord, we praise Thee, bless Thee, and adore Thee,
In thanksgiving bow before Thee.
Thou with Thy body and Thy blood didst nourish
Our weak souls that they may flourish.
O Lord, have mercy!
May Thy body, Lord, born of Mary
That our sins and sorrow did carry,
And Thy blood for us plead
In all trial, fear and need:
O Lord, have mercy!
Thy holy body into death was given,
Life to win for us in heaven.
No greater love than this to Thee could bind us;
May this feast thereof remind us!
O Lord, have mercy!
Lord, Thy kindness did so constrain Thee
That Thy blood should bless and sustain me.
All our debt Thou hast paid;
Peace with God once more is made:
O Lord, have mercy!
May God bestow on us His grace and favor
That we follow Christ our Savior
And live together here in love and union
Nor despise this blessed Communion!
O Lord, have mercy!
Let not Thy good Spirit forsake us;
Grant that heav’n-ly minded He make us;
Give Thy church, Lord, to see
Days of peace and unity;
O Lord, have mercy!

Sing, My Tongue, the Glorious Battle

Sing, my tongue, the glorious battle,
Sing the ending of the fray;
Now above the cross, the trophy,
Sound the loud triumphant lay:
Tell how Christ the world’s Redeemer,
As a victim won the day.
Tell how, when at length the fullness,
Of th’appointed time was come,
He, the Word, was born of woman,
Left for us His Father’s home;
Blazed the path of true obedience,
Shone as light amidst the gloom.
Thus, with thirty years accomplished,
He went forth from Nazareth,
Destined, dedicated, willing,
Did His work, and met His death.
Like a lamb He humbly yielded
On the cross His dying breath.
Faithful cross, true sign of triumph,
Be for all the noblest tree,
None in foliage, none in blossom,
None in fruit thine equal be;
Symbol of the world’s redemption,
For the weight that hung on thee!
Unto God be praise and glory;
To the Father and the Son;
To the eternal Spirit honor
Now and evermore be done;
Praise and glory in the highest
While the timeless ages run.

Time Out, Episode 58

Dan — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 16:15:17 +0000

Text: 1 Samuel 8
Hymn: 384, Of the Father’s Love Begotten (LW Setting)
Kretzmann Commentary: 1 and 2 Samuel

Our license didn’t cover the LSB setting for this hymn, but it does cover the LW setting. The words are from LSB.

“Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.”
“Give us a king to judge us.”
“No! But there shall be a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”

Some things never change. Even back then people looked to government instead of God for their answers.

Nine months prior to Christmas, we celebrate the Annunciation of our Lord to the Virgin Mary. In the end God does give us a King, and He does go out before us and fight our battle, the important one against sin, death, and the devil. The Word of God ensconces itself in Mary’s womb, conceiving the Son of God, divine in order to take the wrath of God’s justice and human to take that wrath for us.

A little Christmas in Lent. It’s a Gospel thing.

Setting: © 1982 Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved.
Podcast under OneLicense.Net A-718131.

Of the Father’s Love Begotten

Of the Father’s love begotten
Ere the worlds began to be,
He is Alpha and Omega,
He the Source, the Ending He,
Of the things that are, that have been,
And that future years shall see
Evermore and evermore.
Oh, that birth forever blessed
When the Virgin, full of grace,
By the Holy Ghost conceiving,
Bore the Savior of our race,
And the Babe, the world’s Redeemer,
First revealed His sacred face
Evermore and evermore.
This is He whom seers in old time
Chanted of with one accord;
Whom the voices of the prophets
Promised in their faithful word.
Now He shines, the long-expected;
Let creation praise its Lord
Evermore and evermore.
O ye heights of heav’n, adore Him;
Angel hosts, His praises sing;
Pow’rs, dominions, bow before Him
And extol our God and King.
Let no tongue on earth be silent,
Ev’ry voice in concert ring
Evermore and evermore.
Christ, to Thee, with God the Father,
And, O Holy Ghost, to Thee
Hymn and chant and high thanksgiving
And unending praises be,
Honor, glory, and dominion,
And eternal victory
Evermore and evermore.
Amen.

Time Out, Episode 57

Dan — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 16:15:39 +0000

Text: Ruth 1:1-18
Hymn: 604, I Bind Unto Myself Today
Kretzmann Commentary: Ruth

Upon deciding which chapter in Ruth to read, I almost went with Chapter 4, because the importance of the genealogy of David and thus, Jesus Christ, but Luther swayed me toward Chapter 1. From the notes in The Lutheran Study Bible:

Ruth, who followed her mother-in-law Naomi, says (Ruth 1:16): “Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.” Although she did not belong to the holy people–for she was a Moabitess—she was nevertheless saved because she clung to faith in the God of Israel. (AE 3:133)

Saved by faith! Whoodathunkit! Old Testament Gospel for the win.

We’re actually a day later than St. Patrick’s Day at the time of this broadcast, but this wonderful hymn from St. Patrick himself was too good to pass up. St. Patrick is also the patron saint of engineers.

If you like what you hear, please visit the You Can Help page. St. Patrick’s Day is green for us for more than one reason: it’s our hosting bill date, and we could use your help.

Setting: © 2006 Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved.
Podcast under OneLicense.Net A-718131.

