December 2, 2012: The First Sunday of Advent

Dec 2 2012

Hymn: Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence

This is an English metrical paraphrase of the “Cherubic Hymn” that comes from the Liturgy of St. James, which is sung as the bread and wine are brought in procession to the altar in the Orthodox Church. It sets the mood as we wait for the Lord to come, as Paul Westermeyer writes: “With silence, in fear and trembling, [the church] ponders the Lord of lords in human vesture and with the cherubim sings ‘Alleluia.’” Katherine Davis was a prolific composer, writing some eight hundred hymns choral pieces and arrangements; she also penned “The Little Drummer Boy” under the pseudonym “John Cowley” in the early twentieth century.

Hymn: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

One of the best known Advent hymns, this text finds its origins in the early church and its practices. In the ninth century, a series of seven Advent antiphons (a short song sung before or after a psalm or canticle) were sung at Vespers before and after the Magnificat (Mary’s song, #600). 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.” The last two Presbyterian hymnals have only included three of the stanzas. As a means of anticipating Jesus’ coming, we will sing a stanza after the Gospel reading or sermon each Sunday in Advent.

Hymn: Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus

While we generally associate this hymn with Advent, Charles Wesley wrote and included it in his Hymns for the Nativity of Our Lord (1745). Another hymn with roots in the Hebrew Scriptures, this one draws from Isaiah 9:6 (“For to us a child is born…”) and Haggai 2:7 (“desire of every nation”). Geoffrey Wainwright and Robin A. Leaver write, “Christ’s redemptive and liberating rule is seen here stereoscopically in all its stages, from prophecy through the Incarnation to present sovereignty and final triumph; it bears individual, communal, and ultimately cosmic dimensions.”

Anthem: I Hear the Prophet Callin

Composer Pepper Choplin writes this about his piece: “A voice crying in the wilderness” has no inhibitions. It is strong and unbridled. This piece is intended to exhibit that same earthy freedom. It should be sung heartily, from deep within the soul of the believer. The ringing open fifths throughout the piece evoke the feel of Southern Harmony hymns, which are meant to be sung with a powerful open tone.