That God’s appointed servant may
Now offer thee the gift so free
Through which thy Lord unites with thee.
O Lord, I offer Thee my soul
To nourish, strengthen and make whole.
Uphold me by Thy means of grace
Until I see Thee face to face.
The short hymn given below is a favorite after the communion in numerous Danish and Norwegian churches.
O dearest Lord, receive from me
The heartfelt thanks I offer Thee,
Who through Thy body and Thy blood
Hast wrought my soul’s eternal good.
Break forth, my soul, in joy and praise;
What wealth is mine this day of days!
My Jesus dwells within my soul;
Let every tongue His grace extol.
Kingo’s historical hymns, that is, his hymns on the stories of the Gospels, usually are not counted among the best. Yet there are many fine hymns among
them, such as the annunciation hymn, “There Came a Message from the Sky”; the hymn about the wedding at Cana, “How Blessed Was that Wedding Feast”;
and the splendid hymn on the transfiguration of the Lord, “I Lift My Eyes and
Spirit Up unto the Hallowed Mountain Top Where Jesus Once Ascended”. Best
known among this group of hymns is, however, his great sequence of songs on
our Lord’s passion. In these inspired hymns we meet again the Kingo that we know from his spiritual songs, fiery, eloquent, imaginative, seeking to picture
every detail and mood of the Savior’s suffering from the garden to the cross.
Though it is difficult to choose among hymns so universally fine, the one given
below is, at least, fairly representative of the group.
Over Kedron Jesus passes
Ready for His passion day,
While the Prince of Darkness masses
All his legions for the fray.
Wily foes with evil hearts
Bend their bows and point their darts,
Aiming at the Savior solely,
As the world forsakes Him wholly.
David once in great affliction
Crossed the Kedron’s narrow stream,
While his foes without restriction
Hatched their vile and cunning scheme.
Darker far the shadows now
Bend about the Savior’s brow
As He hastens to His passion