I Bind Unto Myself Today

I bind unto myself today
The strong name of the Trinity
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.
I bind this day to me forever,
By pow’r of faith, Christ’s incarnation,
His baptism in the Jordan River,
His cross of death for my salvation,
His bursting from the spiced tomb,
His riding up the heavenly way,
His coming at the day of doom,
I bind unto myself today.
I bind unto myself today
The pow’r of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, His might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need,
The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, His shield to ward,
The Word of God to give me speech,
His heav’nly host to be my guard.
Against the demon snares of sin,
The vice that gives temptation force,
The natural lusts that war within,
The hostile foes that mar my course;
Or few or many, far or night,
In ev’ry place and in all hours,
Against their fierce hostility,
I bind to me those holy pow’rs.
I bind unto myself the name,
The strong name of the Trinity
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three,
Of whom all nature has creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word.
Praise to the Lord of my salvation;
Salvation is of Christ the Lord!

Time Out, Episode 56

Dan — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:15:50 +0000

Text: Judges 7:1-23
Hymn: 823, May God Bestow on Us His Grace
Kretzmann Commentary: Judges

We see in Judges that salvation by trust and faith in God is not a new concept founded by St. Paul. In Judges 7 he scales back the army of the Israelites so severely that there is no question how this battle is to be won.

We can no more earn our eternal salvation than Gideon and his 300 men with trumpets, torches, and jugs could defeat the innumerable Midianites and Amalekites. Our sins, each one able to cast us out into the outer darkness, are exponentially more numerous than the armies that Gideon saw, yet God delivers us from all of them through Christ’s death and resurrection.

Setting: © 2006 Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved.
Podcast under OneLicense.Net A-718131.

May God Bestow on Us His Grace

May God bestow on us His grace,
With blessings rich provide us,
And may the brightness of His face
To life eternal guide us
That we His saving health may know,
His gracious will and pleasure,
And also to the heathen show
Christ’s riches without measure
And unto God convert them.
Thine over all shall be the praise
And thanks of ev’-ry nation,
And all the world with joy shall raise
The voice of exultation;
For Thou shalt judge the earth, O Lord,
Nor suffer sin to flourish;
Thy people’s pasture is Thy Word
Their souls to feed and nourish,
In righteous paths to keep them.
Oh, let the people praise Thy worth,
In all good works increasing;
The land shall plenteous fruit bring forth,
Thy Word is rich in blessing,
May God the Father, God the Son,
And God the Spirit bless us!
Let all the world praise Him alone,
Let solemn awe possess us.
Now let our hearts say, Amen.

Time Out, Episode 55

Dan — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 17:15:25 +0000

Text: Joshua 24:1-28
Hymn: 528, All Mankind Fell in Adam’s Fall
Kretzmann Commentary: Joshua

Joshua 24:15, with some exclusions, is the stuff of T-shirts and songs:

~~And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD~~, choose this day whom you will serve, ~~whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But~~ as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

The statement in context is much more than a simple challenge to choose to serve God. It comes at the end of a long list of great things that God has done for the Israelites. After the deliverance from Egypt, the thwarting of Balaam’s curse, the battle of Jericho, the settlement of cities pre-built for their use, and other major actions, how could the Israelites not serve God? This isn’t just some god who demands obedience and takes pleasure in punishing people who don’t meet his arbitrary standards. This is a God who has done great things for His people, and it is merely proper that Israel serve Him out of gratitude for His mercy upon them. It is repugnant for Israel to hold on to other gods and give lip service to the Almighty.

We have our own gods. The Father sacrificed His Son that we may be adopted sons and daughters, and we fail to do the things He asks in gratitude for His mercy. The Son hung on a cross for us, and we go about our lives, lying, gossiping, stealing, cheating, lusting, coveting, et cetera. That’s gratitude for us, isn’t it. We would desire to throw away or pervert the gifts God has given us, as if his forgiveness is our license to do evil. We should be ashamed. What Joshua tells Israel in verse 19 applies to us: outside of Christ, we are not able to serve the holy and jealous God.

Yet that cross that we would toss paid for our idolatry. Every day, we confess and repent, and he forgives us those disgusting things that we do and gives us deeds to be done that are good in Christ. We thank and praise, serve and obey Him in gratitude for the spending of God’s deserved wrath on His Son. We repent and quit our own gods, we receive his assurance that our sins are forgiven, we live our lives in accordance with His commandments as best we can, and the cycle continues daily. God has done great things for us and continues to give repentance and the forgiveness of sins.

All Mankind Fell in Adam’s Fall

All mankind fell in Adam’s fall;
One common sin infects us all;
From one to all the curse descends,
And over all God’s wrath impends.
Through all our powers corruption creeps
And us in dreadful bondage keeps;
In guilt we draw our infant breath
And reaps its fruits of woe and death.
From hearts depraved, to evil prone,
Flow thoughts and deeds of sin alone;
God’s image lost, the darkened soul
Seeks not nor finds its heavenly goal.
But Christ, the second Adam, came
To bear our sin and woe and shame,
To be our life, our light, our way,
Our only hope, our only stay.
As by one man all mankind fell
And, born in sin, was doomed to hell,
So by one Man, who took our place,
We all were justified by grace.
We thank You, Christ; new life is ours,
New light, new hope, new strength, new powers:
This grace our ev’ry way attend
Until we reach our journey’s end.

Time Out, Episode 54

Dan — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 17:15:03 +0000

Text: Deuteronomy 31:14-29
Hymn: 758, The Will of God is Always Best
Kretzmann Commentary: Deuteronomy

Normally when I pick a scripture passage, I try to pick something where the Gospel is fairly self-evident. I went somewhat off-road this time in Deuteronomy, because a lot of Deuteronomy seems to be of the format that if Israel obeys God, God blesses them, if not, God curses them. Chapter 31 is a different animal. In this chapter, Joshua is told that he will succeed Moses for the people’s trip into Canaan. God tells Joshua and Moses that he is giving them the promised land, despite the fact that God already knows they are going to screw up and break the covenant. The people will be called to repentance by the song of Moses on the children’s lips! Translate that to the New Testament, where God gives us the new heavens and the new earth, even though he knows we sin over and over again. May our children have good hymns on their lips to call us back to repentance and trust in His Word!

