Gerhardt: Evening and Morning

Evening and morning, sunset and dawning,
Wealth, peace and gladness, comfort in sadness,
These are Thy works; all the glory be Thine!
Times without number, awake or in slumber,
Thine eye observes us, from danger preserves us,
Causing Thy mercy upon us to shine.

Father, O hear me, pardon and spare me;
Calm all my terrors, blot out my errors,
That by Thine eyes they may no more be scanned.
Order my goings, direct all my doings;
As it may please Thee retain or release me;
All I commit to Thy fatherly hand.

---

This beautiful hymn is not in The Lutheran Hymnal.

Neumark: If Thou But Suffer God To Guide Thee

Lutheran Hymn "Wer nur den lie­ben Gott lässt wal­ten" played in Reed Organ.

Words: Georg Neu­mark, 1641 (Wer nur den lie­ben Gott lässt wal­ten); first pub­lished in his Fort­ge­pflantz­er mu­sik­al­isch-po­et­isch­er Lust­wald (Je­na, Ger­ma­ny: 1657). Ca­ther­ine Wink­worth trans­lat­ed the words from Ger­man to Eng­lish in 1855, and pub­lished them in the Cho­rale Book for Eng­land, 1863.

Music: Neumark, Georg Neu­mark, 1641

The Lutheran Hymnal #518

Lyrics (Original translation):

If thou but suffer God to guide thee
And hope in Him through all thy ways,
He'll give thee strength, whate'er betide thee,
And bear thee through the evil days.
Who trust in God's unchanging love
Builds on the rock that naught can move.

What can these anxious cares avail thee
These never ceasing moans and sighs?
What can it help if thou bewail thee
O'er each dark moment as it flies?
Our cross and trials do but press
The heavier for our bitterness.

Be patient and await His leisure
In cheerful hope, with heart content
To take whatever thy Father's pleasure
And His discerning love hath sent,
Nor doubt our inmost want are known
To Him who chose us for His own.

God knows full well when time of gladness
Shall be the needful thing for thee.
When He has tried thy soul with sadness
And from all guile has found thee free,
He comes to thee all unaware
And makes thee own His loving care.

Nor think amid the fiery trial
That God hath cast thee off unheard,
That he whose hopes meet no denial
Must surely be of God preferred.
Time passes and much change doth bring
And set a bound to everything.

All are alike before the Highest:
'Tis easy for our God, We know,
To raise thee up, though low thou liest,
To make the rich man poor and low.
True wonders still by Him are wrought
Who setteth up and brings to naught.

Sing, pray, and keep His ways unswerving,
Perform thy duties faithfully,
And trust His Word: though undeserving,
Thou yet shalt find it true for thee.
God never yet forsook in need
The soul that trusted Him indeed.

Luther: Flung to the Heedless Winds

From Martin Luther: Hymns, Ballads, Chants, Truth page 8-13:

“On July 1, 1523, the infant Reformation saw executed in the Brussels market place Heinrich Voes and Johann Esch, two Belgian Augustinian monks and followers of Luther. Since wandering minstrels and their ballads served as the mass media of the day, Luther wrote this first hymn of the Reformation as a ballad recounting the martyrdom of these witnesses. First appearing in 1523 in broadsheet for, it, along with Luther’s tune, was published in Johann Walter’s 1524 Wittenberg hymnal.



Tr. F. Samuel Janzow, 1913 – 2001

Setting by Carl Schalk

Publisher – Concordia Publishing House (1982)



1. A new song now shall be begun,

Lord, help us raise the banner

Of praise for all that God has done,

For which we give Him honor.

At Brussels in the Netherlands

God proved Himself most truthful

And poured His gifts from open hands

On two lads, martyrs youthful

Through who He showed His power



2. One was named John, a name to show

He stood in God’s high favor.

His brother Henry, well we know,

Was salt of truest savor.

This world they now have left behind

And wear bright crowns of glory.

These sons of God had fixed the mind

Upon the Gospel story,

For which they died as martyrs.



3. From where the Foe in ambush lay,

He sent to have them taken

To force them God’s Word to betray

And make their faith be shaken.

