O Wonder, O Great Mystery

Here is an original hymn, so to speak. It is actually based on Chrysostom’s 46th Homily on John (6:52), sect. 3 & 4. I divided the pertinent sections into two hymns of different meters, the first being in the common German bar meter, 87.87.887. I think the most appropriate of the many available melodies is “Herr, wie du willst, so schicks mit mir.”

O WONDER, O great Mystery!
Behold what here is given,
That we may all one Body be
With Christ the Lord of heaven,
And members of His flesh and bone—
In deed and not in love alone—
Let us in Him be mingled!

2 This wonder comes by this great meal
Which here His hands afford us,
That by it we might know and feel
How great His love is tow’rd us,
He blends with us whom here He feeds,
His Body with our body kneads—
In Him, the Head, uniting.

3 What proof of love could He give more
To hearts that would enfold Him?
He grants to those who Him adore
Not only to behold Him,
But even more, to touch, and taste
Yea, eat His flesh, and thus embraced,
To find their longing sated.

4 From Jesus’ table forth we go
Like fire--breathing lions,
Made fearsome to the evil foe
And mocking his defiance:
Our hearts are bold and comforted,
Remembering our Lord and Head,
And all His love here shown us:

5 “I feed you not as fathers feed,
Their babes to nurses sending;
But with My very flesh indeed
I feed you life unending,
That you may all be nobly born
And hopeful in that blessed morn
When I shall come to fetch you.”

6 For He who gives Himself to you
Here in His true Communion
Much more will give in mansions new,
When perfect is that union:
“For you your Brother I became,
Your flesh and blood, and give the same
By which I’m made your kinsman.”

7 This Blood in us makes fresh and clear
The image of our Master,
Producing beauty without peer,
Permitting no disaster
To spoil our soul’s nobility
It waters it continually
And unto life sustains it.

8 This Blood, unlike all earthly food,
Our souls doth quench and nourish.
And causes in us, for our good,
Its mighty pow’r to flourish,
Drives devils to the farthest coast
And calls to us the angel host
And Christ, the Lord of angels.

9 For where the Savior’s Blood they see
All devils flee in terror
And angels hasten speedily
Regarding nothing fairer.
This Blood washed all the world of sin,
And cleansed the secret place within,
Yea, e’en the Holy_of Holies.

10 If blood of beasts had pow’r to save
In God’s own temple bloody,
And in the midst of Egypt old
Smeared on the door-post ruddy—
Much more the true Reality
Which on the altar here we see,
Brings healing, life, and blessing!

11 This Blood the altar hallowèd
Where lay the bull dissected;
The secret place no priest would tread
Save by this Blood protected;
It consecrated ev’ry priest,
Yea, cleansed all sin until it ceased,
In type and shadow working.

12 Behold, if types possessed such might,
If shadows had such powèr
That even death must shake with fright,
Oh, how would death not cowèr
The very truth to witness here,
Where its Fulfilment doth appear
And death itself is banished?

13 This Blood our soul’s salvation is,
Its bath, its beautifying,
It stokes the heart with holy bliss,
To burn with flame undying,
It makes the soul gleam more than gold.
This Blood outpoured doth heav’n unfold,
And open access grant us.

Text: © 2016 Matthew Carver.

Ite, Benedicti et Electi

Here is my translation of the Bohemian Brethren hymn “Ite, Benedicti et Electi” (1566), a vernacular trope of the old Dismissal formula Ite, missa est. It appears in Kirchengeseng (1580 ed.), folio 198v with another Dismissal trope to the same melody. Which melody, as may be noted, follows, according to ancient usage, that of the Kyrie, found in op. cit., folio 180r, with the title “Kyrie magnae Deus potentiae,” (= Vat. ed. “Kyrie V”) the translation beginning “O Vatter der barmhertzigkeit . . .” Here, in the section titled Betgesenge (“prayer songs”) it seems to be appointed for use on a penitential occasion, possibly a day of Humiliation & Prayer, or else an Embertide mass (if indeed they celebrated any as such).