The Will of God Is Always Best

The will of God is always best
And shall be done forever;
And they who trust in Him are blest,
He will forsake them never.
He helps indeed In time of need,
He chastens with forbearing;
They who depend On God, their Friend,
Shall not be left despairing.
God is my comfort and my trust,
My hope and life abiding;
And to His counsel wise and just,
I yield in Him confiding.
The very hairs, His Word declares,
Upon my head He numbers.
By night and day God is my stay;
He never sleeps nor slumbers.
Lord, this I ask, O hear my plea,
Deny me not this favor:
When Satan sorely troubles me,
Then do not let me waver.
O guard me well, My fear dispel,
Fulfill Thy faithful saying:
All who believe By grace receive
An answer to their praying.
When life’s brief course on earth is run
And I this world am leaving,
Grant me to say: “Your will be done.”
Your faithful Word believing.
My dearest Friend, I now commend
My soul into Your keeping,
From sin and hell, And death as well,
By You the vict-’ry reaping.

Time Out, Episode 53

Dan — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 17:15:06 +0000

Text: 1 Corinthians 15:35-58
Hymn: 607, From Depths of Woe I Cry to Thee
Kretzmann Commentary: Numbers

I couldn’t help it. One full day into Lent, and I pull out a passage on the resurrection. Hopefully you’re getting the good Lenten stuff on Sunday.

One of the ways our nominal Christian spirituality fails us is that we don’t understand how bad the problem of sin is, and how much it really permeates our lives. We would rather put on the front and be Pharisees. “God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.” It is uncomfortable to talk about our own unworthiness, of all the things we have done and things we have left undone.

To deny our sinfulness and our inability to earn heaven is in the long run a much worse situation. Thinking we can move towards God on our own leads us down one of two roads: we either have earned enough for God and we’re proud of it, or we run ourselves into the ground wondering if what we have done is enough. Either road leads to the same destination.

Instead, we have a God of mercy, who spends all of His wrath on the cross, not only putting all of our sins on Jesus but also putting Christ’s righteousness on us. We cannot boast except that God has saved us, and we await his second coming and the victory feast that has no end.

Pleading for mercy from the God who grants it is a good thing.

From Depths of Woe I Cry to Thee

From depths of woe I cry to Thee,
In trial and tribulation;
Bend down Thy gracious ear to me,
Lord, hear my supplication.
If Thou rememb’rest every sin,
Who then could heaven ever win
Or stand before Thy presence?
Thy love and grace alone avail
To blot out my transgression;
The best and holiest deeds must fail
To break sin’s dread oppression.
Before Thee none can boasting stand,
But all must fear Thy strict demand
And live alone by mercy.
Therefore my hope is in the Lord
And not in mine own merit;
It rests upon His faithful Word
To them of contrite spirit
That He is merciful and just;
This is my comfort and my trust.
His help I wait with patience.
And though it tarry through the night
And till the morning waken,
My heart shall never doubt His might
Nor count itself forsaken.
O Israel, trust in God your Lord,
Born of the Spirit and the Word,
Now wait for His appearing.
Though great our sins, yet greater still
Is God’s abundant favor;
His hand of mercy never will
Abandon us, nor waver.
Our shepherd good and true is He,
Who will at last His Israel free
From all their sin and sorrow.

Time Out, Episode 52

Dan — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 17:15:42 +0000

Text: Leviticus 4:1-12, 22-35
Hymn: 417, Alleluia, Song of Gladness
Kretzmann Commentary: Leviticus

Most people regard Leviticus as simply one of those old law books that nobody follows any more. As we realize the extent that the old sacrifices point to Christ and the cross, we find out more about the holiness of God and his providence for us. The commentary for this book of law is full of gospel.

Lent is coming, emphasizing the now and not yet of our salvation. It’s time to put away our alleluias for a season.

Alleluia, Song of Gladness

Alleluia, song of gladness,
Voice of joy that cannot die;
Alleluia is the anthem
Ever raised by choirs on high;
In the house of God abiding
Thus they sing eternally.
Alleluia thou resoundest,
True Jerusalem and free;
Alleluia, joyful mother,
All thy children sing with thee;
But by Babylon’s sad waters
Mourning exiles now are we.
Alleluia cannot always
Be our song while here below;
Alleluia, our transgressions
Make us for a while forgo;
For the solemn time is coming
When our tears for sin must flow.
Therefore in our hymns we pray Thee,
Grant us, blessed Trinity,
At the last to keep Thine Easter
With Thy faithful saints on high;
There to Thee forever singing
Alleluia joyfully.

Time Out, Episode 51

Dan — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 17:15:13 +0000

Text: Exodus 12:1-28
Hymn: 421, Jesus, Grant That Balm and Healing
Kretzmann Commentary: Exodus

I’ve done 421 before, last year on Episode 9.

Exodus 12: the Passover. The meal which Christ institutes as the Lord’s Supper later on. There are all sorts of interesting notes one can make, especially in comparison to the Lord’s Supper now. This is the meal God’s people ate to avoid death. No foreigners ate of it, and no slaves could eat it unless they were circumcised (today, baptized). All of it was eaten or burned — no reliquae allowed! Later on, Christ would become the Passover Lamb, his body and blood eaten and drank for the forgiveness of sins and the salvation from God’s judgement.

