Pr. Weedon on LSB 941

You can listen below to a wonderful review by Pr. Weedon of "We Praise You and Acknowledge You, O God" (Pr. Steve Starke's marvelous hymnic paraphrase of the Te Deum) aired on Issues, Etc. yesterday.  This hymn has become a favorite in our congregation.  In fact, I think it is safe to say that of all the new hymns in LSB, this one is the favorite of favorites.  One of the things Pr. Weedon highlights is the fact that this hymn can be used in a variety of locations within the liturgy.  This is most certainly true.  We have used it as the Opening/Processional Hymn (just did that again this past Sunday), in place of the Hymn of Praise, as the Hymn of the Day, as a Distribution Hymn, as the Post-Communion Canticle, and as the Closing/Recessional Hymn.  No matter where we have sung it in the liturgy, it works well.  Of course, that's because the people love to sing it so much. :)  And, I was glad to hear Pr. Wilken ask Pr. Weedon about the tune being pagan in origin, since I know a few brothers who are not big fans of this hymn for that reason.  But, Pr. Weedon hits the nail on the head with his response, mentioning, in his enthusiastic way, how wonderful it is for the Church to steal this tune away from the pagans and use it to address the True King of all creation.  Exactly!  Besides, the whole "this tune is a pagan tune and I won't use it argument" fails to recognize that the vast majority of people have zero association with that old pagan song set to this tune, and it has indeed become a tune now owned by Christ's Church.  It is one of those tunes that has already become, and will remain, a lasting part of the Church's unending praise to her Triune God.  Call me a sap, if you will, but I am overcome with goosebumps every time we sing this hymn (and we do so multiple times throughout the year), especially when our organist drops out during the third stanza (which has become a custom for our singing of this hymn).  Our people belt this one out and I'm completely convinced that my grandchildren's grandchildren's grandchildren will be belting it out in the future (provided our Lord doesn't return before then, of course).

Anyway, enough rambling.  Here's the review: