Music and Meditation for the Fourth Sunday of Advent

Sunday, December 20, 2020 | The Fourth Sunday of Advent

Music

Once in Royal David's City

• Words by Cecil F. Alexander (1848)
• Music by Henry J. Gauntlett (1849)
• Performed by the Choir of King's College, Cambridge (2017)

Text (selected)

Once in royal David's city stood a lowly cattle shed

Where a mother laid her baby in a manger for his bed

Mary was that mother mild, Jesus Christ her little child

He came down to earth from heaven, who is God and Lord of all

And his shelter was a stable and his cradle was a stall

With the poor and meek and lowly, lived on earth, our Savior holy

And our eyes at last shall see him through his own redeeming love

For that child so dear and gentle is our Lord in heaven above

And he leads his children on to the place where he has gone

Meditation

The theme of the Fourth Sunday of Advent is LOVE.

 

John writes:

In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. (1 John 4:9-11 ESV)

The Collect for the Fourth Sunday of Advent;

Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared by himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever; Amen.

Music and Meditation for the Third Sunday of Advent

Sunday, December 13, 2020 | The Third Sunday of Advent

Music

Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus

• Words by Charles Wesley (1744)
• Hymn tune is HYFRYDOL, original music by Rowland Prichard (c. 1830), adapted by Sara Groves (2019)
• Performed by Sara Groves on the album Joy of Every Longing Heart (2019)

Text

Come, thou long-expected Jesus, born to set thy people free

From our fears and sins release us; let us find our rest in thee

Israel's strength and consolation; hope of all the world thou art

Dear desire of every nation, joy of every longing hear.

Born thy people to deliver, born a child and yet a king

Born to reign in us forever, now thy gracious kingdom bring

By thine own eternal spirit, rule in all our hearts alone

By thine own sufficient merit, raise us to thy glorious throne

Meditation

The theme of the Third Sunday of Advent is JOY. Pope Francis writes:

Christmas is joy, religious joy, an inner joy of light and peace.

Luke records an angel saying to the shepherds outside Bethlehem:

Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:10-11 ESV)

The Collect for the Third Sunday of Advent;

Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, now and forever, Amen.

Music and Meditation for the Second Sunday of Advent

Sunday, December 6, 2020 | The Second Sunday of Advent

Music

It Came Upon a Midnight Clear

• Words by Edmund H. Sears (1849)
• Music by Richard S. Willis (1850)
• Performed by Josh Groban on the album Noel (Tenth Anniversary Edition, 2016)

Text

It came upon a midnight clear, that glorious song of old

From angels bending near the earth to touch their hearts of gold

Still through the cloven skies they come with peaceful wings unfurled

And still their heavenly music floats over all the weary world

Peace on the earth, good will to men, from heaven's all-gracious king

The world in solemn stillness lay to hear the angels sing

Meditation

The theme of the Second Sunday of Advent is PEACE. Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote:

Celebrating Advent means learning how to wait. Not all can wait, certainly not those who are satisfied, contented, and feel that they live in the best of all possible worlds! Those who learn to wait are uneasy about their way of life, but yet have seen a vision of greatness in the world of the future and are patiently expecting its fulfillment. The celebration of Advent is possible only to those who are troubled in soul, who know themselves to be poor and imperfect, and who look forward to something greater to come. For those, it is enough to wait in humble fear until the Holy One comes down to us, God the child in the manger.

The prophet Isaiah wrote:

For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6 ESV)

And John records Jesus saying to his disciples:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. (John 14:27 ESV)

The Collect for the Second Sunday of Advent;

Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever, Amen.

Music and Meditation for the First Sunday of Advent

Sunday, November 29, 2020 | The First Sunday of Advent

Music

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

• Words are a 12th century hymn, translated into English by John M. Neale (1851)
• The hymn tune is VENI EMMANUEL, based on plainsong phrases; harmonization by Thomas Helmore (1854)
• Performed by Enya (first stanza only; sung once in English and once in Latin)

Text appears in the video

Meditation

Enya doesn't sing this stanza, but I add it here as it seems meaningful at the close of what for most of us has been a hard year:

O come thou Dayspring from on high

And cheer us by thy drawing nigh

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night

And death's dark shadows put to flight

Rejoice, rejoice, O Israel

To you shall come Emmanuel

The theme of the First Sunday of Advent is HOPE. German theologian Eberhard Arnold wrote:

Advent hope is a certainty of faith that shows itself in action through mutual responsibility for the whole of life. The church of Christ is the fellowship of this hope. It believes so unreservedly that it is convinced that the divine must conquer the demonic, that love must conquer hate, that the all-embracing must conquer the isolated. Certainty tolerates no limitation. God embraces everything. When we trust in him for the future, we trust in him for the present. When we have faith in him, our faith holds true for everything that touches our lives.

And Paul wrote to the Romans:

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. (Romans 15:13 ESV)

The Collect for the First Sunday of Advent:

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now and in the time of this mortal life in which your son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever, Amen.