Day 22 of Preparing Your Heart for Advent

I had never heard this song until this year and I have fallen in love with it.  I love the lyrics and enjoy pondering about them.  Published in 1848 and written by Cecil Frances Alexander, this carol reminds us of the Nativity and Jesus' birth, and the city of Bethlehem.  It was actually a children's poem at one time which helped the children learn the story of Jesus' birth.

Once in Royal David's City

Once in royal David's city,
Stood a lowly cattle shed,
Where a mother laid her baby
In a manger for His bed:
Mary was that mother mild,
Jesus Christ her little child.

He came down to earth from heaven,
Who is God and Lord of all,
And His shelter was a stable,
And His cradle was a stall;
With the poor and meek and lowly,
Lived on earth our Savior holy.

And through all
His wondrous childhood,
He would honor and obey,
Love and watch the lowly mother,
In whose gentle arms He lay.
Christian children all should be,
Mild, obedient, good as He.

For He is our child-hood's pattern,
Day by day like us He grew,
He was little, weak, and helpless,
Tears and smiles like us He knew,
And He feeleth for our sadness,
And He shareth in our gladness.

And our eyes at last shall see Him,
Through His own redeeming love;
For that child so dear and gentle,
Is our Lord in heaven above,
And He leads His children on,
To the place where He is gone.

Not in that poor lowly stable,
With the oxen standing by,
We shall see Him, but in heaven,
Set at God's right hand on high;
When like stars
His children crowned,
All in white shall be around.

Day 21 of Preparing Your Heart for Advent

Philippians 2:9-11

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Reread this verse. What do you notice about the position of Jesus' name throughout this verse? This name of Jesus that gets thrown around so flippantly these days holds power. When you say the name of Jesus, do you think about that? It's the name above all names!

Day 20 of Preparing Your Heart for Advent

When reading the words to this song, think about the fact that Jesus is a stem from the lineage of Jesse. Jesus bloomed in Bethlehem and continues to bloom within our hearts when we receive Him.

Lo How a Rose

Lo how a rose e'er blooming,

From tender stem hath sprung,

Of Jesse's lineage coming,

As saints of old have sung.

It came, a flower bright, amid the cold of winter,

When half-spent was the night.

Isaiah 'twas foretold it,

The Rose I have in mind,

With Mary we behold it,

The virgin mother kind.

To show God's love aright,

She bore to us a Savior,

When half spent was the night.

Day 19 of Preparing Your Heart for Advent

Matthew 1:18-25

(18) This is how Jesus, the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit.

(19) Joseph, her fiance, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.

(20) As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.

(21) and she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

(22) All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:

(23) ”Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”

(24) When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife.

(25) But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.

Day 18 of Preparing Your Heart for Advent

Joy to the World

Joy to the World , the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the World, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.



Day 17 of Preparing Your Heart for Advent

Matthew 2:1-12

(1) Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking

(2) "Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him."

(3) King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem.

(4) He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, "Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?"

(5) I"n Bethlehem in Judea," they said, "for this is what the prophet wrote:

(6) 'And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.'"

(7) Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared.

(8) Then he told them, "Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him , too!"

(9) After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was.

(10) When they saw the star, they were filled with joy!

(11) They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. They they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

(12) When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.

Day 16 of Preparing Your Heart for Advent

"Believe it or not, a Christmas carol describes Herod's horrible deed.  Set in a minor key, this haunting lullaby, with words from a song written in 1534, is titled 'Lully, Lullay,' but is often called 'Coventry Carol.' The song originated in Coventry, England, where the local crafts guild performed a pageant depicting Herod's slaughter and the subsequent sorrow.  During the pageant mothers sing the children to sleep with 'Lully, Lullay' so Herod's soldiers can't find them.  The words themselves sound like a mother lullying her baby to sleep."--Ann Marie Stewart

Lully, Lullay

Lully, thou little, tiny child

By, by lully, lullay

Lully, Thou little tiny Child

By, by Lully, Lullay.

O sisters, too, how may we do for to preserve this day

This poor young ling for whom we sing

By, By, Lully, Lullay.

Herod the King in his raging, charged he hath this day

His men of might, in his own sight, all children young to slay.

Then woe is me, poor Child, for Thee, and ever mourn and say

For thy parting, nor say, nor sing,

By, by, Lully, Lullay.

