John 1:1; Luke 2:30-32- Sunday’s Hymn of the Day is Savior of the
Nations Come. (LSB #332). John would remind us that the eternal God, the
creator of us all broke into time and space to be our redeemer. This is what
the season of Advent is all about. We make ourselves ready to celebrate the
fact that God has become human. We celebrate that God has come to visit His
people. He came at just the right time and He will usher us home at just the
right time. This majestic hymn tells the story of salvation. As you review it
think of Christ’s impact on your life, your family, your church and community
and then share His story with those you meet.
Ambrose of Milan (c. 340-397) is known as the father
of Latin hymnody and standardized the form known in modern English hymnody as
“Long Meter”—four lines of iambic tetrameter. Ambrose was a staunch opponent of
Arianism and crafted hymns during this struggle that were meant for
congregational participation and are characterized by their simplicity,
austerity, and objectivity. Though many other hymns have been attributed to
Ambrose, it is likely that several of these “Ambrosian hymns” were written by
anonymous imitators and disciples. Veni, Redemptor genitum (“Savior of the
Nations, Come”) is one of a few hymns that is evidentially attributed to
Ambrose. Martin Luther, also writing during a period of great adversity,
provided a literal translation of this text into German from which many English
translations have since been produced. Fred Precht rightly says of the hymn: “In the history of hymnody this hymn is the
Advent hymn par excellence.”[2]
There are twenty-eight examples of different poetic
devices in his book and admits his list is by no means exhaustive. Here are
some that I observed in “Savior of the Nations, Come” (LSB 332):
-Anaphora—Repetition
of a word at the start of successive lines.
“Glory
to the Father sing,
Glory
to the Son, our king,
Glory
to the Spirit be
Now and through eternity.” (Stanza 8)
-Hypotyposis— A vivid description
designed to bring a scene clearly before the eyes.
“From
the manger newborn light
Shines
in glory through the night.
Darkness
there no more resides;
In this light faith now abides.” (Stanza 7)
-Oxymoron—Combining for special purposes
words which seem to be contradictory.
“God of God, yet fully man” (Stanza 4, 3rd phrase)
-Paradox—A statement containing two
opposite ideas.
“Here
a maid was found with child,
Yet remained a virgin mild.” (Stanza 3, 1st and 2nd phrase)
-Simile—Unlike
objects are compared in one aspect.
“From
the manger newborn light
Shines in glory through the night.” (Stanza 7, 1st and 2nd phrase)
Other examples of poetic devices that you may be more familiar with are alliteration, metaphor, personification, rhetorical question, etc.
A helpful tool in Lutheran Service Book is the Scripture reference provided for each hymn. The references provided for LSB 332 are John 1:1, 14 and Luke 2:30-32.[3]
Collect for the first Sunday in Advent: Stir up Your power, O lord and come, that by Your protection we may be rescued from the threatening perils of our sins and saved by Your mighty deliverance; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever. Amen[4]
[1]
Advent copyright © Ed Riojas, Higher Things
[2] Lovelace,
Austin. The Anatomy of Hymnody. Chicago: G.I.A. Publications, Inc., 1965.
[4]
Collect for Advent 1, Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House,
St. Louis
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