Do you think it was tough for this songwriter having the same name as a culturally significant holiday like Christmas? Charles Christmas must have been asked that a thousand times, and perhaps also his family that gave him that name! This unusual circumstance also means that this songwriter of something called “Hymn of Glory” is fairly anonymous, except for his words and the year (1974) in which this work was written/published. No specific biographic information is forthcoming when one composes a search query for him; instead, all kinds of information about the holiday result from such an endeavor. What Charles wrote for us actually suggests that he did not, and still does not today (if he is living), mind that he is hidden from view. When a poet-songwriter directs attention elsewhere, he means to honor his subject, not himself. What Charles said and has us sing here is like what we might utter if a king entered the room, perhaps not unlike what Solomon experienced at his anointing to become the king, succeeding his father, David. (See here The Anointing of Solomon by Cornelis de Vos [c. 1630]. According to 1 Kings 1:39, Solomon was anointed by a priest named Zadok.)
What Charles wrote sounds very much like an old-fashioned hymn of a century when kings reigned on the earth and were routinely lauded, what might be called ‘high church’ music, though we know not what specific episode or series of events spurred Charles to compose this. You might have in your mind’s eye the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., or Westminster Abbey in London, or perhaps St. Peter’s Basilica or the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, all of which engender great pomp and ceremony when a king-like person enters those spaces. And yet, the king of Charles’ third verse was hardly such a king as we might picture. This one was ‘slain’, an incident normally reserved for a criminal, an unworthy villain consigned to disgrace; and indeed, that is what Jesus’ executioners thought they were doing to Him. But, ‘He rose up again’ (v.3), and but for that fact, we would not sing to Him as a reigning king, would we? Charles reminds us that we are also ‘sanctified’ (v.1) through Him, and that ‘our sins’ (v.3) compelled Jesus to complete this rescue mission. One more stirring fact that Charles tells us that should fill the heart is that Jesus did this of His own volition – ‘He laid down His life’ (v.3). So, if you and I sometimes feel guilty that we forced Him to that cross, that’s part of how I should react, but I also need to appreciate the great courage and love of His divine nature that drove Him. No one – certainly not armed soldiers nor bloodthirsty crowds – could force Jesus to do anything. This was and is the king of the universe. None like Him before or since has ever existed. So, the image I have of a crowned flesh-and-blood being here on Earth is but a faint wisp of who Jesus is today.
We have plenty of representative paintings of Jesus as a human being in various stages of His life while here on Earth. A baby, a boy of 12 years old, a carpenter at work, a teacher and healer who amazed his followers, and finally a bloody beaten pulp hanging on a piece of wood – those are the ones we think about when prompted to consider Him in a bible class or even in worship. There are even the ones that show Him risen, showing Himself to disciples on a beach or in a locked room. But it seems that Charles wanted us when he wrote this hymn to focus on episodes like the transfiguration (Matthew 17:2-8; Mark 9:2-13; Luke 9:28-36), when Jesus was exalted, though still shy of His ultimate coronation ceremony. That was to come. And, the next picture that you and I will have of Him is when we meet Him face-to-face in His full glory. He’ll welcome us into His home, and let us share it with Him. Indescribable? Yes. Cannot wait? Yes. Prepared or preparing for that time? …your answer here______.
See information on the picture here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cornelis_de_Vos_-_The_Anointing_of_Solomon.jpg … The author died in 1651, so this work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 100 years or fewer.
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1931. …found inside this document -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon
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