Jesus, Grant That Balm and Healing

Jesus, grant that balm and healing
In Your holy wounds I find,
Ev-’ry hour that I am feeling
Pains of body and of mind.
Should some evil thought within
Tempt my treach-’rous heart to sin,
Show the peril, and from sinning
Keep me fromits first beginning.
Should some lust or sharp temptation
Fascinate my sinful mind,
Draw me to Your cross and passion,
And new courage I shall find.
Or should Satan press me hard,
Let me then be on my guard,
Saying, “Christ for me was wounded,”
That the Tempter flee confounded.
If the world my heart entices
With the broad and easy road
With seductive, sinful vices,
Let me weigh the awful load
You were willing to endure.
Help me flee all thoughts impure,
And to master each temptation,
Calm in prayer and meditation.
Ev-’ry wound that pains or grieves me,
By Your wounds, Lord, is made whole;
When I’m faint, Your Cross revives me,
Granting new life to my soul.
Yes, Your comfort renders sweet
Ev-’ry bitter cup I meet;
For Your all-atoning Passion
Has procured my soul’s salvation.
O my God, my Rock and Tower,
Grant that in Your death I trust,
Knowing death has lost its power
Since You crushed it in the dust.
Savior, let Your agony
Ever help and comfort me;
When I die be my Protection,
Light and Life and Resurrection.

Time Out, Episode 50

Dan — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 17:15:47 +0000

Text: Luke 24:13-52
Hymn: 830, Spread the Reign of God the Lord
Kretzmann Commentary: Genesis

After the show that is normally podcast on Pirate Christian Radio, there is another segment featuring a reading from The Popular Commentary of the Bible by Paul E. Kretzmann, Ph. D., D. D. I decided to include these after listening to the White Horse Inn highlight Christians who didn’t know what was in the books of their Bible. The first portion of his commentary was published in 1921. I hope you enjoy the extra, especially in books not as famous as Genesis or the four Gospels.

Luke 24 is an appropriate text to pair with the addition. Starting with Moses and the prophets, Christ taught the two men on the road to Emmaus about hHmself throughout all the Scriptures. Repentance and the forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed to the world. He was made known in the breaking of the bread, and it’s not a stretch to say the same thing happens today in the Lord’s Supper.

Of course, the hymn ties in too.

Spread the Reign of God the Lord

Spread the reign of God the Lord,
Spoken, written mighty Word;
Ev’rywhere his creatures call
To His heav’nly banquet hall.
Tell how God the Father’s will
Made the world, upholds it still,
How His own dear Son He gave
Us from sin and death to save.
Tell of our Redeemer’s grace,
Who, to save our human race
And to pay rebellion’s price,
Gave himself as sacrifice.
Tell of God the Spirit giv’n
Now to guide us on to heav’n,
Strong and holy, just and true,
Working both to will and do.
Enter, mighty Word the field;
Ripe the promise of its yield.
But the reapers, oh, how few
For the work there is to do!
Lord of harvest, great and kind,
Rouse to action heart and mind;
Let the gath’ring nations all
See your light and heed your call.

Time Out, Episode 49

Dan — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 17:15:42 +0000

Text: 2 Corinthians 4. Hymn: 398, “Hail to the Lord’s Anointed.”

2 Corinthians 4: good stuff about the ministry and waiting for the life of the world to come. “We refuse…to tamper with God’s word.” Scripture-twisters, take note.

Hail to the Lord’s Anointed

Hail to the Lord’s anointed,
Great David’s greater Son!
Hail, in the time appointed,
His reign on earth begun!
He comes to break oppression,
To set the captive free,
To take away transgression,
And rule in equity.
He comes, with rescue speedy,
To those who suffer wrong;
To help the poor and needy,
And bid the weak be strong;
To give them songs for sighing,
Their darkness turn to light,
Whose souls, condemned and dying,
Were precious in his sight.
He shall come down like showers
Upon the fruitful earth;
Love, joy, and hope, like flowers,
Spring in His path to birth;
Before Him on the mountains,
Shall peace, the herald, go;
And righteousness, in fountains,
From hill to valley flow.
Kings shall fall down before Him,
And gold and incense bring;
All nations shall adore Him,
His praise all people sing;
To Him shall prayer unceasing
And daily vows ascend,
His kingdom still increasing,
A kingdom without end.
O’er every foe victorious,
He on His throne shall rest;
From age to age more glorious,
All blessing and all-blest.
The tide of time shall never
His covenant remove;
His name shall stand for ever–
That name to us is Love.

Time Out, Episode 48

Dan — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 17:15:18 +0000

Text: Ephesians 5.
Hymns:
590, Baptized Into Your Name Most Holy
601, All Who Believe and Are Baptized

Ephesians 5 is great stuff. Man and woman. Christ and His Church. Exhorting each other with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, which had a nice tie with the Conference on Worship.

Special thanks to Seminarian Samuel Powell for helping us gain access to the chapel and Allison Ulmer for guest singing.

