I suppose I should begin this blog post with a bit of an introduction. Hi. My name is Hope Nelson, I’m a freshman here at Concordia, and I absolutely adore Lutheran hymnody. I mean, we get to lay claim to J.S. Bach, Martin Luther, and even Concordia’s own music professors, many of whom are accomplished hymn writers and arrangers themselves. In my opinion, the Lutheran denomination has produced some of the best sacred music out there. That’s why it was so challenging for me to choose only five of the hymns nearest and dearest to my heart to share with you today. After lengthy deliberation, here are five hymns that I love – and you can too! 
 

Hail Thee, Festival Day (LSB 489) 

Easter has always been one of my favorite holidays. From the smell of freshly-cut Easter lilies in the church narthex to the brassy sound of the trumpets accompanying the organ in the balcony, everything about the holy day feels almost surreal to me. Before my church’s longtime pastor was called to Alaska in 2019, we sang “Hail Thee, Festival Day” every year on Easter – it was one of his favorite Easter hymns.  

 

Hail thee, festival day!  

Blest day to be hallowed forever;  

Day when our Lord was raised,  

Breaking the kingdom of death. 

 

Easter is the ultimate festival day. Without it, Christianity would have no reason to exist. Easter – and this hymn – remind us of the immense sacrifice that Jesus made for us, along with the everlasting nature of His glory.  
 

Lo, He Comes With Clouds Descending (LSB 336) 

I’m going to be brutally honest with each and every one of you – before Christmas at Concordia all the way back in December, I barely knew this hymn. However, Christmas at Concordia can do magical things to a person – and now the hymn makes my “top five” list.  

 

Every eye shall now behold Him 

Robed in glorious majesty;  

Those who set at naught and sold Him,  

Pierced and nailed Him to the tree,  

Deeply wailing, deeply wailing, deeply wailing,  

Shall their true Messiah see.  

 

The lyrics of this verse are somewhat unexpected for an Advent hymn – after all, aren’t we supposed to be focusing on the joy of Jesus’ birth? We can save the story of his suffering for Lent, right? Not quite. Jesus came to this earth to die in our place. That’s why the Magi brought the baby Jesus the gift of myrrh – because, from the moment of His birth, he was destined for the cross. To save us. And that’s something that I want to remember, even during Advent and Christmas.  
 

Nearer, My God, To Thee (TLH 533) 

Despite what I tell many people, this hymn isn’t just one of my favorites because of its feature in James Cameron’s Titanic, or because I had the opportunity a few years back to accompany a very talented violinist on an arrangement of it.  

 

Nearer, my God, to Thee, 

Nearer to Thee.  

E’en though it be a cross  

That raiseth me, 

Still all my song shall be  

Nearer, my God, to Thee,  

Nearer, my God, to Thee,  

Nearer to Thee.  

 

“Nearer, My God, To Thee” is a simple hymn, from the tune to the lyrics. But sometimes simplicity is where beauty is found. Growing closer to God through prayer, engaging with His word, and placing your earthly worries into His hands is a simple yet beautiful concept, just like the words of this hymn.  

 
 

By Grace I’m Saved (LSB 566)  

By grace! On this I’ll rest when dying;  

In Jesus’ promise I rejoice;  

For though I know my heart’s condition,  

I also know my Savior’s voice.  

My heart is glad, all grief has flown 

Since I am saved by grace alone.  

 
 

Over the past three years, I’m sure we’ve all known someone who has passed away from Covid-19. It’s hard to lose people, even when you know that they’re in God’s loving arms. Every time I hear this verse, — which happens to be my favorite verse of any hymn in the LSB – I am reminded of what loss feels like. But it’s not a bad thing. “By Grace I’m Saved” reminds us to rejoice even when it feels like there is nothing to rejoice about. God’s grace pervades it all and ferries us out of our grief, no matter how deep.  

 
 

Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing (LSB 686) 

My earliest memory of “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing” comes from a CD of instrumental Christian music that was often played in my house growing up. It’s a very soothing song for me now for that reason. It’s not just the tune, though, that makes it so comforting.  
 

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,  

Tune my heart to sing Thy grace:  

Streams of mercy, never ceasing,  

Call for songs of loudest praise.  

While the hope of endless glory 

Fills my heart with joy and love,  

Teach me ever to adore Thee:  

May I still Thy goodness prove.  

 

The imagery is strong in this song (look at me, using words like that, past English teachers!). If you close your eyes, you can almost see a waterfall – that’s the stream of mercy, I suppose – framed by rays of golden sunlight and dwarfing people at the bottom, who are doubtlessly praising God for the goodness of His creation. See what I mean? Absolutely beautiful.  
 

Bonus: We Praise You and Acknowledge You, O God (LSB 941) 

What can I say? It’s set to the tune of the Jupiter chorale, which is, in my humble opinion, the most beautiful piece of music ever written. 

At long last, you finally know the five hymns that will make me want to jump with joy every time I hear them. If you come to chapel here at Concordia, it’s guaranteed that you’ll get to sing some of these beautiful pieces of music to the backdrop of one of Concordia’s very talented organ students accompanying. These hymns are really something that you don’t want to miss out on.  

Interested in getting involved with music at Concordia? Learn more here.