Hymn of the Day for the Visitation

From east to west, from shore to shore,
Let ev'ry heart awake and sing
The holy child whom Mary bore,
The Christ, the everlasting king.

Behold, the world's creator wears
The form and fashion of a slave;
Our very flesh our maker shares
His fallen creatures all to save.

For this how wondrously He wrought!
A maiden in her lowly place,
Became, in ways beyond all thought,
The chosen vessel of His grace.

And while the angels in the sky
Sang praise above the silent field,
To shepherds poor the Lord Most High,
The one great Shepherd was revealed.

All glory for this blessed morn,
To God the Father ever be;
All praise to You, O Virgin-born,
And Holy Ghost eternally. (LSB 385, Coelius Sedulius, 5th century)