Daily Devotion in Advent Series - Songs of the Season

On Wednesday evening we began the 3 week series on the Songs of the Season. Last night we studied and sang 4 Advent songs. There is more that can be said about the songs. I wrote a few devotions to accompany the series. I will post one each day, except for Sunday. May the Holy Spirit guide your walk of faith as you prepare for the Advent of the King.

Day #1 “Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates”

Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates!

Behold the King of glory waits.

The King of kings is drawing near;

The Savior of the world is here.
Life and salvation He doth bring;

Therefore rejoice and gladly sing.

To God the Father raise

Your joyful songs of praise. (LSB # 341 vs. 1)

To begin Advent with this song is to reach deep into the meaning of the season. With the song, we come to the house of the Lord to praise our God for all that He has done for us, for our salvation. Whether you read Psalm 24 or Isaiah 60, you get the same feeling. There is praise and worship in the air. For what? Why would the people of Israel offer such times of praise?

The Psalmist asks, “Who is this King of glory? That is the question that you must ask yourself as you start this Advent journey. Who is the King of glory? Why should you praise His name? After all, in this world, we often focus on ourselves, on our desires. We think it is all about what I want. We see that in the world around us. If you don’t like a phrase, change it. If you don’t like a song, ban it. If you don’t like a movie, refuse it. It doesn’t matter what others think. It is all about what you think. Don’t see that in yourself? If that is the case, praise be to God. But for most of us, we would have to say that we are really mostly focused on ourselves. We would like to sing our own praises. We would like others to sing our praises. We fall into the self-centered trap that the is laid for us by the devil, the world, and our own sinful nature.

But isn’t that why we need the King of glory? Who is this King of glory? It is none other than the Lord of hosts, the Lord God of Sabaoth. He is the King of Glory. As we slide our way through this season of Advent, we focus our attention on our inability to save ourselves and the need for a Savior. Here in this song, we meet the Savior. He is the King of glory, the One that comes into this dark world to bring salvation. Or in keeping with the 1^st Sunday in Advent theme, to bring “hope.”

The ancient doors are lifted up to welcome the King. The people in Isaiah’s day are lifting up their eyes to see the wonder of what God is doing for them (Isaiah 60:4-5). We lift up our eyes from the hustle and bustle of the Advent/Christmas season to see the King of glory, the very One who comes for us, for our salvation. Rejoice! Celebrate! Sing those songs of praise! For your salvation comes in the form of the Christ-child, the Son of God incarnate. Thank the Father for all that He has done by sending His only-begotten Son to be the Savior.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we lift up our voices in songs of praise to You. At this time of the year, we recall the wonder of that which You have done for our salvation. You have given to us a Savior, the King of glory. May we open our hearts to welcome Him. Amen.