A Hymn for Ascension (with Audio)
Audio: Listen to Hymn for Ascension chanted.
A hymn of glory let us sing;
New songs throughout the world shall ring:
Christ, by a road before untrod,
Ascendeth to the throne of God.
The holy apostolic band
Upon the Mount of Olives stand,
And with His followers they see
Jesus’ resplendent majesty.
To whom the angels, drawing nigh,
“Why stand and gaze upon the sky?
This is the Savior,” thus they say,
“This is His noble triumph day.”
“Again shall ye behold Him so
As ye today have seen him go,
In glorious pomp ascending high,
Up to the portals of the sky.”
Oh, grant us thitherward to tend
And with unwearied hearts ascend
Unto Thy kingdom’s throne, where Thou,
As is our faith, art seated now.
Be Thou our Joy and strong Defense,
Who art our future Recompense:
So shall the light that springs from Thee
Be ours through all eternity.
O risen Christ, ascended Lord,
All praise to Thee let earth accord,
Who art, while endless ages run,
With Father and with Spirit One. Amen.
__________
Hymnum canamus gloriae. The Venerable Bede, d. 735, trans. by B. Webb, alt.
An excerpt from The Brotherhood Prayer Book
A New Card + Spring Sale – up to 30% off
With call services just over a week away for our seminarians in Fort Wayne and St. Louis, it is the perfect time to debut our new Office of the Holy Ministry greeting card. You may recognize this artwork from the cover of Ceremony and Celebration, where it is embossed in gold on a deep red cloth binding. We worked with Ed Riojas to colorize it so that this image, rich in theological symbolism, can be used as a card for seminary call night and graduation, ordinations, installations, Office of the Holy Ministry anniversaries, or congregational anniversaries. Since the inside is blank, it can be utilized to send congratulations or to invite family and friends to any of these events. It would also be ideal for any kind of pastoral correspondence.
Furthermore, now through April 30, all of our books (and the BPB CD) are discounted up to 30% off. This is the first time that our latest books – The Conduct of the Service, Ceremony and Celebration, and Thy Kingdom Come – have been on sale, so this is a wonderful chance to buy them for yourself or as a gift. If you live near Fort Wayne and would like to pick up your order from Redeemer Lutheran Church, contact us at emmanuelpress@gmail.com.
The Search is On: Artwork for our 2013 Christmas Cards
It may still be Easter, but it’s time for us to begin the search for Christmas card art. In the past few years, we have created cards with frescos from a German cathedral and oil paintings by Ed Riojas.
This year we’re looking for new artwork featuring our Lord’s nativity, whether it’s from your personal collection, a church’s stained glass windows, pictures from travels abroad, or something you’ve seen on the internet. Leave a comment here or send an us an email: emmanuelpress@gmail.com.
Click here to peruse our greeting card collection.
Antiphon for Psalm 51 for the Triduum
Beginning on Maundy Thursday, there is a special antiphon for Psalm 51, which is sung quietly after each Canticle at Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, and Compline during the Triduum. Each day, the length of the antiphon expands until it is at its fullest on Holy Saturday. Thanks to Sean Daenzer, we have the full antiphon sung as it is pointed on p. 448 of the Second Revised Edition of the Brotherhood Prayer Book. The rubrics on p. 445 explain the use of Psalm 51 during the prayer offices of the Triduum.
“Christ for our sakes became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a Name which is above every name.”
Free Download: Solid Declaration Readings as Eastertide Bulletin Inserts
As a continuation to the bulletin inserts that we offered for Lent and Easter Sunday, we have now added a free download of Solid Declaration readings formatted as bulletin inserts for the Sundays after Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost. Find them here in our Downloads tab.
Many thanks to Pr. Craig Meissner for choosing the readings and to Pr. Erich Fickel for formatting the inserts.
*Pictured at left is our Eastertide card
Back in Print: Ceremony and Celebration by Paul H. D. Lang
By the generous permission and encouragement of Pastor Lang’s family, Emmanuel Press has brought Paul H. D. Lang’s Ceremony and Celebration back into print. It was reprinted by Redeemer Press in 2004 but was quickly snatched up and has been sold out for several years.
Several months ago, we also added Piepkorn and McClean’s The Conduct of the Service (published by Redeemer Press) to our collection. Both of these books instruct on the actions and words in the liturgy, yet each has a specific focus. The Conduct of the Service focuses on the role of the pastor (and others who assist in leading worship) in the Divine Service according to the General Rubrics that govern all of the hymnals of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod since TLH. The broader scope of Ceremony and Celebration includes liturgical definitions, the role of the clergy, the role of the laity, liturgical music, church architecture, sacred vessels, furniture in the chancel, the liturgical year, and the liturgical ceremony within our Lutheran heritage from the time of the Reformation.
