Music Notes for the Second Sunday of Advent: December 7, 2025
Dr. John Michniewicz
The Scripture readings for the Second Sunday of Advent focus on the themes of hope, repentance, and the fulfillment of God’s promise, with John the Baptist’s voice crying out to “Prepare the way of the Lord.”
The prophecy in the First Reading (Isaiah 11:1-10) speaks of the Messiah—the shoot from the stump of Jesse—who will bring a reign of peace and justice, reinforced by the Responsorial Psalm 72: “Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace forever.”
The Entrance Hymn, “Comfort, Comfort, O My People,”directly paraphrases Isaiah 40:1-5, stressing comfort and the prophetic call to make straight a way for the Lord.
The Presentation Hymn, “On Jordan’s Bank,” highlights John the Baptist as the “herald” and meditates on his call for cleansing and turning away from sin, urging the faithful to “make straight the way for God within.”
The Final Hymn, “People Look East,” uses vivid natural imagery (furrows, birds, stars) set to the light and rhythmic tune BESANÇON to depict the world’s hopeful preparation for the arrival of “Love,” who is defined throughout the stanzas as the Guest, Rose, Star, and Lord.
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Music Notes for the Second Sunday of Advent: December 7, 2025
Dr. John Michniewicz
December 7th is the Second Sunday of Advent. This Sunday’s readings focus on the themes of hope, repentance, and the fulfillment of God’s promise. John the Baptist is a prophetic voice crying out in the wilderness to “prepare the way of the Lord.” In the wilderness of Judea, he states that “the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” In the first reading from Isaiah 11:1-10, the prophecy speaks of a shoot (the Messiah) coming forth from the stump of Jesse (the father of King David) who will be endowed with the Spirit of the Lord. The reading describes the peace of the Messiah’s reign, where traditional enemies—like the wolf and the lamb—will live together in harmony. It is a vision of restoration, and God’s glory filling the earth. Psalm 72 reinforces this theme with its responsorial refrain: “Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace forever.” This Psalm describes the reign of a righteous king who will judge the people with justice, defend the poor, and deliver the needy. In Romans 15:4-9, we see that Paul encourages the community in Rome to live in peace, following Christ’s example, so that “with one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” He connects the hope of the Christian community to the prophecies of the Old Testament, emphasizing that Christ came to fulfill God’s promises to the Jewish people and to offer salvation to the Gentiles. In the Gospel reading, Matthew 3:1-12, John the Baptist points the way to Jesus, who will more powerfully baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire.
Sunday’s music reflects these themes: the call to prepare, the need for repentance, and the hope for the arrival of the Messiah who brings the assurance of the “comfort” of justice and peace. The entrance hymn, “Comfort, Comfort, O My People” (W-402) is a paraphrase of Isaiah 40:1-5, which includes the famous lines, “Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God,” and “A voice cries out in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord!” These prophetic texts foreshadow John the Baptist as depicted in Matthew 3. The hymn text, originally by German hymn writer Johannes Olearius, was written in 1641 to celebrate the Feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist, traditionally held on June 24th. Interestingly, this feast, held six months before Christmas Eve, highlights John the Baptist’s role in preparing for the coming of Christ. Usually, a saint’s feast day is celebrated on the day that the saint died. But, St. John the Baptist, along with the Virgin Mary are the only two saints whose nativities are celebrated. Also, in Luke’s Gospel, there are certain verses that imply that John the Baptist was born six months earlier than Jesus. Fittingly then, June 24th is also sometimes referred to as “Summer Christmas.” The lyricist, Olearius, is known to have written over 300 hymns, was a court chaplain, and a professor of philosophy. The hymn tune, known as GENEVA 42 was written by Louis Bourgeois, originally to fit with Psalm 42. He was for a time choirmaster in Geneva. Things seem to have been very strict there, as he even so was jailed for making alterations to hymn tunes “without a license.” Upon his release, he not surprising is said to have left Geneva, and eventually moved to Paris where he lived until 1561. The highly rhythmic melody is like a Renaissance courtly dance, giving the hymn a hopeful, uplifting quality, reflecting the seriousness of the call to repentance and the promise of peace.
