1 Lo, how a rose e'er
blooming
from tender stem hath
sprung;
of Jesse's lineage
coming,
as saints of old have
sung.
It came, a floweret
bright,
amid the cold of
winter
when half spent was
the night.
2 Isaiah 'twas
foretold it,
the rose I have in
mind;
with Mary we behold
it,
the virgin mother
kind.
To show God's love
aright
she bore to us a
Savior
when half spent was
the night.
3 This flower, so
small and tender,
with fragrance fills
the air;
his brightness ends
the darkness
that kept the earth
in fear.
True God and yet true
man,
he came to save his
people
from earth's dark
night of sin.
Here's a version of it for you to listen to, if you so desire :) Courtesy of Sufjan Stevens.
The scripture references in this hymn are pretty obvious because they are so straightforward. Plus, because of all these Advent readings, the verses are fresh in my mind!
"of Jesse's lineage coming" - Isaiah 11:1
"Isaiah 'twas foretold it" - umm, pretty much every other chapter in Isaiah
"his brightness ends the darkness that kept the earth in fear" - Isaiah 42
However, until I was typing this up, I hadn't really thought about what the title means. Christ is "ever blooming." He has always been in existence and he will endure forever. And I assume referring to him as a rose symbolizes his beauty. Or it can, anyway. (Let's not get started on the subject of analyzing poems for the author's original intent. Gag. (Anna, I know you're disappointed.)) Whether or not that's what he or she meant, that's what it makes me think of. And Christ is beautiful; he is loving; he is all things good. Love that. What a gift he is!
Oh give thanks to
the LORD, for he is good; for
his steadfast love endures forever!
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