Hymn of Glory -- Charles Christmas

 

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

Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise -- Walter Chalmers Smith

 

He felt that an ancient apostle had said something that was crucial, and so Walter Chalmers Smith repeated what Paul had written centuries ago and described the Divine One in even more detail to underline the amazing depth of His nature. He is indeed “Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise”, such that when He was crucified, the sun’s rays were eclipsed for a time to mark the profound meaning of that moment (Matthew 27:45). (See the photo here that depicts, via the 1961 film Barabbas, the crucifixion darkness that the movie’s filmmakers tried to recapture by using the totality of the solar eclipse on February 15, 1961.) He is light (1 John 1:5), so how would we really appreciate that He is the source of this inestimable thing we take for granted, if it had remained unchanged while its Creator gave up His life? There are so many other characteristics of this God that Walter identified, that we cannot begin to fathom Him, though we could spend a lifetime trying to do so. Perhaps that is what Paul was up to when he wrote to a young protégé and concluded his opening address with this salutation to Him who is the focal point of all life. Don’t forget who is to remain in your sights at all times, Paul seems to say.

 

Walter Chalmers Smith was a pastor in the Church of Scotland for some 40 years, and was in mid-life (perhaps 43 years of age) in 1867 when these poetic lines of his were published. What exactly prompted Walter to write these lines is not known, though the first line of his lyrics strongly suggests that he was indeed reading what Paul had written to Timothy in the first century about life in ministry, and was himself on a difficult mission. Biblical scholars believe he was teaching Timothy that error was propagating in Ephesus, and that principles had to be accepted by the culture there, or it would descend into falsehoods that were anathema to the truth to which he and the other apostles had been devoted since Jesus commissioned them. Several times in the opening chapter of this personal letter to his ‘son’, he makes references to those who were riven with errors (1 Tim. 1:3-4; 6-11; 18-20), and that he (Timothy) needed to remember who God really is – immortal, invisible, the only God (1 Tim. 1:17). Walter got the message too, and said so many more things about this incredible God. Were six verses of poetry really enough? Walter may have answered ‘no’ emphatically, but nevertheless he said many mouthfuls in what he did include in the lines he penned. Every line in Walter’s creation contains something about the inscrutable One we too-often describe blithely as our friend. Yes indeed, that is what He is, certainly. But Walter, even at this point in his life, must have seen or heard people take Him too much for granted, in prayer and in life generally. Remember what Paul had been through by the time he wrote to Timothy in that first century (perhaps around 63-64 A.D.), and he still thought of himself humbly in comparison to God (1:13, 15-16) just before lauding Him with this song’s title words. This God is one we need to treat reverently in our approach to Him, before we do anything else. Above all else, Walter suggested with his lyrics that we should begin by seeing God in all His greatness.

 

No less than 11 times did Walter say something about trying to see God or the light that hides Him. So, it’s a bit of a vain exercise, is it not, to try to really see Him?  It seems like a fair question, one that perhaps Walter’s hearers must have asked him at least once. What’s the use, if I cannot get even a glimpse of Him? How do I worship someone I cannot see? Entering into the picture is Jesus, right on queue. He sure showed off His power, glory, might, compassion, wisdom, courage, and so many other qualities when He walked among the people for 33 years. And even if you and I weren’t there, we can still read history about Him and marvel at the church He created and the changed lives He’s inspired. And, then there’s that crucifixion thing, too, followed by the resurrection unlike any other event ever recorded in world history. Moses and others wanted to see Him, too, but were prevented from doing so. And then, even he and Elijah got a look at Jesus, along with Peter, James, and John (Matthew 17:2-8; Mark 9:2-13; Luke 9:28-36), and then they really got goosebumps. Wow!, they must have thought. If you want to see this God in all His fullness, consider that episode on a high mountain. He once described Himself as lowly (Matthew 11:29), and yet that’s part of the package of this awesome God-Man, too. All that is wrapped up inside this God, this amazing God that Walter wanted us to see.               

 

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; and Amazing Grace: 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions by Kenneth W. Osbeck, Kregel Publications, 1990.