Day 15 of Preparing Your Heart for Advent

To understand the birth story, we need to understand a bit about Herod. Here is a short rundown. Very short, I know, but feel free to study him for yourself.

• Ruled Judea from 37BC until his death in 4BC.
• Known as Herod the Great.
• Known for his impressive architecture. He used Jewish labor to complete his designs.
• He lived in a multi-story, fortress-like place. it was called the Herodium. It was strategically placed to sit on a hill so that he could see the entire region from his palace.
• He was a horrible person with no regard for human life.
• He married ten times.
• One of those times of marriage, he actually married a woman from the royal Jewish family. Ironic, huh?
• He had his uncle, mother-in-law, (favorite) wife Mariamme, father-in-law, his three sons: Antipater, Aristobulus, and Alexander, his barber, and a close friend all executed.
• He had the high priest and his brother-in-law drowned.
• Five days before he died, he had 3,000 of Jerusalem's most respected citizens arrested and ordered for them to be executed when he died. It has been said that he wanted the people to mourn on the day he died, even if it wasn't necessarily for his own death.
• He had all children, age 2 and under (including his own son) killed because he was afraid of losing his position as King. It is believed that 30-60 children who lived in a village of three hundred were killed. The range is said to be between 200-2,000, though. Despite the true numbers, that is a lot of mothers with broken hearts, wailing for their child. I can't even imagine the grief that was heard that night.

Taking all of this into consideration, can you see why the wise men could have been afraid to NOT return to Herod? They could have been executed for their disobedience. However, they followed God and chose to return home via a different route.

___________________
Info taken from Preparing My Heart for Advent by Anne Marie Stewart. She used the information from Vander Laan and Focus on the Family Video (video production) and from Joseph J. Walsh's book, Were They Wise Men or Kings? The Book of Christmas Questions.

Day 14 of Preparing Your Heart for Advent

Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus

Come, Thou long expected Jesus,

Born to set thy people free;

From our fears and sins release us,

Let us find our rest in Thee.

Israel's Strength and Consolation,

Hope of all the earth Thou art;

Dear desire of every nation,

Joy of every longing heart.

Born they people to deliver,

Born a child and yet a King.

Born to reign in us forever,

Now Thy gracious Kingdom bring.

By Thine own eternal Spirit,

Rule in all our hearts alone;

By Thine all-sufficient merit,

Raise us to thy glorious throne.

Day 13 of Preparing Your Heart for Advent

Luke 1:46-55

Mary responded:

Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! For he took notices of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed. For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me. He shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear him. His mighty arm has done tremendous things! He has scattered the proud and haughty ones. He has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands. He has helped his servant Israel and remembered to be merciful. For he made this promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children forever.

Day 12 of Preparing Your Heart for Advent

We know this song by heart, but have we truly stopped to read the lyrics?  What a beautiful picture of the summary of that first Christmas.  Read through the lyrics to this song with fresh eyes and see before you the scenes found throughout Scripture.

The First Noel

The first Noel the angel did say
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay;
In fields as they lay, keeping their sheep,
On a cold winter's night that was so deep.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel, Born is the King of Israel.

They looked up and saw a star
Shining in the east beyond them far,
And to the earth it gave great light,
And so it continued both day and night.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel, Born is the King of Israel.

And by the light of that same star
Three wise men came from country far;
To seek for a king was their intent,
And to follow the star wherever it went.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel, Born is the King of Israel.

This star drew nigh to the northwest,
O'er Bethlehem it took it rest,
And there it did both stop and stay
Right over the place where Jesus lay.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel, Born is the King of Israel.

Then entered in those wise men three
Full reverently upon their knee,
And offered there in his presence
Their gold, and myrrh, and frakincense.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel, Born is the King of Israel.

Then let us all with one accord
Sing praises to our heavenly Lord;
That hath made heaven and earth of naught,
And with his blood mankind hath bought.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel, Born is the King of Israel.

Day 11 of Preparing Your Heart for Advent

Zechariah and Mary.  Both are expecting babies that they can't fully comprehend they why or even the how.  Zechariah with his old age and his wife's old age and Mary by being a virgin.  When the angel, Gabriel, comes to both of them, he is met with a different responses given by each.

