Gospel

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CHRISTMAS IN RETROSPECT


My earliest recollections of Christmas are primarily associated with the gathering of our family, the giving and receiving of gifts, and a festive meal. Although I was alerted to the fact that it was meant to celebrate the birth of Jesus, it was not until later in life that I began to appreciate all that was involved.
In this regard, hymns can play a significant role. For instance, “Angels, from the realms of glory, wing their flight o’er all the earth; ye who sang creation’s story now proclaim Messiah’s birth.” While along with admonition, “Come and worship, come and worship, worship Christ, the newborn King” (“Angels, from the Realms of Glory”). In writing this hymn, James Montgomery not only took into account the gospel accounts of Jesus’ birth, but also the messianic prophecies anticipating it.
“The coming of Christ at Christmas is in vain unless we allow Him to come and dwell in our hearts as well. This simple and glorious message is captured beautifully in this Christmas hymn by the great reformer Martin Luther. He wrote it for his little son Hans, to be sung at a family Christmas celebration” (“From Heaven Above to Earth I Come,” One Year Book of Hymns, Dec. 7). An excerpt reads, “To you this night is born a child of Mary, chosen mother mild; this little child, of lowly birth, shall be the joy of all the earth.”
“O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant. O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem. Come and behold Him, born the King of angles; O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, O Come Let us Adore Him, Christ the Lord!” (John Francis Wade, “O Come, All Ye Faithful”). This recalls my favorite place for meditation when we resided in Jerusalem for four years. It was a knoll overlooking the Shepherds’ Field, where I would sit on a large flat rock, with my canteen propped up beside me, and Manger Square in the distance. Where precisely these things took place was not of great concern to me, but that they had happened. For which I was and am most grateful.
“Angels we have heard on high sweetly singing o’er the plains, and the mountains in reply echoing their joyous strains. Gloria in excelsis Deo, Gloria in excelsis Deo” (Charles Chadwick, “Angels We Have Heard on High”). “Sometimes our Christmas season ends with the viewing of the manger scene. We never get to the fullness of Gloria in excelsis Deo—‘Glory to God in the highest.’ Make Christmas complete this year by following the shepherds’ example, giving the highest glory to our Redeemer God” (Ibid., Dec. 20).
“In 1865 (Phillips) Brooks went to the Holy Land and was especially impressed by a Christmas Eve service at Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity, the traditional site of Jesus’ birth. Three years later he needed a Christmas song for the children’s service at his church.” He decided to write the song himself, and thought back to his experience in Bethlehem. It is said that after his death, one five year old girl of the church was upset because she hadn’t seen him recently. When her mother gently informed her of his demise, she replied: “Oh, Mama, how happy the angels will be!” (Ibid., Dec. 21). In conclusion, the lyrics read: “O holy Child of Bethelehem! Descend to us, we pray; cast out our sin, and enter in; be born in us today. We hear the Christmas angels the great glad tidings tell; O come to us, abide with us, Our Lord Emmanuel” (O Little Town of Bethelehem).
“Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace! Hail the Son of Righteousness! Light and life to all He brings, risen with healing in His wings, mild He lays His glory by, born that man no more may die, born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth” (“Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”). “Charles Wesley wrote over six thousand hymn texts, but this may be his best. In singing this hymn we not only join the shepherds under a canopy of singing angels, we also learn about the Jesus they proclaimed. We discover who He is and what His coming means” (Ibid. Dec. 22). So that from Christmas in retrospect, we turn to Christmas in prospect.

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