Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Missing Hymn!

I just realized the hymn "Be Thou My Vision" is not in the newest LCMS hymnal. Nor does it seem to be in the previous hymnal.

How do I know this song so well?

Why is it not in them?

Here is the text:

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart,
Be all else but naught to me, save that Thou art;
Be Thou my best thought in the day and the night,
Both waking and sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my wisdom, be Thou my true Word,
Be Thou ever with me, and I with Thee Lord;
Be Thou my great Father, and I Thy true son;
Be Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my breastplate, my sword for the fight;
Be Thou my whole armor, be Thou my true might;
Be Thou my soul's shelter, be Thou my strong tower:
O raise Thou me heavenward, great Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise:
Be Thou mine inheritance now and always;
Be Thou and Thou only the first in my heart;
O Sovereign of Heaven, my treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, Thou Heaven's bright sun,
O grant me its joys after victory is won;
Great Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be Thou my vision, O Ruler of all.

5 comments :

  1. Dixie said...

    I love this hymn...the music is hauntingly beautiful. It would be in my top 10 of Western hymns.

  2. Anonymous said...

    Van Morrison has done a nice version of this hymn, which is #488 in the "Hymnbook 1982" (Episcopal Church USA). It is a particularly nice Irish ballad, and I had the choir sing it at my installation here at Gloria Dei.
    sja

  3. MooreMama said...

    Ah. I was going to offer to borrow some Episcopal hymnals from my parents' church. I know it's in there - and one of my faves. :)

    We did song in handbells that was the same tune, and it really threw me off to not have the "right" words...

  4. Anonymous said...

    Check out the Lutheran version "Christ Be My Leader" # 861 in the LSB (in the LW, #365). I can imagine that the tune was at one time a great Irish drinking song (picture my stein in the air rocking back and forth to the rythym).
    For S J Anderson, we saw Van the Man in Dallas last year. All I can say is "incredible" (also the new "Astral Weeks" is a delight, check it out), but I would walk a hundred miles on glass to hear him pass gas. :-)

  5. Christopher D. Hall said...

    You're awesome, Wess! I knew that I've sung the tune, and recently. If Marjorie were in town, I could have asked her.