When Zechariah is told that he will give birth to a son, he doesn't say, "Okay."  He doesn't even say, "I don't understand how or why, but if you say it, I'll believe it."  I think Zechariah represents many of us today, in all honesty.  I don't know that my response would have been any different.  I would hope it would have been, but having met an angel, not so sure!  Zechariah's response is "please give me a sign."  So, God does....He takes aways his communication (but he gets by with the flailing of his arms). 

When Mary is told she will give birth to a baby boy, and oh, that baby's name will be Jesus by the way, she responds with "But how can this happen?  I am a virgin."  Gabriel then tells her how it would happen, with the Holy Spirit coming upon her.  Her final response? "I am the Lord's servant.  May everything you have said about me come true."

Two completely different responses.  When we are presented with tests of our faith, we have two options.  We can believe that God stays true to what He says or we can doubt.  Regardless, God is still God whether we choose to believe in Him or not.  Ann Stewart sums it up best: "Our lack of faith does not make God any less; we just fail to experience His power."

Day 10 of Preparing Your Heart for Advent

The Advent Wreath

This year, I finally found the Advent wreath that I wanted to use at home.  I had been searching for the past couple of years and finally found an Irish store (which is fitting since I'm part Irish) and decided that we'd get it.  I love it because it has the candles that are bigger than tealights but smaller than the candlestick.  They are the small and chunky ones and they sit in a vase.  I figured with kids around, that would be the best thing to get.

We light it every night before dinner and then B gets to blow it out after we eat.  Of course, after we light it, B insists that we sing happy birthday to baby Jesus.  One night he got upset because baby Jesus wasn't blowing out His candles but I told him that I was sure baby Jesus was okay with B blowing out the candles for him.

We have just celebrated the first week of Advent, so we lit the first candle.  That was the Prophecy Candle or Candle of Hope.  It signified that we have faith that God is/has/will continue to keep all of His promises that He has made to us that are found within the pages of Scripture.  The second candle that we will light starting today is the Bethlehem Candle or Candle of Preparation.  We are preparing to receive God and for His second coming.  It also reminds us of peace.  Next to be lit in the coming weeks will be three more candles.  We will light the Shepherd Candle or Candle of Joy, in remembrance of the joyfulness of Christ's birth and the angels that sang.  We will also light the The Angel Candle or Candle of Love, which reminds us to love others and most importantly, that God loves us so much to send His only Son to us.  Last to be lit on Christmas Day is the Christ Candle.  This reminds us of Jesus Himself and why He came in the first place.

With B being so little, this has opened up some great conversations for us to talk about Jesus.  Granted, he can't go deep, but he can understand the basics.  If you don't already have an Advent wreath, consider getting one.  It's probably my favorite part of the day when we light it and talk about what the candle means each day.

Day 9 of Preparing Your Heart for Advent

Today I share with you a song that we all know and love because it has the fun "Gloria" part. In fact, I think that's the part that most kids learn first! I want you to read the lyrics to this song and see a neat perspective in each verse.

The first verse has to do with the angels and their perspective on Jesus' birth. Then it moves to the shepherds and what some must have asked of them because they were so excited and the Bible says that "All who heard the shepherds story were astonished. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them." (Luke 2:18, 20)

Moving on to the third verse, we hear the answer from the shepherds. They are telling them to come to Bethlehem, see Him, adore Him. The song ends with the picture of the birth, complete with Jesus lying in a manger (just as the angel had told the shepherds).

How amazing is this song! I love looking at Christmas carols in a new light and a fresh perspective. It makes these songs that much more meaningful when I sing them. Sing this song today and if you have children, teach them the "Gloria" part.

Angels We Have Heard on High

Angels we have heard on high sweetly singing o'er the plains
And the mountains in reply echoing their joyous strains
Gloria in excelsis Deo.

Shepherds, why this jubilee, why your joyous songs prolong?
Say what may the tiding be, which inspire your heav'nly song?
Gloria in excelsis Deo.

Come to Bethlehem and see Him whose birth the angels sing;
Come, adore on bended knee, Christ the Lord, the newborn King.
Gloria in excelsis Deo.

See within a manger laid, Jesus, Lord of heav'n and earth!
Mary, Joseph, lend your aid, With us sing our Savior's birth.
Gloria in excelsis Deo.

