CW 301: Savior of the Nations, Come
Advent is a wonderful time of the year. We begin a new season of the church year, and we look forward in joyful anticipation to celebrating our Lord’s birth at Christmas. The season of Advent is a time when we prepare ourselves for the coming of the Lord. We look forward to his birth in Bethlehem and we also look forward to that great and glorious day when he will return with all his power, might, and majesty.
Savior of the Nations, Come is one of the older hymns in our hymnal. Christians have been singing this hymn of praise to celebrate the birth of our Savior for hundreds of years. The hymn was written by Ambrose of Milan in the 4th Century and was translated into German by Martin Luther. This hymn praises God for sending his son to suffer and die for the sins of the world. It is an amazing mystery that God took on flesh and made his dwelling among us so that he could suffer and die to save us.
Verse 1: Savior of the nations, come; Virgin’s Son, make here your home. Marvel now, O heav’n and earth, that the Lord chose such a birth.
When we consider the miracle of Christmas all we can do is marvel at the amazing love of our God. Jesus came to this world, not with glory or majesty. He was not born in a rich palace to a mighty king. Instead, he was born to a humble virgin in a lowly stable. Christ did not come to this world to rule or lord over us as a king. Instead, he came as a servant. He lived a life of humility. He humbled himself and became obedient to death on the cross to save us.
Verse 2: Not by human flesh and blood, by the Spirit of our God was the Word of God made flesh, woman’s offspring, pure and fresh.
The birth of Jesus is a profound mystery! The Apostle John tells us in the first chapter of the Gospel how Jesus Christ is true God from eternity. Our almighty Lord, the very Word of God, clothed himself with human flesh and made his dwelling among us. He did this so he could live as a human and place himself under God’s holy law. He was tempted in every way that we are in, yet he was without sin. Jesus is unique in that he is the only person who never sinned. He fulfilled all the requirements of God’s law so he could offer himself as a perfect sacrifice to pay for the sins of the entire world.
Verse 3: Wondrous birth! O wondrous Child of the virgin undefiled, though by all the world disowned, yet to be in heav’n enthroned!
Jesus was rejected by many of the people he came to save. The Jewish leaders did not accept him as their Savior because he did not meet their expectations. They were looking for an earthly king who would lead their nation to glory. They did not understand that the kingdom of Jesus was not of this world. Jesus came with the purpose of suffering and dying to save the world from sin. Even today people do not understand the message of the Gospel. They reject Jesus as their Savior and look elsewhere for their salvation. Verse 3 of our hymn reminds us that in the end, it does not matter what the world thinks. Jesus as the wonderous Child who was both true God and true man defeated the power of sin, death, and hell. He rose victorious from the grave and is ruling over all things at the right hand of the Father.
Verse 4: From the Father’s throne he came and ascended to the same, captive leading death and hell. High the song of triumph swell!
Advent and Christmas give us a special time to praise God for the miracle of his Son. Jesus descended from heaven. He humbled himself even to the point of death on the cross. On Easter, he rose victorious from the grave. He defeated death and hell and gave the forgiveness of sins and the certainty of eternal life to all who believe in him. Christ ascended to heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father. There he is ruling over all things for the good of his church. We know that one day he will return in glory to judge the living and the dead and take us to our eternal home. One of the reasons that blue is the color of Advent is a reminder of us to look to the skies and watch with joyful anticipation for the return of our king.
Verse 5: Praise to God the Father sing, praise to God the Son, our King, praise to God the Spirit be ever and eternally.
The final verse of our hymn is a doxology of praise to our Triune God. We praise God our eternal Father who created us. We praise the Son, our Savior, who redeemed us and continues to intercede for us. And we praise the Spirit who called us to faith through the message of the Gospel. All praise be to God forever and ever! Amen!
Savior of the Nations, Come is a glorious hymn of praise. We rejoice that God sent his one and only Son to save us from our sins. During Advent, we marvel and wait in joyful anticipation for the celebration of our Savior’s birth. We also look forward to that great day when our Lord will come and take us to our eternal home. As so we join with Christians throughout the centuries and pray savior of the nations, come!