Good news! I’m posting song #9 on day #9! No catch-up!
Today’s song is “While We Are Waiting, Come.” For the time being, we have transitioned out of the Glory to God Presbyterian Hymnal and into the African-American Heritage Hymnal, hymn #190. “While We Are Waiting, Come” is a song that has been adopted by the African-American Church and is now considered a classic in the tradition. This song was written by Claire Cloninger and copyrighted by Word Music in 1986. The music was composed by Don Cason. The lyrics say:
While we are waiting, come
While we are waiting, come
Jesus our Lord, Emmanuel,
While we are waiting, come
With pow’r and glory, come
With pow’r and glory, come
Jesus our Lord Emmanuel
While we are waiting, come
Come, Savior, quickly come
Come, Savior, quickly come
Jesus our Lord Emmanuel
While we are waiting, come
This is another one of those hymns/pieces that I love simply because of its arrangement. This is completely irrelevant to this discussion as far as Advent is concerned, but if you listen to the recording I linked to, you will hopefully hear a beautiful, rich bass section that just captures your attention. (In my amateur opinion, I don’t believe any choir or a capella group is complete without a bass section. They contribute to a much fuller and richer sound overall).
Now, back to theology:
This hymn is perfect for Advent. The lyrics allow us to imagine the expectation leading up to Jesus’s birth, as well as to express our longing for His return. It’s so simple, yet quite profound. It alludes to Revelation 22:20, which states: “The one who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!”
The Book of Revelation, the 66th and final book of the Christian Bible, is a prophecy or revelation given from Jesus to the apostle John, who is also referred to as the “Beloved Disciple” in the Gospel of John. After giving His revelation, Jesus essentially says, I myself am the person who is telling you all these things, and I myself am coming soon.
While we wait, we wait with holy reverence and anticipation. Jesus Messiah will come with all the power and glory that is fitting of a divine king. He will come to set the world aright, which is why many would like Him to come quickly.
(But while we’re waiting, and while we want Him to come quickly, we should still #stayready and #staywoke — Matt. 24:42-44)
While we are waiting, come with power and glory! Savior, come quickly!
