Hymn: Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates
Based on Psalm 24:7-10, the hymn was written by Georg
Weissel, who served as pastor of a church in Germany until his death in 1635.
The text shifts its point of view between stanzas; the first stanza serves as a
paraphrase of the Psalm. The second stanza exhorts Christians to open their
hearts for Christ, while the third stanza implores Christ to abide within our
hearts.
Hymn: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
The text for this hymn comes from a seven-verse poem that
dates back to the eighth century. It was used in a call and response fashion
during the vespers, or evening, service. In the original text, each of the
antiphons began with “O” followed by a biblical title for the Messiah:
“Wisdom;” “Lord;” “Root of Jesse;” “Key of David;” “Dayspring;” “King;” and
“Emmanuel.” It created the reverse acrostic “ero cras,” which means “I shall be
with you tomorrow,” which is fitting, as we look back and forward to the coming
of Christ.
Hymn: Canticle of the Turning
The term “canticle” refers to a text in the Bible that was
sung. In its strictest sense, it refers to those texts that are not the Psalms.
Examples include the songs of Moses and Miriam in Exodus 15:1-18 and 15:21, as
well as Mary’s Magnificat. Paul Westermeyer writes that the Magnificat is “a
revolutionary text, not appreciated by dictators. If anyone thinks biblical and
liturgical texts are tame, this one will quickly set the matter straight.” This
paraphrase of the Magnificat, written by Rory Cooney, has an edge to it not
found in many modern hymns. Cooney says he “simply wanted to write a setting of
the canticle that attempted to capture the revolutionary spirit of the gospel,
of a God who ‘pulls down the mighty from their thrones and raises up the
lowly.’” The tune, STAR OF COUNTY DOWN, is the Irish version of KINGSFOLD,
which is the setting for several hymns in The
Presbyterian Hymnal. You’ll notice that the first two lines of the tune
repeat, almost identically; the third line is new, and the fourth is same as
the first two. The refrain is exactly the same as the third and fourth lines.
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