So take my flesh And fix my eyes A tethered mind free from the lies
And I'll kneel down Wait for now I'll kneel down Know my ground
Raise my hands Paint my spirit gold And bow my head Keep my heart slow
'Cause I will wait, I will wait for you.
I Will Wait, Mumford and Sons
I could hardly talk about song lyrics without spending a little time appreciating the philosophical depth and beauty that we find in the words of Mumford and Sons. The subject of this song seems particularly relevant during this advent season of waiting, and looking at this song again, I am struck by how much incarnational imagery there is within these lyrics. ‘Incarnation’ is one of those intelligent-sounding words, which isn’t used very much except in church, mainly during the Christmas period. But if you want a simple explanation of the incarnation, Mumford and Sons sum it up well in this verse of ‘I Will Wait’.
Jesus lived out everything in these lyrics.... He took on flesh and gave his body for us; he fixed his eyes on his father in heaven, so that his mind was tethered in God’s truth, completely free from lies; he knew what it was to kneel down to pray and to serve. He knew what it was to wait, patiently living as an ordinary carpenter until he began his public ministry at the age of 30, and then waiting another 3 years before he fulfilled his call to give his life for humanity. And as his arms were raised on the cross, as he bowed his head and died, he showed his true worth: his spirit of gold.
We get to live in the freedom of God’s gift to us this Christmas, Jesus, Emmanuel (God with us). We too can “know” our “ground” and fix our eyes on the truth. And yet we are still waiting for the day when we will see Jesus again and know full freedom. Now we can sing these words as a prayer from our own hearts:
‘Raise my hands Paint my spirit gold And bow my head Keep my heart slow
'Cause I will wait, I will wait for you.’
Or if you would rather sing something a little more Christmassy but in the same ‘incarnational’ vein, you can enjoy the words of ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing’:
Pleased, as man, with men to dwell, Jesus, our Emmanuel!
This is part of my LittlePonderings series: "Unseasonal Songs: An Alternative Advent in Song Lyrics". You can find out more here.
Comments