Scripture Verse

I bring you good tidings of great joy. Luke 2:10

Introduction

portrait
Catherine Winkworth (1827–1878)

Words: Cas­par Fü­ger, in Drey schöne newe geist­liche Ge­sen­ge, 1592 (Wir Chris­ten­leut’ hab’n jetz­und Freud). Trans­lat­ed from Ger­man to Eng­lish by Ca­the­rine Wink­worth, The Cho­rale Book for Eng­land (Lon­don: 1863), num­ber 34.

Music: O Je­sus Christ, dein Kripp­lein Jo­hann Crü­ger, 1653 (🔊 pdf nwc).

portrait
Johann Crüger (1598–1662)

Lyrics

We Chris­tians may re­joice to­day
When Christ was born
To com­fort and to save us.
Who thus be­lieves no long­er grieves,
For none are lost
Who grasp the hope He gave us.

Oh, won­drous joy that God most high
Should take our flesh
And thus our race should hon­or!
A vir­gin mild hath borne this Child;
Such grace and glo­ry
God hath put up­on her.

Sin brought us grief, but Christ re­lief,
When down to earth
He came for our sal­va­tion.
Since God with us is dwell­ing thus,
Who dares to speak
The Chris­tian’s con­dem­na­tion?

The hi­ther throng with hap­py song
To Him whose birth
And death are our as­sur­ance;
Through whom are we at last set free
From sins and bur­dens
That sur­passed en­dur­ance.

Yea, let us praise our God and raise
Loud hal­le­lu­jahs to the skies above us.
The bliss be­stowed to­day by God
To cease­less thank­ful­ness
And joy should move us.