Lutheran Service Book

Hymn of the Day–“Gentle Mary Laid Her Child”

Gentle Mary laid her child
Lowly in a manger,
There He lay, the Undefiled,
To the world a stranger.
Such a babe in such a place,
Can He be the Savior?
As the saved of all the race
Who have found His favor.

Angels sang about His birth,
Wise Men sought and found Him;
Heaven’s star shone brightly forth
Glory all around Him.
Shepherds saw the wondrous sight,
Heard the angels singing;
All the plains were lit that night,
All the hills were ringing.

Gentle Mary laid her child,
Lowly in a manger.
He is still the Undefiled
But no more a stranger.
Son of God of humble birth,
Beautiful the story;
Praise His name in all the earth;
Hail the King of glory! Lutheran Service Book #374

Only one more Christmas hymn tomorrow, before we move on to Epiphany!

Hymn of the Day–“O Jesus So Sweet, O Jesus So Mild”

This Bach favorite isn’t even in the Christmas section of Lutheran Service Book, (and I hadn’t even realized it was in the hymnal at all!), but it is, of course, perfectly appropriate for the Christmas season.

O Jesus so sweet, O Jesus so mild!
For sinners You became a child.
You came from heaven down to earth
In human flesh through human birth.
O Jesus so sweet, O Jesus so mild!

O Jesus so sweet, O Jesus so mild!
With God we now are reconciled.
You have for all the ransom paid,
Your Father’s righteous anger stayed.
O Jesus so sweet, O Jesus so mild!

O Jesus so sweet, O Jesus so mild!
Joy fills the world which sin defiled.
Whate’er we have belongs to You;
O keep us faithful, strong, and true.
O Jesus so sweet, O Jesus so mild! Lutheran Service Book #546

Hymn of the Day–“Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”

Hark! The herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King;
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!”
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With the angelic host proclaim,
“Christ is born in Bethlehem!”

Refrain
Hark! The herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!”

Christ, by highest heav’n adored,
Christ, the everlasting Lord,
Late in time behold Him come,
Offspring of a virgin’s womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see,
Hail the incarnate Deity!
Pleased as Man with mean to dwell,
Jesus our Immanuel! Refrain

Hail, the heav’n born Prince of Peace!
Hail, the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
Ris’n with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die,
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth. Refrain Lutheran Service Book # 380

Hymn of the Day–“Let Our Gladness Have No End”

I think that this hymn is especially appropriate for New Year’s Day, because by now, the world has tried to pack away Christmas, but as Christians, we know that the celebration of Christ’s birth is too big to end yet. And, because we have Christ, our gladness doesn’t have to end when the Christmas season is over, but keeps going, eternally!

Let our gladness have no end, alleluia!
For to earth did Christ descend, alleluia!

Refrain
On this day God gave us
Christ, His Son, to save us;
Christ, His Son, to save us.

Prophesied in days of old, alleluia!
God has sent Him as foretold, alleluia! Refrain

See, the loveliest blooming rose, alleluia!
From the branch of Jesse grows, alleluia! Refrain

Into flesh is made the Word, alleluia!
He, our refuge and our Lord, alleluia! Refrain Lutheran Service Book #381

Hymn of the Day–“Across the Sky the Shades of Night”

Taking a break from Christmas hymns today, to share instead a hymn appropriate for New Year’s Eve.

Across the sky the shades of night
This New Year’s Eve are fleeting.
We deck Your altar, Lord, with light,
In solemn worship meeting;
And as the year’s last hours go by,
We raise to You our earnest cry,
Once more Your love entreating.

Before the cross subdued we bow,
To You our prayer addressing,
Recounting all Your mercies now,
And all our sins confessing;
Beseeching You this coming year
To keep us in Your faith and fear
And crown us with Your blessing.

We gather up in this brief hour
The mem’ry of Your mercies:
Your wondrous goodness, love, and pow’r
Our grateful song rehearses;
For You have been our strength and stay
In many a dark and dreary day
Of sorrow and reverses.

We now remember, as we pray,
Our dear ones in Your caring
Who brightly shine in endless day,
Past death and all despairing,
At our life’s end, Lord, as Your own,
Bring us with them around Your throne,
The joys of heaven sharing.

Then, gracious God, in years to come,
We pray Your hand may guide us,
And, onward through our journey home,
Your mercy walk beside us
Until at last our ransomed life
Is safe from peril, toil, and strife
When heav’n itself shall hide us. Lutheran Service Book # 899

Hymn of the Day–“See amid the Winter’s Snow”

See amid the winter’s snow,
Born for us on earth below,
See, the gentle Lamb appears,
Promised from eternal years.