Day 8 of Preparing Your Heart for Advent

I love reading and re-reading the Bible. I'm always amazed at the fresh perspective God gives me as I study His word, no matter how many times I've studied a passage before. This can certainly be said of the Christmas story. How many times have we read this story? I mean, I think many of us know it so well that we often skim over parts of it because our brain recognizes it. This year, I've slowed down and purposefully have been studying it through a Bible study that I'm doing. In case you haven't guessed, I'm sharing little pieces that I've been studying throughout. Take a look at this passage below.
"A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. At the sound of Mary's greeting, Elizabeth's child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, 'God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said." (Luke 1:39-42)

Backing up to earlier in the passage, an angel comes to tell Zechariah that he will have a son, call him John the Baptist, and will turn many Israelites to the Lord, among other things he says. Zechariah, who is by this time old and whose wife, Elizabeth, is old and has been unable to bear children, doubts what the angel tells him. He asks for a sign. So since he has doubted, he is made silent until John the Baptist is born. An angel then goes to Mary and tells her she will give birth to Jesus, the Son of God. She believes and responds with "I am the Lord's servant. May everything you have said about me come true." (v.38)

Now that we have a little background, we pick up with the passage quoted above. Mary travels 80-100 miles, which is believed to be about a 4-day journey, while pregnant, to see her relative Elizabeth. When Elizabeth hears Mary's greeting, Elizabeth's child leaped. How incredible if you think about it.

How did John the Baptist know Mary? Well, John had the Holy Spirit in him from before birth, according to verse 15b where an angel tells Zechariah "He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth." Then the passage above tells us that Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. They knew Jesus and saw that prophecy was being fulfilled. It was a neat realization to see that these women and children were the first to have the Holy Spirit.

Now this is not a life-changing revelation, but it is something truly awesome to think about and to ponder. They knew Jesus and believed and were a part of the prophecy being fulfilled. Do we believe or do we doubt?

Day 7 of Preparing Your Heart for Advent

Colossians 1:15-20

(15) Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. 

He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation.

(16) for through him God created everything in the heavenly reams and on earth.

He made the things we can see and the things we can't see--

such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.

Everything was created through him and for him.

(17) He existed before anything else,

and he holds all creation together.

(18) Christ is also the head of the church,

which is his body.

He is the beginning,

Supreme over all who rise from the dead.

So he is first in everything.

(19) For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ

(20) and through him God reconciled everything to himself.

He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth

by means of Christ's blood on the cross.

_________________________

What is it that I want you to notice in this passage?  I want you to notice the attributes of Jesus.  Who does this passage say that Jesus is?  Now, think about how Mary must have felt to carry Jesus, who was everything that the Bible states that He was.  How amazing!  Yet, in some way, I wonder if she was a little nervous knowing that He would see her shortcomings and knowing that He would see all of her mess ups and know her heart.  How humbling! 

The other thing to notice is the place that Jesus takes in this passage.  Is it first or second?  If you said first, then you'd be correct.  How does Jesus rank in your life?  And seriously?  Are you passionately consumed with Jesus so much so that you are COMPELLED to share the Gospel with others?  Do you feel that it is your duty?  That you MUST share whether you really want to or not?  We should be compelled to take the Gospel to those who don't have it.  Are you?

Day 6 of Preparing Your Heart for Advent

Helping to Prepare Your Child's Heart for Advent

I always thought that most kids grew up playing with nativity sets.  I've since learned that I was not the norm.  Most families apparently didn't have stuffed cloth nativity sets that are child-friendly and that are still played with today by my children.  It was a complete set and we knew the Christmas story at an early age, thanks to those cloth representations.  Apparently the norm, I've learned, is that most families have non-playable nativity scenes.  I won't lie.  I love those beautiful nativities because they are so pretty to look at.  However, that and child play equals disaster.

One thing that we've done in our family to help prepare our children's hearts for Advent is to purchase a Little People Christmas Nativity and of course, the VeggieTales Nativity.  Our kids love playing with them and B is absolutely in love with baby Jesus.  He knows all of the names and who followed a star to see Jesus and to worship Him.  He knows about the shepherds and why they had to have Jesus in the stable.  He has a  hard time understanding why Jesus was in the stable and not a house, though.  His brain can't comprehend that, yet.  Baby M just likes to play with the nativities and put the angels on top of the stable.  I'm okay with that.

You see, our kids don't just play with the nativities.   Daddy T or I or any one of their grandparents will normally sit down with them as they are playing with it (a good 30 minutes, by the way) and tell them the Christmas story over and over.  We do keep it biblical!  We don't say that the wise men came in the very same day and the shepherds were waiting outside the doors!  Come on, who hasn't thought that at some point growing up?  We feel that play is a good way to learn and what better way to learn about Jesus and the reason for Christmas than through the nativity sets.  Since they are so little, they can't fully grasp everything but we are doing all we can to lead them to Christ so that they will be ready to come to Jesus when they understand what He did for Him on the cross.

Day 5 of Preparing Your Heart for Advent

"O Little Town of Bethlehem"

O Little town of Bethlehem how still we see thee lie

Above they deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by

Yet in they dark streets shineth, the everlasting light

The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.

For Christ is born of Mary, and gathered all above

While mortals sleep the angels keep their watch of wandering love

O morning stars together, proclaim the holy birth.



And praises sing to God the king, and peace to men on earth.

How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given

So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heaven

No ear may hear his coming, but in this world of sin

Where meek souls will receive him still, the dear Christ enteres in.

O holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us we pray

Cast out our sin and enter in, be born in us today

We hear the Christmas angels, the great glad tidings tell

O come to us, abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel.

Day 4 of Preparing Your Heart for Advent

Over 400 years. That's what separated the Old Testament from the New Testament. That's quite a long time of silence from God. Can you imagine what the Israelites might be thinking? If it was me in that place, I might be wondering if God was still there. Did God really care? Did God give up on us and leave us completely after all of the screw ups we had made? Why isn't God talking to us anymore like He had done before? I'm sure I would have many more thoughts than just these, but these are the ones that come into my head when I first think about it.

Now, take that same 400+ years. That's how long the Jewish people had waited on the arrival of the Messiah. Did you catch the main word? Waited. Can you imagine the anticipation they felt. I wonder if it's anything like what we experience today as we await the Second Coming. There's that longing to worship the King of Kings. So, with all of this anticipation, can you imagine their disappointment when Jesus came as a "babe wrapped in swaddling clothes?" That's it? They waited on some baby, in a manger, with parents who were just plain people, and in a city that is not known for royalty? Where was this majestic king who was going to make everyone bow down to Him and would come with a grand presentation?

After thinking about the time span and the anticipation, I can see how some might feel a little disappointed with just a baby. But I see the bigger picture because we have the Scriptures now, which they didn't have then. We know that the baby was Jesus, the Son of God. Philip Yancey says, "Among people who walled off a separate sanctum for God in the temple and shrank from pronouncing or spelling out the name, God made a surprise appearance as a baby in a manger. What can be less scary than a newborn with his limbs wrapped tight against his body? In Jesus, God found a way of relating to human beings that did not involve fear."

But the anticipation is the part that I keep lingering on. Isn't that part of the reason why we celebrate Advent? I think that Ann Marie Stewart said it best. She writes, "The Latin word for "advent" means "the coming." The advent season was instituted as a time of fasting for holy living, and it remains a time of inward preparation for the coming of Christ. It's much more than a one-day celebration, it's a month to be still and remember the God of our past, present, and future. In anticipating His first coming, we celebrate His presence in the present and prepare for His second coming to earth."

So, my friends, I ask you...are you anticipating Christ the King during this Christmas season or are you anticipating the gifts and the things of this world?

Day 3 or Preparing Your Heart for Advent

"About 800 years after Jesus was born, an unknown monk, schooled in prophecy, wrote a scripture-filled carol, linking the Old and New Testaments.  "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" taught many aspects of the Messiah during a time when average people had little access to the Bible.  The words were coupled with a fifteenth-century Franciscan processional entitled "Veni Emmanuel."  After missionary john Neale discovered and then translated the Latin chant into English in 1851, this hauntingly beautiful carol became popular."--Ann Marie Stewart

O Come, O Come Emmanuel

O come, O come Emmanuel,

And ransom captive Israel

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear

CHORUS:

Rejoice!  Rejoice!  Emmanuel.

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

(Isaiah 7:14)

O come thou rod of Jesse, free

Thine own from Satan's tyranny

From depths of hell they people save

And give them vict'ry o'er the grave

(Isaiah 11:1-10)

CHORUS

O come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer

Our spirits by thine advent here

And drive away the shades of night

And pierce the clouds and bring us light

(Malachi 4:2)

CHORUS

O come, Thou Key of David, come

And open wide our heavenly home

Make safe the way that leads on high

And close the path to misery

(Isaiah 22:22)

CHORUS