Because Christmas is coming, I’ve decided to take a break from my daily review of modern worship songs and focus on Christmas hymns for a month. I’ve started with Advent.
What’s the difference between Christmas hymns and Advent hymns? Advent hymns differ from Christmas hymns in their focus: Advent hymns emphasize waiting, longing, and preparation, while Christmas hymns celebrate fulfilment, joy, and Christ’s birth.
I’ve been familiar with the common Christmas hymns since childhood. But I rarely hear Advent hymns. Many of them are older or even ancient. They’re not commonly sung in evangelical churches, even in traditional evangelical churches. But I like them, both musically and lyrically, though comprehending the lyrics isn’t always easy 😀.
Anyway, today’s hymn is O Heavenly Word of God on High. The beginning of John’s Gospel speaks of Jesus as God’s Word and as God. Metaphors can be confusing or sometimes misleading. But I sometimes think of the sun and the light from the sun. When I look at the sun, I see the sun’s light. Am I looking at the sun or am I looking at the sun’s light? Both are true, but there’s more to the sun than what I see. Just as words communicate thoughts, Jesus communicates God’s nature to humanity.
O Heavenly Word of God on High is an ancient Advent hymn, originally Latin (Verbum supernum prodiens), dating back to around the 10th century. The video is one from a large collection of hymns from the New English Hymnal. I recently bought a hard copy of the book. It’s great that they’re all available on YouTube.
So, how do I understand it? Maybe the best way to review the hymn is to state what Bible verse comes to mind when I read each hymn verse. For the first verse, I think of one of the most well-known verses of the New Testament:
1. O heavenly Word of God on high,
Whose love has brought salvation nigh,
And from the Father's heart didst come
To save a race by sin undone.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
For verse 2, I think of how our minds are enlightened when we believe, and we need to get into the habit of setting our minds on things above.
2. Our minds enlighten from above,
And kindle with the fire of love,
That as we hear thy gospel read,
All sinful thoughts may flee in dread.
Romans 12:2
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
The next verse initially sounds a bit peculiar because, it seems to pray for our salvation. If we have yet to trust in Christ, that’s a reasonable thing to do. But if we have already repented and trusted in Christ, we are already saved and safe. Ephesians places our salvation in the past tense.
3. So, when thou comest at the last,
And earth's long history is past,
May we be set at thy right hand,
And with thine own in glory stand.
Ephesians 2:4-9
4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
But even though we are saved and safe, perhaps verse three is simply expressing what we are looking forward to. And in the New Testament, you do hear of people abandoning the faith, so even though Christians can be sure of their salvation, I don’t see the harm in testing ourselves at times – to make sure that we have truly repented and believed – and we didn’t just adopt a religion for cultural reasons, social pressure, as a short fad or whatever.
2 Corinthians 13:5
Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?
For verse 4, I think of the following Bible verse. We don’t just want to sit around waiting for heaven. We want the Lord to equip us with different gifts, both natural and spiritual to make us effective in the church and in the world.
4. Grant thou thy gifts of grace below,
In heaven an endless joy bestow,
Who art our sole and sovereign Lord,
The saving judge, and saints' reward.
Romans 12:6
“We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.”
The final verse mentions the advent of Christ setting his people free. Jesus came once to save and he will come again to judge the living and the dead. The verse mentions “his people”. He doesn’t set everyone free. But he does welcome all who come to him, and they become “his people.”
5. All praise, eternal Son, to thee,
Whose advent sets thy people free,
Whom with the Father we adore,
And Spirit blest, for evermore. Amen.
Romans 6:22 –
“But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.”
Here’s another few hymns that speak of Jesus as the “Word”.
Hibernia Gospel 