Happy Christmas morning. As I pondered what to do with the 5MC on Christmas Day, God gave me an idea. Why not study a classic Christmas song. We sang this at our church’s Christmas Eve candlelight service and as I sang along, the lyrics struck me…in a good way. The words, the message, the theology and the Biblical references are just as good as any sermon you’ll ever hear on the power and purpose of Jesus Christ. It put my brain to work wondering about this song that we’ve heard and sang so many times. Where did it come from and just who put these Biblical truths into this melody?
The funny thing about repetition is that within those countless acts, things get lost. The things that we do over and over become lost to muscle memory and lost to thinking as they become mere habit. The same is true for many of the Christmas songs that we sing. No, not Rudolph, Frosty and Santa’s Coming to Town, but the many Christmas songs that we sing that carry within them the truth of Christmas. Yet because of a lifetime of repetition, we simply hum along and miss the meaning. Let’s take a closer look at Hark, the Herald Angels Sing.
The song started out in 1739 as a hymn/poem called “Hymn for Christmas Day” by none other than Charles Wesley, one of the founders of the Methodist religion. This was one of over 6500 hymns written by Wesley, a pastor and prolific author and composer. The hymn was later changed slightly in 1754 by Wesley’s friend and co-founder of Methodism, George Whitefield. Both men resided in Great Britain and searched for the perfect musical accompaniment to no avail. Almost one hundred years later in 1840, the perfect melody was found rooted in a piece called "Vaterland in deinen Gauen" by a little known composer with the name of Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn. You might have heard another piece of his while at weddings, The Wedding March.
After the music was fitted to the hymn, it all came together, and became the hymn that we know and love today. Let’s take a closer look at the lyrics of the song with a brief commentary from me on its significance and references to God’s Word.
Hark! the herald angels sing, hark is to listen intently. A herald is a messenger. The root word for angel is messenger. Listen closely to the message God’s Angels sing as Jesus was born. (Luke 2:10) Glory to the new-born King! Glory is praise, worship and thanksgiving. Jesus is recognized as the King as He is born because it had been prophesied hundreds of years before this moment. (Jeremiah 23:5-6) Peace on earth, and mercy mild, Jesus will bring peace to all mankind on Earth and His mercy to sinners will be mild, that is, gentle and easy. (Luke 1:78, 2:14) God and sinners reconciled. This is an amazing truth. The very reason Jesus came to Earth. To save mankind from the death of their sins and to reconcile (restore relations to) man to God. (2 Corinthians 5:18-21; Colossians 1:20-22) Joyful, all ye nations, rise, Rejoice in the arrival of your Savior. All nations stand in honor of Jesus. (Rev 21:24, Hagg 2:6-7) Join the triumph of the skies; Join with the multitude (mass) of angels that were praising God for the arrival and birth of Jesus. (Luke 2:13) With th' angelic host proclaim, Again, we should be praising God along with the angels for the arrival of Jesus (Luke 2:13) Christ is born in Bethlehem. The Christ, the Messiah, the Savior, is born in Bethlehem just as the prophecies stated He would hundreds of years before. There was great rejoicing to see God’s Word come true! (Micah 5:2) Hark! the herald angels sing, Glory to the new-born King!
Christ, by highest heaven adored Jesus came to Earth to do the will of the Father. The Father is pleased with His Son and adores Jesus for His obedience. (Matthew 3:17) Christ, the everlasting Lord Jesus was in the beginning and will be at the end. He is the Alpha and the Omega. (Rev 22:13) Late in time behold him come, see and observe the arrival of the Messiah, Jesus Christ (Gal 4:4) Offspring of the favored one. Jesus is the Son of God. (Matt 3:17) Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see He came to this planet and dwelt among us in flesh (John 1:14) He is one part of the Holy Trinity; Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Heb 10:20) Hail, th'incarnate Deity Hail (honor) that God has come to Earth, God in flesh (deity) (John 1:14) Pleased, as man, with men to dwell, Jesus came to save His people. He wasn’t forced or coerced, He was pleased to save the lost. (1 Tim 3:16) Jesus, our Emmanuel! Emmanuel means “God with us”, the truth of the incarnation in a single word! (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23) Hark! the herald angels sing, Glory to the new-born King!
Hail! the heaven-born Prince of peace! Hail is to salute, welcome or greet. Jesus came from Heaven where the Father is, He is heaven born. He is the Prince of Peace as He came to free the enslaved from the bondage of their sins (Isaiah 9:6) Hail! the Son of Righteousness! Salute and welcome the Son of God, who does all things rightly before God the Father. (Mal 4:2) Light and life to all he brings, Jesus is the light and He brings salvation to all that call upon His name. (John 1:4, 10; 8:12; 2 Timothy 1:10) Risen with healing in his wings Jesus heals poor sinners with the power of His shed blood (Mal 4:2) Mild he lays his glory by, Jesus laid aside the fact that He was God and came to this Earth as a poor child, born in a feeding trough in the country and greeted by lowly shepherds. (Phil 2:6-8, John 17:5, 24) Born that man no more may die Jesus came to save all sinners from eternal death so that they may live forever in Heaven with God (John 11:25-26) Born to raise the son of earth, Those that call upon the name of Jesus shall be saved and ascend to Heaven to spend eternity in the presence of God (1 Cor 15:35-57) Born to give them second birth. Those that call upon the name of Jesus to save them are born again, experiencing a new eternal life only found through faith in Jesus. (John 1:13; 3:3, 6; James 1:18) Hark! the herald angels sing, Glory to the new-born King !
What tremendous theological truths we find here and in so many other traditional Christmas carols. As you sing some of these many songs today with friends and family, don’t just mindlessly hum, but focus on the words. Within those words, just like in the words of Hark the Herald Angels sing, you’ll find the true glory of Jesus Christ and the true glory of Christmas.
Merry Jesus Christ-mas
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