Louvain sent clever men, who came

In twisting nets to break them.

Hard played they at their crooked game,

But from faith could not shake them.

God make their tricks look foolish.



4. Oh, they sang sweet, and they sang sour,

They tried all their devices.

The youths stood firmly like a tow’r

And overcame each crisis.

In filled the Foe with raging hate

To know himself defeated

By these two lads, and he so great.

His rage flared high, and heated

His plan to see them burning.



5. Their cloister-garments off they tore,

Took off their consecrations;

All this the youths were ready for,

They said Amen with patience.

They gave to God the Father thanks

That He would them deliver

From Satan’s scoffing and the pranks

That make men quake and shiver

When he comes masked and raging.



6. The God they worshipped granted them

A priesthood in Christ’s order.

They offered up themselves to Him

And crossed His kingdom’s border

By dying to the world outright,

With ev’ry falsehood breaking.

They came to heaven pure and white;

All monkery forsaking,

They turned away from evil.



7. A paper given them to sign –

And carefully they read it –

Spelled out their faith in ev’ry line

As they confessed and said it.

Their greatest fault was to be wise

And say, “We trust God solely,

For human wisdom is all lies,

We should distrust it wholly.”

This brought them to the burning.



8. Then two great fires were set alight,

While men amazed did ponder

The sight of youths who showed no fright;

Their calm filled men with wonder.

They stepped into the flames with song,

God’s grace and glory praising.

The logic choppers puzzled long

But found these new thing dazing

Which God was here displaying.



9. They now regret their deed of shame,

Would like to slough it over;

They dare not glory in their blame,

But put it under cover.

They feel their gnawing infamy,

Their friends hear them deplore it.

God’s spirit cannot silent be,

But on Cain’s guilty forehead

He marks the blood of Abel.



10. The ashes of the lads remain

And scatter to all places.

They rise from roadway, street, and lane

To mark the guilty faces.

The Foe had used a bloody had

To keep these voices quiet,

But they resist in ev’ry land

The Foe’s rage and defy it.

The ashes go on singing.



11. And yet men still keep up their lies

To justify the killing;

The Foe with falsehood ever tries

To give to guilt clean billing.

Since these young martyrs’ holy death

Men still continue trying

To say, the youths with their last breath

Renounced their faith when dying

And finally recanted.



12. Let men heap falsehoods all around,

Their sure defeat is spawning.

We thank our God the Word is found,

We stand it its bright dawning.

Our summer now is at the door,

The winter’s frost has ended,

Soft bud the flowers more and more,

By our dear Gard’ner tended

Until He reaps His harvest.”

---

"Flung to the Heedless Winds"

by Martin Luther, 1483-1546

1. Flung to the heedless winds
Or on the waters cast,
The martyrs' ashes, watched,
Shall gathered be at last.
And from that scattered dust,
Around us and abroad,
Shall spring a plenteous seed
Of witnesses for God.

2. The Father hath received
Their latest living breath,
And vain is Satan's boast
Of victory in their death.
Still, still, though dead, they speak,
And, trumpet-tongued, proclaim
To many a wakening land
The one availing Name.

Hymn 259
The Lutheran Hymnal
Text: Acts 7: 59
Author: Martin Luther, 1523 st. 9
Translated by: John A. Messenger, 1843
Titled: "Ein neues Lied wir heben an"
Tune: "Denby"
Composer: Charles J. Dale, 1904

Stetzer on Ice: Comments from Bailing Water

WELS is getting embarrassing.

Bailing Water:

Anonymous said...
I have never posted on here but have watched this blog for the last year. I am amazed at several things. First of all, It is frightening how sublte (sic) the Church and Change movement has been. Now it seems that the fight is on again. The Change movement hires a Baptist speaker again. The COP closes its eyes and turns its head. The mission churches in our synod continue follow the rock and roll trends and hide communion. They were told not to drop the name Lutheran yet they hide their Lutheran affiliation.

I have decided that I have not left my synod, my synod has left me. I will no longer support the mission efforts of the WELS. My own WELS pastor is confessionally sound and yikes we even have weekly communion. He has told me he doesn't get involved in the larger synodical politics.

