LiturgyTools.net: Hymns for Advent

This is a selection of hymns and songs suitable for use during the season of Advent.

The list in in two sections: the first part lists hymns that are free-to-use, ie public domain or copyright-free, meaning the words can be copied and sung to at least one tune with no concerns about copyright or performance licensing. The second section lists hymns that are still copyright, but are especially suitable for the season.

Further suggestions are welcome: please leave a message in the Comments box near the bottom of the page.

About Advent

The season of Advent is a time of expectant waiting: not penitential, but still more restrained than either Ordinary Time before it, or the Christmas season.

There are a number of themes in the Advent readings in each year of the liturgical calendar, including preparing a way for the Lord, and imploring him to "come".

These suggestions are appropriate for the entire season, rather than being directly tied to the readings on a particular day.

Free-use hymns

Christ Whose Glory Fills the Skies - Wesley
Come my Way, my Truth, my Life
Come O Divine Messiah
Come Saviour Come Like Dew (Rorate Caeli)
Come Thou Long Expected Jesus
Come Thou Redeemer of the Earth
Comfort Comfort Ye my People
Comfort O Comfort, O my People
Creator of the Stars of Night (Creator Alme Siderum)
Fling wide the Gates
Gabriel's Message (The Angel Gabriel)
Hail to the Lord’s Anointed
Hark! A herald voice is calling
Hark, how the Banks of Jordan Ring
Hark the Glad Sound the Saviour Comes - Doddridge
Hills of the North Rejoice
Let all Mortal Flesh Keep Silence
Lift up your Heads Ye Mighty Gates (Psalm 24)
Like the Dawning of the Morning
Lo ! He comes with Clouds Descending
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
O Heavenly Word Eternal Light
O Jesus Christ Remember
Of One that is so Fair and Bright
Of the Father's Love Begotten
On Jordan’s Bank
Prepare the Way, O Zion
Saviour of the Nations Come
Sing we the Praises of the Great Forerunner
The Advent of our King / The Advent of our God
The Cherry Tree Carol (for very late in Advent)
The Coming of our God
The Day is Surely Drawing Near
The Great Forerunner of the Morn
The King shall come when Morning Dawns
The Race that Long in Darkness Pined
The Voice of God is Calling (public domain in the US only, author died in 1964)
This Advent Moon Shines Cold and Clear (CPDL setting) - suitable for Northern hemisphere only
Thou Whose Almighty Word
Thy Kingdom Come on Bended Knee - Hosmer
Wake, Awake Fling off the Night
Wake, Awake for Night is Flying
Wake, O Wake with Tidings Thrilling
We Long to See Thee So

Hymns that may still be copyright

A Voice Cries Out in the Wilderness
A Voice in the Wilderness - Robinson
Advent Candles tell their Story - Earey
Advent Gathering - Cooney
Advent Ring - Bell
Advent Song (ref) - Browne / Wood
Arise Jerusalem - Stotter
At the First Coming of the Lord - Graham
Awake, Awake, and Greet the New Morn - Haugen
Awake Awake Fling off the Night - Peacy
Awake O Sleeper - Ike Ndolo
Awake to the Day (Signs in the sun and the moon and the stars) - Ed Bolduc (b. 1969), John Barker - 2003

Behold a Rose of Judah
Behold a Virgin Bearing Him
Behold the Lamb of God - Matt Maher ()
Bethlehem House of bread (Emmanuel our God with us) - Alan Hommerding
Beyond the Moon and Stars - Schutte
Blessed One - Aaron Thompson
Blest be the God of Israel - Perry

Candles of Advent - Landry
Child of the Poor - Super
Christ Circle Round Us - Schutte
Christ Come Quickly
Christ is the World's True Light
Christ The Lord - Robert Feduccia, Sarah Hart
Come to Us (Scattered and broken) - Greg Walton
Come Emmanuel - Thomson (ref)
Come to set us Free - Farrell
Come Lord Jesus - de Silva (ref)
Come Lord Jesus - Landry
Come, Lord Jesus, Come - Mangan
Come Lord Jesus Come - Mayhew
Come, O God, of all the Earth (Sing out, earth and skies) - Haugen
Come, O Jesus Come O Lord - McAuley

Emmanuel - Angrisano
Emmanuel Come to Set us Free - Jalonda Robertson
Enter in the Wilderness
Eternal God who Made the Stars - a translation of "Conditor Alme Siderum", translator unknown
Even So Come (All of creation / Come Lord Jesus) - Chris Tomlin, Jason Ingram, Jess Cates
Every Valley
Find Us Ready (We must wait for the Lord) - Tom Booth (b. 1961)
For you, O Lord (My soul in stillness waits) - Haugen
Grant to us O Lord
Hope is Dawning - Johnny Parks, Matt Maher, Michael Gungor and Aaron Keyes
I Hear a Sound Coming from the Mountain
In this Time of Waiting - McGregor (ref)
In this Time of Waiting -Weston Priory (Norbet? - ref)
Into the Darkness - Dawn
Joyful In Hope - Herry

Let Your Love Come Down (Lord I will stand and wait) - Josh Blakesley and Jeff Thomas
Light One Candle
Light One Candle to Watch for Messiah - Wold
Light the Advent Candle
Like a Sea Without a Shore
Long Ago Prophets Knew
Look Toward Christmas - Gibson
Lord Emmanuel Come (Bright and clear as a trumpet ...)
Love, Burn Bright - Chris de Silva (2014)
Maranatha, Come - O'Brien
Maranatha Lord Messiah - Powell (ref)
My Deliverer - Rich Mulllins (1955-1997)
My Lord he is a-comin' Soon
My Soul in Stillness Waits

O Comfort my People
O Emmanuel - Mangan (ref)
O Word in Uncreated Light - Forster
Oh Our Lord (We behold the breaking dawn) - Paul Baloche, David Leonard, Leslie Jordan (2012)
Open the Heavens Lord - Boniwell
Patience People - Joncas (ref)
People Look East the Time is Near - Farjeon
Prepare the Way O Zion - Price
Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord - various settings, including Gustafson
Promised Lord and Christ is He - Ruston
Ready the Way - Hurd

See How the Virgin Waits
Sign me up for the Christian Jubilee
Sing of a Girl in the Ripening Wheat
Soon and very Soon - Crouch
Stay Awake - O'Hara
Stay Awake Be Ready - (for children)
Take Comfort My People - Warner
The Maiden and Her Child - Lawton
The Whole World is Waiting for Love - Misetich
There was a Man of God (Prepare the Way) - Boniwell
This Is Your Justice - Craig Colson

Wait for the Lord - Taize
Waiting For The Child - Michael Mangan
Waiting in Silence - Landry
Wake, O Wake! The Night is Dying - Farrell
Warm the Time of Winter - Duck (northern hemisphere)
We are Waiting to Welcome Jesus
We Shall Stay Awake - Hoog and Kelly
We Await You, O Lord - John Angotti
We Prepare - Lorraine Hess
We Wait - Heidi Willson and Adam Feldman
We're Waiting for You Lord - W. Clifford Petty (b. 1967)
When is He Coming, The Redeemer
When the King Shall Come Again - Idle
When you Come (In the cry of the poor) - Zack Stachowski (2017)
Wild and Lone the Prophet’s Voice - Daw
Word of God Come Down on Earth
Word of Justice (Advent Litany) - Farrell
You Heavens Sprinkle Dew - Jones