Love Came Down at Christmas
Love came down at Christmas
The hymn proclaims the Incarnation as the supreme expression of divine love, central to Lutheran understanding of God's self-revelation in Christ. It emphasizes the personal appropriation of Christ's redeeming love, reflecting Luther's emphasis on faith receiving God's grace.
History & Background
Written by Christina Rossetti in 1875, this carol first appeared in collections around the same period and has become a beloved Christmas hymn in Protestant worship. It combines Victorian poetic sensibility with deep theological reflection on the Incarnation.
Hymnal Appearances
- Chalice Hymnal — 163
- Evangelical Lutheran Worship — 307
- Glory to God — 110
- The Hymnal 1982 — 84
- Lutheran Book of Worship — 45
- Lift Up Your Hearts — 77
- Lutheran Worship — 46
- New Century Hymnal — 165
- Voices Together — 232
Bulletin Note
Written by poet Christina Rossetti in 1875, this hymn distills the Incarnation into stark simplicity: "Love came down at Christmas, / Star and angels gave the sign." Rossetti's economical language mirrors the Gospel's own directness about God's self-emptying grace.
Preaching Connection
This hymn amplifies the Gospel's central claim—that divine love became incarnate for our redemption—and calls the hearer from grateful reception toward responding devotion, embodying Law and Gospel's proper sequence.
Stanza Arc
The narrative or theological arc traced by this tune's stanzas: Psalm 23 Christological transformation: establishment of Christ's sovereign care (1-2) → confession of human waywardness and divine retrieval (3) → victory over death through Christ's passion (4) → sacramental communion and eschatological promise (5-6)
Themes
Incarnation of Christ God's sacrificial love Redemption through Christ Wonder and adoration Christian response to grace