Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Lord Christ, Our Heavenly Guide

What: This is a somewhat standard evening hymn.
Who: Back in the early 1800's, David Henkel was a confessional Lutheran in America before it was cool. Long story short, he read the Book of Concord, shared it with everyone he could, and eventually started the Evangelical Lutheran Tennessee Synod. Among the stuff he wrote (before he died way too young) was his translation of Luther's Small Catechism, to which he added a few hymns.
Changes: I changed a couple things to better align the stress with the text.
Tune: The meter is SM, and I think FRANCONIA, LSB 410 works well.

Lord Christ, our heav'nly guide,
We pray Thee with us stay;
Do not Thy scepter from us hide,
Lest we should go astray.

The eventide is come;
Guide us along the road
That leads to our eternal home,
Up to the throne of God.

In these last evil days
Let not Thy Word divine
Withdraw its holy lucid rays,
But in us brilliant shine.

Pure, to the end, O Lord,
May we always preserve
Thy holy sacraments and Word,
And them with care observe.

That we in quiet rest,
Our future days may spend.
May we with godliness be blest,
Our lives in peace to end.

'Till we Thy throne surround
In heav'n with shining throngs,
Thy praise from golden harps shall sound,
In sweet harmonious songs.
David Henkel, alt.

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