09 January 2010

My Dying Day

Where else but in Christ's Church can you find a group of people singing such words about "my dying day"?

Once in the blest baptismal waters
I put on Christ and made Him mine;
Now numbered with God's sons and daughters,
I share His peace and love divine.
O God, for Jesus' sake, I pray
Your peace may bless my dying day.

His body and His blood I've taken
In His blest Supper, feast divine;
Now I shall never be forsaken,
For I am His and He is mine.
O God, for Jesus' sake, I pray
Your peace may bless my dying day.

And thus I live in God contented
And die without a thought of fear;
My soul has to God's plans consented,
For through His Son my faith is clear:
O God, for Jesus' sake, I pray
Your peace may bless my dying day.
LSB 598

6 comments:

Sean said...

my other favorite non-worldly hymn phrase is, "The death of Jesus Christ our Lord we celebrate with one accord."

William Weedon said...

Being raised in the early 70's, I also remember:

I want to celebrate my death with all my might
For I believe that Christ is changing everything,
Everything, everything, everything, everything...

Brian P Westgate said...

It should be noted that this hymn is merely stanzas 8-10 of the chorale "Who Knows when Death May Overtake Me."

William Weedon said...

Brian,

I knew SOMEONE would bring that up. But you must confess, the three stanzas retained are a super hymn - even without all the others.

Brian P Westgate said...

True, though it's kinda obvious they're an excerpt of a greater whole.

J.G.F. said...

I remember that song, Bill. I think it was in Hymns for Now I... We used to have a youth folk service whenever there was a fifth Sunday in the month at the the Church of my teenaged years-- Martin Luther Chapel, Pennsauken, NJ. I also remember, "Sons of God, hear His Holy Word", "I am the Bread of Life", "Joy is like the rain" (never could quite figure that one out!!) etc... While I am not a fan of "contemporary" music, I remember that the service retained the liturgy untouched (some of it was from the Chicago Folk Mass). I believe we sang the Apostles' Creed, too. Sorry... not to derail the thread, but you stirred some ancient memories. Or maybe it was the Ginko??