Lift up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates
Lyrics by Georg Weissel
Like many of the hymns of Advent, the text of “Lift Up your heads, ye mighty gates” was inspired by suffering. Europe was in the midst of its thirty years’ war between Protestants and Catholics, which, besides the senseless violence, also plunged Europe into thirty years of famine and disease. Georg Weissel, who was a German pastor during this period, composed the text of this hymn specifically for the first Sunday of Advent. Even though he was witnessing horrors every day, Weissel evokes joy and victory with each line of this text. But he is also asking the redeemer to come and save his people. So much of our Advent hymnody is about preparation and longing, but this one is different in its triumphal spirit. Lowell Mason composed a thrilling melody to accompany the text. In all my many classes on music, we always talk about the meaning behind “dotted” rhythms. Anytime you see a dot next to a note followed by a shorter note, it is very often a piece composed either for the military or during a war. We see it in movies about heroes, good vs. evil, etc. This rhythm is used for a sense of victory.
The large intervals and soaring melody also help paint Weissel’s triumphant text about the preparation for Christ’s coming. Preparation is, of course, what Advent is all about. We prepare our homes, our church, our special meals, and ourselves for Christmas. The line in verse two: “O happy hearts, and happy homes to whom this King of triumph comes!” really speaks to me. While Christmas preparations are fun, with little ones in my house, they’re not always easy, and I can be a Grinch from time to time. My husband and I both do this work at different places, and while it is work we love, Christmas can be a high stress time for us and our kids. When I read the text of this hymn, I’m reminded that God simply does not care if my kids wear pajamas to church, or if my Christmas Eve dinner is McDonalds, or if the presents under my tree aren’t perfectly matched. But he does care if I turn inward during Advent, and let those things interfere with my longing for Jesus. As you read and reflect on this text, may your happy heart and happy homes be prepared for Christ’s coming.
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