Despite the lack of any direct reference to angels “singing” in the Bible, Hark! the Herald Angels Sing has become a classic and essential Christmas carol throughout the years. It was Wesley’s friend George Whitfield who rephrased the original line “Hark, how all the welkin rings” to what it is today. We might all thank him for updating welkin, an old English term for “vault of heaven”! To Whitfield’s credit, the overall sense of Luke 2:13-14 is great rejoicing as the heavenly angelic host praise God in celebration of the Savior’s birth! So, it’s probably not much of a stretch to imagine these angels singing “Glory to God in the Highest!” Oh, to hear that sound!
What I find interesting and somewhat perplexing is that year after year, it’s not just the church who sings these rich Christmas hymns celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. For about a month (or more, for the pre-Thanksgiving types!), our culture at large just can’t help but to sing “Joy to the world, the Lord is come”, “Long lay the world in sin and error pining, ‘til He appeared and the soul felt its worth”, “O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord”, or as in this hymn, “Hail the Incarnate Deity!” The hymns we sing at Christmas are some of the most Gospel centered and doctrinally rich songs we sing all year! So each year I pray for Christians and non-Christians alike to just take a moment to consider what we’re singing.
Consider the phrase “peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled.” Peace on earth? Really? Come on Charles, have you read the headlines? We wake up every day bombarded with conflict and tragedy. But what did the angels say exactly? “On earth peace among those with whom he is pleased.” First and foremost, this is peace with God. Thanks to God’s common grace, there’s no doubt that Christ’s Kingdom ushers in a physical peace to cultural and international relations among the earth, especially as He builds His Kingdom through His people, the ambassadors of peace. But primarily, the angels were referring to a much greater and more pressing peace: reconciliation between God and man.
If you only had 6 words to explain the Gospel, you can’t do much better than “God and sinners reconciled through Christ” This simple line is the heart of the Gospel! It's the kind of peace we can experience now on earth and for all eternity. It’s the kind of peace we did nothing to deserve and can do nothing to lose! It’s the kind of peace that is freely given to all God’s children in Christ.
Jesus said in John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” So how can we be good stewards of this peace? First, we must be sure we have this peace. It is our most pressing need. Have you received peace with God in Christ? To be among those whom He is pleased is not to finally do enough to earn God’s pleasure, but it’s simply to be counted among His children in Christ. John 1:12 says “To all who did receive Him [Christ], who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.” If you are in Christ, you have the pleasure of God.
Second, we must share this peace. Let us encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ that no matter what valleys the Lord calls us to walk through in this life, our deepest need is already met in Christ. Let us also take advantage of perhaps the most fertile season for proclaiming the Gospel to the lost world. There’s no doubt you’ll catch non-Christian friends and family singing Silent Night, Noel, or many others this year. These songs might be just the right tool to explain the Gospel to someone this Christmas. It’s as simple as asking, “Have you ever considered the truth behind what you’re singing?”
- Jonathan
Hark! the Herald Angels Sing
Text by Charles Wesley (1739, 1753 alt), Music by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1840)
Lyrics:
Verse 1
Hark! The herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled."
Joyful, all ye nations rise,
Join the triumph of the skies,
With the angelic host proclaim:
"Christ is born in Bethlehem."
Hark! The herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King!"
Verse 2
Christ by highest heaven adored,
Christ the everlasting Lord!
Late in time behold Him come,
Offspring of a Virgin's womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see,
Hail the incarnate Deity,
Pleased as man with man to dwell,
Jesus, our Emmanuel.
Hark! The herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King!"
Verse 3
Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
Risen with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die,
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.
Hark! The herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King!"