The First Song of Isaiah

The Psalter Reading for the coming Sunday found in the New Revised Common Lectionary is a portion of Isaiah's first Servant Song.  This is the text of Isaiah 12:2-6 from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible:

Surely God is my salvation;

   I will trust, and will not be afraid,

for the Lord God is my strength and my might;

   he has become my salvation.

 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. 
And you will say on that day:

Give thanks to the Lord,

   call on his name;

make known his deeds among the nations;

   proclaim that his name is exalted.

Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously;

   let this be known in all the earth.

Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion,

   for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

There is a musical setting (below) that moves me a great deal.  I was pastor at a church at one time where the choir presented this piece as an anthem frequently.  The opening lines were sung by both the congregation and the choir:

Surely it is God who saves me;

I shall trust in Him and not be afraid,

For the Lord is my stronghold and my sure defense,

And he shall be my savior.

There are four Servant Songs in Isaiah.  The Gospels appeal to the  figure of the Suffering Servant (especially in the Passion Narratives) repeatedly.  But the lectionary reminds us that this prophesy is also apt for our Advent observance.  It offers an alternate perspective to some of our more commonly-read seasonal texts.

"Hail to the Lord's Anointed"

“Hail to the Lord’s Anointed” is an Advent hymn by James Montgomery (1771 – 1854).  It is his interpretation of Psalm 72.  In The United Methodist Hymnal and other places, it is set to the tune “Ellacombe.”  The tune is anonymously credited and dates to 1784 where it first appeared in a chapel hymnal for the Duke of Würtemberg.  I first knew the tune as the music for “Hosanna, Loud Hosanna” which is frequently employed on Palm Sunday.

The hymn text for “Hail to the Lord’s Anointed” is:

Hail to the Lord's anointed, great David's greater Son!

Hail in the time appointed, His reign on earth begun!

He comes to break oppression, to set the captive free,

To take away transgression, and rule in equity.

Hail to the Lord's anointed, great David's greater Son!

Hail in the time appointed, His reign on earth begun!

He comes in succor speedy to those who suffer wrong,

To help the poor and needy, and bid the weak be strong.

To give them songs for sighing, their darkness turn to light,

Whose souls, condemned and dying, are precious in His sight.

Hail to the Lord's anointed, great David's greater Son!

Hail in the time appointed, His reign on earth begun!

He shall come down like showers upon the fruitful earth,

Love, joy, and hope, like flowers, spring in His path to birth.

Hail to the Lord's anointed, great David's greater Son!

Hail in the time appointed, His reign on earth begun!

The tide of time shall never His covenant remove.

His Name shall stand forever, That Name to us is Love.

Hail to the Lord's anointed, great David's greater Son!

Hail in the time appointed, His reign on earth begun!

It is a truly joyful hymn-text that incorporates several Advent themes marvelously.  The list includes the Messiah as standing in the Davidic line, the glorious reign of the one who is to come, release to the captives, forgiveness of sins, comfort, care for the poor, the image of light, encouragement and the eternal sovereignty of the Lord’s Christ.

People, look east

 

People, look east. The time is near

Of the crowning of the year.

Make your house fair as you are able,

Trim the hearth and set the table.

People, look east and sing today:

Love, the Guest, is on the way.

Furrows, be glad. Though earth is bare,

One more seed is planted there:

Give up your strength the seed to nourish,

That in course the flower may flourish.

People, look east and sing today:

Love, the rose, is on the way.

Birds, though you long have ceased to build,

Guard the nest that must be filled.

Even the hour when wings are frozen

God for fledging time has chosen.

People, look east and sing today:

Love, the bird, is on the way.

Stars, keep the watch. When night is dim

One more light the bowl shall brim,

Shining beyond the frosty weather,

Bright as sun and moon together.

People, look east and sing today:

Love, the star, is on the way.

Angels, announce with shouts of mirth

Christ who brings new life to earth.

Set every peak and valley humming

With the word, the Lord is coming.

People, look east and sing today:

Love, the Lord, is on the way.

“People, Look East” is an Advent carol authored by Eleanor Farjeon (1881-1965). She is best known for writing the hymn “Morning Has Broken” (#145 in The United Methodist Hymnal and popularized by Cat Stevens – now Yusuf Islam – in 1971).  The carol was first published in The Oxford Book of Carols (1928).  According to Michael Hawn of Perkins School of Theology, “Key images of the season are abundant. "People, Look East" is the direction of the rising sun and, in the history of Christianity, the direction of the coming Messiah. In stanza two, the bare earth is waiting for the seed that will flourish in the reign of the Promised One. In stanza three, the stars that guided the Magi shape the "bowl" of the heavens, giving signs of hope beyond "the frosty weather." The angels' song, in stanza four, sets "every peak and valley humming," an oblique reference to Isaiah 40:4, "Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low. . ."

It is a thoughtful hymn text that draws its imagery from a variety of Advent sources.  Put all together it is a wonderful piece that deserves more prominence in our Advent repertoire.

O come, O come, Emmanuel

1 O come, O come, Emmanuel,
and ransom captive Israel
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear. 

Refrain:

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

shall come to you, O Israel.

2 O come, O Wisdom from on high,

who ordered all things mightily;

to us the path of knowledge show

and teach us in its ways to go. Refrain

3 O come, O come, great Lord of might,

who to your tribes on Sinai's height

in ancient times did give the law

in cloud and majesty and awe. Refrain

4 O come, O Branch of Jesse's stem,

unto your own and rescue them!

From depths of hell your people save,

and give them victory o'er the grave. Refrain

5 O come, O Key of David, come

and open wide our heavenly home.

Make safe for us the heavenward road

and bar the way to death's abode. Refrain

6 O come, O Bright and Morning Star,

and bring us comfort from afar!

Dispel the shadows of the night

and turn our darkness into light. Refrain

7 O come, O King of nations, bind

in one the hearts of all mankind.

Bid all our sad divisions cease

and be yourself our King of Peace. Refrain

The lyric for this hymn dates to the 8^th century.  It was a poem used as a call and response in the liturgy of the church during evening worship services (vespers, compline, evening prayer).  The poem formed the basis of the O Antiphons that many churches use in Advent liturgy.   In the Latin it formed the “reverse acrostic” ero cras that translates to “I will be with you on the morrow.”  It came to be associated with the season of Advent from its very early days.  The opening line of each stanza identifies a different title for Christ.  The poem was originally a chant that became plainsong that came to be sung to the current tune Veni Immanuel (composed by Thomas Helmore (1811 – 1890).