Baptized into Your Name Most Holy

Baptized into your name most holy,
O Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
I claim a place, though weak and lowly,
Among your saints, Your chosen host.
Buried with Christ and dead to sin,
your Spirit now shall live within.
My loving Father, here you take me
To be henceforth Your child and heir;
My faithful Savior, here you make me
The fruit of all Your sorrows share;
O Holy Spirit, comfort me
When darkest clouds around I see.
My faithful God, You fail me never;
Your promise surely will endure.
O cast me not away forever,
If words and deeds become impure.
Have mercy when I come defiled;
Forgive, lift up, restore Your child.
All that I am and love most dearly,
Receive it all, O Lord, from me.
Let me confess my faith sincerely;
Help me Your faithful child to be!
Let nothing that I am or own
Serve any will but yours alone.

All Who Believe and Are Baptized

All who believe and are baptized
Shall see the Lord’s salvation;
Baptized into the death of Christ,
They are a new creation.
Through Christ’s redemption they shall stand
Among the glorious heavenly band
Of every tribe and nation.
With one accord, O God, we pray:
Grant us thy Holy Spirit;
Help us in our infirmity
Through Jesus’ blood and merit.
Grant us to grow in grace each day
That by this sacrament we may
Eternal life inherit.

Time Out, Episode 47

Dan — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 17:15:52 +0000

Text: 1 Peter 1. Hymn: 412, The People That in Darkness Sat.

1 Peter 1:6-7 has an interesting answer for theodicy, or why God allows bad things to happen:

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

It reminds me of a story whose moral is, “the sweetness was so sweet because the bitter was so bitter.”

412 is simple and joyful, giving us in one hymn the scriptural content of two of Handel’s songs from Messiah.

The people that in darkness sat
A glorious light have seen;
The light has shined on them who long
In shades of death have been,
In shades of death have been.
To hail Thee, Sun of Righteousness,
The gath-’ring nations come;
They joy as when the reapers bear
Their harvest treasures home,
Their harvest treasures home.
To us a Child of hope is born,
To us a Son is giv’n,
And on His shoulder ever rests
All pow’r in earth and heav’n,
All pow’r in earth and heav’n.
His name shall be the Prince of Peace,
The Everlasting Lord,
The Wonderful, the Counselor.
The God by all adored,
The God by all adored.
His righteous government and pow’r
Shall over all extend;
On judgment and on justice based,
His reign shall have no end,
His reign shall have no end.
Lord Jesus, reign in us, we pray,
And make us Thine alone,
Who with the Father ever art
And Holy Spirit, one,
And Holy Spirit, one.

Time Out, Episode 46

Dan — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 17:15:41 +0000

Text: Isaiah 60:1-7. Hymn: 343 from The Lutheran Hymnal.

Words and melody can be found in the supplement.

Many people do not find the name Phillipp Nicolai familiar yet recognize this tune.

I can understand why some of the text was updated: men generally do not like to admit their hearts are pining for a Bridegroom. The reference isn’t made to us personally but to the church, which is the bride in Ephesians 5:25-27.

Happy New Year!

Supplement for Episode 46

Dan — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 10:00:36 +0000

New Year’s Eve is going to bring Epiphany technically one week early for us, to give us one more good Epiphany hymn without making another Bonus Edition. The public domain hymns in the “New Year” section aren’t that good, either.

LSB 395, “O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright,” has text and setting under copyright, so we are going with Hymn 343 from The Lutheran Hymnal, “How Lovely Shines the Morning Star.” Kantor Beethe has once again made available a PDF with words and melody.

TLH 343 – Melody

Time Out, Christmas Bonus Edition

Dan — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 10:00:00 +0000

Hymns:
LSB 360, All My Heart Again Rejoices;
TLH 92 (words on LSB 386), Now Sing We, Now Rejoice;
LSB 363, Silent Night, Holy Night.

Again, too many good Christmas hymns out there, even just in public domain.

If you are following along in the Lutheran Service Book, there is a one-note rhythm change in the second line and a difference in the key, but the text is still usable.

The third hymn starts out with the first verse in German, then all three verses in English.

We are thankful for the feedback from the podcast and are glad you’ve made it part of your routine. Merry Christmas.

All My Heart Again Rejoices

All my heart again rejoices
As I hear Far and near
Sweetest angel voices.
“Christ is born,” their choirs are singing
Till the air Everywhere
Now with joy is ringing.
Hear the Conqueror has spoken,
Now the foe, Sin and woe,
Death and hell are broken.
God is man, man to deliver;
And the Son Now is one
With our blood forever.
Should we fear our God’s displeasure,
Who, to save, Freely gave
His most precious Treasure?
To redeem us He has given
His own Son From the throne
Of His might in heaven.
See the Lamb, our sin once taking
To the cross, Suff’ring loss,
Full atonement making.
For our life His own He tenders,
And His grace All our race
Fit for glory renders.
Softly from His lowly manger
Jesus calls One and all,
“You are safe from danger.
Children, from the sins that grieve you
You are freed; All you need
I will surely give you.”
Come, then, banish all your sadness,
One and all, Great and small;
Come with songs of gladness.
We shall live with Him forever
There on high, In that joy
Which can vanish never.

Now Sing We, Now Rejoice

Now sing we, now rejoice,
Now raise to heaven our voice;
He from whom joy streameth
Poor in a manger lies;
Not so brightly beameth
The sun in yonder skies.
Thou my Savior art!
Thou my Savior art!
Come from on high to me;
I cannot rise to Thee
Cheer my wearied spirit,
O pure and holy Child;
Through Thy grace and merit,
Blest Jesus, Lord most mild,
Draw me unto Thee!
Draw me unto Thee!
Now through His Son doth shine
The Father’s grace divine.
Death o’er us had reigned
Through sin and vanity;
He for us obtained
Eternal joy on high.
May we praise Him there!
May we praise Him there!
Oh, where shall joy be found?
Where but on heavenly ground?
Where the angels singing
With all His saints unite,
Sweetest praises bringing
In heavenly joy and light.
Oh, that we were there!
Oh, that we were there!

