Awake! Awake, and Greet the New Morn
1 Awake! Awake, and greet the new morn,
for angels herald its dawning.
Sing out your joy, for soon he is born,
behold! the Child of our longing.
Come as a baby weak and poor,
to bring all hearts together,
he opens wide the heav'nly door
and lives now inside us forever.
2 To us, to all in sorrow and fear,
Emmanuel comes a-singing,
his humble song is quiet and near,
yet fills the earth with its ringing;
music to heal the broken soul
and hymns of lovingkindness,
the thunder of his anthems roll
to shatter all hatred and blindness.
3 In darkest night his coming shall be,
when all the world is despairing,
as morning light so quiet and free,
so warm and gentle and caring.
Then shall the mute break forth in song,
the lame shall leap in wonder,
the weak be raised above the strong,
and weapons be broken asunder.
4 Rejoice, rejoice, take heart in the night,
though dark the winter and cheerless,
the rising sun shall crown you with light,
be strong and loving and fearless.
Love be our song and love our prayer
and love our endless story;
may God fill ev'ry day we share
and bring us at last into glory.
Text: Marty Haugen, b. 1950
Text © 1983 GIA Publications, Inc., 7404 S. Mason Ave., Chicago, IL 60638. www.giamusic.com. 800.442.3358. All rights reserved. Used by permission. One License #A-722596
Despite the traditional feeling of this hymn, I wasn’t familiar with it, at least not in the same way as Joy to the World, or Silent Night. I listened to the few versions of it that are on YouTube, and read a bit about it. It was written by Marty Haugen, a Lutheran, employed in a Catholic parish, in 1950. I can’t quite put my finger on why that seems brave to me, except to say this. Trying to thrive in a world where the rules, rituals, and rewards all seem unfamiliar, and meant for other people, can feel overwhelming. But the hymn is joyful and jubilant, and the lyrics are powerful, focusing on hope and healing in spite of the darkness. It reminds me that the hope we have in Christ isn’t dependent on how things look around us. It reminds me that when everything seems shaky and uncertain, we can be sure that the God of Love is with us.