Above:  St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church, Calhoun, Georgia, December 23, 2012

Image Source = Bill Monk, Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta

(https://plus.google.com/photos/114749828757741527421/albums/5825240878282493873/5825246650333287986?banner=pwa&pid=5825246650333287986&oid=114749828757741527421)

Original Danish Words by Thomas Hansen Kingo (1634-1703)

English Translation by the Reverend P. C. Paulsen (1881-1948)

Hymn Source = Hymnal for Church and Home, Third Edition (1938), of the American Evangelical Lutheran Church and the United Evangelical Lutheran Church, denominations with Danish heritage

http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/07/22/assembled-in-this-thy-house-danish-american-lutherans-1870-1962/

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1.  There came a message from the sky,

God hath the earth befriended,

His Son who dwells in heaven high,

By angel hosts attended,

Will now your flesh and blood put on

As David’s Son,

Your wretched state is ended.

2.  It first to Nazareth did come

By Gabriel expounded,

To Mary, in her humble home,

So wonderful it sounded;

O Mary, hail, thou shalt not fear,

The Lord is near,

To Thee hath grace abounded!

3.  The Holy Spirit shall to thee

His boundless power render,

Abundant shall the mercy be

From Jacob’s house be given;

He shall extend to ev’ry race

His reign of grace,

His kingdom, like a leaven.

4.  The Holy Spirit shall to thee

His boundless power render,

Abundant shall the mercy be

From Him, thy strong Defender;

This Child is therefore from above,

Whom thou shalt love

As mother kind and tender.

5.  Come, Christmas Child, and be my guest,

Give me Thy Holy Spirit,

Prepare my heart and make it blest

Forever through Thy merit,

That I at last may dwell with Thee,

Thy kingdom see,

And all its gifts inherit.

Above:  St. Columba’s Episcopal Church, Suwanee, Georgia, September 8, 2013

Image Source = Bill Monk, Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta

Original Danish Words by Thomas Hansen Kingo (1634-1703)

English Translation by the Reverend P. C. Paulsen (1881-1948)

Hymn Source = Hymnal for Church and Home, Third Edition (1938), of the American Evangelical Lutheran Church and the United Evangelical Lutheran Church, denominations with Danish heritage

http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/07/22/assembled-in-this-thy-house-danish-american-lutherans-1870-1962/

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1.  The Sun arises now

In light and glory

And gilds the rugged brow

Of mountains hoary;

Be glad, my soul, and lift

Thy voice in singing

To God from earth below,

Thy heart with joy aglow

And praises ringing.

2.  Like countless grains of sand,

Beyond all measure,

And wide the sea and land

Is Heaven’s treasure

Of grace which God anew

Each day bestoweth,

And which like pouring rain

Into my soul again

Each morning floweth.

3.  He has throughout the night

My home surrounded

With angel hosts of light

And pow’r unbounded,

So I with mine did rest

In peaceful slumber

Until from deep repose

The day again arose

From darkness somber.

4.  Keep Thou my soul today

From sin and blindness,

Surround me on my way

With loving kindness,

And fill my heart, O God,

With joy from heaven,

I then shall ask no more

Than what Thou has of yore

In wisdom given.

Above:  St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church, Dahlonega, Georgia, July 14, 2013

Image Source = Bill Monk, Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta

(https://plus.google.com/photos/114749828757741527421/albums/5900573726256533201/5900575391053106290?banner=pwa&pid=5900575391053106290&oid=114749828757741527421)

Original Danish Words by Nikolai Frederick Severin Grundtvig (1783-1872)

English Translation by the Reverend P. C. Paulsen (1881-1948)

Hymn Source = Hymnal for Church and Home, Third Edition (1938), of the American Evangelical Lutheran Church and the United Evangelical Lutheran Church, denominations with Danish heritage

http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/07/22/assembled-in-this-thy-house-danish-american-lutherans-1870-1962/

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1.  Thy blessings fill our earthly need,

Thy blessing is Thy people’s meed,

The blessing from Thy hands, O Lord,

Is wine upon Thy festal board.

2.  The blessing which God’s promise here,

Was given Abraham of yore,

But not until the Savior’s birth

Its fullness was reveal’d on earth.

3.  The blessing now, like dew and rain,

Doth fall on ev’ry land and main

And to the church of Christ is sent

Through our baptismal covenant.

4.  The blessing to His church on earth

Gives at the font to man new birth

And through the bread and cup imparts

The life of Jesus to our hearts.

5.  For blessings manifold give praise,

To heaven thankful voices raise!

God’s blessing then for evermore

Shall on His church like showers pour.

Above:  Flying Birds, August 17, 2008

Image Source = U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

(http://digitalmedia.fws.gov/cdm/singleitem/collection/natdiglib/id/12059/rec/1)

Words (1931) by the Reverend P. C. Paulsen (1881-1948)

Hymn Source = Hymnal for Church and Home, Third Edition (1938), of the American Evangelical Lutheran Church and the United Evangelical Lutheran Church, denominations with Danish heritage

http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/07/22/assembled-in-this-thy-house-danish-american-lutherans-1870-1962/

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1.  Draw me, O Lord, to Thee on high,

That I may soar with gladness

To my home above the sky,

Free from sin and sadness.