GO YOU blessed, with one accord,
O saints elect in Christ the Lord!
Go in peace and joy today,
God guide you all your way!

2 Blessed be, and blessed again,
Your going out and going in,
Blessed, all that shall be done
Through Christ, God’s very Son!


3 He, our Lord and Savior bestow
That we at last to heav’n may go;
His the glory, ours the gain,
For evermore! Amen.

Translation © 2016 Matthew Carver.

GERMAN

1. Geht hin die jhr gebenedeit,
vnd in Christo außerwehlt seyd,
geht hin mit freuden in fried,
Er richt all ewer trit.

2 Gesegnet ist ewer außgang,
gesegnet ist ewer eingang,
gesegnet all ewer thun,
durch Christum Gottes Son.

3 Derselb vnser HERR vnd Heiland,
führ vns ein ins recht Vatterland,
zu lob vnd ehr seim Namen,
in ewigkeit Amen.

Ite, Benedicti et Electi

Here is my translation of the Bohemian Brethren hymn “Ite, Benedicti et Electi” (1566), a vernacular trope of the old Dismissal formula Ite, missa est. It appears in Kirchengeseng (1580 ed.), folio 198v with another Dismissal trope to the same melody. Which melody, as may be noted, follows, according to ancient usage, that of the Kyrie, found in op. cit., folio 180r, with the title “Kyrie magnae Deus potentiae,” (= Vat. ed. “Kyrie V”) the translation beginning “O Vatter der barmhertzigkeit . . .” Here, in the section titled Betgesenge (“prayer songs”) it seems to be appointed for use on a penitential occasion, possibly a day of Humiliation & Prayer, or else an Embertide mass (if indeed they celebrated any as such).

GO YOU blessed, with one accord,
O saints elect in Christ the Lord!
Go in peace and joy today,
God guide you all your way!

2 Blessed be, and blessed again,
Your going out and going in,
Blessed, all that shall be done
Through Christ, God’s very Son!


3 He, our Lord and Savior bestow
That we at last to heav’n may go;
His the glory, ours the gain,
For evermore! Amen.

Translation © 2016 Matthew Carver.

GERMAN

1. Geht hin die jhr gebenedeit,
vnd in Christo außerwehlt seyd,
geht hin mit freuden in fried,
Er richt all ewer trit.

2 Gesegnet ist ewer außgang,
gesegnet ist ewer eingang,
gesegnet all ewer thun,
durch Christum Gottes Son.

3 Derselb vnser HERR vnd Heiland,
führ vns ein ins recht Vatterland,
zu lob vnd ehr seim Namen,
in ewigkeit Amen.

Wohlauf, die ihr hungrig seid!

Here is my translation of the Bohemian Brethren Communion hymn “Wohlauf, die ihr hungrig seid,” which is found in Kirchengeseng (1566) as well as modern German hymnals.

COME, all ye who hungry be,
And who have thirst for salvation free:
Come and hasten to the Supper spread,
With strength in sorrow be fed!

2 For our dear Lord Jesus Christ
Has spread for us this resplendent feast,
In the Body and the Blood He gave,
Union with Jesus we have.

3 He this Sacred Myst’ry made
In the same night when He was betrayed,
Ere He gave His Body and His Blood
To death, procuring our good.

4 Food His Body to our soul,
His precious Blood drink to make us whole,
Taken with God’s peace and joy within,
Not in the leaven of sin.

5 Eat and drink this solemn tide,
Mindful of how bitterly He died
Ye who follow here the Lord’s command,
In faith obediently stand.

6 Come, partake of heav’nly Food
With heart’s devout, as a Christian should,
In true faith, with love, and hope assured
That here your woes are all cured.

*7 Pray ye: “O Lord Jesus Christ,
Who, to atone, once wast sacrificed,
Fill us with the grace which Thou didst win,
Serve us Thy succour for sin.

8 Thou the very Bread of heav’n,
Baked on the Cross, in God’s anger riv’n,
Thou the Wine that wrath divine expressed,
Giving us heavenly rest.

