Today commemorates three Lutheran hymn writers. It’s hard to imagine worship without hymns, but for a long times there was little or no congregational song. It was Luther who saw the value of people singing and made provision for hymns in public worship. Singing hymns was enthusiastically received by his followers with many of them writing new hymns.

Philipp Nicolai (1556-1608) was the son of a Lutheran pastor. He was himself ordained in 1583 and served several churches in Germany during difficult years that saw him fleeing from an invading Spanish army, engaged in controversy with Roman Catholics and Calvinists, and coping with two periods of plague. In the midst of all of this, he produced a number of hymns including Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern (How Brightly Beams the Morning Star). Andd Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (Wake, Awake, for Night is Flying) which Bach used as the basis of a cantata..

I confess that both of Nicolai’s hymns don’t have the popularity even among Lutherans that they once had maybe because you have to work at singing them. However, I’d hate to loose these hymns. Consider these words in Catherine Winkworth’s translation:

Now let all the heav’ns adore you,
let saints and angels sing before you
with harp and cymbal’s clearest tone.
Of one pearl each shining portal,
where, dwelling with the choir immortal,
we gather round your radiant throne.

That’s a description of heaven. And maybe when we sing it, we can have a taste of heaven here on earth.

Read Revelation 21:1-4 and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Wayne