Author: Hans Adolph Brorson, 1694-1764
Danish title: Den yndigste rose er funden
Translation: Jens Christian Aaberg, 1877-1970
Relevant Scripture verse: But when the fulness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. – Galatians 4:4-5 ESV
1 I've found now the fairest of roses. In briars and thorns it reposes.
My Jesus, a branch newly showing. A rose among sinners is growing.
2 Since first we were exiled from Eden and lost God’s own likeness by sinning
The world has been suffering in terror, and we have been wandering in error.
3 But God promised us a great favor and planted a Rose, Christ our Savior,
Who now blossoms forth in great wonder, good news for those broken asunder.
4 With hymns and songs gladly now voicing the earth should break forth in rejoicing
But many have not comprehended the Rose to the world has descended.
5 O sinners in brambles and briars corrupted by your stubborn errors
Why are you so proud in your spirit and trust in your own feeble merit?
6 O come seek the places most lowly and weep before Jesus the Holy
Receive all the gifts that he offers this Rose planted here among briars.
7 My Jesus will always be for me this Rose is my jewel and my glory
Forever my keepsake and treasure it fills me with joy and with pleasure.
8 The world may take all my possessions its thorns teach me terrible lessons
My heart may be broken and tender this Rose I will never surrender!
If we were to list common symbols of Christmas, what would they be? Our nativity scenes depict Mary, Joseph, the manger with the infant Jesus, shepherds, angels, and a star. These are recognizable for most people. And, as I mentioned in the previous reflection, wise men from the east also make appearances in such nativity scenes even though attention to biblical detail suggests that we keep the account of shepherds and angels separate from these seekers from the east. Indeed, the wise men from Matthew chapter two have traditionally been associated with the Feast of the Epiphany, observed on January 6, rather than Christmas.
Yet there are other Christmas symbols that have gained popularity among people in different parts of the world, some of them quite recently. One such example is “The Little Drummer Boy,” based on the familiar “Carol of the Drum.” The song tells of a boy who finds his way to Jesus’ manger, and unlike the wise men, has no gift to offer Jesus. He therefore decides to play his drum for Jesus with the approval of Mary his mother. “I played my best for him,” the song says, and Jesus “smiled at [him].” This song is played nearly ubiquitously on the radio this time of year, and it leads me to wonder how many people unfamiliar with the biblical text actually think a little drummer boy appears in the Bible.
Another older symbol of Christmas is that of a flower, specifically a rose. The exact origin of this tradition is unclear, though among Roman Catholic Christians, a rose is often associated with the life of Mary, the mother of our Lord. When Lutherans and other Protestants began writing Christmas hymns, it is perhaps not surprising that they transferred the rose imagery from Mary to Jesus himself. While Lutherans can and should have a healthy respect for Mary as the bearer of God for the world, these people were right to focus on Jesus in their Christmas imagery. One familiar Christmas hymn that does this is the German carol “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming.”
A much lesser-known hymn that does the same is the one printed above by the Danish Lutheran pastor and bishop Hans Brorson. It beautifully expresses the hope of Christmas through the image of Christ as a Rose, but it does so by first revealing the human condition of sin. Christ the Rose does not appear in a bright and flowering meadow. The Rose appears amid brambles and briars. Indeed, with the coming of Christ into the world, a rose among sinners is growing. What a marvelous image of the goodness of God and the deep human need to look to Him for redemption. The beauty and fragrance of the Rose does not eliminate the brambles and briars of the world, at least right now. But the Rose grows nonetheless as God’s gift to the broken world, which we grasp by faith.
The symbols we use for Christmas matter for how we understand our faith. As innocuous as “The Little Drummer Boy” might seem, it most definitely sends the wrong message. The thought of the boy offering Jesus the gift of drum playing might seem cute, but Christmas is not about giving Jesus our gifts. Jesus does not need our gifts. Jesus came because we needed a gift, the gift of himself. The only thing we can give to Jesus is our sin, which he gladly takes from us.
When we come to Jesus, all we can do is receive his goodness, his mercy, his grace, and Brorson’s hymn expresses this with beauty: O come seek the places most lowly and weep before Jesus the Holy. Receive all the gifts that he offers, this Rose planted here among briars.
Now found is the fairest of Roses! Every Christmas is a reminder of God’s faithfulness to the world in sending Jesus His Son to be among us and to become our salvation. Every Christmas brings with it the call to pluck the Rose, take in its fragrance, and hold onto it for dear life, for God’s promise endures forever: My Jesus will always be for me this Rose is my jewel and my glory, Forever my keepsake and treasure, it fills me with joy and with pleasure.
At the link below, you will find a video of a piano arrangement of Brorson’s hymn, set to a tune by Joseph Klug: Den yndigste rose er funden (youtube.com)