The season of Advent begins today – a time of waiting and expectation leading up to Christmas. Sing along to favourite Advent hymns including O come, Emmanuel and Come, thou long-expected Jesus.
First Advent candle Photo: CC Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Austria / Johann Jaritz
SONG: O COME, O COME EMMANUEL
Artist: Choir of Wellington Cathedral, Philip Walsh (dir), Andrew Macmillan (organ)
Words/Music: Anon trans John Neale/Anon arr Carter
Recording: Herald HAVPCD 224
O come, O come Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel
Shall come to thee,
O Israel!
O come, Thou Branch of Jesse's tree,
Free them from Satan's tyranny
That trust Thy mighty pow'r to save,
And give them vict'ry o'er the grave.
Refrain:
O come, Thou Dayspring from on high,
And cheer us by Thy drawing nigh;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Refrain:
O come, thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heav'nly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Refrain:
O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai's height
In ancient times didst give the law
In cloud and majesty and awe.
Refrain:
SONG: HARK THE GLAD SOUND
Artist: Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral Choir, Mervyn Cousins (dir), Richard Lea (organ)
Words/Music: Philip Doddridge/Anon
Recording: Priory PRCD 715
Hark the glad sound! The Saviour comes,
The Saviour promised long;
Let ev'ry heart prepare a throne
And ev'ry voice a song.
He comes the pris'ners to release,
In Satan's bondage held.
The gates of brass before Him burst,
The iron fetters yield.
He comes the broken heart to bind,
The bleeding soul to cure,
And with the treasures of His grace
To enrich the humble poor.
Our glad hosannas, Prince of Peace,
Thy welcome shall proclaim,
And heav'n's eternal arches ring
With Thy beloved name.
SONG: COME, THOU LONG-EXPECTED JESUS
Artist: Choir of Selwyn College, Cambridge, Sarah MacDonald (dir), Timothy Morgan (organ)
Words/Music: Charles Wesley/John Stainer
Recording: Priory PRCD 714
Come, thou long expected Jesus,
born to set thy people free;
from our fears and sins release us,
let us find our rest in thee.
Israel's strength and consolation,
hope of all the earth thou art;
dear desire of every nation,
joy of every longing heart.
Born thy people to deliver,
born a child and yet a King,
born to reign in us forever,
now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal spirit
rule in all our hearts alone;
by thine all sufficient merit,
raise us to thy glorious throne.
SONG: CHRIST, BE OUR LIGHT
Artist: Choirs of the Diocese of Leeds
Words/Music: Bernadette Farrell
Recording: Herald HAVPCD 397
Longing for light, we wait in darkness
Longing for truth, we turn to You.
Make us Your own, Your holy people
Light for the world to see.
Refrain:
Christ, be our light!
Shine in our hearts.
Shine through the darkness.
Christ, be our light!
Shine in Your church gathered today.
Longing for peace, our world is troubled
Longing for hope, many despair.
Your word alone has pow'r to save us.
Make us your living voice.
Refrain:
Longing for food, many are hungry
Longing for water, many still thirst.
Make us Your bread, broken for others
Shared until all are fed.
Refrain:
Many the gift, many the people
Many the hearts that yearn to belong.
Let us be servants to one another
Making Your kingdom come.
Refrain:
SONG: THOU WHOSE ALMIGHTY WORD
Artist: Scottish Festival Singers
Words/Music: John Marriott/Giardini
Recording: Whole World Media Group
Thou, whose almighty word
Chaos and darkness heard,
And took their flight;
Hear us, we humbly pray,
And, where the gospel’s day
Sheds not its glorious ray,
Let there be light!
Thou, who didst come to bring
On thy redeeming wing
Healing and sight,
Health to the sick in mind,
Sight to the inly blind,
O now, to all mankind,
Let there be light!
Spirit of truth and love,
Life giving, holy dove,
Speed forth thy flight;
Move on the water’s face
Bearing the lamp of grace,
And, in earth’s darkest place,
Let there be light!
Blessèd and holy three,
Glorious trinity,
Wisdom, love, might!
Boundless as ocean’s tide,
Rolling in fullest pride,
Through the world far and wide,
Let there be light!
SONG: LIGHT OF LIGHTS BEHOLDEN
Artist: Festival Singers
Words/Music: Jenny McLeod
Recording: Festivity Productions
Light of lights beholden
we from days of olden
sang this song
for to understand
that peace upon this planet
was pledged to come.
Each to other, sister, brother,
born for life and song,
look towards the light and carry on:
let the simple heart and hope among us
keep our family strong.
Darkness all around us,
light has always found us,
light will come
where the dark is deepest,
greater light will keep us
safe from harm.
Troubled times will always find
a voice of troubled doom,
look towards the light and carry on:
let the simple heart and hope among us
keep our family strong.
Let the simple heart and hope among us
Keep our family strong.
SONG: GOD BE IN MY HEAD
Artist: Choir of Clare College, Cambridge
Words/Music: Anon/Henry Walford Davies
Recording: Guild GMCD 7109
God be in my head, and in my understanding;
God be in mine eyes, and in my looking;
God be in my mouth, and in my speaking;
God be in my heart, and in my thinking;
God be at mine end, and at my departing.
SONG: COME, THOU REDEEMER OF THE EARTH
Artist: Choir of St James Episcopal Cathedral, Chicago, Bruce Barber (dir), Richard Barrick Hoskins (organ)
Words/Music: St Ambrose trans Neale/Anon adapted Praetorius
Recording: MSR Classics MS1376
Come, Thou Redeemer of the earth,
And manifest Thy virgin birth:
Let every age adoring fall;
Such birth befits the God of all.
Begotten of no human will,
But of the Spirit, Thou art still
The Word of God in flesh arrayed,
The promised Fruit to man displayed.
The virgin womb that burden gained
With virgin honour all unstained,
The banners there of virtue glow,
God in his temple dwells below.
Forth from His chamber goeth He,
That royal home of purity,
A giant in twofold substance one,
Rejoicing now His course to run.
From God the Father he proceeds,
To God the Father back he speeds,
Runs out his course to death and hell,
Returns on God’s high throne to dwell.
O equal to the Father, Thou!
Gird on Thy fleshly mantle now;
The weakness of our mortal state
With deathless might invigorate.
Thy cradle here shall glitter bright,
And darkness breathe a newer light,
Where endless faith shall shine serene,
And twilight never intervene.
All laud, eternal Son, to Thee,
Whose advent sets thy people free,
Whom with the Father we adore,
And Holy Ghost for evermore.
SONG: OF THE FATHER’S HEART BEGOTTEN
Artist: Choir of Magdalen College, Oxford, Bill Ives (director), Martin Ford (organ)
Words/Music: Prudentius trans R F Davis/Anon
Recording: Harmonia Mundi HMU 90 7495
Of the Father's heart begotten,
ere the world from chaos rose,
he is Alpha; from that fountain
all that is and hath been flows.
He is Omega of all things
yet to come the mystic close,
evermore and evermore.
By his word was all created;
he commanded, and 'twas done:
earth and sky and boundless ocean,
universe of three in one,
all that sees the moon's soft radiance,
all that breathes beneath the sun,
evermore and evermore.
O how blest that wondrous birthday,
When the Maid the curse retrieved,
Brought to birth mankind's salvation
By the Holy Ghost conceived,
And the Babe, the world's Redeemer
In her loving arms received,
Evermore and evermore.
Sing, ye heights of heav'n, his praises;
angels and archangels, sing!
Wheresoe'er ye be, ye faithful,
let your joyous anthems ring,
ev'ry tongue his name confessing,
countless voices answering,
evermore and evermore!
