Reading Sunday's sermon text and hymn notes in advance can enrich one's worship experience. For your convenience, that information is provided here on a weekly basis.

SERMON TEXT

Isaiah 40

HYMNS

All Praise to God Who Reigns Above

Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead us

Come, Ye Disconsolate (choir anthem)

Shepherd of Souls (invitation to The Lord's Supper)

Praise Him! Praise Him!

HYMN NOTES: HOW THE HYMNS SUPPORT THE SERMON TEXT

All Praise to God Who Reigns Above:  Comfort is the overarching theme of today’s sermon, and this mid-17th century German hymn is bathed in references to the comfort that comes from God. Look for these as you sing. To get you started, here are a few: “with healing balm my soul he fills”, “his watchful eye ne’er sleepeth”, “The Lord forsaketh not his flock … he is their refuge and their rock.” The last example points directly to vs. 11. Elsewhere, the most direct connections are to verses 11 and 26-31 of the sermon text. The hymn also weaves a thread into the layers of prophecy found in Isaiah 40:1-55:13. In the words of an ESV Study Bible editor, the prophecies not only predict “Israel’s immediate deliverance from Babylon” but also the “coming of the suffering Christ to redeem them, and Israel’s final salvation in the last days.”

Considering the joyous tone of the lyrics and the effect of God’s ever-present comfort upon the believer, it is worth noting that the literal translation of the hymn’s tune name — Mit Freuden Zart — is “with tender joy.”

Written by Johann J. Schütz in 1675, the hymn is one of many fine German hymns to have been born out of the Pietistic Movement. This movement was a response to the loss of fervor that grew among the faithful some years after the German Reformation (1517-1555) and the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648). Kenneth Osbeck wrote that “Germany, the [primary] battleground of this conflict between warring Catholic and Protestant forces from various countries throughout Europe, was reduced to a state of misery that baffles description. The German population dwindled from 16 million to 6 million. Out of this terrible epoch, however, were wrung some of the noblest expressions of praise in all hymnody.” You may recall that Now thank we all our God was written in the midst of the tragedy its author witnessed during this war. The Pietistic Movement was a kind of missionary effort to restore a sense of zeal for the Gospel. It emphasized repentance, personal piety, and discipleship, and was introduced mainly via small prayer and study groups.

Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us:  The threads of this hymn tie most directly to vs. 11 of the sermon text, but also gently reference redemption in Christ (“grace to cleanse and pow’r to free”, “Lord and only Savior”). The tie to redemption, as noted above, is present here, too. 

The hymn is a prayer of assurance in our Shepherd’s promise to care for and guide us. One commentator described it as “a prayer that stems from our faith” rather than one “that asserts our faith. We ask not in doubt, but in faith. Every verse of the hymn contains a promise we have from God and a prayer we make because of that promise.” Because of faith in those promises, the believer can find comfort in them and in their Giver.

There is some contention as to this 1836 hymn’s authorship; our hymnal attributes it to Dorothy Thrupp. There is full consensus that it was written as a children’s hymn. 

Come, Ye Disconsolate:  This gentle hymn of solace speaks to both the theme of comfort that runs through the sermon text and to the Lord’s Supper, which we will celebrate today. The first two stanzas were inspired by Isaiah 40:1-2. The author’s words invite those who are burdened and sorrowful to come to the mercy seat of God. The third stanza is an invitation not only to the Lord’s Supper as observed within the walls of churches in this realm, but also to the eternal feast in the great banquet hall of heaven where all of God’s people will find solace and welcome. Notice that each stanza concludes with the declaration, “earth has no sorrow” that is beyond the power of God to remove. The text emphasizes the consolation that Christ offers to those who turn to him in faith, while the tender melody by Samuel Webbe underscores this message of comfort.

The original text was written by Irishman Thomas Moore for his collection, Sacred Songs (1816). Fifteen years later, Connecticut-born musician Thomas Hastings took Moore's poem and edited it, replacing Moore’s third stanza with one of his own. This text was published by Hastings in Spiritual Songs for Social Worship (1831) and soon became the standard.

Shepherd of Souls, Refresh and Bless:  The threads that tie this hymn into the service are two-fold. First, it calls to mind vv. 10-11 of the sermon text and, second, it serves as an invitation to the Lord’s table. This widely used Eucharistic hymn was published in 1832 in the Collection of Hymns for the Use of the Protestant Church of the United Brethren. The first three stanzas are of unknown origin, while stanzas 4 and 5 were composed by James Montgomery. As a Eucharistic hymn, it uses imagery from Exodus (manna and water from the rock) to describe spiritual nourishment. In its focus on Christ as the shepherd feeding his “pilgrim flock,” it recalls Is. 40:10-11. In stanzas 4 and 5, it connects this to both the Last Supper and the road to Emmaus.

All the Way My Savior Leads Me: This hymn by Fanny Crosby offers assurance as we prepare to go back out into the mission field. Its text also provides one last burst of encouragement as to God’s “divinest comfort” (st. 1), and a reminder of the “living bread” that nourishes us (st. 2). Crosby wrote this after the provision of rent money when she was unable to pay herself. One evening, a stranger showed up on her doorstep, pressed a ten-dollar bill into her hand, and disappeared without saying a word. It was precisely the amount she needed. “I have no way of accounting for this,” she wrote, “except to believe that God, in answer to my prayer, put it into the heart of this good man to bring the money.” My first thought was, “It is so wonderful the way the Lord leads me.”

This week's prelude is a setting of Martin Luther’s hymn, Lord, keep us steadfast in your Word. Its themes of repentance, spiritual warfare, and reliance on Christ's power make it suitable for the Lenten season. It is used today as a nod to the start of that season. The first stanza reads, “Lord, keep us steadfast in your Word; curb those who by deceit or sword would seek to overthrow your Son and to destroy what he has done.”