An Advent Hymn

If you’re a Lutheran, you’re probably aware that “Hello – It Is Not Christmas Yet”. That means in the Lutheran churches I’ve been attending this month we are not singing Christmas carols — we’re singing advent hymns. The particular one I’m going to highlight today was written by a German Lutheran pastor, Georg Weissel (1590 – 1635). Psalm 24 is the inspiration for this hymn, particularly verses 7-10:

“Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.”

In this psalm David is celebrating the moving of the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem. To the people of that time, it meant that God would be among them. In the same way, this hopeful hymn asks us to make our heart a temple for the presence of God.

For more advent hymns see these posts:

Hopeful Hymn #3

O Come