Author: Martin Luther vs. 1; Unknown vs. 2-4
German title: Komm, heiliger Geist, Herre Gott
Translation: The Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis, 1941
Relevant Scripture verse: “And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them.” – Acts 2:3 ESV
1 Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord! With all your graces now outpoured
On each believer’s mind and heart; your fervent love to them impart.
Lord, by the brightness of your light in holy faith your church unite
From every land and every tongue; This to your praise, O Lord, our God, be sung.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
2 Come, holy Light, guide divine, now cause the Word of life to shine!
Teach us to know our God aright and call Him Father with delight.
From every error keep us free; Let none but Christ our Master be
That we in living faith abide, in Him, our Lord, with all our might confide.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
3 Come, holy Fire, comfort true, grant us the will your work to do
And in your service to abide; let trials turn us not aside.
Lord, by your power prepare each heart and to our weakness strength impart
That bravely here we may contend, through life and death to our, our Lord, ascend.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
The month of May in the northern hemisphere is associated with many things: flowers, the blossoming of trees, and of course warmer weather. But in the church, late May or early June is filled with talk of the festival of Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit, described in the book of Acts, the sequel to the Gospel of Luke, chapter two. As with the previous reflection, the hymn above reminds us once again of the untruth of the accusation that “Lutherans never talk about the Holy Spirit.”
“Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord” is one of the earliest Lutheran hymns in Germany, first appearing in the “Enchiridion” of Erfurt in 1524. It comes to us from the hand of Martin Luther himself, though the German text is really an adaptation of a medieval Latin antiphon that was well-known at the time. Luther loved the message, and in time this hymn became associated with the ordination of pastors.
The connection between this hymn and the ordination and installation of pastors lies in the conviction that God the Holy Spirit (or “Ghost”) works in the Church to empower the witness of Jesus Christ. Pastors or preachers are called to proclaim Jesus Christ, the Word of God, and when that happens, the Holy Spirit is active to “call, gather, and enlighten” those who hear. Of course, this happens in many contexts apart from public preaching in church, but the public sermon in worship is a formal way that the Church emphasizes this reality. “How are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher?” says the Apostle Paul in Romans 10. Someone once said that the first preacher he ever heard was his mother. Each night, she would put him to bed and tell him, “God loves you, and so do I.” In time, he came to believe that.
The photo above is from my installation service as the pastor of my now former congregation, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church of Lindy, Nebraska, back in May of 2015. It was a special moment for me, and I remember the congregation singing this hymn for that occasion. I had left my first call as a pastor in 2010 after four years of service in order to pursue my Ph.D. in church history. When I did, I was not certain if I would ever serve as a parish pastor again or what direction life would take me. Yet, unexpectedly, I connected with this good group of Lutherans in northern Nebraska in the fall of 2014, and they called upon me to serve them as pastor and preacher at the beginning of the coming year, first as an interim pastor and then permanently in the month of May. Though I now serve as a pastor in Ohio, I remember fondly the seven years I spent among the people of Good Shepherd.
In all three of the places I have formally served as pastor, first in Minnesota, then in Nebraska, and now in Ohio, I have come to see what a privilege the role is. Though not easy work, walking and praying with people in times of joy and sorrow, but most especially proclaiming the life-giving news of Jesus Christ, is rewarding indeed.
At the same time, pastoral life can be hard and at times lonely, and the reasons for that are too many and complex to describe here. How easy it is to become discouraged, especially in those “lean times” of the faith, when congregational life seems stagnant and the surrounding culture seems so indifferent. Sometimes the work of ministry seems to bear little visible fruit in a community, and it is no wonder that a large percentage of pastors “throw in the towel” after just a few years in congregational life.
Not only for pastors, but for all Christians, the words of this hymn are one of encouragement, a reminder that our witness is not in vain, and that it is the Holy Spirit that empowers us in our daily callings, even in the most challenging situations and in a society that is increasingly hostile to our witness: let trials turn us not aside. Lord, by your power prepare each heart and to our weakness strength impart that bravely here we may contend, through life and death to our, our Lord, ascend.
Christ has indeed won the victory for us, and the Holy Spirit empowers that witness. That is the joy of Pentecost. Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
You can access here a video of organ and congregational singing of this hymn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRrsLgTAjjA