Back in 2016, the first year of this blog, the attached article was the first post written for Christmas Eve. It highlights Martin Luther’s famous Christmas hymn, From Heaven Above (Von Himmel Hoch) and another hymn especially written for the German Lutheran immigration that took place in 1838-1839. Although we don’t have the music for that hymn, I believe it used the same melody as that of Von Himmel Hoch. Another Martin, Rev. Martin Stephan, led a special Christmas Day service in 1838 aboard his ship, and they sang this hymn.

Today, I’d like you to imagine what must have been going through the minds of those immigrants aboard the ship, Olbers, as they had endured many, many days on the ocean, looking forward to the sight of land once again…their Promised Land. It must have been similar to how the passengers aboard Noah’s Ark looked forward to seeing land once again after the Flood.

People at the time of the first Christmas must have been eagerly awaiting the promised Messiah. And we Christians now eagerly anticipate that Savior coming back to take us to the Promised Land of heaven. I wish you all a very Blessed Christmas.