In my opinion, after the Bible the Lutheran hymnals, currently Lutheran Service Book, with its hymns, liturgies, canticles, the small catechism on page 321, psalms, and prayers on the very first page as well as pages 305 to 318, can be one of the most meaningful collections of spiritual resources for the lay person to use on a daily basis.

 

Recently, our pastor urged us to remember our own baptism when we awaken each morning by making the sign of the cross over our heart as was done at our own baptism and saying the invocation, “In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” This is nothing new, as Luther encourages us in the small catechism, see page 327 in Lutheran Service Book, to begin each day this way. What a great way to get going in the morning!

 

There is a section in our hymnal named “baptismal life” and it begins with hymn 594 which is immediately after the “baptism” section. The first hymn in the “baptismal life” section is “God’s Own Child, I Gladly Say It”. This is a fairly new hymn to us and it has fast become a favorite one. Some of us learned it or heard it from the hymnal supplement 98, copyrighted in 1998 by Concordia Publish House. The text was written by Erdmann Newmeister who lived 1671- 1756. It was translated by Robert E. Voelker who was born in 1957. The tune was composed by Johann Caspar Bachofen who lived 1697-1755 and the musical setting is by Joseph Herl who was born in 1959. The tune name is “Bachofen” for the man who wrote the tune. Reviewing this bit of information, we see that Newmeister and Bachofen lived at the same time and Voelker and Herl lived at the same time. I can only imagine the excitement of these four men who lived in different centuries as they poured over the words, tune, translation and musical setting of this beloved hymn. Again in my opinion, the words of this hymn speak to us and for us in our lives AND also as a witness to the persons attending a funeral or memorial service of a Christian who died in the faith. Recently,

 

I asked a group of school children if they had a favorite hymn and what it was if they had one. No one had one and they seemed to agree that they didn’t know the hymns. So, may I suggest to parents and grandparents, etc. that you offer to mentor the younger ones in the beauty of the hymns. The children did know how to read the words from verse to verse and seem eager to learn about the hymns. For your information, the list of Children’s Songs in our hymnal is on page 1011.

 

The footnote in hymnal supplement 98 states the following about this hymn: “Both the joy of living as baptized sons and daughters in Christ and the daily significance of remembering our Baptism are portrayed in this hymn. The tune also reflects the exuberant joy of all who are baptized into Christ Jesus.” What a wonderful, valuable resource to share with your family.

 

Norma Muller