Silent Night, Holy Night

Stille Nacht, heilege Nacht!
Alles schläft, einsam wacht
Nur das traute, hochheilege Paar.
Holder Knabe im lockigen Haar,
Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh,
Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh.

Silent night! Holy night!
All is calm, all is bright,
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child.
Holy Infant, so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.
Silent night! Holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight;
Glories stream from heaven afar,
Heavenly hosts sing, Alleluia.
Christ, the Savior, is born!
Christ, the Savior, is born!
Silent night! Holy night!
Son of God, love’s pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face,
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth.
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth.

Time Out, Episode 45

Dan — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 17:15:42 +0000

Text: Luke 2:1-21. Hymn: 359, Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming.

It’s Christmas Eve. Gotta read Luke 2, especially if your highly anticipated viewing of “A Charlie Brown Christmas” got bumped. I like the first two verses of the passage, because it’s a reminder that we are dealing with real history. This isn’t a vision that some guy got in a cave.

Merry Christmas, Time Out listeners!

Lo, how a rose e’er blooming
From tender stem hath sprung!
Of Jesse’s lineage coming
As prophets long have sung, (sic)
It came, a flow’ret bright,
Amid the cold of winter,
When half-spent was the night.
Isaiah ’twas foretold it,
The rose I have in mind;
With Mary we behold it,
The virgin mother kind.
To show God’s love aright,
She bore to us a Savior,
When half-spent was the night.
This flow’r, whose fragrance tender
With sweetness fills the air,
Dispels with glorious splendor
The darkness ev’rywhere.
True man, yet very God,
From sin and death He saves us
And lightens every load.
O Savior, child of Mary,
Who felt our human woe;
O Savior, King of glory,
Who doest our weakness know:
Bring us at length we pray
To the bright courts of heaven,
And to the endless day.

Time Out, 7th O Antiphon: O Emmanuel

Dan — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 10:00:24 +0000

O Emmanuel

O Emmanuel, our king and our Lord, the anointed for the nations and their Savior:

Come and save us, O Lord our God.

Text from LSB 357, “O” Antiphons.

Psalm tone from the Brotherhood Prayer Book, published by Emmanuel Press. Used with permission.

Time Out, 6th O Antiphon: O King of the Nations

Dan — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 10:00:04 +0000

O King of the nations

O King of the nations, the ruler they long for, the cornerstone uniting all people:

Come and save us all, whom you formed out of clay.

Text from LSB 357, “O” Antiphons.

Psalm tone from the Brotherhood Prayer Book, published by Emmanuel Press. Used with permission.

Time Out, 5th O Antiphon: O Dayspring

Dan — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 10:00:58 +0000

O Dayspring

O Dayspring, splendor of light everlasting:

Come and enlighten those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.

Text from LSB 357, “O” Antiphons.

Psalm tone from the Brotherhood Prayer Book, published by Emmanuel Press. Used with permission.

Time Out, 4th O Antiphon: O Key of David

Dan — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 10:00:02 +0000

O Key of David

O Key of David and scepter of the house of Israel, You open and no one can close, You close and no one can open:

Come and rescue the prisoners who are in darkness and the shadow of death.

Text from LSB 357, “O” Antiphons.

Psalm tone from the Brotherhood Prayer Book, published by Emmanuel Press. Used with permission.

Time Out, 3rd O Antiphon: O Root of Jesse

Dan — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 10:00:05 +0000

O Root of Jesse

O Root of Jesse, standing as an ensign before the peoples, before whom all kings are mute, to whom the nations will do homage:

Come quickly to deliver us.

Text from LSB 357, “O” Antiphons.

Psalm tone from the Brotherhood Prayer Book, published by Emmanuel Press. Used with permission.

Time Out, 2nd O Antiphon: O Adonai

Dan — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 10:00:42 +0000

The “O” Antiphons have been sung or recited at Vespers services since at latest the sixth century. The text of the antiphons is drawn from the book of Isaiah, and each title of an antiphon is a title for the Messiah. There is a separate O Antiphon for each of the seven days prior to Christmas Eve Day.

Kantor Beethe, Time Out’s regular accompanist and director of parish music at Grace Lutheran Church in Little Rock, AR, will chant each of these. The words come from the “O” Antiphons listed at the end of LSB Hymn 357, and the psalm tone comes from the Brotherhood Prayer Book, published by Emmanuel Press. Psalm tone used with permission.

The first “O” Antiphon, O Wisdom, was included in the previous edition of Time Out.

O Adonai

O Adonai and ruler of the house of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the burning bush and gave him the Law on Sinai:

Come with an outstretched arm and redeem us.

Time Out, Episode 44

Dan — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:15:03 +0000

Text: Philippians 2. Hymn: 357, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.

Instead of a collect separating the Bible passage from the hymn, Kantor Beethe sings the first of the “O” Antiphons, O Wisdom. The text is from the LSB, included with Hymn 357, but the psalm tone is from the Brotherhood Prayer Book, published by Emmanuel Press. Psalm tone used with permission.

The other “O” Antiphons will appear here over the next six days.

O Wisdom

O Wisdom, proceeding from the mouth of the Most High, pervading and permeating all creation, mightily ordering all things:

Come and teach us the way of prudence.

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel!

