How Low Was Our Redeemer Brought

by Heather Perrin

If your only conception of Christmas music is “I’ll Be Home For Christmas,” “White Christmas,” and “Last Christmas,” or 47 versions “Silent Night” sung by every pop or country star from the last 20 years, I have a delight to share with you.

In addition to the many rich classic hymns of the faith that celebrate the Incarnation, there are many modern songs that stir our affections for Christ as they move our hearts with beautiful melodies. Sovereign Grace Music has written some of the best Christian music in recent years, and their Christmas songs are no exception. Today I want to share the lyrics to “How Low Was Our Redeemer Brought” and point out some of the mind-bogglingly beautiful truths it proclaims.

Verse 1
How low was our Redeemer brought, the King who held the stars
Lay helpless in a maiden’s arms and pressed against her heart
While sheep and cattle raised their voice the babe could speak no words
The ever flowing Spring of Joy had come to share our thirst

Verse 2
How low was our Redeemer brought, the Lord the worlds obeyed
Would stumble as He learned to walk upon the ground He’d made
The One the angels bowed before would kneel to wash our feet
And be at home among the poor though He owned everything

Chorus
Gloria, gloria in the highest
Gloria, gloria in the highest

Verse 3
How low was our Redeemer brought to raise us from our shame
And now the highest praise of all belongs to Jesus’ name
The Healer wounded on a tree to bear our grief and sin
The King gave up His crown so we could ever reign with Him

My favorite thing about this song is that it draws out the indescribable - that our Sovereign King would make Himself low enough to be born as a baby. Think about the irony of the lyrics. He is King of the Universe, lying helpless in a young girl’s arms. Even the sheep and cattle call out, but he is too young to speak. He is the source of living water (John 4) but would experience the hunger, thirst, and need of being human.

Every verse expounds on this idea, that the One to whom all glory belongs has intentionally made Himself low - humbled Himself - for our sake. Philippians 2:6-11 reads:

though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

This passage encapsulates the point the songwriters make in this modern hymn: that the Glorious One made Himself low to save us. And the amazing paradox of the gospel is that this very humility is why God has highly exalted the name of Jesus. The way to glory is through the cross, through the stable, through the virgin’s womb.

Praise the Lord for His incredible grace that He would make Himself low. Why? To save us from our sin. Hallelujah. Merry Christmas.