Gloria in Excelsis: The Anthem of Redemption

“δόξα ἐν ὑψίστοις θεῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς εἰρήνη ἐν ἀνθρώποις εὐδοκίας…” “Gloria in excelsis Deo. Et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis…” “Ehre sei Gott in der Höhe und auf Erden Fried, den Menschen ein Wohlgefallen…” “Glory be to God on high: and on earth peace, goodwill toward men…” From the Greek of the Eastern daily offices in the 4th century, to the Latin of Irish monks chanting morning prayer in the 7th century, to the German of Luther’s Deutsche Messe in the 16th century, to the English of the Common Service in the 19th century, the Gloria in Excelsis has been handed down to us through the centuries as one of the foremost canticles of the church. It bears a definite pride of place alongside the Magnificat, the Benedictus, and the Nunc Dimittis which together form the four Lucan Canticles.

The text of the Gloria in Excelsis is thoroughly biblical and opens notably with the song of the angels in Luke 2:14. Having announced to the shepherds keeping watch over their flock by night, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger,” the angels sing their song, “Glory to God in the highest, etc...” These memorable words from Luke’s gospel are the first proclamation of the incarnation of our Lord. As we confess in our Nicene Creed, our one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten of his Father before all worlds, for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man. Jesus is our Savior. He is Immanuel, God-with-Us. He is David’s son and David’s Lord. And this Savior, God, and King is tucked away in swaddling cloths and hidden in the lowliness of a manger.

In view of this biblical background, the function of these words in the Divine Service is to proclaim the incarnation of God once more in the present. By these words we confess that Jesus is our Savior, God, and King, and that he is born among us this day. As then, so now, Jesus does not come in strength, glory, or majesty, but in humility, meekness, and lowliness. He comes hidden behind the swaddling cloths of the man in the Office of the Holy Ministry who proclaims Christ’s own words. He comes hidden under water and the triune name as it is splashed and sprinkled on the ungodly. He comes hidden in the manger of bread and wine with his true Body and Blood which is present, distributed, and received here. And yet despite the weakness and humility of his means of grace, here is Christ giving his peace to those with whom he is well pleased just as the angels promised.

Equipped with such a great promise, what follows is only natural: “We praise thee, we bless thee, we worship thee, we glorify thee, we give thanks to thee for thy great glory!” In response to the great gift of the incarnation, God’s children are empowered by the Spirit to confess this gift in response. By our words of praise we commend God to our neighbor because of his gracious gifts and mighty acts of salvation. By words of blessing we acknowledge God’s goodness and “speak well” of him to him. By words of glory we ascribe to God the honor, weightiness, and substance that is due his name and deeds. By words of thanksgiving or “good grace” we acknowledge that a grace or favor has been given and thus we give grace or favor in return. This section of the Gloria in Excelsis forms an appropriate “eucharistic sacrifice,” which, as our dear Philipp Melanchthon reminds us. by no means makes God favorable to us, but rather is simply the voice of faith in response to God’s prior gift.

However, even this eucharistic digression fugues into a rich confession of God the Son, making extensive use of John the Baptist's proclamation, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” from John 1:29. This confession that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world is the basis for two humble petitions. On the one hand, the congregation pleads for God’s mercy, as in the Kyrie Eleison, and on the other hand, the congregation asks God to receive their prayers. Together, these petitions acknowledge that God is not obligated to tolerate us nor to hear our prayers. As Luther says in his Small Catechism of the fifth petition, “We pray in this petition that our Father in heaven would not look at our sins, or deny our prayer because of them. We are neither worthy of the things for which we pray, nor have we deserved them, but we ask that he would give them all to us by grace, for we daily sin much and surely deserve nothing but punishment…”

With that, the Gloria in Excelsis closes with a lavish confession of Jesus’ session at the right hand of the Father and his eternal godhood with the Father and the Holy Spirit, in unity and trinity and trinity in unity.

II.

In Lutheran Service Book a number of options are available for the Gloria in Excelsis. Setting One, composed by Richard Hilert, and setting two, composed by Ronald Nelson, provide a 20th century paraphrase of the Gloria which more or less follows the ancient Greek and Latin texts, both of which are set to a highly dynamic tune with an equally irregular meter. Setting three by comparison, representing the Common Service, provides a much stricter translation of the text of the Gloria and is set to a very simple threefold chanted melody which repeats with definite regularity. The Gloria of setting four, written and composed by Stephen Starke, represents a dynamic hymn paraphrase of the Gloria and is the most recent edition of the Gloria having been prepared specifically for Lutheran Service Book as a replacement for the Gloria in the Hymnal Supplement 1998. Setting Five, representing Luther’s German Mass, provides two of the Glorias most commonly used throughout the Lutheran lands of the Reformation in the 16th century. These are LSB 948 “All Glory Be to God Alone,” attributed to Martin Luther and LSB 947 “All Glory Be to God on High,” by Nicolaus Decius.

Since the 11th century, the Gloria in Excelsis has been omitted during the season of Advent both as a way of anticipating the arrival of the angels and as a way to reflect the penitential character of Advent. Outside of this seasonal omission, however, the Gloria in Excelsis ought not be omitted or deferred regularly for another hymn of praise, such as “This is the Feast.” If there is a desire to incorporate “This is the Feast” into the service it ought to be used seasonally, and not as a wholesale replacement for the Gloria in Excelsis. The antiquity, beauty, and confession that is supplied by the Gloria in Excelsis ought to elicit a healthy amount of respect and appreciation from us as those whose task it is to receive, appreciate, and conserve the tradition of the church for the next generation.

Rev. Philip Bartelt

Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd

Last Sunday of the Church Year, 2024