Wednesday, June 30, 2010

"All Morgen ist ganz frisch und neu, des Herren Gnad und grosse Treu"

[If you think, I am blogging too much for a time when I am not blogging, you might be right.  But this did not take long, nor was hard to do, nor made me open any book, which is the key right now.  It's just sending me on my day singing.]  [English further down.]

All Morgen ist ganz frisch und neu
Johannes Zwick -
1. All Morgen ist ganz frisch und neu
des Herren Gnad und große Treu;
sie hat kein End den langen Tag,
drauf jeder sich verlassen mag.
2. O Gott, du schöner Morgenstern,
gib uns, was wir von dir begehrn:
Zünd deine Lichter in uns an,
laß uns an Gnad kein Mangel han.
3. Treib aus, o Licht, all Finsternis,
behüt uns, Herr, vor Ärgernis,
vor Blindheit und vor aller Schand
und reich uns Tag und Nacht dein Hand,
4. zu wandeln als am lichten Tag,
damit, was immer sich zutrag,
wir stehn im Glauben bis ans End
und bleiben von dir ungetrennt



Sometimes, I wake up with this song in my head. It can be sung much more cheerfully and energetically than on this video.  It strikes a clarion call with the three high notes in the beginning:  "All Morgen ist ganz frisch und neu, des Herren Gnad und grosse Treu!!!"  --  "Every morning is fresh and new--the Lord's grace and great faithfulness!!!!!!!"

It's just a fabulous first line to begin with.  Start it nice and high and loud.  Like a trumpet blast.

For some reason I know the whole song by heart.  We must have used it often.  I also used to play in a brass band like this where all the congregational singing was led by it.

I'll give you the rest of the song.  It does not seem to be in the LSB.

1.  Every morning is fresh and new, the Lord's great grace and faithfulness.  It has no end the entire day long; you may rely on it.

2.  Oh, God, you beautiful morning star, give us what we desire of you;  in us, strike up your light, so that we shall have no lack of your grace.

3.  O Light, drive out all darkness;  protect us, O Lord, from all trouble, from blindness and all confounding;  hold out your hand to us all day.

4. That we shall walk as in the light of day, so that no matter what happens, we stand in faith until the very end and nothing can separate us from you.

(It strikes me now, that Zwick was from Switzerland, that this hymn is more Reformed than Lutheran.  Maybe that's why it's not in the LSB. Though it speaks so beautifully about God's grace and light, it does not mention any Means of Grace. So when we Lutherans rise in the morning to recall God's grace, we recall our baptism into the name of the triune God, specifically.  A full reassurance.)

2 comments:

Haddon Willmer said...

These words came to mind this morning when I was thinking about the eternal newness of creation, which is not an event of making in the past, but the presence of the God of grace giving being every fresh to us. I link it with Jesus who put the child in the midst as a sign of the kingdom of God (as the Child Theology Movement argues) - and with Barth who said the significance of the child is that they are at the beginning, a fresh open being - as we all are by grace.

I know these words because in 1973-4 I spent a year as a theologian in Germany, and they stuck with me. Thank you for your comment

Haddon Willmer

Brigitte said...

Thanks Haddon Willmer for your comment. I am not familiar with Child Theology Movement, but I just spent a couple of minutes looking it up. It seems to make some interesting points.

It is really great to think that a little child is a full-fledged member of the kingdom and also to teach this reality to a child. This is also why confessional Lutherans take baptism so seriously.