Each Winter As the Year Grows Older
Each winter as the year grows older we each grow older too
An Advent hymn that holds together the reality of aging and loss with the promise of the coming Christ. The stanzas acknowledge the darkness of winter, the losses of life, and the temptation to despair, while the refrain holds firm to the promise that Christ comes. A rare hymn of honest lament and Advent hope.
History & Background
Written by William Gay (1932-2003) in 1971. An Advent hymn that honestly addresses the diminishments of aging alongside the promise of Advent hope.
Hymnal Appearances
- Evangelical Lutheran Worship — 252
Bulletin Note
Each Winter As the Year Grows Older — William Gay, 1971
Preaching Connection
Advent as hope in the face of aging and loss — the promise of the coming Christ.
Stanza Arc
The narrative or theological arc traced by this tune's stanzas: Eschatological preparation: from prophetic call to prepare the way, through cosmic transformation, to Zion's proclamation, culminating in the realized reign of God