Hymn Devotions

“He who has ears, let him hear.” These words used so often by Jesus calls us to stop, listen and learn about His Person & Work as well as His teaching for daily living in a proper relationship to our heavenly Father. Throughout the history of the Christian Church many have written hymns which we use in worship to praise, thank and adore our Triune God; which we use to confess our faith in Him; which we use to teach God’s Holy Word; which we use to seek His help and guidance. 


Yet, it is easy to simply sing these hymns without truly taking in the rich Biblical meaning which they express. I have provided these recordings as devotions which not only help you become familiar with the tunes of these hymns but also help explain their messages in devotional form. I invite you to listen with ears and heart desiring to grow in your faith as well as your appreciation of the Church’s hymnody. What a privilege we have, as the gathered believers in worship together, to follow God’s injunction in Colossians 3:16-17 ý Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. 

— Dave Suelzle, Pastor Emeritus

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On Jordan's Bank the Baptist Cry

Happy New Year! Yeah, yeah . . . I know. It’s only December 3rd. However, throughout church history the 1st Sunday in Advent marked the beginning of the Church year as we celebrate the entrance of Jesus into our lives. During this Advent season we at Crosspointe Lutheran Church are providing you with another opportunity to focus on Christ’s coming with some audio devotions which will be posted periodically throughout December. Each devotion is based upon an Advent hymn. So take out your hymnal and follow along with the words of each hymn. If you don’t have a hymnal you can follow along with the words printed here. Our first hymn is “On Jordan's Bank the Baptist's Cry” from Lutheran Service Book #344. Our desire is to provide these devotions as another way to meditate on God’s Word for your life, get more familiarized with our hymns, and hope it can be a blessing to others. Also, come join us on Sunday mornings for worship at 10:30 am as we will be meditating on theme “Presents of the Lord’s Presence.” We will look at each gift presented by the wise men and see how each one symbolized the Person & Work of Jesus. Oh, by the way . . . Happy New Year! again.


"On Jordan's Bank the Baptist Cry" #344

vs. 1: On Jordan’s bank the Baptist’s cry

Announces that the Lord is nigh;

Awake and hearken, for he brings

Glad tidings of the King of kings!


vs. 2: Then cleansed be ev’ry life from sin;

Make straight the way for God within,

And let us all our hearts prepare

For Christ to come and enter there.


vs. 3: We hail Thee as our Savior, Lord,

Our refuge and our great reward;

Without Thy grace we waste away

Like flow’rs that wither and decay.


vs. 4: Lay on the sick Thy healing hand

And make the fallen strong to stand;

Show us the glory of Thy face

Till beauty springs in ev’ry place.


vs. 5: All praise, eternal Son, to Thee

Whose advent sets Thy people free,

Whom with the Father we adore


And Holy Spirit evermore.Text: Charles Coffin, 1676-1749; tr. composite. Tune: adapt. Michael Praetorius, 1571-1621. Text and music: Public domain.


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