Weekday Advent Service Three
Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN
The Hymns of Advent
Jesus
Came, the Heavens Adoring (LSB
353)
Godfrey
Thring (1823-1903, alt)
Jesus came, the
heav’ns adoring,
Came with peace from
realms on high;
Jesus came to bring
redemption,
Lowly came on earth to
die;
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Came in deep humility.
Jesus
comes again in mercy
When
our hearts are worn with care;
Jesus
comes again in answer
To
and earnest, heartfelt prayer,
Alleluia!
Alleluia!
Comes
to save us from despair.
Jesus comes to hearts
rejoicing,
Bringing news of sins
forgiv’n;
Jesus comes with words
of gladness,
Leading souls redeemed
to heav’n.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Hope to all the world
is giv’n.
Jesus
comes in joy and sorrow,
Shares
alike our hopes and fears;
Jesus
comes, whate’re befalls us,
Cheers
our hearts and dries our tears;
Alleluia!
Alleluia!
Comforts
us in failing years.
Grace and peace to you from our
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Well, so far in our series of
Advent Sermons we’ve looked at two fairly well known hymns. But tonight we’re
looking at a treasure from our older hymnal (a hymn in that is in the new one
but not in the blue one). So, although
it may be new to us now it is not a new hymn at all, in fact it was probably
written around the time this congregation was just getting started. It is a very strong Christ centered hymn
pointing us in two directions at once.
You can see that very clearly if you look at the second word in verse one
and verse two. Jesus came… Jesus comes… now one of the great features of this hymn is that it very
nicely sets out for us what Jesus did, what he does and what he’s going to
do. Jesus is clearly at the center of
all the doing in this hymn, that’s
what makes it a great one to study this evening.
Jesus
came, the heav’ns adoring,
Came
with peace from realms on high;
Jesus
came to bring redemption,
Lowly
came on earth to die;
Alleluia!
Alleluia!
Came
in deep humility.
This verse is deceptively
simple. It packs a lot into a very small
package. It sums up Jesus birth life,
death and resurrection in such and economy of words that you can’t get it all
in one simple reading. One of the
greatest things is how it reminds me of so many other hymns. Phrases like came with peace from realms on high remind me of wonderful
Christmas hymns like Angels from the realms
of glory, wing your flight o’re all the earth and peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled. When the hymn says Jesus came to bring redemption, I think about I know that my redeemer lives, what comfort this sweet sentence gives.
Madison Master Singers sang right here in our church and one of the hymns they
sang was a well known carol Infant lowly,
infant holy for his bed a cattle
stall; Oxen lowing, Little knowing Christ the child is Lord of all. (another new hymn in our new hymnal) echoing
the words from this hymn Lowly he came on
earth to die. Every time I read it,
another connection to another great hymn pops into my head. I think that’s because firstly, it is such a
very well written hymn. Secondly it does
what all good advent hymns do, (actually what all good Christian hymns should
do) it talks about Jesus and what he did.
His birth, perfect life, and death on the cross are all tied up in this
small package. It says what St. Paul
said to the Philippians.
Have
this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not
count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but
made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness
of men. And being found in human form, he humbled
himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:5-8, ESV)
All that is important because it
sets Christmas time (that is Jesus being born in human flesh), the time we are
getting prepared to celebrate, at the center of everything else the hymn is
going to say. It’s as if it says, “because
He came from heaven as a humble
infant, amid adoring angels singing God’s peace on earth, and because He has redeemed
us by coming to die; You can be sure that when He comes He’s going to do this and this and this…” And there’s that change from Jesus came to Jesus comes. And the whole
rest of the hymn is about Jesus comes.
Jesus
comes again in mercy
When
our hearts are worn with care;
Jesus
comes again in answer
To
and earnest, heartfelt prayer,
Alleluia!
Alleluia!
Comes
to save us from despair.
There’s a phrase we chant on Sunday
mornings together, it’s Lord, have mercy.