9 Thou the very Paschal lamb,
Roasted in love on the Cross of shame,
Thou the true burnt-off’ring God receives,
Held by the heart that believes.

10 Sweet the savour from Thy Gift,
By which God deigned, sin’s dread curse to lift,
Which arising to the Father’s throne,
Covered the sins we have sown.

11 Thou the Mercy-seat on high,
Bliss to the soul, source of ev’ry joy,
Peace with God in Thee we now possess,
Open approach to His grace.

12 Thou that grace hast here assured,
Lord, by the means which that grace procured.
By the Blood and Body to us sealed,
Which into death Thou didst yield.

13 For our food Thy grace is lent
In manner seen in this Sacrament,
Which our spirit apprehends by faith,
With comfort stronger than death.

14 God forgets iniquity,
And through Thee, Lord, He will gracious be,
Pardon sin and shame, and quench hell-fire;
And souls with gladness inspire.

15 This, Christ, is Thy testament
Which Thou didst make ere Thy dear life was spent,
It was written in Thy precious blood,
Sealed by Thy death for our good.

16 Lord, how were Thy flock sustained
Better than as Thou hast here ordained?
Thou dost quicken hearts that would repine,
With all Thy treasures divine.

17 Laud and praise, be ever Thine,
Lord, for this gift and this meal divine,
In the strength thereof, keep us always!
Thine be the glory and praise!
Amen.

Translation © 2016 Matthew Carver.

GERMAN

1 Wohlauf, die ihr hungrig seid,
und dürstig nach euer Seligkeit,
kommt und eilt zum großen Abendmahl,
stekrt euch in eurem Trübsal.

2 Denn unser Herr Jesus Christ
hat zubereit ein herrlichen Tisch
an dem man hält durch des Glaubens Kraft,
seins Leibs und Bluts Gmeinschaft.

3 Welchen er bereitet hat,
als er sich wollt opfern in den Tod,
da setzet er ein das Sakrament,
seins Leibs und Bluts, vor seim End.

4 Sein Leib ein Speis unser Seel
Sein Blut ein Trank zum ewigen Heil:
welchs wir solln empfahn in Fried und Freud,
nicht im Saurteig der Bosheit.

5 Demnach so kommt eßt und trinkt,
seins bittern Todes dabei gedenkt,
die ihr nachs Herrn Regel einher geht
ins Glaubens gehorsam steht.

6 Kommt und genißt dieser Speis,
mit rechter Andacht Christlicher weis,
mit wahrem Glauben, Lieb und Hoffnung,
zu euers Heils Versichrung.

7 Sprecht, o Herre Jesu Christ,
der du das Söhnopfer worden bist,
sättig uns mit der erworbnen Gnad,
schenk uns all deine Wohltat.

8 Du bist das recht Himmelbrot
am Kreuz gebacken in Leidens Not
der Wein gekeltert in Gottes Zorn
drinn wir sonst wären verlon.

9 Du bist das recht Osterlamm,
in Lieb gebraten ans Kreuzes Stamm,
das Brandopfer, welchs Gott wohlgefällt,
daran sich unser Glaub hält.

10 Davon der lieblich Geruch
(welcher hinweg nimmt der Sünden Fluch)
kommen ist vor Gottes Angesicht

11 Bist und bleibst der Gnadenstuhl,
geistlicher Wollust und Freuden voll:
durch dich haben wir mit Gott ein Fried,
zu ihm ein freien Zutritt.

12 Du versiegelst uns, Herr Christ,
dein Gnad, dadurch sie erworben ist:
nämlich, durch dein eigen Fleisch und Blut,
welchs du hast geben in Tod.

13. Das gibstu uns selbs zur Speis,
durch dies Sakrament sichtbarer weis:
welches unser Geist im Glauben faßt,
und schöpft draus ewigen Tröst.

14. Freut sich solcher großen Gnad,
das Gott nicht mehr denkt der Missetat:
sondern wöll durch dich genäidig sein,
nachlassen Sünd, Schuld und Pein.

