My King is Comin’ Soon
My King is Comin’ Soon
Kyle Pederson (2022)
Voicing: SATB a cappella, with T/B soloist
Text: Kyle Pederson
Commissioned by Dr. Lee Nelson for the Wartburg Choir
LYRICS
When is my king comin'? Lord, hear my cry...
Lord, I am tired and heavy is my burden. I'm down in the valley
and starin' at the mountain.
You split the mighty waters of the Red Sea;
when will you split the rising waters all around me?
The king is comin',
my king is comin' soon.
You showed up for Daniel
you showed up for Moses
you showed up for David when he fought Goliath. You showed up for David
you showed up for Moses
The world is weary and heavy with its hunger;
we wait on your promise no matter how much longer. A child will be comin', the prophets all have spoken; freeing the captives and healing all that's broken.
When the king comes
see justice roll like thunder.
The king is comin',
my king is comin' soon.
About the piece:
My King is Comin’ Soon was commissioned by The Wartburg Choir and Dr. Lee Nelson, and premiered at Christmas at Wartburg in 2019. This genre-bending piece blends elements of rock, gospel, spiritual, and the spoken word. It is appropriate year-round, but has special resonance in the season of Advent, when we wait with longing hearts— hearts at times filled with joy, but at times filled with heaviness. The text of the piece recalls iconic stories of rescue and promise in the Old Testament, and invites the chorus and listener to imagine those promises coming true today—and to imagine a world of mercy, justice, peace, and compassion.