“Morning Star, O cheering sight!
Ere thou
cam’st, how dark earth’s night!
Morning Star, O cheering sight! Ere
thou
cam’st, how dark earth’s night!
Jesus mine, in me shine; in me
shine, Jesus mine;
Fill my heart with light divine.
Morning Star, thy glory bright far
excels
the sun’s clear light.
Morning Star, thy glory bright far
excels
the sun’s clear light.
Jesus be, constantly, Constantly,
Jesus be
More than thousand suns to me.
Thy glad beams, thou Morning Star,
cheer the
nations near and far.
Thy glad beams, thou Morning Star,
cheer the
nations near and far.
Thee we own, Lord alone, Lord
alone, thee we
own,
Our dear Savior, God’s dear son.
Morning Star, my soul’s true light,
tarry not,
dispel my night.
Morning Star, my soul’s true light,
tarry not,
dispel my night.
Jesus mine, in me shine; in me
shine, Jesus mine;
Fill my heart with light divine.”
~
“Morning Star, O Cheering Sight !”
~ Moravian Carol
~ Words: Johannes Scheffler (1657),
Translation by Bennett Harvey, Jr.
(1885)
~ Music: Francis F. Hagen, 1836
In Moravian tradition, this is often sung as part of a Christmas Eve service,
with a child as the leader.
A Moravian star glows with the
warmth of Christmas on a cold December evening at Emmaus Moravian Church,
founded in 1747 in Emmaus, Pennsylvania. The star shines over a Nativity scene
placed on the church lawn during Christmastime.
This scene in sepia could be part of a Moravian
Christmas putz, in dreams of Christmastide or a nostalgic Yuletide film – think
“It’s A Wonderful Life” – but it’s very real, just as following Christ’s star
is as important today as it was at his birth.
A Moravian star (German: Herrnhuter
Stern) is an illuminated Advent, Christmas or Epiphany decoration popular in
Germany and in places in American and Europe where there are Moravian
congregations. The stars take their English name from the Moravian Church,
originating in Moravia. In Germany, they are known as Herrnhut stars, named
after the Moravian Mother Community in Saxony, Germany, where they were first
commercially produced.
Merry Christmas, Happy Christmas
everyone!
