Title: The Only Son from Heaven
Author: Elizabeth Cruciger, ca. 1500-1535
German title: Herr Christ der einig Gotts Sohn
Translation: Arthur T. Russell, 1806-1874
Relevant Scripture verse: “I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” – Revelation 22:16 ESV
1 The only Son from heaven, foretold by ancient seers,
by God the Father given, in human form appears.
No sphere his light confining, no star so brightly shining
as he, our Morning Star.
2 O time of God appointed, O bright and holy morn!
He comes, the King anointed, the Christ, the virgin-born,
grim death to vanquish for us, to open heav'n before us
and bring us life again.
3 Awaken, Lord, our spirit to know and love you more,
in faith to stand unshaken, in spirit to adore,
that we, through this world moving, each glimpse of heaven proving,
may reap its fullness there.
4 O Father, here before you with God the Holy Ghost
and Jesus, we adore you, O pride of angel host.
Before you mortals lowly cry, "Holy, holy, holy,
O blessed Trinity!"
For many people, the days immediately following Christmas and the New Year are something of a letdown. After the lights and activity of the “holiday season,” things quickly get back to normal, and for many parts of the world, the months of January and February are the bleakest and coldest of the year. My birthday falls on January 2, and I never cared for it as a child; I would always have to go back to school the next day.
In the Christian Church, there is the temptation to adopt the same attitude. The Advent and Christmas seasons are filled with activity and excitement. Attendance at candlelight services on Christmas Eve is most often the highest of any point of the year. But then, the excitement dies down, and the regular routine resumes.
After the twelve days of Christmas, Christians have historically observed a festival called “The Epiphany of our Lord” on January 6, which is actually a more ancient observance than Christmas itself. Traditionally, the appointed gospel reading for January 6 is Matthew 2:1-12, which tells of “wise men” from the east coming to visit the child Jesus. They were led by a star. Coming from some distance, these “wise men” represent the beginning of the good news of Jesus being revealed to the world. This concept of “Epiphany” is expressed in other biblical texts as well, such as Jesus revealing his glory at the wedding in Cana (John 2) and his baptism in the Jordan River (Luke 3). The point is that Jesus did not remain confined to the manger in Bethlehem. He is good news that cannot be contained. Even before Jesus could travel, a star led others to that good news. And that good news still shines in our world and our lives by the power of the Holy Spirit. For this reason, Epiphany serves as an important bridge between Christmas and the rest of our faith.
One hymn that embodies this “bridge” between Christmas and the rest of our faith is “The Only Son from Heaven.” Though found in many of our Lutheran hymnals, it is a lesser-known hymn of this season. My first experience with it was while serving my pastoral internship in Germany in 2005. For me, the tune, which is representative of the Renaissance-style music of the early sixteenth century, was a special kind of light for me in the drab skies of the German January. More importantly, the text emphasizes Jesus as a continual source of light for the world: No sphere his light confining, no star so brightly shining as he, our Morning Star.
This hymn is among the earliest of the hymns of the Lutheran Reformation in Germany, and it holds the interesting distinction of having been written by a woman. Today, female hymn and song writers are common, but in the early 1500s, hymn writing, which is in a way a form of teaching, was not considered a woman’s role. Martin Luther acknowledged this, but he praised Elizabeth Cruciger for her hymn, which he observed gave such clear honor and glory to Jesus Christ.
Little is known about Elizabeth Cruciger. She was apparently from a family of Polish nobility, and she and her family fled to Wittenberg, the center of the growing Reformation movement, in the early 1520s. She was then married to Caspar Cruciger, who was at the time a student of Martin Luther at the University of Wittenberg. Reportedly, she was a friend of Luther’s wife, Katharina von Bora. Her hymn first appeared in a collection of hymns in the city of Erfurt in 1524 and then spread to other locations around Germany.
History might not remember much about the life of Elizabeth Cruciger, and neither will it remember much of our lives. But her hymn remains as a testimony to the work that God has done on our behalf through His Son Jesus. If we are remembered for anything, let it be for how God’s Morning Star has shone upon us and for how we have reflected the light of that star.
