Christmas Perspective: Hark!

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Hark!

The angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see - I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord."

Luke 2:10-11 (NRSV)

Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King!"

From "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing"
by Charles Wesley and George Whitefield

In the Gospel of Luke, we read that late one night, in a field not far from the city of Bethlehem, some shepherds are watching over their sheep.  Suddenly, a heavenly messenger appears to them, scaring them half to death.  The angel says to them, "Do not be afraid; for see - I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.  This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger."  Then an angelic choir appears with the messenger, singing, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!"¹

At the beginning the beloved Christmas carol "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing" is a retelling of this very scene.

Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King;
peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!"²

The song commonly titled "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing" was written in the mid 1700s by Charles Wesley, a prolific hymnist who, along with his brother John Wesley, started the Methodist movement.  The lyrics of the song have been adapted by a number of people over the years, including the Wesley brothers' friend and fellow evangelist George Whitefield.  In the mid 1800s, William H. Cummings first set the song to a tune by composer Felix Mendelssohn, by which it is commonly sung today.³

Speaking as a lifelong member of the United Methodist Church, I would like to suggest that "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" is probably the most Methodist Christmas carol in existence.  Not only was it written by one of the founders of the Methodist movement, it also serves a purpose of early Methodist hymnody.  The Methodist movement was started to spark revival within the Church of England.  Since the very beginning, Charles Wesley's hymns have been a means by which Methodists have taught doctrine and theology.  Naturally "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing" is a theologically rich Christmas carol.

As I already noted, the first half of the first verse is a retelling of the Annunciation to the Shepherds.  The lyrics reflect both the heavenly messenger's announcement of the birth of a Savior and also the angelic choir's glorifying God and announcing God's peace and favor to humanity.  Wesley makes it a point to highlight the truth that God's sending God's Son to the Earth was an act meant to reconcile humanity to God.

In the rest of the first verse, people around the globe are called to join the heavenly chorus in announcing the birth of Christ.

Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
join the triumph of the skies;
with th'angelic hosts proclaim,
"Christ is born in Bethlehem!"

The first part of the second verse calls to mind another part of the Nativity story.

Christ, by highest heaven adored;
Christ, the everlasting Lord;
late in time behold him come,
offspring of a virgin's womb.

In the Gospel of Luke, we read that, around nine months before the angels appear to the shepherds, a messenger of God named Gabriel appears to a young woman named Mary.  The messenger says, "Greetings, favored one!  The Lord is with you."⁴  Seeing that he has confused the young woman, he continues,

Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.  He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David.  He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.⁵

Wesley echoes Gabriel's words, reminding us that Jesus, the "offspring of a virgin's womb," is the "everlasting Lord."

When Mary asks Gabriel how she can possibly give birth to a child when she is still a virgin, Gabriel says to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God...  For nothing will be impossible with God."⁶

Mary then says to Gabriel, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word."⁷

The rest of the second verse tells us more about the nature of Christ.

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
hail th'incarnate Deity,
pleased with us in flesh to dwell,
Jesus, our Emmanuel.

This part of the song reminds us that Jesus is God Incarnate, echoing the hymnody of the early church.  A number of early Christian hymns which are quoted in the New Testament emphasize Christ's divinity.  One hymn included in the Letter to the Colossians tells us that Jesus is "the image of the invisible God" and "the firstborn of all creation."  It goes on to tell us that "in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell" and that "through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things."⁸  Another hymn included at the beginning of the Gospel of John describes Jesus as the Word of God.  It begins, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."  It goes on to tell us that "the Word became flesh and lived among us."⁹

The very end of the second verse calls to mind yet another part of the Nativity story.  In the Gospel of Matthew, we read that, when Joseph learns that his fiancée Mary is pregnant with a child he knows is not his, he considers breaking off his engagement to her.  That night, a messenger of God appears to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."  Joseph decides to wed Mary and to raise her child with her as if He was his own.¹⁰

St. Matthew writes,

All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

"Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,"

which means, "God is with us."¹¹

In the person known as Jesus of Nazareth, God took on human flesh to dwell among us.

The third verse of "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" reminds us of who Jesus is and what He did for us.

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.

This part of the song echoes a prophecy from the Book of Malachi.  Speaking of "the day of the Lord," the day when God will set all things right, the prophet proclaims, "For you who revere [God's] name the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings."¹²  Jesus' followers see a fulfillment of this prophecy in Jesus' moral teachings and healing miracles.

The song ends with another reminder of the Incarnation and its implications for us.

Mild he lays his glory by,
born that we no more may die,
born to raise us from the earth,
born to give us second birth.

Wesley reminds us that Christ "lays his glory by," divesting Himself of the power and glory of divinity to walk among us in frail human flesh.  It echoes an early Christian hymn included in the Letter to the Philippians, which reads,

Though [Christ Jesus] was in the form of God,
he did not consider being equal with God something to exploit.
But he emptied himself
by taking the form of a slave
and by becoming like human beings.
When he found himself in the form of a human,
he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.¹³

Furthermore, Wesley reminds us that Christ was born into this world for a purpose.  In the Gospel of John, we read that "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life."¹⁴  After Christ was crucified, He was resurrected from the dead.  St. Paul, in his first Letter to the Corinthians, speaks of Jesus as "the first fruits of those who have died," suggesting that Jesus’ resurrection is only the first of many resurrections.¹⁵  The life Christ came to bring us is not just eternal in duration but also eternal in depth.  Speaking of those who follow Him, He says, "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly."¹⁶  

In the days ahead, dear reader, as you sing Christmas carols and listen to them on the radio, may you take some time to consider what they say about Jesus, the One whose birth we celebrate this season.

And may you have a very merry Christmas!


Notes:

1. Luke 2:8-14 (NRSV)
2. Lyrics from “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing” are presented in this perspective as they appear in The United Methodist Hymnal, published in 1989 by The United Methodist Publishing House.
3. Wikipedia: “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”
4. Luke 1:26-29 (NRSV)
5. Luke 1:30-33 (NRSV)
6. Luke 1:34-35, 37 (NRSV)
7. Luke 1:38 (NRSV)
8. Colossians 1:15, 19-20 (NRSV)
9. John 1:1, 14 (NRSV)
10. Matthew 1:18-25 (NRSV)
11. Matthew 1:22-23 (NRSV)
12. Malachi 4:2 (NRSV)
13. Philippians 2:6-8 (CEB)
14. John 3:16 (NRSV)
15. 1 Corinthians 15:20-22 (NRSV)
16. John 10:10 (NRSV)

The Annunciation to the Shepherds was painted by Benjamin Gerritsz Cuyp in the 1600s.