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Trinity Milwaukee, 1046 N 9th Street, Milwaukee, WI (2026)

05/29/2026

Hymn Notes 🎶
May 28, 2026

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,

May 27 marks the 350th anniversary of the death of the beloved hymn writer Paul Gerhardt. One of his 21 hymns published in The Lutheran Hymnal is, "O Lord, I Sing with Lips and Heart."

"This cento is from Paul Gerhardt's great thanksgiving hymn of eighteen stanzas, half of which we have used as a hymn for cross and comfort. This hymn, so simple in language, yet so profound in its truths, one of the author's earliest hymns, is a typical example of the poet's method. From a contemplation of what God does he leads us to think on what He is. Nelle rightly says; 'Gerhardt has experienced the father love of God in Christ, the Holy Spirit has transfigured Jesus in his heart and testified to him that we are the children of God. That is the center of his life. In this center he stands firm. And because he cannot be moved from this position, he can let his eye sweep freely, without fear of limitation, over all areas of divine and human life." The Handbook to the Lutheran Hymnal

1. O Lord, I sing with lips and heart, Joy of my soul, to Thee;
To earth Thy knowledge I impart As it is known to me.

2. Thou art the Fount of grace, I know, And Spring so full and free
Whence saving health and goodness flow Each day so bounteously.

3. For what have all that live and move Through this wide world below
That does not form Thy bounteous love, O heavenly Father, flow?

4. Who built the lofty firmament? Who spread the expanse of blue?
By whom are to our pastures sent Refreshing rain and dew?

5. Who warmeth us in cold and frost? Who shields us from the wind?
Who orders it that fruit and grain We in their season find?

6. Who is it life and health bestows? Who keeps us with His hand
In golden peace, wards off war's woes From our dear native land?

7. O Lord, of this and all our store Thou art the Author blest;
Thou keepest watch before our door While we securely rest.

8. Thou feedest us from year to year And constant dost abide;
With ready help in time of fear Thou standest at our side.

9. Our deepest need dost Thou supply And all that lasts for aye;
Thou leadest to our home on high, When hence we pass away.

God's peace,
Trudy J. Schmalz
Director of Music

05/25/2026

The Lutheran Society at Marquette and MSOE Universities

Our group continues to grow as we gather for The Divine Service on Wednesday at 6:00 pm, (Soup and Fellowship at 5:00 pm) and Sundays at 10:00 am. Our group also meets at Trinity on most Saturday evenings for Theological discourse, food and fellowship. We dive into all sorts of topics, covering everything from creation to the incarnation, to cultural pressures on the faith. We bring together many who have a multitude of backgrounds and faith traditions. It’s really been almost too much fun for Rev. Ben Schimm and the students. UPDATE: Trinity’s Lutheran Society has been approved by the Council of Affiliated Ministries at Marquette. As a member of this council, The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod will now have a voice and a presence as we provide soul care to students at Marquette University. Oh Rejoice!

For more information, email [email protected] or [email protected]

05/25/2026

Grateful to God for providing our Undercroft Chapel for His service to us this morning as we were experiencing a heating issue in our sanctuary…although it was Pentecost!

Our confirmand and those receiving the Lord’s Supper rejoiced with the congregation on this memorable day.

05/22/2026

May 21, 2026

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,

May 21 is the day on which the church commemorates the Emperor Constantine, Christian ruler, and Helena, his mother. One of the hymns with which we will be celebrating the Feast of Pentecost this Sunday, May 24, is, "Come, Oh, Come, Thou Quickening Spirit." TLH 226

"This splendid hymn of invocation of the Holy Spirit first appeared in a publication by Heinrich Held's Altenburg friend, Johann Niedling, Neuerfundener Geistlicher Wasserquelle (Frankfort-am-Oder, 1658) with the caption: 'On Holy Pentecost, to the French psalm tune 146.' The translation by Edward Traill Horn III was originally done for the Service Book and Hymnal (1958). . . .

The tune is undoubtedly older than 1693, for it is contained in a notebook of variations by Johann Christoph Bach (1642-1702), the uncle of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750). Whether it is actually a creation of his is uncertain. The union of this tune to Held's Pentecost text first occurred in the Geistreiches Gesangbuch (Darmstadt, 1698)." Lutheran Worship Hymnal Companion

1. Come, oh, come, Thou quickening Spirit, God from all eternity!
May Thy power never fail us; Dwell within us constantly.
Then shall truth and life and light Banish all the gloom of night.

2. Grant our hearts in fullest measure Wisdom, counsel, purity,
That they ever may be seeking Only that which pleaseth Thee.
Let Thy knowledge spread and grow, Working error's overthrow.

3. Show us, Lord, the path of blessing; When we trespass on our way,
Cast, O Lord, our sins behind Thee And be with us day by day.
Should we stray, O Lord, recall; Work repentance when we fall.

4. With our spirit bear Thou witness That we are the sons of God
Who rely upon Him solely When we pass beneath the rod;
For we know, as children should, That the cross is for our good.

5. Prompt us, Lord, to come before Him With a childlike heart to pray;
Sigh in us, O Holy Spirit, When we know not what to say.
Then our prayer is not in vain, And our faith new strength shall gain.

6. If our soul can find no comfort And despondency grows strong
That the heart cries out in anguish: "O my God, how long, how long?"
Comfort then the aching breast, Grant us courage, patience, rest.

7. Holy Spirit, strong and mighty, Thou who makest all things new.
Make Thy work within us perfect And the evil Foe subdue.
Grant us weapons for the strife And with victory crown our life.

8. Guard, O God, our faith forever; Let not Satan, death, or shame
Ever part us from our Savior; Lord our Refuge is Thy name.
Though our flesh cry ever: Nay! Be Thy Word to us still Yea!

9. And when life's frail thread is breaking, Then assure us more and more,
As the heirs of life unending, Of the glory there in store.
Glory never yet exprest, Glory of the saints at rest.

God's peace,
Trudy J. Schmalz
Director of Music

Emperor Constantine (c. 272–337) was the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, and he legalized Christianity throughout the region with the Edict of Milan in 313. Previously, it was legal to persecute Roman Christians. Constantine also was involved in the Council of Nicaea (325), a council he himself summoned, which dealt with the issue of Arianism and produced the Nicene Creed.

According to the church historian Eusebius, Constantine's conversion also inspired his mother, Helena, to become Christian. Helena herself played an important role in Christian history: Deeply interested in history and the sites mentioned in the New Testament, she went on a Holy Land pilgrimage. During her time there, she identified several sites associated with Scripture, many of which are still maintained as churches and pilgrimage sites to this day. She also is said to have discovered the True Cross. Obviously, the topic of cross relics is a bit controversial—you've probably heard that Luther remarked there were enough fragments of the True Cross to build an ark (though, we haven't been able to track down the quote, so it might be apocryphal). Concordia Historical Institute

05/15/2026

Hymn Notes 🎶

May 15, 2026

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,

One of our hymns for the Feast of the Ascension is, "See, the Conqueror Mounts in Triumph." TLH 218

"This Ascension hymn, called in Julian 'one grand rush of holy song,' is probably the finest poetic work of Anglican cleric Christopher Wordsworth (1807-85). It was originally published in 1862 in his hymn collection The Holy Year. The original hymn contained ten stanzas, of which six are included in TLH.

The biblical imagery in this hymn sees Christ depicted as the King enthroned, Enoch, Aaron, Joshua, and Elijah. Wordsworth weaves doxology, typology, prophecy, and doctrine together in a way that should serve as a model for modern hymnody. The style is similar in many respects to a Greek ode, but this only heightens how Wordsworth uses the connection between the prophetic character of the Old Testament and its fulfillment in Christ." LSB Companion to the Hymns

1. See the Conqu'ror mounts in triumph; See the King in royal state, Riding on the clouds, His chariot, To His heav'nly palace gate!
Hark, the choirs of angel voices Joyful alleluias sing, And the portals high are lifted To receive their heav'nly King.

2. Who is this that comes in glory With the trump of jubilee? Lord of battles, God of armies, - He hath gained the victory.
He who on the cross did suffer, He who from the grave arose, He hath vanquished sin and Satan; He by death hath spoiled His foes.

3. While He lifts His hands in blessing, He is parted from His friends; While their eager eyes behold Him, He upon the clouds ascends.
He who walked with God and pleased Him, Preaching truth and doom to come, He, our Enoch, is translated To His everlasting home.

4. Now our heav'nly Aaron enters With His blood within the veil; Joshua now is come to Canaan, And the kings before Him quail.
Now He plants the tribes of Israel In their promised resting-place; Now our great Elijah offers Double portion of His grace.

5. Thou hast raised our human nature On the clouds to God's right hand; There we sit in heavenly places, There with Thee in glory stand.
Jesus reigns, adored by angels; Man with God is on the throne. Mighty Lord, on Thine ascension We by faith behold our own.

6. Glory be to God the Father; Glory be to God the Son, Dying, risen, ascending for us, Who the heavenly realm hath won;
Glory to the Holy Spirit! To One God in Persons Three Glory both in earth and heaven, Glory, endless glory, be.

God's peace,
Trudy J. Schmalz
Director of Music

The Ascension of Christ-Rembrandt

05/08/2026

Hymn Notes 🎶

May 7, 2026

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,

One of the Easter hymns we have sung in this Eastertide is, "Christ is Arisen." TLH 187

"'Christ is arisen' is a medieval Leise, or folk hymn. Some early sources ended the Leise with 'Kyrieleis' (or 'Kyrioleis'), others with 'alleluia.' The hymnals most directly influenced by Luther, the Klug hymnal of 1533 and the Babst hymnal of 1545, used 'Kyrioleis' to end each section of the hymn. More recently among American Lutherans, . . . .all use 'alleluia.'

An early manuscript containing the Leise, the Liber Ordinarius of the Salzburg Cathedral chapter from about 1190, describes how the song was used. At the end of the Good Friday liturgy, an image of the Crucified One was placed into the 'holy grave' and covered with a linen cloth while the choir sang the responsory 'Ecce quomodo moritur justus' (Behold, thus dies the righteous one'). During the Easter Vigil, the presider of the cathedral cloister went 'secretly' with the seniores to the grave and raised the statue or painting of the Crucified One. Then they gave each other the Easter kiss with the words 'The Lord is risen indeed.' Then the clerics and the people were called to Matins, at the end of which occurred the visitatio sepulchri, the visit to the empty grave by the three women together with the apostles Peter and John which was acted out as a play. When the actors playing the apostles pointed to the linen cloths lying in the grave, the choir sang in Latin, 'He has risen, as he said.' The congregation responded, 'Christ ist erstanden von der Marter alle.' The service then concluded with the Te Deum laudamus. Later sources indicate that the hymn was sung in alternation with the full Easter sequence during the procession to the baptismal font during the Easter Vigil."
LSB Companion to the Hymns

1. Christ is arisen From the grave's dark prison. We now rejoice with gladness; Christ will end all sadness. Lord, have mercy.

2. All our hopes were ended Had Jesus not ascended From the grave triumphantly. For this, Lord Christ, we worship Thee. Lord, have mercy.

3. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! We now rejoice with gladness. Christ will end all sadness. Lord, have mercy.

God's peace,
Trudy J. Schmalz
Director of Music

Paolo Veronese, The Resurrection of Jesus Christ(c. 1560)

05/01/2026

Join us this Sunday as we rejoice in receiving our Lord’s gifts, singing His praise and giving thanks for His mercy. The Chancel is one step closer to being completed as of today as the 2nd Evangelists window was installed…Matthew and Mark are back at Trinity. Thank you to Paul, Laura, Paul and the Petes, from Oakbrook Esser stained glass in Oconomowoc for their amazing work! What a blessing! See you at 10:00 am on Sunday.

05/01/2026

April 30, 2026

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,

On May 1, we remember Saints Philip and James, Apostles, with the hymn, "Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones." TLH 475

"Athelstan Riley's 'Ye watchers and ye holy ones' first appeared in 1906 in The English Hymnal. The hymn highlights the church's belief in and confession of the 'communion of saints' (Apostles Creed) and the 'one holy Catholick and Apostolick Church' (Nicene Creed), as confessed in the Book of Common Prayer of 1662, which was still in use in Riley's day.

Riley (1858-1945), who was active in the Anglo-Catholic movement, and other editors of The English Hymnal were compelled to defend the volume's strong communion of saints theme against some fierce opposition because bishops feared its Catholic bias. When The English Hymnal was banned in the Birmingham diocese, Percy Dearmer, the hymnal's chief editor, reacted to the ban by writing to Riley on August 14, 1906. Dearmer indicated that he had answered the bishop of Birmingham at great length and warned him of a potential 'hornet's nest' if the bishops should attack the editors on the matter of the communion of saints. Moreover, Dearmer marshalled Riley and others, including the 2nd Viscount Halifax, Charles Lindley Wood, 'to be ready to resist an attack on the Communion of Saints if it is made.' In the letter, Dearmer addressed the reason for this staunch position by The English Hymnal editors and others in the English Church Union (ECU), which assisted Anglo-Catholic priests prosecuted for doctrinal reasons:

This seems to me to [sic] very important - not only for the EH [English Hymnal], but for the Church at large. An attack on the Communion of Saints by the Bishops would be disgusting. On the other hand if we gain this step without a fight, it will be a big step forward. If the ECU is ready, and the Bishops know it, they will pause.

The English Hymnal gradually won acceptance in the public worship of the Church of England due partly to the excellent musical editorship of Ralph Vaughan Williams and partly to illustrated lectures given by Riley and a group of singers assisting him. Riley's hymn has become a favorite among English-speaking worshipers.

The text of 'Ye watchers' shows how Eastern Christendom influenced Riley. J. R. Watson notes that as a young man Riley 'had travelled widely in the Middle East, and had written a book about Mount Athos and its monasteries (published 1887). He was a successor to John Mason Neale in his interest in the Eastern Church, and the hymn draws upon his knowledge of early theology, especially the thinking about angels.' Between 1881 and 1888, Riley traveled to Russia, Mount Athos, Kurdistan and Persia (three trips), and Constantinople, and in 1889, he represented the Archbishop of Canterbury's Mission to Assyrian Christians in a second journey to Russia." LSB Companion to the Hymns

1. Ye watchers and ye holy ones, Bright seraphs, cherubim and thrones, Raise the glad strain, Alleluia!
Cry out, dominions, princedoms, powers, Virtues, archangels, angel's choirs, Alleluia! . . . .

2. O higher than the cherubim, More glorious than the seraphim, Lead their praises, Alleluia!
Thou Bearer of the eternal Word, Most gracious, magnify the Lord, Alleluia! . . . .

3. Respond, ye souls in endless rest, Ye patriarchs and prophets blest, Alleluia! Alleluia!
Ye holy Twelve, ye martyrs strong, All saints triumphant, raise the song, Alleluia! . . . .

4. O friends, in gladness let us sing, Supernal anthems echoing, Alleluia! Alleluia!
To God the Father, God the Son, And God the Spirit, Three in One, Alleluia! . . . .

God's peace,
Trudy J. Schmalz
Director of Music

04/24/2026

April 23, 2026

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,

Our closing hymn for this Sunday, Jubilate Sunday, is, "Awake, My Heart, with Gladness." TLH 192

"This strong, personal Easter testimony by Paul Gerhardt (1607-76), 'Auf, auf, mein Herz, mit Freuden,' appeared in the first edition of Johann Cruger's Praxis Pietatis Melica (Berlin, 1647). Editions of this influential hymnal, the most important German hymnal of the seventeenth century, continued to be produced almost sixty years after Cruger's death. 'Auf, auf, mein Herz' was one of Gerhardt's eighteen occasional poems that merited publishing in this book.

In 1666-67, Johan Georg Ebeling, who succeeded Cruger as cantor of the Nicolaikirche in Berlin upon Cruger's death in 1662, published 120 hymns by Gerhardt under the title Pauli Gerhardi Geistliche Andacheten (Paul Gerhardt's spiritual devotions). 'Auf, auf, mein Herz' appeared here with a four-part harmony (in Cruger's Praxis, the accompaniment was given merely as melody with basso continuo).

German Lutheran immigrants to America brought this and other beloved hymns by Gerhardt with them; but it was England, with poets such as Frances Elizabeth Cox, Richard Massie, Catherine Winkworth, and John Kelly, where a large number of Lutheran hymns were being translated. The translation 'Awake, my heart, with gladness' originated with John Kelly, whose 1867 collection Paul Gerhardt's Spiritual Songs helped to make Gerhardt's hymn accessible to English speakers. Kelly's work, however, received mixed reviews from the start, including this one:

A loving, but not very successful, attempt to translate for the first time into English, or to retranslate, a number of Gerhardt's precious German Hymns. . . . It is dangerous for a translator of German hymns to follow in the wake of Wesley. Mr. Kelly has done so here, and we cannot congratulate him on his enterprise.

It is therefore not surprising that hymnal committees have modified Kelly's words and phraseology with each succeeding hymnal, so that all we have left intact of Kelly's work at present is the first stanza. Even here, Kelly's original opening line, 'Up! up! my heart with gladness,' is now replaced with' Awake, my heart, with gladness,' . . . . All other stanzas may now be considered the deliberative work of editorial committees. . . ."
LSB Companion to the Hymns

1. Awake, my heart, with gladness, See what today is done, Now after gloom and sadness Comes forth the glorious Sun!
My Savior there was laid Where our bed must be made When to the realms of light Our spirit wings its flight.

2. The Foe in triumph shouted When Christ lay in the tomb, But, lo, he now is routed, His boast is turned to gloom.
For Christ again is free; In glorious victory He who is strong to save Has triumphed o'er the grave.

3. This is a sight that gladdens; What peace it doth impart! Now nothing ever saddens The joy within my heart;
No gloom shall ever shake, No foe shall ever take, The hope which God's own Son In love for me hath won.

4. Now hell, its prince, the devil, Of all their power are shorn; Now I am safe from evil, And sin I laugh to scorn.
Grim death with all his might Cannot my soul affright; He is a powerless form, Howe'er he rave and storm.

5. The world against me rageth, Its fury I disdain; Though bitter war it wageth, Its work is all in vain.
My heart from care is free, No trouble troubles me. Misfortune now is play, And night is bright as day.

6. Now I will cling forever To Christ, my Savior true; My Lord will leave me never, Whate'er He passes through.
He rends Death's iron chain, He breaks through sin and pain, He shatters hell's dark thrall, - I follow through it all.

7. To halls of heavenly splendor With Him I pe*****te; And trouble ne'er may hinder Nor make me hesitate.
Let tempests rage at will, My Savior shields me still; He grants abiding peace And bids all tumult cease.

8. He brings me to the portal That leads to bliss untold Whereon this rime immortal Is found in script of gold;
"Who there My cross hath shared Finds here a crown prepared; Who there with Me has died Shall here be glorified."

God's peace,
Trudy J. Schmalz
Director of Music

Resurrection, by Luca Giordano, after 1665

04/17/2026

April 16, 2026

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,

One of the Easter hymns we sang last Sunday for Quasimodo Geniti Sunday is, "Lo! Judah's Lion Wins the Strife." TLH 211

"This hymn of unknown authorship first appeared in Zavorka's Bohemian Neo-Ultraquist Kancional in 1602. From there it entered the second Trencin (Slovakia) edition, 1659, of the Cithara Sanctorum, popularly known as the 'Tranoscius,' printed by Nykodem Czjzka. The revised and updated translation, prepared by Jaroslav J. Vajda, is based on that done by John Bajus for The Lutheran Hymnal (1941). . . .

It is to be noted that the English of the Bohemian stanza 3 simply paraphrases the thought of the original with its strange reference to 'Samgar' (Jer. 39:37), who single handedly slew a horde of enemies. This possibly reflects Samson's killing a thousand Philistines with a donkey's jawbone (Judges 15:15). The biblical strength of the text, with its unique three-line structure, prompted the Commission on Worship to include this hymn in Lutheran Worship, albeit coupled to a new tune." Lutheran Worship Hymnal Companion

1. Lo, Judah's Lion wins the strife And reigns o'er death to give us life. Hallelujah! Oh, let us sing His praises!

2. 'Tis He whom David did portray When he did strong Goliath slay. Hallelujah! Oh, sing with gladsome voices!

3. Like Samson, Christ great strength employed And conquered hell, its gates destroyed. Hallelujah! Oh let us sing His praises!

4. The power of death He brake in twain When He to life arose again. Hallelujah! To Him all praise be given!

5. He led to freedom all oppressed And pardon won for sin-distressed. Hallelujah! Oh praise Him for His mercy!

6. In festal spirit, song, and word To Jesus, our victorious Lord, Hallelujah! All praise and thanks be rendered.

7. All honor, glory, praise, be given Our Triune God, who reigns in heaven. Hallelujah! Now gladly sing we: Amen

God's peace,
Trudy J. Schmalz
Director of Music

The Resurrection by a Follower of Jacopo Tintoretto (1519–1594)

Trinity Milwaukee

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