A Contemporary Hymn for the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels

Sometimes we advocates of traditional liturgy are stereotyped as not liking any contemporary music. Often amid histrionics and eye-rolling, we are told that unless something was written in the 1500s, we don’t like it. Now, it is true that we do have an affection for the oldies, and that Drs. Eckardt and Fabrizius famously sing and quote classic rock from the 60s. But it’s usually not the 1560s. Yes, at least some of us in The Gottesdienst Crowd appreciate beautiful, scriptural, and majestic music of any era for use in divine worship - even lyrics and music composed long after Dylan went electric.

All fun aside, LSB 521 “Christ the Lord of Hosts, Unshaken” is a powerful and beautiful modern offering of praise to our Lord Jesus Christ and His command of the angels - including St. Michael, whom the church honors today. It is living proof that contemporary lyrics and melodies can indeed be fit for our King and fitting for the kingdom to sing in the divine services of the church.

This hymn was written in 1999 by the Rev. Peter Prange, who was “not satisfied with the existing hymns for this occasion in the church year,” that is, the Feast of St. Michael. “I could find no existing hymn that properly surveyed the scriptural truths of this important festival (not even a mention of St. Michael!), so I decided to write one myself.” Pastor Prange was 27 years old at the time. [Lutheran Service Book Companion to the Hymns, Volume 1, pp 321-22]. The tune [Fortunatus New] by Carl Schalk, dates only back to 1966, with the most recent arrangement being published in 1996 [Companion, 487-88]. And here it is for the first time in one of our hymnals in LSB (2006).

Someone might point out that most congregations don’t have the acoustics of Kramer chapel, the magnificent pipe organ, and an army of brilliant musicians and choristers - and that is most certainly true. But my congregation - which has no pipe organ and no choir (though we are blessed to have a highly-talented organist), sang this hymn together as we observed Michelmas last Sunday. And what’s more, two of us gathered together today for Matins, and we sang this hymn a capella.

Our hymns have that kind of flexibility, without any need for a drum-kit, mixing board, or sound engineer. They can even be memorized or read, spoken or scanned silently, as devotions even without the melody.

Thanks be to God for Pastor Prange, and for giving us this inspiring, Scriptural reflection upon our Lord’s victory over Satan, and the role of the holy angels in our faith and life. And it is also a prayer, teeming with joyful, eschatological hope, as well as being a bold and militant song of defiance against our old evil foe:

Jesus, send Your angel legions
When the foe would us enslave.
Hold us fast when sin assaults us;
Come, then, Lord, Your people save.
Overthrow at last the dragon;
Send him to his fiery grave.

Amen!