“People, Look East” is one of my favorite Advent hymns. I love the cheerful optimism of its melody (called BESANCON), which starts off by rising up an entire octave and continuing to repeat its upward trajectory. I love the encouragement to be active in this hymn as well. Eleanor Farjeon’s busy lyrics instruct us to “trim the heart and set the table,” making me feel that opening up our boxes of Christmas decorations is a church-approved activity!
The hymn employs a lot of beautiful imagery as well, including the bare furrows of winter, where seeds deep underground do the necessary work of preparation in order to spring up when the weather gets warmer. Anyone who has ever appreciated the clear night sky of winter can also enjoy verse three, with its reference to “frosty weather” in which to appreciate the bright Christmas star. This is a lovely, enjoyable, active Advent hymn, and it brings a smile to my face every time I sing it.
But there’s another side to Advent, too –- a side that this hymn doesn’t express. Advent is a time when we peel away the surface to see the truth, a time when we contemplate how much we need Jesus’ saving grace. I see this other side to Advent in the hymn “Send Your Word,” which comes at the very beginning of the Advent section in our hymnal.
Unlike the cheerful BESANCON, the tune for this hymn (called MIKOTOBA) is slow, deliberate, and in a minor mode. While this hymn has a melody that begins by rising, the most memorable parts to me are where the melody falls, inexorably, like the weight of the cares of the world is pulling it down.
Yasushige Imakoma’s beautiful hymn text, translated by Nobuaki Hanaoka, confesses the difficult parts of our lives: “souls that hunger and thirst,” “sins… [that] persist and cling,” and “adversities and hurts.” This is a hymn that does not look optimistically at the future but looks realistically at the present. This hymn expresses our deep need for salvation, and it helps us to cry out “We seek your endless grace, your wondrous power, your endless love.”
It may be easy to get caught up in the attitude that one of these hymns conveys. Maybe we’re depressed by news of gridlock and polarized politics in Washington, or repression in Afghanistan, or tornadoes in the Midwest. Maybe we’re agonized by the continued toll of COVID-19. If so, then we may need “People, Look East” to remind us of our active role in anticipating the coming of the Messiah.
Or maybe we’re stuck in a busy loop of shopping and wrapping and baking and cleaning, preparing for Christmas but unable to make time to contemplate its deeper meaning. If so, then we may need “Send Your Word” to call us to the quiet work of meditation, confession, and being present in our need.
May the remaining days of this season give us opportunity both to earnestly acknowledge our hurt and to joyously anticipate Christ’s coming.
-Heather Cranson
Sudbury UMC Lenten Devotions 