Advent Hymns for the Church Service: the most beautiful hymns with Gotteslob and EG numbers

Which Advent hymns are suitable for the church service?

Advent lives from its hymns – from Macht hoch die Tür to O Heiland, reiß die Himmel auf. But who puts the hymn plan together when there is no longer an organist? Here you will find the most beautiful Advent hymns for the church service – with Gotteslob and EG numbers and a clear assignment to the four Sundays of Advent.

Advent hymns for the church service are hymns that carry the four weeks before Christmas as a time of expectation – solemn, hopeful, often drawing on the prophet Isaiah. Especially well established are Macht hoch die Tür (GL 218 / EG 1), O Heiland, reiß die Himmel auf (GL 231 / EG 7), Die Nacht ist vorgedrungen (GL 220 / EG 16) and the Advent wreath hymn Wir sagen euch an den lieben Advent (GL 223 / EG 17), whose four verses accompany the four Sundays of Advent one by one. For the more joyful moments, Tochter Zion, freue dich (GL 228 / EG 13), with its Handel melody, is well suited.

What is the difference between Advent and Christmas hymns?

Advent hymns and Christmas carols are not the same – and the distinction shapes the entire hymn plan. Advent hymns sing of expectation: the congregation prepares for the coming of Christ, and many texts take up the longing of the Old Testament. Christmas carols, by contrast, celebrate the event that has already happened – the birth of Jesus. Liturgically, Christmas carols are therefore not sung until Christmas Eve, and not yet during Advent.

A common mix-up: Es kommt ein Schiff, geladen (EG 8) appears under Advent in the Evangelisches Gesangbuch, but among the Christmas carols in the Gotteslob (GL 236) – a lovely transitional hymn. Which hymns come after Christmas Eve, you can read in our article Christmas Carols in the Church Service & at Midnight Mass.

Which Advent hymn suits which Sunday of Advent?

Advent 2026 comprises four Sundays, each with its own character: First Sunday of Advent on 29 November, Second Sunday of Advent on 6 December, Third Sunday of Advent on 13 December and Fourth Sunday of Advent on 20 December; Christmas Eve falls on Thursday, 24 December. Macht hoch die Tür traditionally belongs to the First Sunday of Advent – no hymn opens the new church year more solemnly. The Third Sunday of Advent (Gaudete, "Rejoice") carries a brighter tone; here Tochter Zion fits especially well. In the final week of Advent, during the O Antiphons from 17 to 23 December, the longing intensifies – the hour of O Heiland, reiß die Himmel auf and O komm, o komm, du Morgenstern (EG 19).

Which Advent hymns appear in the Gotteslob and the Evangelisches Gesangbuch?

The following overview lists the best-known Advent hymns with their number in the Gotteslob (GL, 2013) and the Evangelisches Gesangbuch (EG). All the hymns named are available in the eKlecia® app on a real pipe organ.

A practical note on the numbering: the new Gotteslob (2013) uses different numbers from the old 1975 edition – Macht hoch die Tür, for instance, now appears under GL 218 (formerly GL 107). When in doubt, check the hymn board against your parish's printed copy. The Rorate classic Tauet, Himmel, den Gerechten is not in the main section of the Gotteslob but, depending on the diocese, in the diocesan section (for example GL 764) – in the eKlecia® app you will find it via the hymn list.

What is the best-known Advent hymn?

The best-known Advent hymn is Macht hoch die Tür – the standard hymn for the First Sunday of Advent and the only Advent hymn on the Protestant core hymn list. The text was written by Georg Weissel (1623), and the melody still sung today dates from 1704. Among the most moving Advent hymns is also O Heiland, reiß die Himmel auf by Friedrich Spee (1622) – one great cry for redemption. And Die Nacht ist vorgedrungen was written by Jochen Klepper in 1938, in dark times; it is precisely for that reason that its hope rings so true.

"Macht hoch die Tür, die Tor macht weit" – no hymn opens the church year more solemnly.

How do I accompany Advent hymns when there is no organist?

When the organ bench stays empty in Advent, the service need not go without music. The eKlecia® app plays the familiar Advent hymns in dignified organ quality – recorded by hand on real pipe organs, not generated by computer. You set up your hymn plan in advance as a list, choose a prelude where you wish, and start each hymn with a tap. In this way the Advent service sounds reliable, whether in the parish church, at a devotion in the care home, or at the Rorate Mass in the early morning.

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