Wait for the Lord
Wait for the Lord, whose day is near.
"Wait for the Lord" operates theologically in the Advent key of eschatological tension — the already and not-yet of Christian existence. The repeated imperative to 'wait' is not passive resignation but active, vigilant expectation, the kind of attentive posture described in the parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25) and the Advent exhortations of the Pauline epistles. In Lutheran terms, the Law dimension of the chant functions as a divine summons out of spiritual complacency: 'keep watch, take heart' demands alertness and sobriety before the approaching Day of the Lord, which carries eschatological weight in both Old and New Testament contexts. The addition of 'whose day is near' amplifies urgency without collapsing into anxiety, because the Lord whose day draws near is the same Lord whose character is already known to be light and salvation. The Psalm 27 verse ('The Lord is my light, my light and salvation: in God I trust') supplies the Gospel counterweight to the Law-inflected watching and waiting of the ostinato. Psalm 27 is itself a complex interweaving of confident trust and urgent petition, and its selection as the cantor verse for this Advent chant is theologically precise: the God for whom we wait is not an unknown judge but the revealed God who is already our light and our salvation. In Lutheran liturgical theology, this moves the chant from mere anxious striving toward eschatological confidence — we wait not in terror but in the trust of those who know the character of the One who comes. For ecumenical Lutheran worship planning, the chant functions as a corporate prayer that carries both the congregation's longing and its hope simultaneously. It is well suited to Advent candle-lighting liturgies, meditative gathering rites, and as a response to Advent lectionary readings emphasizing watchfulness (e.g., Isaiah 40, Luke 21, Romans 13). The chant's repetitive structure enacts the theology it proclaims: waiting is not a single act but a sustained, repeated orientation of the whole self toward the coming Lord. In this sense, the form and the content are unified in a way that serves Lutheran liturgical catechesis about the nature of Advent hope.
History & Background
"Wait for the Lord" is an ostinato chant composed by Jacques Berthier for the Taizé Community in Burgundy, France, published in 1984 in the collection 'Music from Taizé, Volume II.' The chant was crafted as part of Taizé's distinctive liturgical project of creating short, meditative, easily repeatable texts accessible to multilingual pilgrims from around the world. The text draws on themes from Psalm 27 and Advent scriptural exhortation, pairing the imperative "wait" with the assurance of divine nearness, making it simultaneously a call to watchfulness and a statement of hope. The cantor verses, particularly the verse drawn from Psalm 27 ('The Lord is my light, my light and salvation'), are typically sung in a variety of languages, reinforcing the chant's ecumenical, globally gathered character. The chant became one of the most widely adopted Advent pieces in ecumenical worship from the late 1980s onward, appearing in Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, Methodist, and Reformed hymnals. Its brevity, modal harmonic language, and seamless blend of Law-inflected urgency (watch, keep heart) and Gospel-grounded assurance (God is near) made it especially suited to Advent liturgy, where the tension between longing and fulfillment is central. Its adoption in ELW (Evangelical Lutheran Worship, 2006) and numerous Catholic resources like Gather and Worship cemented its place as a standard ecumenical Advent resource. Over four decades the chant has been sung at Taizé gatherings, World Youth Days, and countless parish and campus ministry settings worldwide. Its simplicity has made it a gateway into contemplative prayer for many congregations unfamiliar with extended meditation, while its scriptural grounding satisfies theologically serious communities. The WAIT FOR THE LORD tune, also by Berthier, is inseparable from the text and contributes greatly to the chant's affective power through its stepwise modal phrases and gently persistent rhythmic pulse.
Hymnal Appearances
- Evangelical Lutheran Worship — 262
- Gather 3rd Edition — 311
- Gather 4th Edition — 311
- Glory to God — 90
- Voices Together — 244
- Worship IV — 631
Bulletin Note
"Wait for the Lord" is a Taizé ostinato chant by Jacques Berthier (1984), drawn from Psalm 27 and Advent themes. It is sung as a repeated refrain while cantor verses are offered over the congregation's singing. Allow the repetition to draw you into prayerful watching.
Preaching Connection
When Advent texts summon the congregation to 'watch and wait,' this chant provides the congregation's sung response — the voice of the people who have heard the prophets' urgency and now hold their breath together in expectant trust. Preachers can draw on the chant's pairing of watchful imperative and Psalm 27 confidence to explore how Christian hope is neither passive resignation nor anxious self-effort, but the active, trusting orientation of those who know the character of the God who comes.
Themes
Advent waiting watchfulness eschatological hope trust light salvation contemplative prayer coming of the Lord vigilance Taizé ecumenical worship