2.  Draw me, O Lord, to Thee on high,

On that eternal morrow,

When my soul shall cease to sigh

Over pain and sorrow.

3.  Draw me, O Lord, to Thee on high,

My earthly bonds to sever,

And with all Thy saints be nigh

Unto Thee forever.

4.  Draw me, O Lord, to Thee on high

To soar on snow-white pinions,

With a glad triumphant cry,

Thro’ Thy bright dominions.

Above:  Landscape with the Parable of the Sower, by Pieter Bruegel the Elder

(Image in the Public Domain)

Words (1930) by the Reverend P. C. Paulsen (1881-1948)

Hymn Source = Hymnal for Church and Home, Third Edition (1938), of the American Evangelical Lutheran Church and the United Evangelical Lutheran Church, denominations with Danish heritage

http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/07/22/assembled-in-this-thy-house-danish-american-lutherans-1870-1962/

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1.  Take my heart, O Jesus, work its stony soil,

Long I have been weary of this fruitless toil;

Ev’ry cherish’d method of my own device

And the hardest labor will no more suffice.

2.  Once I spurn’d Thee, Savior, in my self-conceit,

Now behold my spirit, broken with defeat;

Lord, I can but offer Thee a barren heart,

Take it and salvation by Thy grace impart.

3.  Let Thy Holy Spirit with the Word of God

Crush the stones to pieces, break the harden’d sod;

Let Him work it deeply ’till the soil is sound,

Till it serves Thy purpose as a fertile ground.

4.  Go then forth, O Sower, sow Thy precious seed,

Showers freely scatter, to its care give heed:

Weed out thorns and thistles, guard it ‘gainst the foe,

Lest he in the darkness come his tares to sow.

5.  Thou hast shown me mercy with a love untold,

Grant that I may yield Thee fruit a hundredfold;

What a day of glory, what a day of gain,

When the reapers carry home the golden grain!

Above:  Christ Pantocrator

(Image in the Public Domain)

Words (1930) by the Reverend P. C. Paulsen (1881-1948)

Hymn Source = Hymnal for Church and Home, Third Edition (1938), of the American Evangelical Lutheran Church and the United Evangelical Lutheran Church, denominations with Danish heritage

http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/07/22/assembled-in-this-thy-house-danish-american-lutherans-1870-1962/

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1.  Jesus, Savior, precious name,

Excellent beyond acclaim,

Key to life above the skies

With the saints in Paradise.

2.  Jesus, Savior, name of love,

Souls to win and hearts to love,

Calling from a life abroad

Straying sinners home to God.

3.  Jesus, Savior, name of grace,

Hope of all the human race,

Pardon to repentant hearts,

Strength to him who sin departs.

4.  Jesus, Savior, name of might,

Honor, glory, peace, and light,

Way to God and truth divine,

Jesus, Savior, Thou art mine.

Above:  Part of the Title Page of the Danish-American Lutheran Hymnal for Church and Home (1938)

The Rev. Paul Christian (P. C.) Paulsen (1881-1938) wrote and translated hymns.

http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/p/a/u/paulsen_pc.htm

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AS AUTHOR

Jesus, Savior, Precious Name:

https://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2013/09/14/jesus-savior-precious-name/

Take My Heart, O Jesus, Work Its Stony Soil:

https://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2013/09/14/take-my-heart-o-jesus-work-its-stony-soil/

Draw Me, Lord, To Thee, On High:

https://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2013/09/14/draw-me-lord-to-thee-on-high/

Teach Me, O God, To Be:

https://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2013/09/13/teach-me-o-god-to-be/

O Lord, Ordain Thy Servant:

https://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2013/09/13/o-lord-ordain-thy-servant/

By Faith We Please the Lord On High:

https://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2013/09/13/by-faith-we-please-the-lord-on-high/

Blest Is He Who Cries to Heaven:

https://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2013/09/13/blest-is-he-who-cries-to-heaven/

Jesus, Bless Thy Congregation:

https://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2013/09/13/jesus-bless-thy-congregation/

Upon the Sure Foundation:

https://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2013/09/13/upon-the-sure-foundation/

Send To the Fields of Thy Harvest, O God:

https://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2013/09/13/send-to-the-fields-of-thy-harvest-o-god/

AS TRANSLATOR

The Flowers Now Awaken:

https://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2013/09/13/the-flowers-now-awaken/

As Wide As the Skies Is Thy Mercy, O God:

https://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2013/09/13/as-wide-as-the-skies-is-thy-mercy-o-god/

Thy Blessings Fill Our Earthly Need:

https://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2013/09/19/thy-blessings-fill-our-earthly-need/

The Sun Arises Now:

https://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2013/10/01/the-sun-arises-now/

There Came a Message from the Sky:

https://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2013/10/01/there-came-a-message-from-the-sky/