O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
Who ord’rest all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And teach us in her ways to go.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,
Who to thy tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times didst give the law,
In cloud and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

O come, Thou Branch of Jesse’s tree,
Free them from Satan’s tyranny
That trust Thy mighty pow’r to save,
And give them vict’ry o’er the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel!

O come, Thou Key of David, come
And open wide our heav’nly home:
Make safe the way that leads on high
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel!

O come, Thou Dayspring from on high,
And cheer us by Thy drawing nigh;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel!

O come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,
And be Thyself our King of Peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Time Out, Episode 43

Dan — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 17:15:27 +0000

Text: Hebrews 11. Hymn: 344, On Jordan’s Bank, the Baptist’s Cry.

Hebrews 11 is a long chapter but worth it. All these wonderful deeds in the Old Testament happened by faith, yet those who have faith don’t necessarily have a victorious life. There is no promise of a “best life now.”

344 is simple and pretty, and one is tempted to belt out the last three notes of the first phrase.

On Jordan’s bank the Baptist’s cry
Announces that the Lord is nigh;
Awake and hearken, for he brings
Glad tidings of the King of kings!

Then cleansed by every life from sin;
Make straight the way for God within,
And let us all our hearts prepare
For Christ to come and enter there.

We hail Thee as our Savior, Lord,
Our refuge and our great reward;
Without Thy grace we waste away
Like flow’rs that wither and decay.

Lay on the sick Thy healing hand
And make the fallen strong to stand;
Show us the glory of Thy face
Till beauty springs in ev-’ry place.

All praise, eternal Son, to Thee
Whose advent sets Thy people free,
Whom with the Father we adore
And Holy Spirit evermore.

Time Out, Advent Bonus Edition

Dan — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 21:13:37 +0000

Hymns: 341, Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates;
345, Hark! A Thrilling Voice Is Sounding;
347, Comfort, Comfort Ye My People.

There are just too many good Advent hymns out there for four weeks of Time Out, so we did three more.

Kudos to the LSB (and LW?) committee for cleaning up pietistic language and using promise language: for example, changing “He may shield us” in 345 to “He will shield us.” I have to be honest, some of the TLH lyrics made me cringe.

341, Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates

Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates!
Behold, the King of Glory waits;
The King of kings is drawing near,
The Savior of the world is here.
Life and salvation He doth bring,
Wherefore rejoice and gladly sing:
To God the Father raise
Your joyful songs of praise.
A righteous Helper comes to thee,
His chariot is humility,
His kingly crown is holiness,
His scepter, pity in distress,
The end of all our woe He brings;
Therefore the earth is glad and sings:
To Christ the Savior raise
Your grateful hymns of praise.
How blest the land, the city blest,
Where Christ the ruler is confessed!
O peaceful hearts and happy homes
To whom this King in triumph comes!
The cloudless Sun of joy is He,
Who comes to set His people free.
To God the Spirit raise
Your happy shouts of praise.
Fling wide the portals of your heart;
Make it a temple set apart
From earthly use for Heav’n's employ,
Adorned with prayer and love and joy.
So shall your Sov’reign enter in
And new and nobler life begin.
To God alone be praise
For word and deed and grace!
Redeemer, come and open wide
My heart to Thee; here, Lord, abide!
O enter with Thy grace divine;
Thy face of mercy on me shine.
Thy Holy Spirit guide us on
Until our glorious goal is won.
Eternal praise and fame
We offer to Thy name.

345, Hark! a Thrilling Voice is Sounding

Hark, a thrilling voice is sounding!
“Christ is nigh!” we hear it say;
“Cast away the works of darkness,
All you children of the day!”
Startled at the solemn warning,
Let the earth-bound soul arise;
Christ, her Sun, all sloth dispelling,
Shines upon the morning skies.
See, the Lamb, so long expected,
Comes with pardon down from heaven.
Let us haste, with tears of sorrow,
One and all, to be forgiven.
So, when next He comes in glory
And the world is wrapped in fear,
He will shield us with His mercy
And with words of love draw near.
Honor, glory, might, dominion,
To the Father and the Son,
With the everlasting Spirit,
While eternal ages run!

347, Comfort, Comfort Ye My People

Comfort, comfort, ye My people,
Speak ye peace, thus saith our God;
“Comfort those who sit in darkness,
Mourning ‘neath their sorrows’ load.
Speak ye to Jerusalem
Of the peace that waits for them;
Tell her that her sins I cover
And her warfare now is over.”
Yea, her sins our God will pardon,
Blotting out each dark misdeed;
All that well deserved His anger
He no more will see or heed.
She hath suffered many a day,
Now her griefs have passed away;
God will change her pining sadness
Into ever-springing gladness.
Hark, the herald’s voice is crying
In the desert far and near,
Calling sinners to repentance
Since the Kingdom now is here.
Oh, that warning cry obey!
Now prepare for God a way;
Let the valleys rise to meet Him
And the hills bow down to greet Him.
Make ye straight what long was crooked,
Make the rougher places plain;
Let your hearts be true and humble,
As befits His holy reign.
For the glory of the Lord
Now o’er earth is shed abroad,
And all flesh shall see the token
That His Word is never broken.

Time Out, Episode 42

Dan — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:15:02 +0000

Text: John 5:19-47. Hymn: 336, Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending.

I had read somewhere that some Alleluias were suppressed during the Advent season like during Lent, but nobody told Charles Wesley.

This portion of John 5 isn’t typically an Advent text, but note how Jesus keeps saying he does nothing of his own. That puts a nice spin on the upcoming incarnation. Christ is completely obedient, keeping all of the Father’s demands in our stead.

