It's advent-time

[junobet]

How do you celebrate it?
One of the things we do in Germany that my British husband did not know before he moved here is the “Advent wreath”:

We have it in our churches and at home. The first candle is lit on the 1th Sunday in advent, then two, three, four … families gathers around it and sing advent-songs, such as this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1CJzOZ1IR4

1. Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates!
Behold, the King of Glory waits;
The King of kings is drawing near,
The Savior of the world is here.
Life and salvation He doth bring,
Wherefore rejoice and gladly sing:
We praise Thee, Father, now,
Creator, wise art Thou!
2. A Helper just He comes to thee,
His chariot is humility,1
His kingly crown is holiness,
His scepter, pity in distress,
The end of all our woe He brings;
Wherefore the earth is glad and sings:
We praise Thee, Savior, now,
Mighty in deed art Thou!
3. O blest the land, the city blest,
Where Christ the Ruler is confessed!
O happy hearts and happy homes
To whom this King in triumph comes!
The cloudless Sun of joy He is,
Who bringeth pure delight and bliss.
We praise Thee, Spirit, now,
Our Comforter art Thou!2
4. Fling wide the portals of your heart;
Make it a temple set apart
From earthly use for Heaven's employ,
Adorned with prayer and love and joy.
So shall your Sovereign enter in
And new and nobler life begin.
To Thee, O God, be praise
For word and deed and grace!
5. Redeemer, come! I open wide
My heart to Thee; here, Lord, abide!
Let me Thy inner presence feel,
Thy grace and love in me reveal;
Thy Holy Spirit guide us on
Until our glorious goal is won!
Eternal praise and fame
We offer to Thy name!

 

[farouk]

I do love Christmas for the wealth of Biblically based carols that exist!

"Veiled in flesh the Godhead see!
Hail incarnate Deity!
Pleased as Man with man to dwell,
Jesus our Emmanuel."

 

[bbyrd009]

How do you celebrate it?
One of the things we do in Germany that my British husband did not know before he moved here is the “Advent wreath”:

We have it in our churches and at home. The first candle is lit on the 1th Sunday in advent, then two, three, four … families gathers around it and sing advent-songs, such as this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1CJzOZ1IR4

1. Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates!
Behold, the King of Glory waits;
The King of kings is drawing near,
The Savior of the world is here.
Life and salvation He doth bring,
Wherefore rejoice and gladly sing:
We praise Thee, Father, now,
Creator, wise art Thou!
2. A Helper just He comes to thee,
His chariot is humility,1
His kingly crown is holiness,
His scepter, pity in distress,
The end of all our woe He brings;
Wherefore the earth is glad and sings:
We praise Thee, Savior, now,
Mighty in deed art Thou!
3. O blest the land, the city blest,
Where Christ the Ruler is confessed!
O happy hearts and happy homes
To whom this King in triumph comes!
The cloudless Sun of joy He is,
Who bringeth pure delight and bliss.
We praise Thee, Spirit, now,
Our Comforter art Thou!2
4. Fling wide the portals of your heart;
Make it a temple set apart
From earthly use for Heaven's employ,
Adorned with prayer and love and joy.
So shall your Sovereign enter in
And new and nobler life begin.
To Thee, O God, be praise
For word and deed and grace!
5. Redeemer, come! I open wide
My heart to Thee; here, Lord, abide!
Let me Thy inner presence feel,
Thy grace and love in me reveal;
Thy Holy Spirit guide us on
Until our glorious goal is won!
Eternal praise and fame
We offer to Thy name!

wow, that is some Scriptural lyrics, there. nice. wish we had those here :/
i mean, i'm still getting goosebumps! lol. And i am not a liker of most hymns.

 

[bbyrd009]

i see that that was a lot of work, and ty! if you are led to post any others, even just YT links, that would be awesome

 

[junobet]

i see that that was a lot of work, and ty! if you are led to post any others, even just YT links, that would be awesome

Not so much work at all. Here’s the translation of a hymn I can’t stop humming these days “Tochter Zion”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLrSFZzfouk

1. Zion's daughter, O rejoice!
Shout aloud, Jerusalem!
Lo, thy King doth come to thee,
Yea, He comes, the Prince of Peace!
Zion's daughter, O rejoice!
Shout aloud, Jerusalem!
2. Hail, hosanna, David's Son,
Be Thou to Thy people blest!
Thine eternal kingdom come!
Praise be sung to Thee on high!
Hail, hosanna, David's Son,
Be Thou to Thy people blest!
3. Hail, hosanna, David's Son,
Be Thou welcome, gentle King!
Firmly stands Thy throne of peace,
Thou, the Father's only Son!
Hail, hosanna, David's Son,
Be Thou to Thy people blest!

