Savior of the Nations, Come (v. 1-2)

Attr. Ambrose of Milan (340-397)

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.

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

Savior of the Nations, Come is, perhaps, one of the oldest hymns we sing. I say, “perhaps,” because we’re not completely certain that St. Ambrose wrote it. Whoever wrote it, it is old, thoughtful, and beautiful. It is not difficult to imagine the poet contemplating Jesus’ birth with wonder and awe as he writes.

This season calls all of creation to marvel that the Lord chose to be born, and to be born so humbly. Not that any normal birth would do for the Lord Jesus! We ponder the mystery that Mary herself wondered at in Luke 1:34, when she asked the angel, Gabriel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” No! This would be no normal conception.

“And the angel answered her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy – the Son of God.’” This holy embryo is the eternal God the Son in human flesh, consenting to gestation, to labor, and to birth in order to be the Savior of the nations.

Prayer

               O Savior of the nations, come to us this Advent season. Send us Your Spirit to help us to marvel at Your birth. In this miracle You display Your divinity as You accept Your own humanity. What was that like for You to leave eternity and to step into time? What was it like to be almighty and to become frail flesh? Help us to ponder these things and to be amazed that You chose to be such a Savior. Amen. 

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As you marvel at how God has come to you in the Jesus' miraculous birth, take a moment to consider how God comes to others through the simple act of speech. Someone speaks to another and shares the message of Jesus' birth, life, death, and resurrection, and God uses that action to create faith in that person. 

This is the work that Lutheran Campus Ministry of Kent (LCMK) is engaged in. In this past semester, three people were baptized through this ministry. It seems to me that a worthy way to celebrate Jesus coming to you would be to help others hear of Him, too. Please pray for LCMK that God would bless their work. And if you have the where-with-all, please make a donation to support their work. You can learn more about them (and donate) here https://kentstatelutherhouse.org/.