Songs of Thankfulness and Praise
Walks the entire season of Epiphany, one manifestation per stanza.
The words
Songs of thankfulness and praise, Jesus, Lord, to Thee we raise, Manifested by the star To the sages from afar; Branch of royal David's stem In Thy birth at Bethlehem; Anthems be to Thee addrest, God in Man made manifest.
Manifest at Jordan's stream, Prophet, Priest, and King supreme; And at Cana wedding-guest In Thy Godhead manifest; Manifest in power divine, Changing water into wine; Anthems be to Thee addrest, God in Man made manifest.
Manifest in making whole Palsied limbs and fainting soul; Manifest in valiant fight, Quelling all the devil's might; Manifest in gracious will, Ever bringing good from ill; Anthems be to Thee addrest, God in Man made manifest.
Grant us grace to see Thee, Lord Present in Thy holy Word; May we imitate Thee now, And be pure, as pure art Thou; That we like to Thee may be, At Thy great Epiphany; And may praise Thee, ever blest, God in Man made manifest.
As printed in Common Service Book of the Lutheran Church (1917), no. 37. Public domain: free to print, copy and share.
Old words in this hymn
- Thee, Thou
- you (speaking to one person, often to God)
- Thy, Thine
- your, yours
- Art
- are, as in “Thou art”, you are
About this hymn
Most hymns take one image and stay with it. This one moves: the magi at the crib, the voice at the Jordan, the water turned to wine at Cana, the healings, and then the manifestation still ahead of us.
That is the season in miniature. Epiphany is not one event, it is a series of moments where something that was hidden becomes briefly visible.
Useful on any Sunday between the Baptism of Our Lord and the Transfiguration, and useful for teaching, because by the last stanza the shape of the season has explained itself.
For musicians and planners
| Words | Christopher Wordsworth, 1862 | Public domain |
|---|---|---|
| Tune | SALZBURG · Jakob Hintze, 1678 | Public domain |
Checked 2026-09-27 against Common Service Book of the Lutheran Church (1917), no. 37, via hymnary.org page scan (p. 361) and transcription; cross-checked word for word against The Church Hymnal (Episcopal; hymnary dates this edition 1892), no. 67a, hymnary.org transcription
Hymn numbers checked against Hymnary.org’s index of Evangelical Lutheran Worship. Full record: Hymnary.