Thursday, January 10, 2019

New Hymn: In the Light of Our Lord's Coming

(Scheduling note: This year I've given myself an "Isaac Watts Challenge," to write one new hymn per week. During the month of January, I'll be posting these in the Thursday slot on my blog rotation, in place of my Pilgrimage Memoir. The memoir will resume on Thursday, Feb. 7, at which time the Hymn of the Week will shift to the Friday slot vacated by the conclusion of my "Quest for the King" novel project.)


This hymn, written for Epiphany (but certainly also usable anytime in the Christmas season), takes the example of the Magi's humble obedience to the star's leading and applies it to God's call on our lives. It's written to the old tune "Tranquility" by James Mountain (most often associated with the hymn "Jesus, I Am Resting, Resting"), with the only alteration being that the refrain repeats the tune of the second half of the hymn. I've included the text below, then an image of the hymn set to musical notation, and finally a music file where you can hear me sing it. (See the bottom of the post for usage permissions.)

In the Light of Our Lord's Coming 

When our Lord was born of Mary
In a stable long ago,
God displayed it to the nations
With a bright star’s glow.
Like the Wise Men on their journey,
We behold the star of grace,
And it calls us out to follow
After all His ways.

In the light of our Lord’s coming
We will follow where He leads,
As with joy we seek the glory
Of the Prince of Peace.

Laying down our old ambitions,
We pursue the wondrous star
Of Your leading, for it calls us
Right to where You are.
Let us find You on our journey,
In the peace Your presence gives;
Then shall we in humble worship
Offer You our gifts.

In the light of our Lord’s coming
We will follow where He leads,
As with joy we seek the glory
Of the Prince of Peace.

Oh, dispel the fears we cling to
When You bid us venture forth;
Break our pride, that we may freely
March out with our Lord.
Call us out to every nation
With the Gospel of Your grace;
Lead us till the end, when we will
Crown You with our praise.

In the light of our Lord’s coming
We will follow where He leads,
As with joy we seek the glory
Of the Prince of Peace.


(Usage permissions: Any readers/users are permitted to use or perform this hymn for personal or church use, provided that (1) the hymn's authorship is cited; (2) the text is unaltered; and (3) it is not marketed for commercial purposes. To access the rough-draft sheet music, simply click on the image file to enlarge it, then right click and "Save As" to download a copy. Please contact Matthew Burden for any other uses.)