Lo How a Rose E’er Blooming
Isaiah 35:1-2
The wilderness and the
wasteland shall be glad for them,
And the desert shall rejoice
and blossom as the rose;
It shall blossom abundantly and
rejoice,
Even with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be
given to it,
The excellence of Carmel and
Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the
Lord,
The excellency of our God.
Today’s song is originally from Germany in the late 16th
century. The earliest manuscript was found
in St. Alban’s Carthusian monastery in Trier in the original German, “Es ist
ein Ros entsprungen.” The original stanzas (sources list at least 19 and as
many as 23) focused on the events of Luke 1 and 2 and Matthew 2. And many folks complain when we sing five
verses of a hymn – imagine singing twenty-three! In any case, the hauntingly beautiful hymn
centers on the image of a rose blooming.
It is contested by Catholics that the rose originally
referred to Mary. Whether that is true
or not, Protestants insist when they sing it that the rose is of course Jesus,
who fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah 35 above.
Another interesting argument about the central image of this hymn is
whether the original manuscripts say “Ros” (rose) or “Reis” (branch)? The argument for “branch” is that it would
perfectly conjure the prophecy found in Isaiah 11:1-3:
A shoot will come up from the
stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
The
Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the
Lord—
and
he will delight in the fear of the Lord.
This argument is compelling, for the next line in the hymn
after the mention of “branch” is, “of Jesse’s lineage coming.” Nevertheless, the “rose” imagery prevailed
and it seems unthinkable to sing “branch” at this point. It is quite the powerful image of a flower
blooming in the dead of cold, cold winter.
I find more solace in this song this year than I ever have
before. The idea of startling beauty
blooming in the midst of a harsh and inhospitable time is very comforting to
me. Amidst the competing conflicts,
pandemics, and worldwide tragedies of 2020, we need beauty. That beauty can be found, but you have to
intentionally look for it. That’s almost
always the case in the craziness that has become our American Christmas, but
this year, it is even harder. It’s also
even more important to not only see the beauty around us, but to notice it and
call it out.
I think of a young man in my last church whose art was so
stunningly beautiful. I have seen it
over the years and mused that one day I would be able to brag that I had known
him long before he was famous. He was
always so shy and humble about it though and I always got the feeling that he
did not see the beauty and value in himself and his art when I would rave about
his talent. Last year, that promising
young man took his own life.
No one can know what drove him to such an act and I don’t
think it’s helpful to try and figure out if there was something we could have
done to prevent this. However, what I do
know is that other lives have been saved by someone not hesitating to reach out
in love to someone and let them know that they are loved and point out the
beauty we see in them. I’m quite
convinced that all of us know someone right now who could be enormously
impacted by a well-timed word of love and beauty. We can notice and praise beauty when we see
it. I encourage you all to look for beauty
today and when you see it in someone, let them know you see it.
Question: Where are
the blooming “roses” around you today?
Prayer: God, put
someone on our heart today that needs some love from us and give us just the
right way to express it.
Prayer Focus: Suicide
rates are at the highest levels during this time of the year Pray for people who are in so much pain that
they can’t imagine living another day.
Song: Mormon Tabernacle Choir - Lo
How a Rose E’er Blooming
