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To Jordan Came the Christ, Our Lord

To Jordan came the Christ, our Lord

To Jordan Came the Christ, Our Lord is a hymn text by Martin Luther (1541) in 8.7.8.7 meter. Translated by composite English translation. Found in elw 305, lbw 79, lsb 406-407, luyh 74.

This hymn celebrates the Baptism of Christ as the sanctification of water for Christian baptism, connecting Old Testament foreshadowing to New Testament fulfillment. It reflects Lutheran sacramental theology, emphasizing baptism as God's means of grace and the Christian's death to sin and resurrection to new life.

History & Background

Martin Luther wrote this hymn in 1541 based on the Gospel account of Christ's baptism. The German original 'Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam' was published in Lutheran hymnals and became a standard hymn for Baptism and Epiphany seasons.

Hymnal Appearances

  • Evangelical Lutheran Worship — 305
  • Lutheran Book of Worship — 79
  • Lutheran Service Book — 406-407
  • Lift Up Your Hearts — 74
  • Lutheran Worship — 223
  • Voices Together — 193

Translation

composite English translation

Bulletin Note

Martin Luther, 1541. This Reformation hymn connects Christ's baptism to every Christian's baptism, anchoring the sacrament in Christ's redemptive obedience and reflecting the theology of Luther's catechetical teaching.

Preaching Connection

This hymn crystallizes the Gospel's power: Christ's voluntary descent into water answers our sinful condition by sanctifying baptism as the place where we die and rise with Him.

Catechism & Confessional Connections

Background Research

AI-assisted draft This background note was researched with AI from published hymnal sources and has not yet been checked line by line. Please verify details such as dates before relying on them.

LSB 406/407 (Hymn of the Day for the Baptism of Our Lord, all years). Martin Luther, 'Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam', c. 1540–41, the last of his six Catechism hymns (one for each chief part of the Small Catechism), here on Baptism. Typical of Luther's teaching hymns, it reads like a sermon with Law and Gospel: Christ in the Jordan (st. 1; Titus 3:5; Rom 6:3–4), Baptism as a 'token' joined to faith and the Word (st. 2; cf. the Small Catechism, 'not just plain water'), the move from Christ in the water to us in the water (st. 4), and a stern warning against despising Baptism (st. 6). LSB prints it at two numbers for its two tunes.

Sources: LCMS Worship, The Word in Song: Hymn of the Day Studies (Todd A. Peperkorn).

In the Church Year

Hymn of the Day (Lutheran Service Book) for: Baptism of Our Lord

Suggested in the one-year series

  • Baptism of Our Lord (6×)
  • Epiphany 1 (1×)

Suggested in the three-year series

  • Baptism of Our Lord (6×)
  • Epiphany (1×)
  • Epiphany 1 (1×)

From LCMS Worship's published hymn suggestions, 2014–2026. The count is how many of those yearly lists suggested this hymn for that day.

Themes

Baptism of Christ Sanctification and washing Obedience of Christ Christian baptism prefigured

Look Further