Refrain:
Hail, O ever-blessed morn!
Hail, redemption’s happy dawn!
Sing through all Jerusalem:
“Christ is born in Bethlehem!”

Lo, within a stable lies
He who built the starry skies,
He who, throned in height sublime,
Sits amid the cherubim. Refrain

Sacred Infant, all divine,
What a tender love was Thine,
Thus to come from highest bliss
Down to such a world as this! Refrain

Teach, O teach us, holy Child,
By Thy face so meek and mild,
Teach us to resemble Thee
In Thy sweet humility. Refrain Lutheran Service Book #373

Hymn of the Day–“Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence”

This is technically a hymn for The Lord’s Supper, not Christmas, but if you read the words closely, it’s the perfect hymn for both Advent and Christmas. It also happens to be one of my favorite hymns of all time!

Let all mortal flesh keep silence
And with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly minded,
For with blessing in His hand
Christ our God to earth descending
Comes our homage to demand.

King of kings yet born of Mary,
As of old on earth He stood,
Lord of lords in human vesture,
In the body and the blood,
He will give to all the faithful
His own self for heav’nly food.

Rank on rank the host of heaven
Spreads its vanguard on the way
As the Light of Light, descending
From the realms of endless day,
Comes the pow’rs of hell to vanquish
As the darkness clears away.

At His feet the six-winged seraph,
Cherubim with sleepless eye,
Veil their faces to the presence
As with ceaseless voice they cry:
“Alleluia, alleluia!
Alleluia, Lord Most High!” Lutheran Service Book #621

Hymn of the Day–“Of the Father’s Love Begotten”

Of the Father’s love begotten
Ere the worlds began to be,
He is Alpha and Omega,
He the Source, the ending He,
Of the things that are, that have been,
And that future years shall see
Evermore and evermore.

Oh, that birth forever blessed
When the virgin, full of grace,
By the Holy Ghost conceiving,
Bore the Savior of our race,
And the babe, the world’s Redeemer,
First revealed His sacred face
Evermore and evermore.

This is He whom seers in old time
Chanted of with one accord,
Whom the voices of the prophets
Promised in their faithful word.
Now He shines, the long expected;
Let creation praise its Lord
Evermore and evermore.

O ye heights of heav’n, adore Him;
Angel hosts, His praises sing,
Pow’rs, dominions, bow before Him
And extol our God and King.
Let no tongue on earth be silent,
Ev’ry voice in concert ring
Evermore and evermore.

Christ, to Thee, with God the Father,
And, O Holy Ghost, to Thee
Hymn and chant and high thanksgiving
And unending praises be,
Honor, glory, and dominion,
And eternal victory
Evermore and evermore. Lutheran Service Book #384

Hymn of the Day–“Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming”

Lo, how a rose e’er blooming
From tender stem hath sprung!
Of Jesse’s lineage coming
As prophets long have sung,
It came, a flow’ret bright,
Amid the cold of winter,
When half-spent was the night.

Isaiah ’twas foretold it,
The rose I have in mind;
With Mary we behold it,
The virgin mother kind.
To show God’s love aright,
She bore to us a Savior,
When half-spent was the night.

This flow’r, whose fragrance tender
With sweetness fills the air,
Dispels with glorious splendor
The darkness ev’rywhere.
True man, yet very God,
From sin and death He saves us
And lightens ev’ry load.

O Savior, child of Mary,
Who felt our human woe;
O Savior, King of glory,
Who dost our weakness know:
Bring us at length we pray
To the bright courts of heaven,
And to the endless day. Lutheran Service Book #359

Hymn of the Day–“Once in Royal David’s City”

Once in royal David’s city
Stood a lowly cattle shed,
Where a mother laid her baby
In a manger for His bed:
Mary was that mother mild,
Jesus Christ her little child.

He came down to earth from heaven,
Who is God and Lord of all,
And His shelter was a stable,
And His cradle was a stall;
With the poor and mean and lowly
Lived on earth our Savior holy.

For He is our childhood’s pattern,
Day by day like us He grew;
He was little, weak, and helpless,
Tears and smiles like us He knew;
And He feels for all our sadness,
And He shares in all our gladness.

And our eyes at last shall see Him,
Through His own redeeming love;
For that child so dear and gentle
Is our Lord in heav’n above;
And He leads His children on
To the place where He is gone.

Not in that poor, lowly stable
With the oxen standing by
Shall we see Him, but in heaven,
Set at God’s right hand on high.
Then like stars His children, crowned,
All in white, His praise will sound! Lutheran Service Book #376