About the Hymn
We are always singing two advents.
Since the Christian Church began 2,000 years ago, God’s people have been speaking and singing of two comings of Christ.
The first is the Christmas coming. December 25 is the date we’ve historically chosen to celebrate how the eternally begotten Son of God, fully divine, became also fully human: “He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary.”
The second is still to come: when the Christ returns, not as a helpless Babe, but as a mighty Judge and King. He will restore, redeem, remake heaven and earth, and then reign for time without time.
This hymn explores the parallels between the two comings. The yearning, watching, and waiting. The changes in the stars. The angelic announcement. The awestruck worship when Christ is revealed.
These two comings are certainly the hinges of history. The Christmas coming changed everything about the prospects of the human race. And the second coming will change everything again—permanently, eternally.
Mark 13:24-37 clearly speaks of the second coming, but there are hints of today’s other readings in the hymn text as well:
Isaiah 64:1: He will “tear open the heavens and come down.”
Psalm 80:19: He will “Restore us . . . that we may be saved.”
1 Corinthians 1:6: We “wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Stanza 2 also refers to another passage, not found in today’s lectionary. Romans 8:22-23 says: “We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.”
And so we light our Advent candles. We watch them glow, symbols of our hope and courage in the darkness. And we wait.
The hymn should be performed at a reverent♩. = ca. 48.
Text
1. As Advent candles glow with hope,
we form our Advent cry:
come down, King Jesus, as you came
that cold, dark Christmas night.
2. As weary Mary looked and longed
for your most holy birth,
so we and all creation yearn
for your return to earth.
3. As angels sang the stars awake
on that Judean night,
so listen for the echo now,
the chorus of the Christ.
4. As shepherds sped to find your crib
and fell upon their knees,
so we will bend in wonder, Lord,
before your majesty.
5. As Christmas changed all history,
now hist’ry waits again.
We hold our breath and watch for you:
all Earth is Bethlehem.
6. As Advent candles glow with hope,
we form our Advent cry:
come down, King Jesus! Split the skies
and lift us into light.
© 2017 Laurie F. Gauger
Lectionary Reading
Year B, First Sunday of Advent: Mark 13:24–37
“But in those days, following that distress,
“‘the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’
“At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.
“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
The Day and Hour Unknown
“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
“Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”
Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