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Above:  St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Newnan, Georgia, June 30, 2012

Image Source = Bill Monk, Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta

(https://plus.google.com/photos/114749828757741527421/albums/5895787306205745121/5896018114366032690?banner=pwa&pid=5896018114366032690&oid=114749828757741527421)

Words (1933) by the Reverend P. C. Paulsen (1881-1948)

Hymn Source = Hymnal for Church and Home, Third Edition (1938), of the American Evangelical Lutheran Church and the United Evangelical Lutheran Church, denominations with Danish heritage

http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/07/22/assembled-in-this-thy-house-danish-american-lutherans-1870-1962/

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1.  Teach me, O God, to be

Obedient unto Thee

And follow in the footsteps of the Savior;

Teach me, O Father mild,

In Him to be Thy Child

And bless Thee for Thy love and ev’ry favor.

2.  Teach me, without surcease

Thy holy will to please

From early youth until my hair turns hoary;

Teach me in life and death

With care to keep the faith,

Which makes me heir to Thy eternal glory.

3.  Teach me when clouded skies

Do veil my spirit’s eyes

To trust in Thee, my Father and Defender;

Teach me when shadows fall

Upon Thy name to call

And lift my hands to Thee for mercy tender.

4.  Teach me with joy to sing

The songs that hope will bring

To him who toils as well as to the wand’rer;

Teach me in darkest night

To hold the beacon light

That guides their steps toward their home up yonder.

5.  Teach me when I shall die

To look to Thee on high,

With hope for life beyond death’s gloomy portal;

Tell me that Jesus waits

Within the pearly gates

To bid me welcome ‘mongst the saints immortal.

Above:  The Ordination of Priests, the Cathedral of St. Philip, Atlanta, Georgia, June 22, 2013

Image Source = Bill Monk, Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta

(https://plus.google.com/photos/114749828757741527421/albums/5892832548765357057/5893827169502375490?banner=pwa&pid=5893827169502375490&oid=114749828757741527421)

Words (1926) by the Reverend P. C. Paulsen (1881-1948)

Hymn Source = Hymnal for Church and Home, Third Edition (1938), of the American Evangelical Lutheran Church and the United Evangelical Lutheran Church, denominations with Danish heritage

http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/07/22/assembled-in-this-thy-house-danish-american-lutherans-1870-1962/

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1.  O Lord, ordain Thy servant

And turn to him Thy face

That he with spirit fervent

May preach Thy word of grace;

And with Thy gifts anointed

By prophecy and pray’r,

Let him go forth appointed

To serve Thy church with care.

2.  With tender mercy lead him

And set him on the Rock;

In pastures green Thou feed him

That he may feed Thy flock;

The gospel of salvation

Put Thou upon his lips

And lend him inspiration

To lead them in Thy steps.

3.  When hosts of hell assail him

And vex him with their might,

Thy mercy shall not fail him,

Nor shall Thy grace and light.

If darkness should enfold him

And cloud his spirit’s eye,

Thy mighty hand uphold him

And guide him from on high.

4.  Oh, meet him in his chamber

And listen to his pray’r;

With kindness him remember,

Surround him with Thy care,

And help him in his calling

To teach the heaven-born,

To warn the sinners falling

And comfort those who mourn.

5.  Thus, in Thy service use us

From early morn till night;

Let evil not confuse us,

Nor dim Thy Spirit’s light.

Thy people do

Above:  St. Anne’s Episcopal Church, Atlanta, Georgia, July 28, 2013

Image Source = Bill Monk, Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta

(https://plus.google.com/photos/114749828757741527421/albums/5905715261681847137/5905715669305794418?banner=pwa&pid=5905715669305794418&oid=114749828757741527421)

Words (1925) by the Reverend P. C. Paulsen (1881-1948)

Hymn Source = Hymnal for Church and Home, Third Edition (1938), of the American Evangelical Lutheran Church and the United Evangelical Lutheran Church, denominations with Danish heritage

http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/07/22/assembled-in-this-thy-house-danish-american-lutherans-1870-1962/

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1.  By faith we please the Lord on high,

And with His children gather;

By faith we unto Him draw nigh

And call Him, Abba, Father;

By faith we count the world but loss

That we may flock around the cross

And fight His holy battles.

2.  By faith we put His armor on,

The gospel of salvation,

And watch the foe of Christ, His Son,

With pray’r and supplication,

And when the trumpet sounds the call,

With faith we hasten, one and all,

To meet the hordes of darkness.

3.  In Christ, our Lord, we firmly stand,

Despite their onrush stunning,

And with the Spirit’s sword in hand

We foil their craft and cunning;

The shield of faith protects our hearts

And quenches all their fiery darts,

They go to grim disaster.

4.  O Lord, Thy Holy Spirit send,

Our hearts with zeal inspiring,

That we may fight until the end

With strength and faith untiring;

Oh, may at last around Thy throne

We hail Thee Lord and King alone,

Of faith the blessed Giver.