15 Das ist nu das Testament,
welchs du gemacht hast vor deinem End
und verschrieben mit deim teuren Blut,
versiegelt durch deine Tod.

16 Wie hätt doch Herr dein Gemein,
besser allhie möcht versorget sein:
denn das du selbs erquickst unser Herz,
durch deine göttliche Schätz?

Ich hab mein Sach Gott heimgestellt

 It has been a long hiatus, but here is a complete translation of the hymn “Ich hab mein Sach Gott heimgestellt” (J. Leon). Only two stanzas had to be translated (7, 15) by myself. The rest are predominantly from A. T. Russell, whose cento appears in The Lutheran Hymnary, as the chief precedent translation in English publication. The other stanzas are by C. Winkworth and J. C. Jacobi.

MY ALL I to my God commend,
Who all doth to His purpose bend;
My life resigning to His will;
Mine to lie still,
Or his designs alone fulfill.

2 I die at his appointed hour.
Who dares resist his sov’reign pow’r?
My very hairs he knows them all,
Both great and small,
Without His will not one can fall.

3 This earth is but a vale of tears,
Where grief on every side appears;
Sad hours of conflict, toil, and woe
Here ebb and flow,
Till we are summoned hence to go.

4 What is a man? A clod of earth,
A needy mortal from his birth;
Brought nothing with him, when he came,
But sin and shame;
And naked leaves this worldly frame.

5 No greatness, wit, nor golden store
Can here obtain a better score:
'Gainst death no physick can prevail;
No fee nor bail
Can cancel Adam’s sad entail.

6 Today with joy our hearts beat high;
Tomorrow in the grave we lie:
Though as the rose we bloom today,
We soon decay,
And sorrow everywhere hath sway.

7 We one by one are borne away
From sight and mind, and cannot stay;
The world’s respects for young and old,
Soon loose their hold,
Our many honours soon grow cold.

8 Lord, may we meditate aright
How soon we all must fade from sight,
How swiftly from the earth we fly,
All born to die,
Rich, poor, wise, simple, low and high.

9. This is the fruit of Adam’s fall;
Death like a conqu’ror seizeth all;
Sin sets him on the human race;
There is no place
Exempt from his continual chase.

10 Few are our days and sad below,
Our daily bread is toil and woe:
But God in His good time will send
A peaceful end:
Death from a foe is made a friend.

11 And though our sins against us rise,
To heaven we lift our trusting eyes;
For God is merciful, and gave,
Our souls to save,
His Son belovéd to the grace.

12 In Him my Saviour I abide,
I know for all my sins He died,
And risen again to work my good,
The burning flood
Hath quench'd with His most precious blood.

13 To Him I live and die alone,
Death cannot part Him from His own;
Living or dying I am His
Who only is
Our comfort, and our gate of bliss.

14 This thought in every pain and grief
Brings comfort, sweet and full relief,
That we shall rise when Christ appears,
No more in tears,
As now, in these our pilgrim years.

15 My faithful God, so dear and true,
Will guard my mortal residue,
No part of it, when life is past,
Though small or vast,
Will perish or be lost at last.

16 Then I shall see God face to face,
I doubt it not, through Jesus’ grace,
Amid the joys prepared for me!
Thanks be to Thee
Who givest us the victory!

17 O Jesus Christ, the Son of God,
Who hast redeemed us with Thy blood,
Thy precious wounds our refuge be:
For rest we flee,
O Lord, our only hope, to Thee.

18 Amen, dear God! now send us faith,
And at the last a happy death;
And grant us all ere long to be
In heaven with Thee,
To praise Thee there eternally.

sts. 1, 3, 6, 8, 10–11, 14, 17, tr. A. T. Russel; 2, 4–5, 9, J. C. Jacobi, alt.; 7, 15, tr. M. Carver; 12, 13, 16, 18, tr. C. Winkworth.

