Advent is the time when we wait for the arrival of God – or so we have been taught. But perhaps this is the wrong way round: We ourselves must set out on the path.
There is a famous parabolic text by Franz Kafka entitled “Eine kaiserliche Botschaft” (“An Imperial Message”) that illustrates such a waiting for the word of the Lord – and how fruitless it can feel. Passive waiting for the kingdom of God to come on its own is perhaps also a mistaken understanding of the gospel – the kingdom of God is no automatism, but requires faith to be accepted and – initially – implemented by your own living. Many people today have not understood this and the “feel-good churches” of today, which see themselves as service providers, are also based on this missunderstanding. However, the kingdom of God is not a luxury service and cannot be simply consumed.
The term “wandering people of God”, as coined by the Second Vatican Council, is more fruitful: We do not have to wait for God to come to us, but we ourselves walk towards God in a life of faith. This is, of course, laborious and if we did not have the promise of God, it would also be fruitless. But since we have the assurance of the merciful God, we can be confident even in dark times, or when the path seems stuck, or when – once again – the earthly paths do not run as we would have wished. We often walk without ease and instead with much difficulty.
There is a well-known hymn in Germany that illustrates this aspect very well, written at the time by the well-known hymn writer Georg Thurmair. The text was from 1935, compiled in a time of upcoming great evil. It is today usually only staged as a dirge, which is perhaps also due to its best-known setting by Adolf Lohmann, which melodically reinforces the memento mori aspects of the text.
I took Thurmair’s thoughts as the basis for a new interpretation (it is probably no longer a translation), partly changing the text and the arrangement of the verses and giving the whole thing a new melody, somewhat more optimistic and yet contemplative. The result is a new kind of Advent song that conveys the message: Advent means that we ourself are on the way, towards God, towards our true home (the kingdom of God). And just like the wagon trails that once made their way to the American West, making only laborious progress towards a better new world, a new home, we too feel the same way – and yet we can know that we are supported in the confidence that we are guided by Jesus Christ. The song will then become part of my mini-album “Ninda Christmas”.
Here are the lyrics and melody:
We wander without ease
We wander without ease,
unearthly guests all times,
with many sorrows we go
towards our eternal home.
The paths: they are deserted
and often we are lost.
In these gray darkened alleys
No one wants to be with us.
There’s only one to guide us,
and that is Christ, the Lord.
He walks faithfully alongside us,
when everything seems stuck.
Some roads lead out of this world,
not all of them are right:
O that we may not lose the true way
to our Father’s house!
And once we are too tired,
then put a light for us,
O God, in your kindness,
then we will find to you!
There’s only one to guide us,
and that is Christ, the Lord.
He walks faithfully alongside us,
when everything seems stuck.
O when everything seems dark!
* * *
English text and melody (c) 2024, Martin Duehning
