Advent/Christmas Music Part 1

I figure to make a break from the mundane, the ordinary, the cold, the schoolwork, I would investigate wonderful theological messages in our Advent and Christmas Hymns and Songs.

The first hymn/song I am looking at in this amateur series is What Hope! An Eden Prophesied! This cool hymn found its way into the Lutheran Service Book of the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod. Written in 1998 by Stephen P. Starke, it is a hymn that talks about the wonderful life to come prophesied by the great prophet Isaiah, specifically in chapter 11, which was also the Old Testament Lesson for this 2nd Sunday in Advent.

The beautiful first verse reads,

What hope! An Eden prophesied Where tame live with the wild;

The lamb and lion side by side, Led by a little child!

See how this corresponds to the beautiful words of the Prophet Isaiah in today's Old Testament text, Isaiah 11:1-10

This is the hope of what we look forward to this season of Advent. We not only look toward Christmas, Jesus' first advent, but with our eyes fixed on his redemptive work we look toward his second Advent, his final coming, when all things will be restored.