Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord

“Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord” (LSB 497) is the Hymn of the Day for the Day of Pentecost. This hymn was written by Martin Luther.

At first glance, the hymn appears to consist of disconnected statements about the Holy Spirit. Yet these phrases are joined together by a common thread: Jesus Christ.

Stanza one names the Holy Spirit as God and Lord. First, the Spirit bestows gifts to believers in Christ. These gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation are given to every Christian in Baptism, in hearing the Word of God, and in the receiving of the Lord’s Supper. Second, the Spirit’s imparting of “fervent love” is recounted. This thought is expressed in the same way in the post-communion collect (“in faith toward You and in fervent love toward one another”). Such fervent love is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22). The first stanza closes with a plea for the Holy Spirit to grant unity to the Church on earth. True unity is the fellowship of faith and is attained “by the brightness of Your light.” That Light is Christ (Isaiah 60:3; John 8:12).

Stanza two describes the work of the Spirit as revealing and delivering Christ and His gifts. The Word of life is Christ, though whom the Church knows rightly and can even call God “Father” (Romans 8:14-16). The Church is kept from error by remaining in the truth, which is Christ (John 14:6). Or, as Luther states in the Small Catechism, the Holy Spirit keeps the whole Christian Church “with Jesus Christ in the one truth faith.”

Stanza three names the Holy Spirit as “holy fire,” which is reminiscent of the tongues of fire of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-3). This stanza turns to the life of the Christian, who is strengthened and comforted by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:5-10) until his Baptism is finally brought to completion in death (Romans 8:11).

1    Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord,
With all Your graces now outpoured
    On each believer’s mind and heart;
    Your fervent love to them impart.
Lord, by the brightness of Your light
In holy faith Your Church unite;
    From ev’ry land and ev’ry tongue
    This to Your praise, O Lord, our God, be sung:
        Alleluia, alleluia!

2    Come, holy Light, guide divine,
Now cause the Word of life to shine.
    Teach us to know our God aright
    And call Him Father with delight.
From ev’ry error keep us free;
Let none but Christ our master be
    That we in living faith abide,
    In Him, our Lord, with all our might confide.
        Alleluia, alleluia!

3    Come, holy Fire, comfort true,
Grant us the will Your work to do
    And in Your service to abide;
    Let trials turn us not aside.
Lord, by Your pow’r prepare each heart,
And to our weakness strength impart
    That bravely here we may contend,
    Through life and death to You, our Lord, ascend.
        Alleluia, alleluia!

Text: © 1941 Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission: CPH Limited Promotional License no. 119000000