 

See here for all of the song’s original verses: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/i/i/g/o/iigowise.htm

 

See information on the photograph here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Barabba_Eclisse_1961.jpg ...This work is in the public domain in the United States because it meets three requirements: it was first published outside the United States (and not published in the U.S. within 30 days), it was first published before 1 March 1989 without copyright notice or before 1964 without copyright renewal or before the source country established copyright relations with the United States, and it was in the public domain in its home country on the URAA date (January 1, 1996 for most countries). It may be found inside this document -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_in_fiction

Love Like You -- Randy Gill

 

Who doesn’t feel even just a twinge of appreciation, or perhaps something stronger like affection, when you learn that you are the object of someone’s love? Perhaps when you were in school, you got the little chalky, heart-shaped candies (like those shown here) on Valentine’s Day, or someone sent you an anonymous flower to declare that friendship or love was in someone’s heart for little old you! That’s a faint reflection of what God thinks of you and me, if you read very far in a bible. If you have seen the guy at the televised sporting event, you might even recall that John 3:16 is what his sign said -- For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Perhaps you can even quote this phrase from memory that Jesus spoke as He attempted to teach a curious and puzzled man named Nicodemus. As Randy Gill has reminded us, “Love Like You” is not just an emotion-filled moment, or even a years-long commitment. It’s a lifetime-shaping challenge to show Him to others.      

 

Randy has not said what this 2010 song’s inspiration was, although it has been included among the music collection that he and others have entitled ‘Fearless for You’. Perhaps what Randy was getting at is suggested in the scripture associated with the song’s few details at one online site (see it below) -- John 17:23. Jesus was praying just before he was going to be arrested, tried illegally, beaten savagely, and then shamefully crucified. He needed reassurance, particularly that his mission to train 12 specially chosen men would not fail, and that others would cling to the message about Him that they would receive from them, and that they would stick together. That’s how Jesus defined love  – …complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. So, Jesus -- that’s the hardest part of love, sticking together, through thick and thin? Need we be fearful, if we have a love like You wanted us to inherit? That little four-letter word is often confused with gentleness, maybe even fragility. But not with Jesus. It’s a word He used often; indeed, it appears in the bible some 686 times (in the NIV translation, according to the Bible Gateway search engine), including in 60 of the bible’s 66 books (it’s missing only in the NT’s book of Acts; and in the OT’s books of 2 Kings, and four of the minor prophets [Obadiah, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Haggai]). Maybe it was used, especially by Jesus, because it is such a tough thing to do. That’s what Randy’s simple but incisive lyrics also communicate. Do this as He did it. In love, and in giving, so that’s a mouthful when you and I make such an attempt. Being more like Him takes a pretty long time, and it’s not a surprise when the exercise feels like two steps forward followed by one step backwards. That’s you and me. Randy and the rest of us are in the same category, aren’t we? Why else would he have used ‘us’ in his lyrics? It’s a group effort, as much for us as it was for those fellas in the 1^st Century.

 

Fortunately, we have a way of fortifying our spirit of love, as Randy’s other words remind us. It’s another habit we gather from watching Him – Prayer. Jesus did this as often perhaps as He did when He was loving people, and we could guess that that must have been a synergistic experience for Him. Connecting with the One who is love (1 John 4:8, 16) makes that connection unbreakable, as the beloved apostle told us. That’s not a frail, kinda delicate thing. God isn’t brittle, just because He was killed. He let it happen, so that His utter power – with love as its engine -- could be displayed to its fullest extent. That’s what you and I tap into when we have His love in us. Maybe He might have added ‘handle with care’, when He told the disciples to love, huh? Make sure you tell others it’s His love, flowing through yourself, so that they will know where they can go to plug in also.  

 

See some scant details about the song here: https://wordtoworship.com/song/116470

 

See information on the image here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Necco-Candy-SweetHearts.jpg (English: An array of Necco Sweethearts (conversation hearts). Little, chalky pieces of candy with phrases written on them; available around Valentine's Day.) This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. The person who associated a work with this deed has dedicated the work to the public domain by waiving all of their rights to the work worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law. You can copy, modify, distribute and perform the work, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. …found inside this document -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine%27s_Day