Sunday’s Hymn of the Day, Jesus Has Come and Brings
Pleasure Eternal(LSB #533), is a majestic hymn of praise to Jesus. It
proclaims Jesus as God in the flesh, as our great Deliverer, Redeemer, and the
King of all glory.
The author of the hymn is Johann Ludwig Conrad
Allendorf, who was born February 9, 1693, in Josbach in the province of Hesse,
Germany. His father was a pastor in the small village. Johann went to the
University of Giessen in 1711 and two years later studied under Francke, a
German Lutheran clergyman and biblical scholar of the time. Johann was a tutor
for Count Promnitz’s children at Sorau and was appointed Lutheran Court
Preacher at Cothen when the Count’s daughter needed his services to marry a
prince. When his services as a reformed preacher were no longer needed,
Allendorf moved on to be an assistant in two churches in Wornigerode. In 1755
he became pastor at the Liebfrau Church and remained there until his death in
1773.
Pastor Allendorf wrote 45 hymns, most of which are
still used primarily in German-speaking churches. His contributions are
described as “hymns of love to Christ, the Lamb of God, and the Bridegroom of
the believing Soul.”1 He penned this hymn while pastor at St. Ulrich’s Church
in Halle. The words come from the following Bible passages:
Luke 1:68-79: Zechariah’s song in the temple after
seeing the Christ child.
1 John 1:1-2: “That
which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our
eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim
concerning the Word of life.”
Isaiah 12: This song of praise and joy ends with the
phrase, “Shout aloud and sing for joy,
people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.”
The tune we use for this hymn is “Cothen” (sometimes
spelled Kothen), which appears to have been named for the city where Allendorf
first became a minister. This area is in Saxony-Anhalt, in the east central
part of Germany. The original copyright for the tune is dated 1773, the year of
Allendorf’s death, though it's now well into the public domain.
In America, this hymn is only in two hymnals,
including that of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. The hymn was in the
Epiphany section of the blue Lutheran Worship hymnal. In the newer Lutheran
Service Book, it is placed in the section “Redeemer”, thus encouraging
congregations to use it throughout the church year. We will be learning this
hymn through the remainder of our Epiphany season. We hope to also utilize it
at other times as well, as we anticipate that many of you will be requesting it
frequently! “Jesus Has Come and Brings
Pleasure Eternal” is a classically beautiful hymn of praise and joy. Our
worship will benefit, as will your hearts, from meditation on the words.[2]
Prayer for increase of the holy ministry: Almighty and gracious God, the Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, You have commanded us to pray that You would send forth
laborers into Your harvest. Of Your infinite mercy give us true teachers and
ministers of Your Word who truly fulfill Your command and preach nothing
contrary to Your holy Word. Grant that we, being warned, instructed, nurtured,
comforted, and strengthened by Your holy Word, may do those things which are
well pleasing to You and profitable for our salvation; through Jesus Christ,
our Lord. Amen. [3]
[1] Lift High the Cross, copyright © Ed Riojas, Higher Things
[3] Collect for an increase of the holy ministry, Lutheran Service Book, © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis
[4] Collect for Saturday of the week of Pentecost 4, For All the Saints, A Prayer Book For and By the Church, Vol. II © 1995, The American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, Delhi, NY
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