And this is a Christmas song that always really touches me when we sing it in church: “Ich steh an deiner Krippen hier”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3FI1LULIEY

1. Now at the manger here I stand,​

My Jesus, Life from Heaven!​

I stand, and bring Thee in my hand​

What Thou to me hast given.​

Take it, it is my mind and wit,​

Heart, soul, and all I have, take it,​

And deign to let it please Thee!​

​

2. With Thy great love beyond compare,​

My soul Thou fillest ever,​

Thy glance so sweet, Thine image fair,​

My heart forgetteth never.​

How otherwise e’er could it be,​

How could I ever banish Thee,​

From my heart’s throne, O Saviour!​

​

3. Ere ever I began to be,​

Thou hadst for me appearèd,​

And as Thine own hadst chosen me​

Ere Thee I knew or fearèd.​

Before I by Thy hand was made,​

Thou hadst the plan in order laid,​

How Thou Thyself shouldst give me.​

​

4. I lay still in death’s deepest night,​

Till Thou, my Sun, arising,​

Didst bring joy, pleasure, life, and light,​

My waken’d soul surprising.​

O Sun! who dost so graciously​

Faith’s goodly light to dawn in me​

Aye cause; Thy beams how beauteous!​

​

5. With rapture do I gaze on Thee,​

Ne’er can enough adore Thee,​

Pow’r more to do is not in me,​

I’ll praise and bow before Thee.​

Oh! that my mind were an abyss,​

My soul a sea, wide, bottomless,​

That so I might embrace Thee.​

​

6. Oh! let me kiss that mouth of Thine,​

My Jesus, Saviour gracious!​

Thy mouth that e’en the sweetest wine,​

And milk and honey precious,​

In pow’r and virtue doth excel,​

Of comfort, strength, and sap ’tis full,​

And inwardly refreshes.​

​

7. When oft my heart within doth cry,​

No comfort can discover,​

It calls to me, Thy friend am I,​

Thine ev’ry sin I cover;​

My flesh and bone, why mournest thou?​

Let thy heart be of good cheer now,​

Thy debt, I have discharg’d it.​

​

8. Who is the Master, where is he,​

Who in perfection sketcheth​

The hands this infant dear to me​

Now smilingly outstretcheth?​

The snow is clear, and milk is white,​

But both lose all their value quite​

Before these hands so beauteous.​

​

9. Oh! wisdom fails me utterly​

For honouring and praising​

The eyes this infant fixedly​

To mine is ever raising.​

The fall moon, it is clear and fair,​

The golden stars most beauteous are,​

But these eyes far excel them.​

​

10. Oh! that a star so passing fair​

Should in a crib be holden!​

Who mighty nobles’ children are​

Should lie in cradles golden!​

Ah! hay and straw too wretched are,​

Silk, velvet, purple better far,​

Were for Thee, Child! to lie on.​

​

11. Remove the straw, remove the hay,​

From where the child reposes,​

And flow’rs I’ll bring that lie He may​

On violets and roses.​

With tulips, pinks, and rosemary,​

From goodly gardens pluck’d by me,​

I’ll from above bestrew Him.​

​

12. And snow-white lilies here and there​

His side shall be thrown over;​

When closed His eyes with slumber are,​

Them shall they softly cover.​

But Thou mayest love the grass so dry,​

My Child! more than the things that I​

Have spoken or have thought of.​

​

13. Not for the world’s pride dost Thou care,​

Nor joys the flesh doth offer;​

In human form Thou liest there,​

For us to do and suffer,​

Seek’st joy and comfort for my soul,​

While waves of trouble o’er Thee roll;​

I never will Thee hinder.​

​

14. One thing I hope Thou’lt grant to me,​

My Saviour! ne’er deny me,​

That I may evermore have Thee​

Within, and on, and by me.​

And let my heart Thy cradle be,​

Come, come and lie Thou down in me,​

With all Thy joys and treasures!​

​

15. ’Tis true, that I should think how poor​

And mean my entertaining,​

Than dust and ashes I’m no more,​

Thou mad’st, art all-sustaining,​

Yet Thou’rt a guest belov’d and priz’d, For never yet hast Thou despis’d​

 

[farouk]

Lutheranism has a very strong tradition of joyful church music, including Christmas music.

 

[bbyrd009]

ya, but i note a distinctly different tone to these; and suggest that they would be too convicting for a more Western Christian audience, i think...

 

[farouk]

ya, but i note a distinctly different tone to these; and suggest that they would be too convicting for a more Western Christian audience, i think...

I guess we need more conviction, not less...

 

[bbyrd009]

i guess that's why our hymns seem to have a different tone...