GERMAN

1 Ich hab mein Sach Gott heimgestellt,
er machs mit mir, wie’s ihm gefällt.
Soll ich allhier noch länger lebn,
ohn Widerstrebn
seim Willen tu ich mich ergebn

2 Mein Zeit und Stund ist, wann Gott will;
ich schreib ihm nicht vor Maß noch Ziel.
Es sind gezählt all Härlein mein;
Beid groß und klein
fällt keines ihn den Willen sein.

3 Es ist allhier ein Jammertal,
Angst, Not und Trübsal überall;
des Bleibens ist ein kleine Zeit
voll Müh und Leid, [Voll Muhselgkeit]
und wers bedenkt, ist stets im Streit. [immr im Streit]

4 Was ist der Mensch? Ein Erdenklos,
von Mutterleib kommt er nackt und bloß,
bring nichts mit sich auf diese Welt
kein Gut noch Geld,
nimmt nichts mit sich, wann er hinfällt.

5 Es hilft kein Reichtum, Geld noch Gut,
kein Kunst noch Gunst noch stolzer Mut;
vorm Tod kein Kraut gewachsen ist;
mein frommer Christ,
alles, was lebet, sterblich ist.

6 Heut sind wir frisch, gesund und stark
und liegen morgen tot im Sarg; [Morgn sind wir todt und liegn…]
heut blühen wir wie Rosen rot, […blühn wir wie die Rosen…]
bald krank und tot;
ist allenthalben Müh und Not.

7 Man trägt eins nach dem andern hin,
wohl aus den Augen, aus dem Sinn; […den Augn und aus…]
die Welt vergisset unser bald,
ob jung, ob alt
auch unsrer Ehren mannigfalt.

8 Ach Herr, lehr uns bedenken wohl,
daß wir sind sterblich allzumal,
auch wir allhier kein Bleibens han,
müssn all davon,
gelehrt, reich, jung, alt oder schön.

9 Das macht die Sünd, du treuer Gott, […o treuer…]
dadurch ist kommn der bittre Tod,
der nimmt und frißt all Menschenkind,
wie er sie findt,
fragt nicht, wes Stands und Ehrn sie sind. […odr Ehrn…]

10 Ich hab hier wenig guter Tag,  […hie wenig…]
mein täglich Brot ist Müh und Klag.
Wann mein Gott will, so will ich mit
hinfahrn in Fried;
Tod ist Gewinn und schadt mir nit. [Sterbn ist mein Gwinn…]

11 Und ob mich schon mein Sünd anficht,
dennoch will ich verzagen nicht;
ich weiß, daß mein getreuer Gott
für mich inn Tod
seinn liebsten Sohn gegeben hat.

12 Derselbe mein HErr JEsus Christ
für meine Sünd gestorben ist
und auferstanden mir zu gut,
der Höllen Glut
gelöscht mit seinem theuren Blut.
 

13 Dem leb und sterb ich allezeit,
von ihm der bittr Tod mich nicht scheidt
ich leb odr sterb, so bin ich sein,
er ist allein
der einge Trost und Helfer mein.

14 Das ist mein Trost zu aller Zeit
in allem Kreuz und Traurigkeit.
Ich weiß, daß ich am Jüngsten Tag
ohn alle Klag
Wird auferstehn aus meinem Grab

15 Mein lieber frommr getreuer Gott,
all mein Gebein bewahren tut,
da wird nicht eins vom Leibe mein,
sei groß odr klein,
umkommen noch verloren sein.

16 Mein’ lieben Gott von Angesicht
werde ich anschaun, dran zweifl ich nicht,
in ewger Freud und Seligkeit,
die mir bereit’;
ihm sei Lob, Preis in Ewigkeit

17 O Jesu Christe, Gottes Sohn,
der du für mich hast gnug getan,
Ach schleus mich in die Wunden dein,
du bist allein
der einge Trost und Helfer mein.

18 Amen, mein lieber frommer Gott,
bescher uns all ein selgen Tod,
hilf, daß wir mögen allzugleich
bald in dein Reich
kommen und bleiben ewiglich.