He was a poet
and sometimes a controversial editor, a one-time wanderer and orphan, a missionary
supporter and humanitarian. James Montgomery might have been called all of
these names, but at the heart of his character was the Christian hymns he
authored, including “Angels from the Realms of Glory” that he composed for a
Christmas edition of the newspaper that had become his life’s work in the early
19th Century. This 45-year old native Scot had found his purpose in
the central England area of Sheffield, where he published this well-known Christmas
carol in 1816. What in particular moved James to compose his seven verses at
Christmas time that year?
From the
life he had lived and the verses he penned, we can easily surmise the James Montgomery
believed in the Christmas story and was re-reading the account of it in Luke as
the time for noel approached in 1816. His verses show he was paying homage to
the Messiah as He entered earth’s realm (v.1,2), being at once the Desire (v.3),
and Lord (v.4), and infant (v.6), and Divine Son (v.7). Luke’s story line compelled
James, and so he wrote with all these ancient characters’ perspectives in view.
All have one thing in common – to worship Him. The angels, the shepherds, the
sages (wise men), the saints, and indeed all of us in humanity – nations, creation,
and even sinners, as James calls them out – can look to Him. Whatever angle
from which you come to God, it doesn’t matter, James' poetry suggests. He
himself must have seen his own existence up until his 45th year as
somewhat varied, yet bended toward the God he served in all the roles he played.
It must have been in no small measure due to the early life in which he found
himself orphaned, yet nurtured in spite of his parents’ death. At the time of
his penning “Angels from the Realms…”, James had been editor of the Sheffield Iris
(formerly known as the Sheffield Register) for over 20 years, following an
uncertain beginning to his life’s calling. Though his first efforts beyond school
failed, including two stints in merchandise businesses through which he
wandered briefly during his teenage years, his parents’ commitment to the Moravian
traditions of missionary work (they would perish in the missionary field), music,
and a personal devotion to one’s God must have touched Montgomery at a deep
level. While he did not finish his schooling at the Moravian School where his
parents left him upon their departure for mission work in the West Indies, he pursued
the life of a poet and would compose the texts to some 400 hymns over his lifetime.
This was in addition to the newspaper editorship at Sheffield for 31 years, a
forum that he used for promoting humanitarian efforts in which he believed – some
of them politically risky, imprisoning him twice -- among them abolition of
slavery. His personal devotion to Christian principles also drew him to publicly
support foreign missions and a bible society, undoubtedly a reflection of his
parents’ influence early in his life.
The poetry
that flowed from James Montgomery’s hand in 1816 was not surprising, but no
less significant because it was predictable. He kept alive the Christian faith
in his era by holding fast to what he believed and publishing works that his contemporaries
could acknowledge. He wrote a poem because he was a writer. And, it was a
recitation of the ancient Christian story because it was what he believed. He
had the gift to write, and the beliefs that moved his gift into a tangible
result. James might say that I need to marry my gifts with my beliefs, and see
what can happen.
See more
information on the song story in these sources: The Complete Book of
Hymns – Inspiring Stories About 600 Hymns and Praise Songs by William J.
Petersen and Ardythe Petersen, Tyndale House Publishers, 2006; Amazing
Grace: 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions by Kenneth W. Osbeck,
Kregel Publications, 1990; 101 Hymn Stories, by Kenneth W. Osbeck,
Kregel Publications, 1982; and Then Sings My Soul – 150 of the World’s
Greatest Hymn Stories, Robert J. Morgan, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2003.
Also see this link, showing all seven original verses: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/a/f/r/afrglory.htm
Also see these sites for author information: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/m/o/n/t/montgomery_j.htm
See the link here for the theological background of the author:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moravian_Church
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