Above:  Augustus Nelson

Image Source = The Escanaba Daily Press, Escanaba, Michigan, June 27, 1924, Page 4

Accessed via newspapers.com

Hymn Source = The Hymnal and Order of Service (1925), The Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod

Original Text (1571) by Martin Mikael Schalling (1532-1608)

Swedish Text (1818) by Johann Olaf Wallin (1779-1839)

English Translation by Augustus Nelson (1863-1949)

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O Lord, devoutly love I Thee;

Come, Jesus, and abide with me,

And grant me e’er Thy favor.

In this wide world of anxious care

Vain glory find I everywhere,

But peace with Thee, my Saviour.

E’en though, in woeful agony,

My soul and body pine away,

Thou art my Comfort, ever blest,

I safely on Thy bosom rest.

Lord Jesus Christ, my Saviour dear,

Thy saving hand is ever near.

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Almighty God, for what I own,

Receive, and am, to Thee alone

I ought my thanks to render.

Teach me to use Thy gifts, I pray,

To aid the poor, and never stay,

O Lord, Thy mercies tender.

Make known to me, O God, Thy will,

And purge my soul of every ill;

Yea, make my patient and content,

Nor let my soul to earth be bent.

Lord Jesus Christ, for Thy death’s sake

The bonds of my affliction break.

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Send, Lord, Thine angels forth at last

To bear my soul, when life is past,

Where heavenly joy aboundeth;

And let my weary body rest

In peace, where’er Thou seest best,

Until Thy voice resoundeth.

Then lo! in holy raiment clad,

I shall behold my Lord and God;

His grace and glory then shall be

My joy in all eternity,

Lord Jesus Christ, my prayer fulfill;

In life, in death, Thine am I still.

Above:  Icon of Christ Pantocrator

Scan by Kenneth Randolph Taylor

Swedish Text by Johann Olaf Wallin (1779-1839)

English Translation (1891) by Augustus Nelson (1863-1949)

Hymn Source = The Hymnal and Order of Service (1925), The Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod

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Jesus, Lord and precious Saviour,

All my comfort and my joy!

Graciously extend Thy favor,

Let Thy Word My soul employ.

Jesus, come, abide with me,

Let me ever be with Thee.

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All I do, O let me ever,

Jesus, in Thy Name, begin;

Give success to my endeavor,

Final victory therein.

Jesus, come, abide with me,

Let me ever be with Thee.

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Let my words and thoughts, O Saviour,

To Thy praise and glory tend;

Help me, Lord, that I may gather

Treasures that shall never end.

Jesus, come, abide with me,

Let me ever be with Thee.

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When my days on earth are over,

Let me enter into rest.

Bear me home, O blessed Saviour,

When to Thee it seemeth best.

Jesus, come, abide with me,

Let me ever be with Thee.

Above:  The Edicule, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem, Palestine, Between 1898 and 1946

Image Source = Library of Congress

(http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/matpc/item/mpc2004005703/pp/)

Reproduction Number = LC-DIG-matpc-05381

Original Words by Archbishop Johann Olaf Wallin (1779-1839)

English Translation by Ernst W. Olson (1870-1958)

Hymn Source = The Hymnal and Order of Service (1925), The Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod

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1. Thine agony, O Lord, is o’er,

And victory for evermore

Is ours through Thy great passion.

Earth had for Thee no peace in store

Till peace was our possession.

2. Now rest Thee, gentle Shepherd blest,

Who ‘mid this throng has found no rest,

Nor in a home abided.

The shelter life from Thee withheld

The grave alone provided.

3. O silent grave! O blest retreat,

A refuge for my Saviour meet,

No longer dark and narrow!

Like Him, I enter thee content,

Released from toil and sorrow.

4. O sleep of death, O night profound,

My Lord hath set for thee a bound:

His promise I remember.

Like Him, triumphant I shall come

From out that peaceful chamber.

Above:  Harps

Image in the Public Domain

Original Words by Archbishop Johann Olaf Wallin (1779-1839)

English Translation by Ernst W. Olson (1870-1958)

Hymn Source = The Hymnal and Order of Service (1925), The Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod

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1. Strike up, O harp and psaltery!

O Word of might, two-edged sword,

Arise and smite the nations,

That they may know and fear the Lord!

O gospel voice from heaven,

Awake the hearts of men,

That unto them be given

To turn to God again.

All ye who dwell in Zion,

Hark to your Shepherd Lord,

Who leads you to green pastures,

And feeds you with His living Word!

2. Adorn thyself to meet Him,

O Shulamite, O bride of Christ!

Go gladly forth to greet Him

When of His coming now apprised!

He for thy sin was given,

And thou art sanctified.

Behold, the Son of Heaven

Hath claimed thee for His bride!