It’s a biblical phrase; it’s asking God for promised blessings: For the peace of the whole world and for our
salvation; for the well being of the church of God; for this holy house… Lord, have mercy. We get it from the bible. In the accounts of our Lord from Matthew,
Mark, Luke and John people make requests of Jesus using that phrase. Every single one of them is asking for
healing. Lord, have mercy on me, cure my
blindness; cure my leprosy; cast out this demon. The hymn says Jesus comes in mercy when our hearts are worn with care. I just love the way that’s said. You can just feel the ragged places on your
own heart as you’ve dealt with illness and death in your family. We care when people we know are sick. We pray for them with heartfelt prayer. And Jesus
answers by coming in mercy. During
advent we rejoice in knowing that when Jesus comes as he has promised and
brings all history to its conclusion all sickness will end forever. It will be a great day. The hymn talks about that, but it also talks
about now. Through you and me, through
God’s Word spoken to comfort the sick and dying Jesus comes in mercy. Jesus comes in mercy when we help our
neighbors and friends whose hearts are worn
with the care, too. It is one of the things that Jesus has called
us to do in this community.
Jesus
comes to hearts rejoicing,
Bringing
news of sins forgiv’n;
Jesus
comes with words of gladness,
Leading
souls redeemed to heav’n.
Alleluia!
Alleluia!
Hope
to all the world is giv’n.
The key to this very is the third
phrase. Leading souls redeemed to heaven.
I think it’s talking about death.
Oh I know that’s not usually a time we think about rejoicing, and yet,
look at what it says. Jesus comes… brining news of sins forgiven
and words of gladness. When we are standing at graveside we need words of gladness, words of forgiveness. The hope for the whole world is the
forgiveness of sins won by Our Lord on the cross that changes the sorrow of
death to the joy of eternal life. One of
the prayers we say at funerals uses the words Comfort us with the certain hope of the resurrection to everlasting
life and a joyful reunion with those we love who have died in the faith. When
we are staring at our loved ones dead and in the grave we need to know that
Jesus’ death means that the death we see isn’t forever. Jesus
comes in His Word right now to bring us that comfort and joy.
Jesus
comes in joy and sorrow,
Shares
alike our hopes and fears;
Jesus
comes, whate’re befalls us,
Cheers
our hearts and dries our tears;
Alleluia!
Alleluia!
Comforts
us in failing years.
The last verse we’ve sung tonight
talks about Jesus coming in what’re
befalls us. It says he comes in joy and sorrow and shares alike our hopes and fears.
These words remind us of God’s great promise in Jesus to be with us
always. The last words he spoke to the disciples
as he ascended into heaven was that very promise, And behold, I am with you
always, to the end of the age.”
(Matthew 28:20b, ESV) And
St. John tells us Jesus promise in a different way, I will not leave you as
orphans (John 14:18 ESV) Jesus is with us through the presence of the Holy
Spirit given to us in Holy Baptism. Every
day when we rise we can begin each day weather facing joy or sorrow,
hope or fear, in whate’re befalls us, with Jesus. I like the way Martin Luther encourages us to
start our day in the Small Catechism:
In the morning when you get up, make the
sign of the holy cross and say:
In the name of the Father and of the Son and
of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Then, kneeling or standing, repeat the Creed
and the Lord's Prayer. If you choose, you may also say this little prayer:
I thank you, my heavenly Father, through
Jesus Christ, You dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and
danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every
evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands I commend
myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that
the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
Then go joyfully to your work, singing a
hymn, like that of the Ten Commandments, or whatever your devotion may suggest.
Jesus, Our Savior, indeed cheers our hearts, and dries our tears, to the end of the age, in failing years the hymn says. We go through our life every day knowing we
are not alone.
As Christmas draws near, we sing
with the hymn, Alleluia! Alleluia!
Because we are reminded again of Jesus, Our Savior; the one who was born in a
stable for us, the one who died on the cross for us, the one who lives with us
every day, and the one who, for us, is coming again. Amen.
The peace of God that passes all
understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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