December 16: Infant Holy, Infant Lowly

Third Week of Advent: Joy
December 16: Infant Holy, Infant Lowly (Polish) - Links & Lyrics Below

Why is it such a big deal that God chose to enter our world as a baby? In a world more likely to associate saviors with muscle-bound men and women imbued with superhuman traits from the comic books, the classical Polish hymn Infant Holy, Infant Lowly paints a very different picture of salvation.

In just two short verses the events of Luke 2:1-20, Jesus’ humble birth in Bethlehem and the angelic host guiding the shepherds to see their newborn king lying in the manger are beautifully described. Unlike our expectations of superheroes and saviors today, Jesus came to save us in the least-expected way.

The Lord of all humbly came into our world to fulfill His Father’s plan of salvation, the plan He promised already at the end of Genesis 3 when He sacrificed an animal to clothe our sin and nakedness.

This baby lying in the manger is the true sacrifice that has set us free from all our sorrow and fulfilled God’s promise of salvation. My favorite part of this song is the last part of each verse that gets repeated, a confession of faith that Christ is Lord of All and He was born for each of us. And just as He kept His promise of old, so He will keep His promise to come again.

Pastor Carl Brewer
St. John's Lutheran - Luxemburg


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Polish Lyrics
W żłobie leży! Któż pobieży
Kolędować małemu
Jezusowi Chrystusowi
Dziś nam narodzonemu?
Pastuszkowie przybywajcie
Jemu wdzięcznie przygrywajcie
Jako Panu naszemu.

My zaś sami z piosneczkami
Za wami pospieszymy
A tak Tego Maleńkiego
Niech wszyscy zobaczymy
Jak ubogo narodzony
Płacze w stajni położony
Więc go dziś ucieszymy.

English Lyrics
Infant holy, Infant lowly,
For His bed a cattle stall;
Oxen lowing, Little knowing
Christ the Babe is Lord of all.
Swiftly winging Angels singing,
Noels ringing, Tidings bringing,
Christ the Babe is Lord of all.

Flocks were sleeping, Shepherds keeping
Vigil till the morning new;
Saw the glory, Heard the story,
Tidings of a Gospel true.
Thus rejoicing, Free from sorrow,
Praises voicing, Greet the morrow,
Christ the Babe was born for you!

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