As noted in the Preface to Ceremony and Celebration, there is “a pious desire of both pastors and parishioners to be reverent in worship. That is the genius of this little book: It speaks to all participants in the Divine Service, not just pastors and theologians.” The Divine Service is where Christians gather around Word and Sacrament. Its liturgy provides the structure for keeping Christ as the central focus. The words, music, actions, and physical elements of the Divine Service all play a role in the liturgy. Pastors and parishioners join together to receive God’s gifts, each playing a distinct yet integral part as defined by the liturgy, in accordance with God’s will (Heb. 10:25; 1 Cor. 14:40).
Ceremony and Celebration is an excellent resource for anyone who wants to better understand why we do what we do in the Divine Service. Understanding what is going on around us increases our appreciation for and insight into the details of the liturgy.
Now Available: A Pocket-Sized BPB Text Edition
After numerous requests for a smaller text edition of The Brotherhood Prayer Book, we are pleased to debut a pocket-sized, 6″ x 4″ x 5/8″ version. At a mere 7 ounces, this book contains the same liturgies, canticles, Psalms, and propers as the previous text edition, but in a more convenient size, allowing you to carry it wherever you go. For only $15.00, the new Brotherhood Prayer Book: Text Edition offers 370 pages of prayer offices centered around the Gregorian Psalter.
Free Shipping for Thy Kingdom Come
On the heels of our special promotion of free shipping for select greeting cards (which goes through the end of today!), we are now offering a week of free shipping for our latest book, Thy Kingdom Come by David H. Petersen. This offer is valid from now through Saturday, March 2.
Read a description of the book here, and also take a look at the Table of Contents, Scripture index, and an excerpt from the Forward by Pr. Todd Wilken. There are also many excerpts available on this website in previous posts. Use the search tool at the top right-hand side, or click on the Thy Kingdom Come tag at the bottom of this post to find all related posts. Also be sure to check out what others are saying about this book in the Reviews tab.
To place an order, please email it and your address to emmanuelpress@gmail.com since we don’t have a spot to enter promotional codes in our Paypal checkout. Once you email us your order, we’ll email you a Paypal invoice for online payment. This free shipping promotion cannot be combined with an order of other books or greeting cards. It is only available to customers in the continental U.S.
Special Promotion: Free Shipping with the Purchase of Any Ten Cards
Almost two years ago, we created our first greeting cards using beautiful frescos and stained glass pictures from Germany. Since then, we have expanded our offerings to include original artwork from artist Edward Riojas. We have received a lot of wonderful feedback from customers, such as those who appreciate using the Vocation notecard as a unique confirmation card since the inside verse refers to fulfilling one’s calling and depicts Christ as a young man, serving his parents. Then there are others who are glad to have a baptism/baptism birthday card with a clear confession of rebirth by water and the Spirit: “Buried with Christ and dead to sin, Your Spirit now shall live within.”
From now through Saturday, February 23, we are offering free shipping with the purchase of any 10 of the following greeting cards: Crucifixion, Benediction, Vocation, A Mighty Fortress, The Four Evangelists, Eastertide, Holy Baptism, and Heilige Taufe. The cards can be ordered in any combination as long as they add up to 10 total (or a multiple of 10). Click on the link for each card to view a larger picture of the artwork as well as the inside text.
To place an order, however, you must email it to us at emmanuelpress@gmail.com since we don’t have a spot to enter promotional codes in our Paypal checkout. Once you email us your order, we’ll email you a Paypal invoice which you can pay with a credit card or bank transfer (a normal kind of transaction). We typically ship orders within 2-3 business days. Also, this free shipping promotion cannot be combined with a book or Christmas card order.
*free shipping offer only available to customers in the continental U.S.
The Brotherhood Prayer Book: Hymn for Invocavit (1st Sunday in Lent)
Audio sample: Listen to Hymn for Invocavit chanted.
O kind Creator, bow Thine ear
To mark the cry, to know the tear
Before Thy throne of mercy spent
In this Thy holy feast of Lent.
Our hearts are open, Lord, to Thee:
Thou knowest our infirmity;
Pour out on all who seek Thy face
Abundance of Thy pardoning grace.
Our sins are many, this we know;
Spare us, good Lord, Thy mercy show;
And for the honor of Thy name
Our fainting souls to life reclaim.
Give us the self-control that springs
From discipline of outward things,
That fasting inward secretly
The soul may purely dwell with Thee.
We pray Thee, Holy Trinity,
One God, unchanging Unity,
That we from this our abstinence
May reap the fruits of penitence.
Amen.
________________
Audi benigne Conditor, Gregory the Great, 6th century, trans. by T.A. Lacey
Found in The Brotherhood Prayer Book and its accompanying CD.