The Thoughtful Christian is pleased to present an Advent study pack on five Advent hymns. Written by well-known song writer Mary Louise Bringle, each session presents the history and relevance of hymns to be sung during Advent. The hymns include:
- Week 1: Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates
- Week 2: O Splendor of God's Glory Bright and Savior of the Nations, Come
- Week 3: People, Look East
- Week 4: Wake, Awake, for Night Is Flying, also called Sleepers, Wake! A Voice Astounds Us
Found in most denominational hymnals, most of these hymns may also be found on YouTube in case your group prefers to watch hymns being sung.
The author introduces the study by reminding us that hymns have histories: they were written by particular people, often in response to particular circumstances in the writers' lives. More than this, hymns teach history. By paying attention to their back stories, we learn of joys and struggles that have occupied our ancestors in the faith from biblical times to our own. So come, learn about these songs, and enjoy singing your way through Advent.
As you read, study, sing, and pray your way through these lessons, your group will feel part of a veritable choir of witnesses, stretching back for centuries. They will feel led forward to that time beyond time when we all will sing together before the throne of the Lamb.