Angels from the Realms of Glory -- James Montgomery

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 19^th 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 45^th 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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Montgomery_(poet)

See the link here for the theological background of the author: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moravian_Church

In the Hour of Trial -- James Montgomery

Was he putting himself in the apostle’s shoes when he scrawled out some words, pleading with God from a troubled place? James Montgomery had been reading something pretty profound, and the ancient words resonated in his spirit. He thought of the apostle, and a bit of himself too, when he prayed with the words “In the Hour of Trial” in 1834. He’d had some rough experiences, so could what he had written be superimposed upon his own circumstances at a particular point in his life? He was aging, so maybe he was thinking about what lay not too far into the future, too.  

James Montgomery’s life in Britain was anything but a casual, carefree existence in the 18^th and 19^th Centuries, and that may provide a window into his frame of mind when he wrote about a trial in 1834. He was a native Scot, but moved to Sheffield in northern England as a young man, hoping to launch a literary career in poetry. He’d already had a challenging life, as his missionary parents died when he was but 12 years old, leaving him to cut his own path into the adult world. He apparently failed in school, and was subsequently apprenticed in two different areas (a baker, then a storekeeper) before finding himself in the employ of a newspaper editor. After 22 years, he found himself in charge of the newspaper (the Sheffield Iris), and during the next few years was imprisoned twice, being accused of sedition. Nevertheless, he stayed with the paper for 32 years as its editor, but garnered more notice for his poetry’s social justice themes, including abolition of slavery. He even wrote some of his most notable poetry (Prison Amusements) from a prison cell! By the early 1830s James had retired from the newspaper, but was still engaged in poetry and hymn-writing; over his lifetime, he composed over 400 hymns. It was during his retirement years, at age 63 and probably while in Sheffield (perhaps the 1809 painting here of Sheffield Manor’s ruins was not unlike what James might have seen), that he apparently read the biblical account of Peter’s denial of Christ, spurring his poem-song “In the Hour of Trial”. He evidently put himself in Peter’s shoes (v.1), entreating the Lord that He would extend to him the same grace that He had toward the Apostle. Would it be a stretch to imagine that James was in a reflective mood, thinking about his own life experiences (vv. 2-3)—his own trials as an orphan and a prisoner? Indeed, was he looking to the future too, to his own spiritual inheritance (v.4), which he gained some 20 years later?  Montgomery didn’t wallow in his trials, but made his prayer for deliverance an active, life-motivating adventure, as an advocate for people around him who were ill-treated. Casual and carefree he was not.

‘Pay it forward’ was a motto that James Montgomery might have embraced. You see conditions in your world that you think are unfair, even abhorrent? James could have just looked after his own needs, given what happened to him early in life, yet he seemed to use much of what happened to himself as a springboard – like his poetry while he was incarcerated. Sounds a little like somebody named Joseph (Genesis 39-41), doesn’t it? James wasn’t afraid to put himself at risk to speak out for others, perhaps because he’d already been in precarious spots and knew that someone was watching over him. So why not throw caution to the winds? Say what needs to be said to impart camaraderie to others about you who are struggling, and maybe your selflessness will prompt others to do the same. Then, see how you feel praying about your trials…that’s what James Montgomery did.    

The following website has the lyrics for the song: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/i/n/t/inthehou.htm

This website has the composer’s biography: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/m/o/n/montgomery_j.htm

See here also for biographic information on the composer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Montgomery_(poet)

 

See more information on the song discussed above also in The Complete Book of Hymns – Inspiring Stories About 600 Hymns and Praise Songs by William J. Petersen and Ardythe Petersen, Tyndale House Publishers, 2006; and Amazing Grace: 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions by Kenneth W. Osbeck, Kregel Publications, 1990.