Give Him thy heart forever,

Whose love shall never cease;

Let no affliction sever

The bonds of unity and peace!

3. O Lord, Thy Zion, thronging

Thy holy temple, o’er shall raise,

With hearts and tongues in rapture,

To Thee their solemn prayer and praise!

O let Thy Word in clearness

A daystar o’er us shine,

That we may feel Thy nearness,

And bring forth fruit divine.

Like sands from out the ocean,

So let Thy people be,

To voice our hearts’ devotion,

And praise Thee through eternity.

Above:  Part of the Hymn

Image Source = Kenneth Randolph Taylor

Original Words by Archbishop Johann Olaf Wallin (1779-1839)

English Translation by Ernst W. Olson (1870-1958)

Hymn Source = The Hymnal and Order of Service (1925), The Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod

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1. Heavenly Light, benignly beaming,

Breaketh o’er the hopeless earth.

From the Sun eternal streaming

Spring the rays of promise forth.

Light supernal, O how glorious

To our eyes is Thy advance,

Giving us to see God’s plans!

2. All unknown to worldly sages,

Who were to His glory blind,

Jesus came, O light of ages,

Day of grace to all mankind!

Truth He brought to every seeker,

Grace to every troubled breast,

Man with peace and mercy blest.

3. In a world where lusts contended,

Crimes were bred and bitterness,

Christ appeared; with Him descended

Love divine and holiness.

Hearts were filled with His pure spirit,

Love bade warring passions cease;

Earth was blest with joy and peace.

4. Blessed they who ever ready

Hear the heavenly Teacher’s Word,

They who walk with purpose steady

In the footsteps of the Lord;

Guided by His Holy Spirit,

Led by faith, and not by sight,

They shall gain the realms of light.

5. Lo, their faith and love shall conquer

Vanity and unbelief,

Shedding o’er a world of rancor

Kindly light, to solace grief.

In life’s turmoil, in death’s shadow

Anchor they their hope secure

On the Rock that shall endure.

6. Radiance of the Father’s glory,

Send Thy beams in splendor forth.

Break upon the area hoary,

Dawn of faith and peace on earth!

Let this world be as the pathway

To that heaven where shall be

Gathered they who walked with Thee.

Above:  Part of the Hymn

Image Source = Kenneth Randolph Taylor

Original Words by Archbishop Johann Olaf Wallin (1779-1839)

English Translation by Anonymous

Hymn Source = The Hymnal and Order of Service (1925), The Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod

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1. Guardian of pure hearts, and Hearer,

Lord, of every faithful prayer,

In Thy courts one day is dearer

Than a thousand days elsewhere.

Worn with earth’s unrest, how sweet

In Thy temple fair to meet!

There to sing away each sorrow

That from life and toil we borrow!

2. With the righteous oft if fareth

Here as as if deeds were ill;

Blight fair virtue’s flower impaireth,

Weeds of vice do flourish still;

Joy and fortune haste away,

Friends with friends—how short their stay!

Rachel still her children mourneth,

And her soul from comfort turneth.

3. But when here devoutly soareth

High the temple-anthem sweet,

Grief grows calm, no plaint outpoureth,

Hearts with holy rapture beat:

Free from earthly clouds, the soul

Presses toward a higher goal,

Takes from hope the comfort given,

Speaks e’en now the tongue of heaven.

4. O my soul, on wings ascending,

Thou on Salem’s mount shalt rest;

There with cherub-harps are blending

With the singing of the blest;

Let thy note of praise and prayer

To thy God precee thee there,

While e’en yet a careworn mortal,

Still without thy Father’s portal.

5. Christians, while on earth abiding,

Let us ever praise and pray,

Firmly in our God abiding,

As our fathers in their day;

Be the children’s voices raised

To the God their fathers praised.

Let His bounty failing never

Be on us and all forever.

6. Bless us, Father, and protect us,

Be our souls’ sure hiding-place,

Let Thy wisdom still direct us,

Light our darkness with Thy grace!

Let Thy countenance on us shine,

Fill us all with peace divine.

Praise the Father, Son, and Spirit,

Praise Him all that life inherit.

Above:  Part of the Hymn

Image Source = Kenneth Randolph Taylor

Original Words by Archbishop Johann Olaf Wallin (1779-1839)

English Translation by Ernst W. Olson (1870-1958) and James Moody

Hymn Source = The Hymnal and Order of Service (1925), The Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod

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1. Great joy and consolation

I find, O Christ, in Thee,

For Thou art my Salvation,

Thy passion sets me free;

Upon the cross Thy precious blood

Was sacrificed for sinners

To give me peace with God.

2. Beneath Thy cross I tarry,

O teach me in Thy death

Humbly my own to carry

Along the hallowed path

That Thou for all mankind hast trod

To purchase our salvation

And give me peace with God.

