No one does Advent like the Anglican tradition. Advent’s focus is the coming of Christ: at the end of the age, in the Sacrament, in daily prayer, and finally at Christmas in the Incarnation. In Advent, we watch the eastern skies and pray, expecting the unexpected to break out in the arrival of the Long-awaited One.
Eternal Majesty, Our Loving God
This Advent hymn embodies the unexpected breaking out: this hymn purposely does not rhyme. Our routine expectations are thwarted, and the unexpected breaks out, as if the shout of joy were eclipsing time at this present moment (which, in a not-yet sort of way, it is!). In the final stanza, however, we see restoration as the expected pattern returns.
The source material for this hymn is an optional blessing for Enriching Our Worship (EOW), an authorized set of eucharistic prayers.
Holy eternal Majesty,
Enriching Our Worship I, page 70
Holy incarnate Word,
Holy abiding Spirit,
bless you for evermore. Amen.
This hymn expands that blessing into a prayer for God’s blessing on us as we watch and wait for the end of the age. Stanza four returns us to the traditional Trinitarian language, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The hymn must also credit the 27th Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church, the Most Rev. Michael Curry. His characteristic way of talking about God as loving, liberating, and life-giving is worked into each stanza.
(As a curious footnote: as unusual as it is for a hymn not to rhyme, this is not the only non-rhyming hymn out there. The Hymnal 1982 includes one example that I know of, Geyer’s “We Know That Christ is Raised and Dies No More,” set to Engelberg–although each stanza’s ending with “alleluia” does give it a sense of rhyming unity. Another good example is Vajda’s “Now the Silence.”)
Eternal Majesty, our loving God,
the One who is and was and is to be:
though your creation suffers death and loss,
by faith we glimpse the newness yet to come.
Incarnate Word, our liberating God,
the One who bridges earth to heavenly spheres:
the eastern skies our hopeful eyes will watch
until the shout of joy eclipses time.
Abiding Spirit, life-sustaining God,
the One who pours out gifts of power and grace:
defend and sanctify us in this life;
transform us now to share in heaven’s peace.
Until your coming with the clouds unfurled,
we pray your blessing on us and the world:
O loving Father, liberating Son,
and life-sustaining Spirit, holy One.
Words: Mark Nabors (b. 1990)
Music: Flentge, Carl Flentge Schalk (1929-2021)
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Storied Grace 