See the good time is at hand
Behold, a good time is near is a 1972 after the Moravian Christmas song již Svatou dobu do máme created Adventlied of Friedrich rolling .
content
The song unfolds the joy of God's incarnation in this good (original text "holy") time. This, as well as the closing term “hour”, form the framework of the poem. The claim of the coming Lord is universal and applies to “all”. He is understood as the Prince of Peace promised in the Old Testament .
Verse 2, in turn, unfolds the universal claim in a concentrated form. Four pairs of opposites are presented as addressees. The fact that the apparition of the coming is placed side by side with the shepherds ( Luke ) and the kings ( Matthew ) can also be understood to mean that in ancient times kings also bore the title of shepherd. Unlike the Magnificat of the Gospel of Luke, however, which triumphantly sings about a reversal of the differences between big and small, sick and healthy, or poor and rich, a character of joyful peace and reconciliation asserts itself here.
melody
The traditional Moravian melody is reminiscent of a trumpet sound. It was shortened by one repetition by Friedrich Walz and can therefore also be singed as a two-part canon. Walz added two Hallelujah accompanying voices.
The song can be found in the Evangelical Hymnal (EG 18).
literature
- Henning Schröer: 18 - Look, the good time is near . In: Gerhard Hahn , Jürgen Henkys (Hrsg.): Liederkunde zum Evangelisches Gesangbuch . No. 5 . Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2002, ISBN 3-525-50326-1 , pp. 28–30 ( limited preview in Google Book search).