Light (1)

 
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

John 1:1-5 ESV 

Sunday's Hymn: Incarnation

The doctrine taught in song this week is, once again, the doctrine of the incarnation. We’re repeating last week’s hymn writer, too. It’s Martin Luther, better known for another of his Christmas hymns, Away in a Manger, and also the familiar hymn, A Mighty Fortress is our God.

 

This Christmas hymn from Luther puts the incarnation in its place in the purpose of God—Christ came to “be to the lost Salvation.” You’ll also find some of the role of the Father and the Holy Spirit in our salvation explained.

Dear Christian People All, Rejoice

 

Dear Christian people all, rejoice,
Each soul with joy upraising.
Pour forth a song with heart and voice,
With love and gladness singing.
Give thanks to God, our Lord above,
Thanks for His miracle of love!
Dearly He hath redeemed us.

He spoke to His belovèd Son
With infinite compassion:
“Go hence, my heart’s most precious One,
Be to the lost Salvation;
Death, his relentless tyrant, stay,
And bear him from his sins away
With Thee to live forever!”

The Son came, saying: “Cling to Me,
Thy sorrows now are ending;
Freely I give Myself to thee,
Thy life with Mine defending;
For I am thine and thou art Mine,
And where I am there thou shalt shine,
The foe shall never reach us.”

“To heaven again I rise from hence,
High to my Father soaring,
The Master there to be, and thence
My Spirit on thee pouring;
In every grief to comfort thee,
And teach thee more and more of Me,
Into all truth still guiding.”

“What I have done and taught on earth,
Do Thou, and teach, none dreading;
That so God’s kingdom may go forth,
And His high praise be spreading;
And guard thee from the words of men,
Lest the great joy be lost again:
This my last charge I leave thee.”

More on the doctrine of the incarnation:

• The Athanasian Creed, which includes a concise statement of the nature of Christ and the nature of his work.
  
• From Dr. David Well: Why the Incarnation? (mp3)
  

Other hymns, worship songs, etc. posted today:

• It Is Well with My Soul at joythruChrist
• The Collect for the Second Sunday in Advent at Magic Statistics
• How Cheering is the Christian’s Hope at The Happy Wonderer
• Lord’s Day 49, 2007 at The Thirsty Theologian
  
• As with Gladness Men of Old at Hiraeth
• Who Is He in Yonder Stall? at Seasoning of the Heart
• Christians, Awake, Salute the Happy Morn at Whatever Things…

Have you posted a hymn this Sunday and I missed it? Let me know by leaving a link in the comments or by emailing me at the address in the sidebar and I’ll add your post to the list.

Photo from the Children's Home

Oldest daughter sent this photo from the children’s home outside Capetown where she will be working until February.

 

She is working in the “baby house” and loves it there. It is, she says, absolute chaos, with 4 workers and 32 little ones, and when she’s done with her shift, she just wants to sleep.  But she still loves it.

Her internet connection is slower than Carla’s, if you can imagine that, and uploading photos is a nightmare, so this is the only full-sized picture we got. The rest are small and not very clear, but if she should manage to send more good ones, maybe I’ll post some more.