Comfort, comfort, O my people,
Speak of peace, now says our God.
Comfort those who sit in darkness,
Mourning under sorrows’ load.
Speak unto Jerusalem
Of the peace that waits for them.
Tell of all the sins I cover,
And that warfare now is over.
Hark, the voice of one who’s crying in
the desert far and near,
Bidding all to full repentance
Since the kingdom now is here.
Oh, that warning cry obey!
Now prepare for God a way!
Let the valleys rise to meet him
And the hills bow down to greet him.
O make straight what long was crooked,
Make the rougher places plain.
Let your hearts be true and humble,
As befits his holy reign.
For the glory of the Lord
Now o’er earth is shed abroad.
And all flesh shall see the token
That his word is never broken.
The Presentation Hymn: “On Jordan’s Bank” (W-392) was written by Charles Coffin, onetime rector of the University of Paris. He wrote the original Latin text, “Jordanis oras praevia,” the first line of which translates literally in English as: “The preceding voice shakes the banks of the Jordan,” for the 1736 Paris Breviary, which contained 100 hymns in Latin. In Oxford, John Henry Newman, published the English translations of Coffin’s hymns, and “On Jordan’s Bank” became one of the most prominent English hymns celebrating John the Baptist. The tune, WINCHESTER NEW, is a solid, common-meter melody, first appearing in the Supplement to the New Version of Psalms (1696). Its strength and straightforward rhythm convey the unwavering, confident message of John the Baptist. The hymn is a meditation on the Gospel reading (Matthew 3:1-12). It praises John the Baptist, the “herald,” and links his baptism in the river Jordan with the preparation required for Christ’s arrival. The text highlights the need for cleansing and turning away from sin, echoing John’s call to “bear fruit worthy of repentance.”
On Jordan’s bank the Baptist’s cry
Announces that the Lord is nigh;
Awake and hearken, for he brings
Glad tidings of the King of kings.
Then cleansed be every soul from sin;
Make straight the way for God within;
Prepare for God a dwelling place,
Adorned with pure and holy grace.
For thou art our salvation, Lord,
Our refuge, and our great reward;
Without thy grace we waste away,
Like flowers that wither and decay.
To heal the sick stretch forth thy hand,
And bid the fallen sinner stand;
Shine forth, and let thy light restore
Earth’s own true peace forevermore.
At the 11:30 Mass, the Choir will sing “Advent Message” by Martin How (1931-2022) during the presentation. This anthem also dramatically highlights the text from Isaiah 40 and Matthew 3. Beginning in the key of D minor, the choir’s singing of each phrase builds in intensity to the end of the third phrase, followed by a decrescendo and reduction in volume. A recitative, chant-like, softer middle section follows, quoting the text from Isaiah that John the Baptist spoke. The opening text and melodic phrases are then repeated, but sung in a brighter D major tonality, giving the anthem a rich, dramatic and confident conclusion. The choir ends the last phrase in full voice, and the organ accompanies with a dramatic trumpet fanfare, representing again the text from 1 Thessalonians 4:16 depicting Christ’s coming: “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first.” Here again, as depicted in many anthems, the “trump of God” represents a powerful, trumpet blast that announces the Messiah’s return.
Advent Message Martin How
Come Lord Jesus, come Lord Jesus, Amen, come Lord Jesus.
Come Lord Jesus, come Lord Jesus, Amen, come Lord Jesus.
O come quickly, come Lord Jesus, O come quickly, come Lord, come.
Come Lord Jesus, come Lord Jesus, Amen, come Lord Jesus.
