In the Christmas section of our Church’s Hymnal, we find the glorious carol, “Angels from the Realms of Glory, with lyrics by James Montgomery. It is one of my personal favorites, and I look forward to belting out the words every Christmas.
Imagine my delight in finding a hymn with this exact same tune in the “Second Coming of Christ” section of the Hymnal. “Lo He Comes With Clouds Descending” has words by Charles Wesley and Martin Madam. The music for both was written by Henry T. Smart. One tune – two Advents!
Both these pieces of musical poetry are classic. Oh, that modern hymns could be so elegantly eloquent. They are both Scripture-based: “Angels” on Matthew 2:6, “Bethlehem, out of you will come a Ruler Who will be the Shepherd of My people.” “Lo, He Comes” refers to Matthew 30, “They will see the Son of Man coming with power and great glory.”
So, let’s have a look at these two songs, and if you end up singing the words while you are reading them, LOVELY!!
Angels from the Realms of Glory
Angels from the realms of glory, wing your flight o’er all the earth;
Ye who sang creation’s story now proclaim Messiah’s birth.
Refrain: Come and worship, Come and worship. Worship Christ the newborn King.
Shepherds in the field abiding, Watching o’er your flocks by night,
God with man is now residing; yonder shines the Infant Light.
Refrain
Sages, leave your contemplations, brighter visions beam afar;
Seek the great Desire of nations; ye have seen His natal star.
Refrain
Saints before the altar bending, watching long in hope and fear,
Suddenly, the LORD, descending in His temple, shall appear.
Refrain
Tho’ an infant now we view Him, He will share His Father’s throne.
Gather all the nations to Him; every knee shall then bow down.
Refrain
Lo, He Comes with Clouds Descending
Lo, He comes with clouds descending; once for favoured sinners slain;
Thousand, thousand saints attending, swell the triumph of His train.
Alleluia! Alleluia! God appears on earth to reign.
Every eye shall now behold Him, robed in dreadful majesty!
Those who set at naught and sold Him, pierced and nailed Him to the tree,
Deeply wailing, deeply wailing, shall the true Messiah see.
Now the Saviour, long expected, see in solemn pomp appear,
All His saints by man rejected, now shall meet Him in the air. (!!)
Alleluia! Alleluia! See the day of God appear.
Yes, amen! Let all adore Thee, high on Thine eternal throne.
Saviour, take the pow’r and glory, claim the kingdom for Thine own.
O, come quickly! O come quickly! Everlasting God, come down!
Oh, there it is. Everlasting God, come down! Isn’t that what we are all waiting for right now? Isn’t that the true anticipation of Christmas? Isn’t this the real reason true Christians are so in love with God’s Son and the idea of being raptured up to the air to meet Him there?
We understand, I think, more easily at this time of the year, just what our free gift of salvation cost our Sovereign LORD, and how very much He must love us to have sent Jesus to the lowly stable as a weak and helpless babe. To be clothed in the flesh of sinners yet never to sin Himself. To hang on a cross, the Lamb of God, shedding His Divine Blood as a propitiation for the sin of the whole world. To witness our Sovereign LORD God descending once more, this time triumphantly to the earth, is the yearning of every follower of Jesus Christ.
No childhood anticipation of Santa Claus, no adult expectation of a lavish turkey dinner, or even a beautiful midnight Christmas Service could ever rival the ineffable joy of Christian expectation, as we wait to meet our Redeemer LORD, face to face.
This year, this Advent, my anticipation of, yearning for, and longing for the Appearing of Our Saviour / Redeemer / Messiah Jesus is so very strong. I’d like to think it is because He is so near to coming.
As I write this, I have just received a fetal ultrasound picture of our newest expected grandbaby. This modern miracle has overwhelmed me with joy and love. Yet, it occurs to me that our feelings of joy and love, when we behold our Saviour at His appearing, will far surpass even this wondrous meeting of a future grandchild.
Now, am I deserving of such joy? Short answer: no, I am not! But Jesus’ gift of Salvation in Him allows me to enter in where unrepentant sinners cannot go. Yet, I cannot earn this gift. As the prophet Isaiah says, “… all our righteous acts are like filthy rags …” (64:6). People asked Jesus, “What must we do to do the work of God?” He replied, “The work of God is this: Believe in the One He sent!” (John 6:29). For “God SO loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
No, we are not deserving, and we cannot earn our Salvation, but God, BUT GOD has made Jesus Christ the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” Faith in Christ and His finished work on the cross, a repentance of our sin, and professing Jesus as the LORD of our lives, THAT is how we get to live with Him forever.
The first Advent brought Jesus to us as God’s Suffering Servant, God’s Sacrificial Lamb, to redeem humans from their sin. The Second Advent will usher in our eternal life with Jesus Messiah. Are you excited yet??
Oh, come quickly. O come quickly! Everlasting God, come down!
A BLESSED CHRISTMAS TO ALL!