Hymn Desk
Hymn Texts /

Now Is the Feast of the Lamb Once Slain

Now is the feast of the Lamb once slain,

The theological center of "Now Is the Feast of the Lamb Once Slain" is the Apocalyptic vision of the Lamb enthroned in glory — a vision that is simultaneously past, present, and eschatological. The past tense of the cross ("once slain") stands in permanent relationship to the eternal present of the throne ("who sits on the throne of God forever"), embodying a characteristically Lutheran sacramental theology: the crucified and risen Christ is the same Lord who is present in the eucharistic feast. The language of "feast" (Latin: convivium, Greek: δεῖπνον) echoes Luther's own eucharistic theology, in which Holy Communion is understood not merely as memorial but as the real participation of the baptized community in the body and blood of the Lamb, a foretaste of the eschatological banquet of Revelation 19. The hymn thus holds together cross, resurrection, and parousia in a single doxological movement — making it a theologically rich resource for Eastertide, the Sundays of the Year, and any occasion when the Supper is celebrated. For the Lutheran office specifically, the hymn's structure as praise-proclamation rather than petition aligns it with the doxological character of Lauds and Vespers, where the primary movement is from the hearing of God's word toward the offering of praise. The threefold acclamation pattern — "all glory, honor, power, and salvation are his" — mirrors the ancient threefold doxologies of the Trisagion, Gloria in Excelsis, and Te Deum. Lutheran office theology, rooted in Luther's understanding that the hours are a school of proclamation and praise, finds in this hymn a perfect encapsulation of evangelical doxology: the praise rendered by the redeemed is itself a response to the prior act of the Lamb's self-giving. The invocation "Come, let us join in the heavenly song, with angels and all of the redeemed" is also a profound expression of the Lutheran understanding of the liturgy as participation in the communion of saints — the church on earth joining the church in heaven at every office and every Eucharist.

History & Background

"Now Is the Feast of the Lamb Once Slain" was composed by Richard Hillert in 1975 as part of his wider contribution to the Lutheran liturgical renewal movement in North America. The text draws its imagery directly from the Apocalypse of John, particularly Revelation 5 and 7, in which the Lamb who was slain receives unending praise from the heavenly assembly. Hillert crafted both the text and the tune FESTIVAL CANTICLE as a unified artistic whole, intended to serve as a canticle or office hymn that would transpose the celestial liturgy of Revelation into the sung prayer of the gathered assembly. Unlike texts that paraphrase a single scriptural verse, this hymn compresses the entire doxological vision of the Lamb into congregational strophic form, following the ancient instinct of hymnody to make biblical vision accessible to corporate worship. The text entered the Lutheran liturgical tradition principally through its inclusion in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), where it appeared as both a hymn and a canticle option for Holy Communion. Its Apocalyptic source material places it in conversation with a long tradition of paschal and eucharistic hymnody — from early Christian acclamations such as Agnus Dei and the Sanctus, through the Byzantine Cherubic Hymn and the Ambrosian doxological office hymns, to Luther's own eucharistic theology in which the Lord's Supper is understood as a foretaste of the heavenly feast. Hillert's spare, declarative language recovers a directness found in the earliest Christian liturgical acclamations, avoiding ornamental abstraction in favor of proclamatory praise. In Lutheran and ecumenical office and liturgical practice, the hymn has functioned primarily as a communion hymn and as an office canticle for Eastertide and general festal occasions. Its pairing with the tune FESTIVAL CANTICLE — itself a modal, antiphonal structure that evokes ancient responsorial chant while remaining accessible to modern congregations — has given it a distinctive liturgical character. The hymn appears in Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006) and has been used ecumenically in Episcopal and other Protestant traditions. Its short, powerful stanzas make it well suited to antiphonal singing between cantor and congregation, choir and assembly, following the model of ancient psalmody and hymnody in the daily office.

Hymnal Appearances

  • Evangelical Lutheran Worship — 167
  • Lutheran Book of Worship — 151

Bulletin Note

Text and tune by Richard Hillert (1923–2010), composed 1975. Based on Revelation 5 and 7. Tune: FESTIVAL CANTICLE. From Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006).

Preaching Connection

When the preacher speaks of the cross and resurrection not as past events but as the present ground of the community's life and praise, this hymn enacts that proclamation — the Lamb "once slain" is the one who "sits on the throne forever," and the congregation sings itself into that reality. Revelation's vision of an assembly gathered around the Lamb maps directly onto every celebration of Word and Sacrament, inviting preaching that connects Sunday morning to the eternal liturgy.

Catechism & Confessional Connections

Themes

Paschal Lamb Eucharist as heavenly feast Eschatological praise Resurrection and glory Communion of saints Doxology Cross and throne Heavenly liturgy Revelation imagery

Look Further