John 5 is also a nice place to note how all the scriptures are about Jesus. The Scriptures are all read through the atonement of the Son of God. All of the miracles and things we debate today, e.g. creation, the flood, the sun standing still in Joshua, not to mention the resurrection itself, all point to a God who sees our sin and suffering and seeks to bring us back to life with Him without compromising His own holiness.

He comes with clouds descending, for a second time.

Lo! he comes, with clouds descending,
Once for our salvation slain;
Thousand thousand saints attending
Swell the triumph of his train:
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Christ the Lord returns to reign.

Every eye shall now behold him,
Robed in dreadful majesty;
Those who set at nought and sold him,
Pierced, and nailed him to the tree,
Deeply wailing, deeply wailing, deeply wailing,
Shall their true Messiah see.

Those dear tokens of his passion
Still his dazzling body bears,
Cause of endless exultation
To his ransomed worshipers;
With what rapture, with what rapture, with what rapture
Gaze we on those glorious scars!

Yea, amen, let all adore thee,
High on thine eternal throne;
Savior, take the power and glory;
Claim the kingdom for thine own:
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Thou shalt reign, and thou alone.

Time Out, Episode 41

Dan — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 17:15:12 +0000

Text: Psalm 139. Hymn: 609 from The Lutheran Hymnal.

Words and lyrics can be found in the supplement.

Some may wonder why Psalm 139 for this podcast. This Psalm reveals the omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence of the Lord, the Living God, who is coming again. Glorious and tremendous he comes to bring the world and its inhabitants mercifully out of sin into everlasting life. The God of the Psalms, the prophets, and the writers of the New Testament is the only one able to save and the only one who loves us enough to do it.

No vision ever brought, no ear hath ever caught, such great glory. For those who confess they are sinners, repent, and receive forgiveness, this is a very exciting time. Come, Lord Jesus.

Supplement for Episode 41

Dan — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 05:01:49 +0000

We received a request to do LSB 516, “Wake, Awake, for Night is Flying.” The setting for that hymn is under copyright, but the hymn as found in The Lutheran Hymnal is public domain. TLH 609 will be the hymn for Thursday’s episode.

If you don’t have a copy of The Lutheran Hymnal, Kantor Beethe has prepared a PDF with melody and lyrics. They are just different enough from LSB that you won’t want to use LSB for this hymn.

TLH 609 – Melody

Time Out, Episode 40

Dan — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:10:53 +0000

Text: Galatians 2. Hymn: 745, In God, My Faithful God.

A special shout out to Pr. Todd Peperkorn, who has published a book on depression and pastoral care entitled, I Trust When Dark My Road. I have yet to read the book myself, but it has garnered much attention and is likely worth your time.

Lots of good stuff in Galatians 2: Paul’s doctrinal comparison with the Christians in Jerusalem, Paul’s calling out of Peter for hypocrisy, and the beginning of the doctrine of justification by faith alone that blooms into Galatians 3.

I don’t recall singing this tune with near the frequency of most of the German hymns. It needs a comeback. It manages to be emotional and descriptive about the singer while focusing on Christ; in this way it’s like reading Johann Gerhard.

Time Out, Episode 39

Dan — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:15:46 +0000

Text: Mark 13. Hymn: 919, Abide, O Dearest Jesus.

Kantor Beethe got to pull out what sounds like vertical chimes for the introduction: beautiful.

This hymn is nice because it is truly a prayer. We are asking our God for grace, Word, blessings, and so forth. It lacks the “this is what we are doing for you” that many songs and hymns have these days.

Mark 13 refutes end-times theories such as secret rapture and anyone who thinks they know when the end of the world is coming — sorry, Mayans. It seems pretty clear that we are in the Close of the Age with wars and rumors of wars, kingdom vs. kingdom, etc. Come, Lord Jesus.

Time Out, Episode 38

Dan — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:15:07 +0000

Text: Romans 8:18-39. Hymn: 676, Behold a Host, Arrayed in White.

When I sing this one I always think of Grandma, since it was one of her favorites. Having sung both the TLH and the LSB version in recent memory, I can say that I prefer the version in TLH in E flat if you have parts. The text got a major rewrite, too. Kantor Stephen Hoffman and I performed this at the dedication of the new sanctuary for Trinity-Rock Springs.

Listening to that performance, I see we’ve made a decent improvement in recording quality.

A hymn like this reminds us that this life now is not our “best life.” We’re in the great affliction. We’re despised and scorned. Some Christians are martyred. We look toward the new heaven and earth, to the endless rejoicing at the heavenly banquet of the blest, welcome only because we are washed in the blood of the Lamb.

Time Out, Episode 37

Dan — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:15:03 +0000

Text: Psalm 46 and Revelation 19:11-21. Hymn: 656, A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.

The Battle Hymn of the Reformation, Kantor Beethe and I had seen so many good renditions of this hymn that we were reluctant to create our own. But Kantor changed his mind, so we stepped up. I think it turned out well. The two readings are among the scripture that the hymn references.

At the end of the third verse, the lyric is, “one little word can fell him (Satan).” We dropped the volume on the phrase, and I almost sing-song-taunted the line. What little word fells Satan? There’s no official answer. Some have said, “Jesus”; others have said, “Liar!” “Jesus” works, but “Liar” is great because it goes to the core of the problem of the devil. He is the deceiver. He doesn’t care if we believe in him, just that we don’t believe that Christ died to save us. The Pharisees of the New Testament time didn’t worship Satan outright, and yet they were of their father, the devil (John 8:39-47).

He’s judged. The deed is done. Amen.