326. Hymn for Advent 4 (Series A)

For the ongoing cycle of Three-Year Lectionary hymns, we come to the Sunday before Christmas, formerly known as the Fourth Sunday in Advent and now (thanks to The Lutheran Service Book) informalized as Advent 4. Texts for this service are Isaiah 7:10-17, Romans 1:1-7 and Matthew 1:18-25. The tune I decided to go with is one that I wrote for a hymn by Rev. Alan Kornacki, Jr. about the same Sunday but in the historic one-year lectionary. Apropos, the tune's name is ADVENT IV.

See, holy ones, the time outpoured:
The urgent time of grace
When, by the Spirit of the Lord,
Christ draws men to His face.

Isaiah did His birth foretell,
The blessed virgin's Son,
And called His name Immanuel,
For God with Man is One.

The angel voice in Joseph's dream
Said Jesus is His name.
From Him indeed salvation streams;
To bear our sins He came.

And now of Him our ears have heard;
Our hearts have taken hold
By faith, through the apostles' word,
A prize more dear than gold:

The Seed of David, named with power
God's very Son, our Lord;
And near at hand the glorious hour
About to be outpoured,

When every ill undone shall be,
And death itself o'erthrown,
And knee shall bow, and eye shall see
That God with Man is One.