Hymn: Arise, Your Light Is Come
“Arise, Your Light Is Come!” by Ruth Duck was originally
intended to be an updated, inclusive-language adaptation of “Rise Up, O Men of
God.” However, says Duck, “this new hymn text came to me, as if the new wine of
the faith I wanted to express would not fit into the old wineskin of the
earlier text.” Much like our other hymns today, this one exhorts Christians to
go out into the world, making Christ’s name known both in our words and our
actions.
Hymn: Fairest Lord Jesus
This hymn’s roots can be traced to Munster, Germany, where
an anonymous copy was found in 1662, containing six stanzas. Its English
translation was included in a New Yorker’s collection of hymns and songs for
choirs in 1850. We’ll sing three stanzas of this translation today as we
consider the imagery of the transfigured Jesus.
Hymn: Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies
Written by Charles Wesley, this hymn first appeared in three
stanzas under the title “Morning Hymn.” Paul Westermeyer notes that the hymn,
“as Charles Wesley wrote it is a Christological statement developed by images
of light,” and as is true with many of Charles Wesley’s hymns, it is full of
scriptural references. The images of light include verses from Luke 1:78-79,
“the day shall dawn upon us from on high to give light to those who sit in
darkness,” and Revelation 22:16, the “bright morning star.”
Anthem: True Light
Composer Keith Hampton has crafted a piece that draws from
spirituals and old chant texts that encompasses Christ’s presence as the “True
Light.” The piece begins with the beloved “This Little Light of Mine,” before
moving to a reimagined setting of the John 1 text of the Word made flesh. A
soloist then sings thousand-year-old words from Grigor Narekatzi’s “Book of
Mournful Chants,” where the author prays for support and gives praise to the
Creator. The choir then builds by section, declaring their intent to let their
light shine.
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