Ah, Dearest Jesus, Holy Child

Ah, Dearest Jesus, Holy Child

Text by: Martin Luther

Translated by: Catherine Winkworth

Tune: Von himmel hoch by: Martin Luther

http://youtu.be/pjl2c7ruX90

1. “From heaven above to earth I come
   To bear good news to every home;
   Glad tidings of great joy I bring,
   Whereof I now will say and sing:
2. “To you this night is born a child
   Of Mary, chosen virgin mild;
   This little child, of lowly birth,
   Shall be the joy of all the earth.
3. “This is the Christ, our God and Lord,
   Who in all need shall aid afford;
   He will Himself your Savior be
   From all your sins to set you free.
4. “He will on you the gifts bestow
   Prepared by God for all below,
   That in His kingdom, bright and fair,
   You may with us His glory share.
5. “These are the tokens ye shall mark:
   The swaddling-clothes and manger dark;
   There ye shall find the Infant laid
   By whom the heavens and earth were made.”
6. Now let us all with gladsome cheer
   Go with the shepherds and draw near
   To see the precious gift of God,
   Who hath His own dear Son bestowed.
7. Give heed, my heart, lift up thine eyes!
   What is it in yon manger lies?
   Who is this child, so young and fair?
   The blessed Christ-child lieth there.
8. Welcome to earth, Thou noble Guest,
   Through whom the sinful world is blest!
   Thou com’st to share my misery;
   What thanks shall I return to Thee?
9. Ah, Lord, who hast created all,
   How weak art Thou, how poor and small,
   That Thou dost choose Thine infant bed
   Where humble cattle lately fed!
10. Were earth a thousand times as fair,
    Beset with gold and jewels rare,
    It yet were far too poor to be
    A narrow cradle, Lord, for Thee.
11. For velvets soft and silken stuff
    Thou hast but hay and straw so rough,
    Whereon Thou, King, so rich and great,
    As ’twere Thy heaven, art throned in state.
12. And thus, dear Lord, it pleaseth Thee
    To make this truth quite plain to me,
    That all the world’s wealth, honor, might,
    Are naught and worthless in Thy sight.
13. Ah, dearest Jesus, holy Child,
    Make Thee a bed, soft, undefiled,
    Within my heart, that it may be
    A quiet chamber kept for Thee.
14. My heart for very joy doth leap,
    My lips no more can silence keep;
    I, too, must sing with joyful tongue
    That sweetest ancient cradle-song:
15. Glory to God in highest heaven,
    Who unto us His Son hath given!
    While angels sing with pious mirth
    A glad new year to all the earth.

This lullaby, by Martin Luther and translated into English by an important contributor to English language hymnody, Catherine Winkworth. The tune goes by the name: Vom Himmel Hoch which in German means: From Heaven Above. Martin Luther uses this tune for his 15 stanza Christmas hymn which goes by the same name.

It is believed that Martin Luther wrote this tune, “Vom Himmel Hoch, da komm ich her,” specifically for this hymn. “Vom Himmel Hoch” has been used by many composers to create large scale musical works and has served as the tune for dozens of other hymns in many different languages.

Luther conceived of this hymn as a retelling of the Luke story of the birth of the Christ in a familial setting. The tune is simple enough for children to easily join in the retelling of the story of the birth of our savior.

From Luke:

2 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.

4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.