It is amazing that so many of you on both sides are mean-spirited. You scream that this blog needs to be shut down yet you return. Where else do welsers go for frontline synodical information? [GJ - Um, Ichabod.]

Those on the other side. How many of you have talked to your pastor about Ed Stetzer and our Rock and Roll churches?

That is my little rant!

November 16, 2008 7:16 AM

Anonymous said...
Yes, I have spoken extensively to my pastor about Ed Stetzer and the Rock n Roll mission start-ups. He has spoken to the District President. We await action from President Mark Schroeder and the COP. I let it be known that if Ed Stetzer does speak at the conference, I will be severing from WELS.

November 17, 2008 10:52 PM

CCM Hymns Wanted for the Blog: Classical Christian Hymns

Blog follower Joseph Schmidt got me started with video hymns, with some prodding from Norm Teigen's example.

Finding a good rendition of a video hymn is rather time-consuming. I would like to post more hymn videos. If you know of some, send me the links. Joseph Schmidt has a number I will copy from his web page.

Here are some parameters:

1. I want Lutheran hymns above all, hymns by the great Lutheran hymn authors, such as Luther, Gerhardt, Melanchthon, Jacobs, Loy, Nicolai.
2. I like having the words scroll with the video, but I can also paste them from The Lutheran Hymnal.
3. I would also like the great classical Christian hymns, such as "For All the Saints," which got rave reviews already. Heber's "Holy, Holy, Holy" is another great one.

I will feature them in the upper left with links. Mrs. Ichabod and I sing "Lobet den Herren" each day, once or twice, in German.

Church and Change leaders are welcome to copy the embed code and paste the code on their websites.

I get to attend college graduations. Each time a senior sings "The Star-Spangled Banner." Just once I would like to hear the original music of the National Anthem, instead of the honky-tonk, scooped note, scatting, all over the scale showboating I am forced to endure. And that is what I think about updating the hymns with rock versions, to boost attendance.

The Word of God is efficacious in those hymns which are faithful to the Scriptures. The great hymns do not need Rock-N-Roll steroidal boosts.

You Read It First on Ichabod

They may have graduated from your nursing home!

I used to kid about Martin Luther College being turned into an old age home and live bait shop.

The live bait shop is not included in the motion, but I was clearly prophetic:

ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE
1] A.03 MLC/THLA Joint Senior Housing Project 1
Motion made and carried that while the SC acknowledges and appreciates the efforts to think creatively, we are not convinced that the construction and operation of a Joint Senior Housing facility clearly fits with the mission of MLC.

WELS Budget Figures (Preliminary Only)

MINISTERIAL EDUCATION
ME Budget for FY 2009-2010 is estimated at $32,535,735. Subsidy request from the synod for FY 2009-2010 would be $13,584,852 (+20.2%)

MLC - $17,596,795 (691 enrollment)
LPS - $ 6,345,490 (320 enrollment)
MLS - $ 4,349,400 (193 enrollment)
WLS - $ 4,244,050 (122 enrollment)

WORLD MISSIONS
World Missions Budget for FY 2009-2010 is estimated at $12,043,800 (+9.1%)

HOME MISSIONS
Home Missions Budget for FY 2009-2010 is estimated at $11,827,454 (+25.3%)

PARISH SERVICES
Parish Services Budget for FY 2009-2010 is estimated at $4,443,900 (+18.5%)
[GJ - Big savings - install links to Fuller, Willow Creek, and Leonard Sweet on the WELS.net page - elminate Perish Services altogether.]

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
Administrative Services Budget for FY 2009-2010 is estimated at $4,378,424 (+25.4%)
Support Services Budget for FY 2009-2010 is estimated at $2,585,023 (-7.4%)
Mission Advancement* Budget for FY 2009-2010 is estimated at $4,833,373 (+11.6%)

* Mission Advancement includes Ministry of Christian Giving ($2,398,884), Communication Services ($759,200) , and Technology ($1,675,289)
[GJ - Big savings - Hire a prep school kid with green skin and patchy hair. Trade him video games and a game computer for work.]

