What: For special services, such as Christmas, many congregations enjoy singing the words of the liturgy to familiar tunes associated with the particular holiday. This year, I made one up myself, for the Agnus Dei. I based the text on a translation of the German Agnus Dei hymn found in the ELHal of 1880, which reads "Lamb of God, most holy...," altho the words could just have easily followed the Jacobi translation, reading "Lamb of God, our Savior...." While the final line has odd accents if sung to the Praetorius setting, it is taken from the refrain for "A Great and Mighty Wonder," LSB 383.
Who: me? Couldn't be. Then who?
Tune: The tune is "Lo, How a Rose," LSB 359. It's three repetitions (well, two plus the first) wed perfectly with the three-fold address, "Lamb of God." And the left hand in Praetorius' setting paints an appropriate picture for "away."
O Lamb of God most holy,
Have mercy upon us!
O Lamb of God most holy,
Have mercy upon us
And take our sin away!
O Lamb of God most holy,
Grant peace to all the earth!
Traditional, adapt. MDS
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