CW 324 - O Lord, How Shall I Meet You
Traditionally, the third Sunday of Advent has been called Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete is the Latin word for “rejoice!” During the season of Advent, we focus on the coming of Christ. We think about his coming in the flesh at Christmas and his glorious coming when he returns on the Last Day. Both of these events fill us with joy. We rejoice that our God would take on human flesh to save us and that our Lord will come again to rescue us from this world of sin and sorrow. O Lord, How Shall I Meet You echoes these themes of Advent. We rejoice in our salvation. We marvel that God sent his one and only Son to save us from our sins. Our hearts are filled with the joyful knowledge that our sins and guilt have been washed away. Because of Christ's death, we look forward in joyful anticipation to the great and glorious day of our Lord’s return. Verse 1: O Lord, how shall I meet you, how welcome you aright? Your people long to greet you, my hope, my heart’s delight. O Jesus, let your Word be a lamp to light my way, to show me how to please you, to guide me ev’ry day. Verse one reminds us that, as Christians, we want to be ready to meet our King. We look forward to his return and want our hearts to be prepared to greet him. But how do we prepare our hearts? We cannot make our hearts free from sin; instead, we cling to the promise of God. We cling to the assurance in his Word that our sins have been paid for by the blood of Christ. Because we have been born again through water and the Word, we desire to live lives that please our Lord. Question: What are some ways that we can please God? Verse 2: Love caused your incarnation; love brought you down to me. Your thirst for my salvation procured my liberty. Oh, love beyond all telling that led you to embrace in love, all love excelling, our lost and fallen race! 1 John 4:8 tells us that “God is love.” We see the love of God echoed in the life of Christ. Jesus loved each one of us so much that he came down from heaven and was born of the Virgin Mary. This is the mystery of Christmas that God became man and made his dwelling among us. Jesus loved us so much that he willingly offered his perfect life as a sacrifice to pay for our sins. Jesus endured the shame and agony of the cross for us. He suffered the torments of hell that we deserved and was punished in our place. All this he did because he loved us and wanted to save us from our sins. Question: What does it mean that Jesus “thirsted” for our salvation? Verse 3: Rejoice, then, you sad-hearted, who sit in deepest gloom, who mourn o’er joys departed and tremble at your doom. Despair not; he is near you, he’s standing at the door who best can help and cheer you and bids you weep no more. This world is full of sin and sorrow. We all face times of trial and hardship, like sickness or the loss of a loved one. It can be easy to fall into deep, dark sadness and wonder if God is really watching over us as he promised. This verse reminds us that even on our deepest and gloomiest days, when all seems lost, Jesus is still there right beside us. Jesus understands what it is like to feel pain and sadness. He lived and suffered as one of us. Christ is always there, ready to comfort us with his Word and with his promises. Question: Think of some sections of Scripture that provide comfort to you when you are sad. Verse 4: Sin’s debt, that fearful burden, let not your souls distress; your guilt the Lord will pardon and cover by his grace. He comes, for you procuring the peace of sin forgiv’n, his children thus securing eternal life in heav’n. As Christians, we must daily struggle against the temptations of the devil, the world, and our own sinful natures. Every day, we give in to temptation, sin, and break the Lord’s commandments. Satan loves to accuse and remind us of our sins. We want to burden us with guilt and shame and convince us that God does not love us. This hymn verse reminds us that we do not need to be weighed down by the terrible burden of our sins. Our sins have been completely forgiven by the blood of Christ. We have been washed clean and pure by the blood of Christ. We do not need to be burdened with a load of guilt because we have been covered by God’s amazing grace. This is the joyous message of the Gospel. This is why Christians rejoice. We know we have been forgiven. We know Christ has won us the glorious reward of eternal life with him. Question: Why does Satan want us to doubt God’s grace and mercy? Verse 5: He comes to judge the nations, a terror to his foes, a light of consolation and blessèd hope to those who love the Lord’s appearing. O glorious Sun, now come, send forth your beams most cheering, and guide us safely home. The final verse of this hymn shows the great contrast between believers and unbelievers. As believers, we look forward with joy to the day of the Lord’s return. We do not need to be afraid when Jesus comes again in all his glory to judge the living and the dead because we know we have been forgiven. We have been declared not guilty by the blood of Christ before the Almighty Judge. For unbelievers, the return of Jesus fills them with dread. Deep down, they know that because of their sins, they cannot stand before the throne of God. On the Last Day, their time of grace will be over, and they will be thrown into the lake of fire that was prepared for the devil and all his angels. Question: How can you share the message of salvation with others? O Lord, How Shall I Meet You is a joyous hymn of Advent praise. We rejoice and praise the Lord for our salvation and forgiveness in Christ. We give thanks to God for sending his Son to be born of a woman, born under the law, to free us from our sins. And we look forward in joyful anticipation to the great and glorious day when our Lord will return in all his radiant splendor and take us to our eternal home.