C.E.O. Ministries - Another WELS Church and Change Black Hole

Brian Lampe posing with the Church and Change banner.

The usual suspects - Jeske, Ski, Church and Change.

C.E.O. Ministries

---

Brian Arthur Lampe, CEO of CEO


"Brian Arthur Lampe delivers a one-two punch to the devil and his schemes with his high powered, enthusiastic, energetic life-applying Biblical motivational speaking. We are on a quest for authentic God. By including Brian Arthur Lampe, you will have more than just a rally or a Bible study. You and your congregation will be providing men, women, and youth with an encouraging process that teaches them how to live lives of authentic Christianity as modeled by Jesus Christ and directed by the Word of God." Christian Speaker Network describes Brian's denomination as Christian.


I am trying to figure out C.E.O. Ministries. Here is a promo from WELS' Church and Change (the outfit "shut down" by WELS):

Parent's Ministry - CEO
Brian and Tracy Lampe


Your baby is now a teenager, going through all of the teenage rites of passage. Between school, friends, God, and a social life, their lives seem to be a foreign country to you. The little boy or girl that once told you everything now has to be hounded to give you even a snippet of thought. Yet there are three things you should know about what is going on in your Christian teen's head that will make your relationship a little better…
Click the link to find out!

CEO also has programs for:
Men's Ministry
Students Ministry
Couples Ministry
Corporate Ministry
Email: Brian@CEO-Ministries.com
Website: www.ceo-ministries.com/parents.html

They are endorsed by WELS. Their March activity is linked from the WELS.net website.

It's also listed on Section Q, which is from CLR (formerly WELS Lutherans for Life).

John J. Wonders designed their former website. He describes himself as a "Clydesdale in training."

There is a link to Victory of the Lamb Lutheran Church, where women are invited to attend the Bible Babes group.

At St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Muskego:

Check Us Out;

Whether you are a committed Christian or investigating Christianity we invite you to check us out this Sunday at our student center. Doors open at 9:00am. Food and beverages are served between 9:30-10:30a.m. and Brian Arthur Lampe turns it up a notch or two for Jesus!

St. Paul's does a lot with Prayer Warriors, which is a Reformed mania. The Church and Change, Church Growth people like to emphasize prayer in a typical heretical way.

Here is a profile for Brian Arthur Lampe:

Driver
UPS
(Religious Institutions industry)

September 2006 — Present (1 year 6 months)

Owner
CEO Ministries
(Religious Institutions industry)

September 2006 — Present (1 year 6 months)

Brian Arthur Lampe’s Education
Wisconsin Lutheran
1984 — 1987

Project Airport - WELS - More Church Growth - Prepare For More Nosedives

BHM: Project Airport


Our mission counselors and cross-cultural consultant planned Project Airport to assist our District Mission Boards to better serve their missions. Part of the reason for inviting every DMB member to attend was that many new men have been elected to their position who were not present for the original training (back in the previous century) in the Barnabas Project, a very useful and helpful tool for shepherds.

The airport theme was chosen because of so many parallels between equipping, supporting, maintaining and making improvements in airline service and in our service to our missions and missionaries.

As we planned, we began to realize the benefit of bringing together in one place (actually, two places: Denver and Chicago) not just DMB members, but also all those who are or can be involved in assisting our missions, missionaries, and congregations who have the potential to start new mission ministries. So we invited District Presidents, Synodical Council (SC) district representatives, the Board for Parish Services (BPS) Administrator, Commission on Adult Discipleship (CAD), Commission on Evangelism (CoE) and WELS Kingdom Workers (WKW) to attend. We really appreciated the gracious response to our invitations. All told, our WELS VP, 6 district presidents, our BPS Administrator, 4 SC men, 5 CAD, 12 CoE, and 64 DMB members attended the workshops. It was a well-rounded group that actively participated in the breakouts and seemed to appreciate the opportunity to grow and work together for the sake of our Lord Jesus and his kingdom.

Throughout both gatherings, we were enriched and uplifted with consistently inspiring devotions from the word of our God. The analogies to airplanes and airports were many, creative, and seemed exceedingly appropriate to our church as we followed the themes of “Trusting God’s outreach promises” (Cares), “Sometimes it’s hard to get off the ground” (Westra, Gauger), “It takes a lot of people for an airplane to fly”(Hagedorn), “The value of regular maintenance” (Geiger, Fisher), and “Working with God to set missions free to fly”(Birkholz). The singing was wonderful, both with and without accompaniment.

Pastor Hagedorn kept the fast-paced conference on its rather tight schedule. Ten different presenters led the workshops. The airport/airplane analogies continued. The workshops were presented according to five consecutive categories, each one building on the previous one:
• Outreach Orientation (awareness-possibilities upon taking off)
• Outreach Orientation (development/foundation—getting plane ready to fly)
• Awareness of our Culture and Community (aware of fellow passengers)
• Partnership and Connections (co-workers needed in order to fly)
• One on One Impact Training (pilot and crew)

Awareness

MC Schulz took off with quite a list of God’s grace at work among us through the many and varied examples of new mission starts and ministries associated with home missions and NA Outreach. CAD Administrator Kehl reviewed NAO with us and then led a breakout session encouraging us to consider ways to broaden its impact. You will notice the enthusiastic responses which were posted on newsprint around the conference room.
Foundation

Cross Cultural Consultant Kehl then led us in a lively session and breakout focused on the spiritual foundations which lead individuals and churches to be outreach oriented.

Culture
MC Schulz brought us into the 21st century culture, helping us to understand our world and giving us some great questions for us to consider as we work to share the news of Jesus with those who think differently than we (possible new passengers on our plane). Hispanic Consultant Roth helped us get into the shoes of today’s immigrants with a card game that got everyone confused, and Hmong Coordinator Piepenbrink helped us realize an Asian perspective on our BHM guiding principles for cross cultural ministries.

Partnership and Connections

CoE Administrator Hintz helped us realize the value of a good ground crew as he outlined a model outreach-minded congregation. Pastors Roth and Piepenbrink outlined their services. Pastor Warnecke from WKW's touched on the many ways they are available to serve our mission fields. MC Schulz offered a look at some of the new and innovative ways in which mission ministries are starting these days. We then were broken out into small groups to consider how and where each of our districts might start new ministries. After that, Mel explained how we can get money for all this, if there’s any available.

One on One Training

With the big picture concerning “flight plans” established the previous day, Tuesday helped us focus our attention on the “crew”: our missionaries and leaders. MC Schulz and John Tappe took us on an excellent guided tour of the Barnabas program, showing us how they use its many tools to encourage and assist the men on the front lines and how there is more than enough material on its pages to help every DMB member become a more able and helpful shepherd to those they serve. It should be mentioned that the two men had recently reviewed, edited, and updated the Barnabas manual.

MC Schuppe offered some useful helps on mentoring, gleaned from his personal experience and study, and MC Huebner led us through some coaching approaches (with assistance from Mrs. Christy Geiger’s materials) which seem to be bringing blessings to many. Districts were then asked to work together to decide on which kind of approach (shepherd/mentor/coach) or combination of approaches they might use to best serve their missions/missionaries.

Where, from here?

We noticed throughout the day and a half there was little of the “in and out” traffic and sidebar conversations one sometimes witnesses at conferences as attendees sometimes seem to be wishing they were elsewhere. We give our God thanks for the high level of the quality of the presentations and devotions and the attendees’ enthusiastic participation in breakouts and small groups. The blessings of district coworkers (evangelism, CAD, DMB, etc.) learning, thinking, and planning together seemed apparent. We heard desires expressed for more of this kind of thing.

We are today making all the tools, breakout group responses, information, devotions and PowerPoint presentations from Project Airport (including the newly updated Barnabas Project) available to the BHM members on a CD.

We trust that the information was and is helpful and encouraging to all who attended. It sometimes happens that one attends this kind of workshop, is exposed to some things, but then goes home and becomes so busy again that the notebook sits on the shelf.

Our expectation is that there are those who put what they learned to good use right away when they arrived home. We need to continue to find new ways to encourage our sister churches to seek to start new mission ministries. The tools we’ve just been given are invaluable for that purpose.

