"O Eden, Choked by Sweat and Thorn" -- A Christmas Hymn

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The church cannot stop singing of the joy of the Incarnation. Here is another hymn to add to the long list of poetry focused on Emmanuel.

Christmas is the season of singing. The angels sang at our Lord's birth. Mary sang when the Lord was in her womb. The church cannot stop singing of the joy of the Incarnation. Here is another hymn to add to the long list of poetry focused on Emmanuel.

"O Eden, Choked by Sweat and Thorn"

O Eden, choked by sweat and thorn,
Of trees and beasts and people shorn,
A widowed land, no house of mirth,
The womb whence evil had its birth:

O sunless Eden, hail the Light,
Who comes to rend the veil of night,
The Dawn of Life at virgin breast,
Shall work for all a Sabbath rest.

Garden of guilt, where Evil trod,
This Seed of Eve, both man and God,
Shall raise his heel o’er Satan’s head,
To deal the blow that leaves Death dead.

O Eden, sing your tears away,
For in the cool of this new day
The Savior walks through you once more,
His fallen children to restore.

Suggested Tune: O Jesu Christe, Wahres Licht

This hymn is included in my collection, The Infant Priest: Hymns and Poems available at amazon.com.