You can access here a recording of “The Only Son from Heaven” at the following link, sung by the choir of Martin Luther College in New Ulm, Minnesota, which is affiliated with the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS): https://youtu.be/FoXBN6x1x9g
Author: Elizabeth Cruciger, ca. 1500-1535
German title: Herr Christ der einig Gotts Sohn
Translation: Arthur T. Russell, 1806-1874
Relevant Scripture verse: “I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” – Revelation 22:16 ESV
1 The only Son from heaven, foretold by ancient seers,
by God the Father given, in human form appears.
No sphere his light confining, no star so brightly shining
as he, our Morning Star.
2 O time of God appointed, O bright and holy morn!
He comes, the King anointed, the Christ, the virgin-born,
grim death to vanquish for us, to open heav'n before us
and bring us life again.
3 Awaken, Lord, our spirit to know and love you more,
in faith to stand unshaken, in spirit to adore,
that we, through this world moving, each glimpse of heaven proving,
may reap its fullness there.
4 O Father, here before you with God the Holy Ghost
and Jesus, we adore you, O pride of angel host.
Before you mortals lowly cry, "Holy, holy, holy,
O blessed Trinity!"
For many people, the days immediately following Christmas and the New Year are something of a letdown. After the lights and activity of the “holiday season,” things quickly get back to normal, and for many parts of the world, the months of January and February are the bleakest and coldest of the year. My birthday falls on January 2, and I never cared for it as a child; I would always have to go back to school the next day.
In the Christian Church, there is the temptation to adopt the same attitude. The Advent and Christmas seasons are filled with activity and excitement. Attendance at candlelight services on Christmas Eve is most often the highest of any point of the year. But then, the excitement dies down, and the regular routine resumes.
After the twelve days of Christmas, Christians have historically observed a festival called “The Epiphany of our Lord” on January 6, which is actually a more ancient observance than Christmas itself. Traditionally, the appointed gospel reading for January 6 is Matthew 2:1-12, which tells of “wise men” from the east coming to visit the child Jesus. They were led by a star. Coming from some distance, these “wise men” represent the beginning of the good news of Jesus being revealed to the world. This concept of “Epiphany” is expressed in other biblical texts as well, such as Jesus revealing his glory at the wedding in Cana (John 2) and his baptism in the Jordan River (Luke 3). The point is that Jesus did not remain confined to the manger in Bethlehem. He is good news that cannot be contained. Even before Jesus could travel, a star led others to that good news. And that good news still shines in our world and our lives by the power of the Holy Spirit. For this reason, Epiphany serves as an important bridge between Christmas and the rest of our faith.
One hymn that embodies this “bridge” between Christmas and the rest of our faith is “The Only Son from Heaven.” Though found in many of our Lutheran hymnals, it is a lesser-known hymn of this season. My first experience with it was while serving my pastoral internship in Germany in 2005. For me, the tune, which is representative of the Renaissance-style music of the early sixteenth century, was a special kind of light for me in the drab skies of the German January. More importantly, the text emphasizes Jesus as a continual source of light for the world: No sphere his light confining, no star so brightly shining as he, our Morning Star.
This hymn is among the earliest of the hymns of the Lutheran Reformation in Germany, and it holds the interesting distinction of having been written by a woman. Today, female hymn and song writers are common, but in the early 1500s, hymn writing, which is in a way a form of teaching, was not considered a woman’s role. Martin Luther acknowledged this, but he praised Elizabeth Cruciger for her hymn, which he observed gave such clear honor and glory to Jesus Christ.
Little is known about Elizabeth Cruciger. She was apparently from a family of Polish nobility, and she and her family fled to Wittenberg, the center of the growing Reformation movement, in the early 1520s. She was then married to Caspar Cruciger, who was at the time a student of Martin Luther at the University of Wittenberg. Reportedly, she was a friend of Luther’s wife, Katharina von Bora. Her hymn first appeared in a collection of hymns in the city of Erfurt in 1524 and then spread to other locations around Germany.
History might not remember much about the life of Elizabeth Cruciger, and neither will it remember much of our lives. But her hymn remains as a testimony to the work that God has done on our behalf through His Son Jesus. If we are remembered for anything, let it be for how God’s Morning Star has shone upon us and for how we have reflected the light of that star.
You can access here a recording of “The Only Son from Heaven” at the following link, sung by the choir of Martin Luther College in New Ulm, Minnesota, which is affiliated with the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS): https://youtu.be/FoXBN6x1x9g