We also trust that the sights of every DMB were raised. We can continue to grow as shepherds, using the Barnabas Project materials. Perhaps some are choosing or will choose a mentoring or coaching approach. We are right now looking for those with whom we could work together on pilot projects, intentionally making use of the shepherding/mentoring/coaching approach. We will figure out a way to prioritize it in our schedules so we can work alongside you (if you should so desire). Just let us know.

May God continue to bless the after-effects (jetwash?) of Project Airport!


MC’s Schulz, Schuppe, and Huebner and CCC Kehl


Close all Open All
Additional Information
Rev 2:3,4 Sometimes it's hard to get off the ground
The Twelve Foundations Of A Healthy Church
Toward a Maturing Congregation-Discussion
Outreach Orientation - Awareness
New Outreach Approaches
North American Outreach Stories
Outreach Orientation - Development
Maturing Congregation Presentation
Maturing Congregation workbook answers
Maturing Congregation workbook pages
Maturity-Assessing church health
Maturity-Assessing healthy church
Maturity-Assessing need for change
Maturity-SADMB analysis
NAO Outreach Awareness Presentation
NAO Phase Three Resources
NAO Presentation discussion
NAO Workbook pages
NAO-An Overview
New Outreach Approaches
Outreach Assessment-CP-Supplement-4
Outreach Assessment-MAP-Supplement-3
Outreach Awareness wookbook pages
Outreach in Today's Culture
Toward a Maturing Congregation-Discussion
Awareness of our Culture and Community
Guiding Principles of Cross-Cultural Ministries
Outreach in Today's Culture
Partnership and Connections
An Interview With A Neighbor
BHM Assistance
Card Game Teaching Points
Cristo Palabra de Vida flyer
Entrevista Con Un Vecino
Hispanic Culture
Immigration Summary
MC2 Guiding Principles
Model Congregational Evangelism Program-Outline
Model Congregational Evangelism Program
WELS Kingdom Workers
One on One Impact Training
Coaching Guidelines
Coaching-answer guide
Mentoring Guidelines
One Approach to Mentoring
The Barnabas Plan
Devotions and Other Materials
1 TH 3:2 The Value of Regular Maintenance
IS 40:29-31 Working with God to set missions free to fly!
IS 60:8-9 Designed to Fly with the Gospel
Rev 2:3,4 Sometimes it's hard to get off the ground
Sometimes it's hard to get off the ground
The Twelve Foundations Of A Healthy Church
The Value of Regular Maintenance
Trust in God's Outreach Promises

Church and Change Runs National WELS Conference Using Thrivent Money

Bored Member of Church and Change, Bruce Becker,
also has his hands on the purse strings of WELS via BPS.
When given the chance, he did not make his statement (bolded below) into one in harmony with the Scriptures and Confessions.
Obviously, Becker is an Enthusiast.

Forum to share ministry blessings

Filed Under: BPS, forum, leadership, Perish Services

To help WELS congregations reach more people with the gospel, the Board for Parish Services is hosting a national leadership forum. Leaders from 30 congregations across the country that have been blessed with significant growth in worship attendance over the past ten years are meeting in Milwaukee, Wis., Nov. 16-18 to discuss ministry trends, identify opportunities and challenges, and share ideas.

"This leadership forum is being held in response to the fact that worship attendance across the synod has been declining for the last 17 years," says Rev. Bruce Becker, administrator of Parish Services. "Our ultimate goal is to learn from these congregations: what they are doing and how God is blessing those efforts. And we want to share those ideas with other WELS congregations in similar ministry settings."

To prepare for this forum, Becker says each participating congregation was asked to gather feedback from its members. "We asked them, 'What factors, beyond the power of the gospel, do you believe are contributing to God's blessing of numerical growth in your congregation?' " says Becker. "We received 100 pages of responses that are encouraging and positive."

Becker says information and ideas coming out of this forum, which was funded by special gifts and a grant from Thrivent, will be reviewed for common themes and shared with synod leaders. "Although the forum is designed to be a blessing to all of our WELS congregations, I'm convinced the congregations involved will also benefit as they learn from one another about God's amazing blessings," says Becker.


------------------------------

GJ - One enraged member wrote to say the initial consultation with the Perish Assistant (Kelm's new/old call) costs $300. To come back with the full Church Growth package costs $9,000.

"I assume these guys are already getting a salary from synod, right? If they are so wise and knowledgeable, holding all the secrets to grow a church, why would a church need to pay these consultants for that information? I would think they'd be giving that advice and material out for free! What gimmick or scheme from a consultant could possibly outdo what the simple Word of God preached in truth and purity can do? The synod is facing a money crunch again but they're not alone. I'm sure most of the individual churches are struggling with their own set of bills and debts to pay. How could a parish consultant look them in the eye and ask for that kind of money, let alone sleep at night?"

How: For All the Saints

And now the entire Council of Presidents is too weak and timid to keep one false teacher, one Babtist bag of wind, from delivering another dose of toxic doctrine to the flock. In fact, the early Christian martyrs were so brave and peaceful in their deaths that the jeering Roman crowds were unnerved.

"For All the Saints Who from Their Labors Rest"
by William W. How, 1823-1897

1. For all the saints who from their labors rest,
Who Thee by faith before the world confess,
Thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest,
Alleluia! Alleluia!

2. Thou wast their Rock, their Fortress, and their Might;
Thou, Lord, their Captain in the well-fought fight;
Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true Light.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

3. Oh, may Thy soldiers, faithful, true and bold,
Fight as the saints who nobly fought of old
And win with them the victor's crown of gold.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

4. O blest communion, fellowship divine,
We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
Yet all are one in Thee, for all are Thine.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

5. And when the fight is fierce, the warfare long,
Steals on the ear the distant triumph song,
And hearts are brave again, and arms are strong.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

6. But, lo, there breaks a yet more glorious day;
The saints triumphant rise in bright array;
The King of Glory passes on His way.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

7. From earth's wide bounds, from ocean's farthest coast,
Through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,
Singing to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
Alleluia! Alleluia!

8. The golden evening brightens in the west;
Soon, soon, to faithful warriors cometh rest.
Sweet is the calm of Paradise the blest.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

Hymn #463
The Lutheran Hymnal
Text: Heb. 12:1
Author: William W. How, 1864, cento
Composer: R. Vaughan Williams, 1906, arr.
Tune: "Sine nomine"

Luther: O Lord, Loook Down From Heaven, Behold...Never Sung by Church and Change

From Martin Luther: Hymns, Ballads, Chants, Truth page 26-27:

“A paraphrase of Psalm 12, this hymn was written in 1523, the same time as many of Luther’s other psalm-hymns. It was published in the first Lutheran hymnal, Achtliederbuch, of 1524. Luther’s version of the psalm reflects much of his own experience in the early days of the Reformation. Though several different tunes were used for this text with various levels of success, the present tune dates from 1524 and is possibly by Luther himself."




1. O Lord, look down from heav’n, behold and let Thy pity waken;

How few are we within Thy fold, Thy saints by men forsaken!

True faith seems quenched on ev’ry hand, men suffer not Thy Word to stand;

Dark times have us o’er take.



2. With fraud which they themselves invent Thy truth they have confounded;

Their hearts are not with one consent on Thy pure doctrine grounded.

While they parade with outward show, they lead the people to and fro.

In error’s maze astounded.



3. May God root out all heresy and of false teachers rid us

Who proudly say: “Now, where is he that shall our speech forbid us?

By right or might we shall prevail; what we determine cannot fail;

We own no lord and master.”



4. Therefore saith God, “I must arise, the poor My help are needing;

To Me ascend My people’s cries, and I have heard their pleading.

For them My saving Word shall fight and fearlessly and sharply smite.

The poor with might defending.”



5. As silver tried by fire is pure from all adulteration,

So through God’s Word shall men endure each trial and temptation.

Its light beams brighter through the cross, and, purified from human dross,

It shines through ev’ry nation.



6. Defend Thy truth, O God, and stay this evil generation;

And from the error of its way keep Thine own congregation.

The wicked ev’rywhere abound and would Thy little flock confound;

But Thou art our Salvation.