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness: “Prepare ye the way of the Lord, Make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”
Martin How MBE was a British composer and organist who was born in Liverpool. He studied at the prestigious Repton School and went on to serve as an organ scholar at Clare College, Cambridge. Martin spent most of his career at the Royal School of Church Music, and was known principally as a choir trainer, specialising in the training and motivation of young singers.
During the Communion Meditation, the choir will sing: “The Prophecy,” by Robert J. Powell. Robert J. Powell (1932-2025) was a noted American composer of church music. After study at Louisiana State University and the Union Theological Seminary School of Sacred Music in New York City, Powell was the longtime Director of Music at Christ Church in Greenville, South Carolina, writing over 300 works for Christian worship. The text, based on Jeremiah 23:5-6, stands as a prophetic text, referring to the Messiah, who will “come from the line of David and rule with perfect justice and righteousness.”
The Prophecy, Robert J. Powell
Behold, the days are coming, when the Lord will raise up a righteous Branch from David.
Behold, the days are coming, when a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
In his days, Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell in safety.
And this is his name whereby he shall be called, the Lord our Righteousness.
The Final Hymn featured is “People Look East” W-398. The text was written by Eleanor Farjeon (1881–1965). Known to her family and friends as “Nellie,” she was a noted British author and poet. This hymn first appeared in 1928, in “The Oxford Book of Carols.” Overall, Farjeon wrote over 80 children’s books and poem collections, and her books won many prizes, including the Hans Christian Andersen Award and the Carnegie Medal. One of her best known hymns is “Morning Has Broken,” and like that hymn, Farjeon also references elements of nature in “People Look East.” Here, the natural world is shown as being in preparation for the coming of Christ during the season of Advent. The idea of looking East refers to the rising sun, and the traditional reference to the direction of Christ’s coming. Throughout the text, the descriptive personal title: “Love” represents Jesus. Each stanza highlights various parts of the natural world that are in preparation: Earth: readying itself to bloom; Birds, guarding nests for the coming time; Stars keeping watch for Love’s light, calling to mind the eventual appearance of the Star of Bethlehem. Michael Hawn also writes that in stanza two: “the bare earth is waiting for the seed that will flourish in the reign of the Promised One. In stanza three, the stars that guided the Magi shape the “bowl” of the heavens, giving signs of hope beyond “the frosty weather.” The angels’ song, in stanza four, sets “every peak and valley humming,” a reference to Isaiah 40:4, “Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low. . .” Except for one word that changes in the last two lines of each stanza, the poem and its musical setting give the sense of a refrain. “Love,” in turn, is defined as “Guest,” “Rose,” “Star,” and “Lord.” The tune, BESANÇON is a traditional French Christmas carol melody, light and dancing in rhythm. The hymn’s blend of natural imagery, child-like simplicity and deep theological meaning makes it an exemplary Advent hymn. Throughout, the text moves from the call to watch (preparing the way) to the symbols of Christ’s coming (justice, peace).
People, look east. The time is near
Of the crowning of the year.
Make your house fair as you are able,
Trim the hearth and set the table.
People, look east and sing today:
Love, the guest, is on the way.
Furrows, be glad.
Though earth is bare,
One more seed is planted there:
Give up your strength the seed to nourish,
That in course the flower may flourish.
People, look east and sing today:
Love, the rose, is on the way.
Birds, though you long have ceased to build,
Guard the nest that must be filled.
Even the hour when wings are frozen
God for fledging time has chosen.
People, look east and sing today:
Love, the bird, is on the way.
Stars, keep the watch.
When night is dim
One more light the bowl shall brim,
Shining beyond the frosty weather,
Bright as sun and moon together.
People, look east and sing today:
Love, the star, is on the way.
Angels, announce with shouts of mirth
Christ who brings new life to earth.
Set every peak and valley humming
With the word, the Lord is coming.
People, look east and sing today:
Love, the Lord, is on the way.
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stalledr%C3%A4ng#:~:text=This%20hymn%20first%20appeared%20in,them%20at%20Oxford
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