Joy to those who long to see thee,
Dayspring from on high, appear;
Come, thou promised Rod of Jesse,
of thy birth we long to hear!
O’er the hills the angels singing
news, glad tidings of a birth:
“Go to him, your praises bringing;
Christ the Lord has come to earth.”
Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus 1744
By: Charles Wesley (1707-1788)
Listen to this modern version of this Christmas carol as you prepare to ponder the lyrics. Please make certain to enjoy the video below.
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Everyone enjoy this podcast and transcript below! It features meditative music and moments to contemplate the Scriptures and reflections shared.
Transcript may be found below, at the end of the blog.
As we begin our journey through this Advent season and this Christmas carol, do more than sing these words, invite Jesus to come and fill your approach to Christmas with a greater awareness of His presence. Welcome Him to come and reveal Himself to you again. Let’s think about this.
Angels
I wonder what their perspective was on this unprecedented occasion. From eternity past they had been singing praises, but never like on this night. They had sung glory to God in the highest through the ages, but this night something was added to their refrain.
Peace on earth. God was receiving glory because He was making a way for there to be peace on earth. He was making a way for Him to be pleased with at least some of us. How? By finding rest in what this newborn King would one day accomplish.
Those are the best tidings ever. Not only is God worthy of the highest glory, but peace had come to earth. Hear the angels sing.
O’er the hills the angels singing
news, glad tidings of a birth:
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” Luke 2:13-14 ESV
Can you begin to imagine what that must have sounded like on those hills outside of Bethlehem the night of His birth? Things were probably pretty quiet most nights for those shepherds, but not that night. Will you join the angels or will you leave the singing to them?
Can you hear the echo of the angel song from that glorious night long ago? Over hills and across time it rings in the hearts of those who are listening intently for it. Those were the gladdest tidings ever. Ask God to give you ears to hear that song again in this season.
RESONATE!
Take a few moments and listen for the echoes of the angel song in your soul. Glory to God. Peace on earth. Pray this simple prayer, “God, help me hear the angel song.”
Shepherds
At some point in every Advent season I ask myself how I would have responded to that angelic song. I sometimes get goosebumps just trying to imagine what that must have been like. The angels had waited a long time to sing this song so I am certain they nailed it.
The shepherds would have had no context to even begin to comprehend the glorious majesty of that moment. I am certain I do not either.
Yet Scripture tells us they not only made sense of it but responded in a reasonable way. They interpreted the angelic invitation perfectly. They received the peace the angels proclaimed and hurried to discover the source of it for themselves.
“Go to him, your praises bringing;
Christ the Lord has come to earth.”
When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” Luke 2:15 ESV
It seems the shepherds wasted no time responding to this news of a Savior’s birth. Will the same urgency fill your heart this Advent and Christmas season? This is the best news ever heard yet we tend to keep it to ourselves. Let’s come with praise and go to tell others.
Their song is a call to worship, a call to go to Jesus with praises on your lips for the One who has come to be Lord. But first it is a call simply to go to Him. How will you respond to this call? How will you bring your praise this Advent/Christmas season?
RESONATE!
Take a few moments and consider your response to the ancient, angelic song. It is easy to hum the carols to yourself, but will you be willing to sing them to others. Come and worship, then go and tell. Pray simply, “Lord, help me respond to the call to worship.“
Lord, thank You for letting me hear the angel song. Help me respond to it with my own worship: praise to You and proclamation to others. In Jesus name. Amen.
Worshipful Thinking!
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Podcast 35.2 Transcript
Welcome to Thursday Thoughts at Resonant 7, where we reflect on the reality of God and resolve to let it resound in our lives, repeatedly. Let’s think about this.
Joy to those who long to see thee,
Dayspring from on high, appear;
Because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high Luke 1:78 ESV
We pick up here with the joy that must have filled Zechariah when he could finally speak again as he prophesied over John, his son who would herald the coming of Jesus, the Dayspring from on high. Hope springing forth from darkness. Where do you need that today?
come, thou promised Rod of Jesse,
of thy birth we long to hear!
There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. Isaiah 11:1 ESV
In Jesus this prophecy was fulfilled, the shoot or rod from the stump of Jesse which would bear fruit. We long for Him to come and bear fruit in us. Are you longing for His coming to you? What kind of fruit do you think Jesus has in mind for you in this season?
O’er the hills the angels singing
news, glad tidings of a birth:
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” Luke 2:13-14 ESV
Can you begin to imagine what that must have sounded like on those hills outside of Bethlehem the night of His birth? Things were probably pretty quiet most nights for those shepherds, but not that night. Will you join the angels or will you leave the singing to them?
“Go to him, your praises bringing;
Christ the Lord has come to earth.”
When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” Luke 2:15 ESV
It seems the shepherds wasted no time responding to this news of a Savior’s birth. Will the same urgency fill your heart this Advent and Christmas season? This is the best news ever heard yet we tend to keep it to ourselves. Let’s come with praise and go to tell others.
Take a few moments to talk to Jesus about what has come to your mind, or listen to what He is saying to you, then I will read our text once more, with the refrain
Joy to those who long to see thee,
Dayspring from on high, appear;
Come, thou promised Rod of Jesse,
of thy birth we long to hear!
O’er the hills the angels singing
news, glad tidings of a birth:
“Go to him, your praises bringing;
Christ the Lord has come to earth.”
Take the mindfulness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes into the next ones and beyond. Until next time, Be Resonant.
The post How Will You Respond to the Angel’s Song? appeared first on Resonant 7.
Image Attribution
O’er the hills the angels singing news, glad tidings of a birth: – https://kclivefreeordie.wordpress.com/2014/12/24/singing-with-the-shepherds/
“Go to him, your praises bringing; Christ the Lord has come to earth.” – https://www.seniorlifestyle.org/express/my_world/been-to-bethlehem
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