3. I see Thee serve and labor

In love to save mankind;

So may I help my neighbor

Whom needy I may find;

And though ungrateful he may prove,

O let me not grow weary

In Christlike deeds of love.

4. And when my days are ended,

And all my struggles cease,

Thine arms I see extended

To give eternal peace.

Whoever here confess Thee

Shalt Thou confess in glory

Where we shall dwell with Thee.

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This is post #1200 of GATHERED PRAYERS.

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Above:  Part of the Hymn

Image Source = Kenneth Randolph Taylor

Original Words by Archbishop Johann Olaf Wallin (1779-1839)

English Translation by Ernst W. Olson (1870-1958)

Hymn Source = The Hymnal and Order of Service (1925), The Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod

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 1. From peaceful slumber waking,

We sing, O Lord, Thy praise,

When o’er the world is breaking

Another day of grace–

A day that soon shall perish,

As yesterdays are past–

O, teach us, then, to cherish

Each moment as our last.

2. Father of light and beauty,

The light divine us send

To see and do our duty,

Lest when this day shall end

Our conscience doth accuse us

Of sin and trespass done,

And shame our face suffuses

At blush of setting sun.

3. Give God thy heart, thy labor,

Walk in thy Saviour;s grace,

And be unto thy neighbor

A present help always:

The Name of Christ we hallow

Not by our faith alone;

If we His path would follow,

His will through us be done.

4. Blest be each faithful servant,

Whene’er the Lord shall come;

The dutiful and fervent

He taketh to His home,

To share with Him in glory

What eye hath not beheld,

Nor tongue hath told in story,

Nor mortal heart hath held.

Above:  The Right Reverend Robert C. Wright, Bishop of Atlanta, at the Church of the Common Ground, Atlanta, Georgia, December 24, 2012

Image Source = Bill Monk, Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta

(https://plus.google.com/photos/114749828757741527421/albums/5825614671164395825/5825623317810231298?banner=pwa&pid=5825623317810231298&oid=114749828757741527421)

The Church of the Common Ground is a ministry of the Diocese of Atlanta to homeless people.

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Original Words by Archbishop Johann Olaf Wallin (1779-1839)

English Translation by E. A. Edlin

Hymn Source = The Hymnal and Order of Service (1925), The Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod

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1. Behold, the joyful day is nigh,

And angels’ voices from on high

Proclaim the news in early morn

That the Good Shepherd now is born.

2. In quiet splendor forth He comes,

The scattered sheep and tender lambs

To scatter, and their fold prepare

With all a shepherd’s gentle care.

3. The gentle Shepherd we behold

Who, not with silver and with gold,

But by His suffering and His death,

Will save us from eternal wrath.

4. His Church, though small its seed may be,

Shall grow into a mighty tree,

With fruitful branches spreading o’er

The earth till time shall be no more.

5. Arise and Shine, thy Light is come,

O humankind, O Christendom;

Thy glory and thy peace is here;

The Saviour of the world draws near.

6. All praise and glory be to Thee

For wisdom, power, and majesty;

And for Thy grace and mercy, Lord,

Forever be Thy name adored.

Above:  Archbishop Wallin

Image in the Public Domain

Johann (or Johan) Olaf (or Olof) Wallin (1779-1839) was a Swedish Lutheran hymn writer and a prelate.  He was, in fact, a towering figure in Swedish hymnody.

http://neatnik2009.wordpress.com/2014/01/18/feast-of-johann-olaf-wallin-june-30/

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O Bride of Christ, Rejoice:

https://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2013/12/24/o-bride-of-christ-rejoice/

We Worship Thee, Almighty Lord:

https://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2012/08/01/we-worship-thee-almighty-lord/

Behold the Joyful Day is Nigh:

https://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2013/12/24/behold-the-joyful-day-is-nigh/

Thine Agony, O Lord, is O’er:

https://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2013/12/27/thine-agony-o-lord-is-oer/

Strike Up, O Harp and Psaltery:

https://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2013/12/27/strike-up-o-harp-and-psaltery/

Heavenly Light, Benignly Beaming:

https://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2013/12/27/heavenly-light-benignly-beaming/

Guardian of Pure Hearts:

https://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2013/12/27/guardian-of-pure-hearts/

Great Joy and Consolation:

https://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2013/12/27/great-joy-and-consolation/

From Peaceful Slumber Waking:

https://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2013/12/27/from-peaceful-slumber-waking/

Jesus, Lord and Precious Saviour:

https://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2016/01/10/jesus-lord-and-precious-saviour/

O Lord, Devoutly Love I Thee:

https://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2016/02/03/o-lord-devoutly-love-i-thee/

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