Scripture Verse

They that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. Isaiah 9:2

Introduction

Words: Cas­par F. Nach­ten­hö­fer, cir­ca 1683 (Dies ist die Nacht, da mir er­schien­en). Trans­lat­ed from Ger­man to Eng­lish by An­na B. Hoppe, 1922, alt.

Music: O dass ich tau­sen Zung­en Jo­hann B. Kö­nig, 1738 (🔊 pdf nwc).

If you know where to get a good pic­ture of Nach­ten­hö­fer or Kö­nig (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els),

portrait
Anna B. Hoppe (1889–1941)

Lyrics

This night a won­drous re­ve­la­tion
Makes known to me God’s love and grace;
The Child that mer­its ado­ra­tion
Brings light to our be­night­ed race;
And though a thou­sand suns did shine,
Still bright­er were that Light di­vine.

The Sun of Grace for thee is beam­ing;
Rejoice, my soul, in Je­sus’ birth!
The light from yon­der man­ger stream­ing
Sends forth its rays o’er all the earth.
It drives the night of sin away
And turns our dark­ness into day.

This Light, which all thy gloom can ban­ish,
The bliss of hea­ven glo­ri­fies;
When sun and moon and stars shall van­ish,
Its rays shall still il­lume the skies.
This light through all eter­ni­ty
Thy heave­n and all to thee shall be.

O Je­sus, pre­cious Sun of Glad­ness,
Fill Thou my soul with light, I pray.
Dispel the gloomy night of sad­ness
And teach Thou me this Christ­mas Day
How I a child of light may be,
Aglow with light that comes from Thee.