Wake, awake! A LOT to celebrate.

Too many things going on this Sunday!  I don't know about you, but we celebrated Reformation Sunday in church today (even though the 31st is Thursday).  Also, it's National Pumpkin Day, so I threw together a raw, organic, gluten-free pumpkin cheesecake before church, plus got my pumpkin fix at the Barnes and Noble Cafe with the bro.  Excellent morning.  Did I mention we sang most of the Luther ordinary hymns?  :D

On top of that, it's Philipp Nicolai's birthday, commemorated along with Paul Gerhardt and Johann Heermann as the three great early Lutheran hymnwriters.

Philipp Nicolai (1556-1608)

Philipp Nicolai grew up during the period of Lutheran Orthodoxy in Germany, living in the town of Waldeck.  As a pastor's son, he became inspired to attend the universities of Erfurt and Leipzig (the conservative place to get educated) in order to enter the ministry as well.  In 1583 at Herdecke he began his first ordained post, but pressure from the Catholics soon encouraged him to go elsewhere.  After that, he continued to hold a variety of roles within his vocation, such as private preacher to a countess, tutor, and deacon, but soon entangled himself in a theological debate with the Calvinists over the true physical presence of Christ's flesh in the Lord's Supper.  Starting in 1597, the plague hit Unna, his current post, and in constant view of this he ushered in a new type of hymnody, more first-person and devotional, with "Joy-Mirror of Eternal Life," his reflective book containing three hymns - "Wake, Awake, For Night Is Flying" and "How Lovely Shines the Morning Star" the two that are commonly sung in America today.

The first, the King of Chorales, might possibly be based on a chant melody, but if nothing else Nicolai evokes the excited tone of the watchmen in highlighting the major triad.  Metrically, it retells the Matthew 25 account of the blessed and foolish virgins awaiting the Bridegroom through the night, proceeding into the glory of Christ's eternal marriage feast. Compared to "Day of Wrath," the sequence hymn describing the terrors of redeemed-but-not-saved persons in judgment, this hymn paints Christ the King's return as a happy occasion for believers, in which they should be confident in their sainthood according to His merit.

http://www.hymnary.org/hymn/ELH1996/544

The second, the Queen of Chorales, also continues the celebratory wedding metaphors, freely based on Psalm 45.  It became so popular that its verses were engraved on household items, it was considered essential to the wedding service, Holy Communion, and funerals.  Johann Gerhard prayed the seventh verse ("Oh joy, to know that Thou, my Friend...") when dying.  Additionally, the tunes is used for the Exordium hymn on the festivals of Christmas ("Rejoice, Rejoice This Happy Morn"), Easter ("He Is Arisen! Glorious Word") and Pentecost ("O Holy Spirit, Enter In").

http://www.hymnary.org/hymn/ELH1996/167

Collect for the day:  Almighty God, who through Your holy apostle have taught us to praise You in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs: We give You thanks this day for the gift of writing hymns which You gave to Your servants Philipp Nicolai, Johann Heermann, and Paul Gerhardt; and we pray that Your Church may never lack those with the gifts of writing words and music to Your praise, and may be ever filled with the desire to praise and thank You for your great goodness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
 Amen.

St. Katherine's in Hamburg, the last church at which Nicolai served