"Angels We Have Heard on High

"Anonymous," a prolific writer, penned the words of a favorite Christmas carol, "Angels We Have Heard on High." Since the song was first published more than 150 years ago, it is safe to believe that "Anonymous" is singing in heaven’s choir this morning. Our unknown friend is still calling us to remember and reflect on what happened when Mary gave birth to Jesus.
Angels we have heard on high
Sweetly singing o’er the plains,
And the mountains in reply
Echoing their joyous strains.

Refrain:
Gloria, in excelsis Deo!
Gloria, in excelsis Deo!

Shepherds, why this jubilee?
Why your joyous strains prolong?
What the gladsome tidings be
Which inspire your heav’nly song?

Come to Bethlehem and see
Christ Whose birth the angels sing;
Come, adore on bended knee,
Christ the Lord, the newborn King.

See Him in a manger laid,
Whom the choirs of angels praise;
Mary, Joseph, lend your aid,
While our hearts in love we raise.

The refrain, "Gloria, in excelsis Deo!" is a doxology that soars gloriously, convincingly, triumphantly! For more than 20 years we enjoyed caroling as we walked the narrow streets of Newark, NJ, and Philadelphia, PA. One of the highlights for me was hearing Spirit-filled people singing into the night, "Glory to God! Glory to God! Glory to God!"

As the "Glories to God" careened against brick and mortar I was inwardly praying that the glory of God would penetrate facades of man-made fortresses. And, the glory of God often did find an obscure opening. People opened their doors and offered cookies while telling us we reminded them of their childhood experiences. Some of our neighbors wept. Darkness was dispelled for a few moments. The caroling experience reinforced my conviction, "The presence of God’s people guarantees the presence of God." We are the light of the world. (Matthew 5:13-16)

Tomorrow evening Pat and I will gather with many others and sing popular carols, read from the prophets and Gospels and light candles. I have the privilege of sharing a brief message in a service that is on every church’s highlight reel. I am preparing to share how one can live today and experience the glory of God.

"Glory" is abstract. How does one describe "glory," making it tangible, so real that others want to taste, touch, smell, hear and see the glorious One? To be sure, the Spirit must communicate, and I am sure He will. The Spirit dispatched an angelic choir to hillsides near Bethlehem summoning common shepherds to become eyewitnesses of God’s glory.

It is not a Christmas carol, but this December 23 I awoke with an old gospel song bouncing, no jumping, in my soul.
That God should love a sinner such as I
Should yearn to change my sorrow into bliss
Nor rest till He had planned to bring me nigh
How wonderful is love like this?

CHORUS
Such love, such wondrous love
Such love, such wondrous love
That God should love a sinner such as I
How wonderful is love like this.

That Christ should join so freely in the scheme
Although it meant His death on Calvary
Did ever human tongue find nobler theme
Than love divine that ransomed me?

That for a willful outcast such as I
The Father planned, the Savior bled and died
Redemption for a worthless slave to buy
Who long had law and grace defied.

And now He takes me to His heart a son
He asks me not to fill a servant’s place
The "Far-off country" wand’rings all are done
Wide open are His arms of grace.We won’t sing the song tomorrow night, but I just may quote a stanza or two! The glory of God, the in excelsis Deo interrupted unsuspecting shepherds plying their trade and the Spirit of God is still doing His work today. Glory to God in the Highest! 

O Come All Ye Faithful

Christmas music, the songs reminding us that God in His caring compassion sent Jesus to be our savior, has a special capacity to evoke deep feelings, arouse dormant memories, and heighten anticipation. My Christmas experiences begin with positive memories. Christmas music reminds me of mini family reunions in a church gym. Uncle Raleigh played Santa. Uncles, aunts and cousins swarmed noisily around tables filled with the best food one can imagine. Almost all of them were among the "faithful" in worship and as reliable examples of Jesus followers.

Boyhood memories connect to Pat and my first Christmas. We were too poor to buy a tree, but wanted one badly! On the way home from purchasing a few groceries we followed a large semi truck piled high with Christmas trees and, one blew off! It dropped right next to our car – as if it came down from heaven! That December 1967 experience still speaks of the faithfulness of God to us today!

When I sing, "O Come All Ye Faithful," during the Advent season, I also think of the "Faithful" folk who have surrounded me for seven decades. Last June Pat’s father, one of the best examples of "faithful" that anyone can imagine, passed away. Pat and I often said, "Roy Kolas is the same yesterday, today and forever!" Roy’s model of "faithfulness" taught us to sing all year, through ups and downs, in sunshine and in rain, and with softened joy in seasons of sorrow. My sister who has rarely been under the bright lights of public ministry, quietly, consistently, routinely found ways to comfort, encourage and urge forward those suffer or who are alone. And everyone ought to sit at her dinner table to experience a foretaste of "the marriage supper of the Lamb!" Ralph Crites is a faithful friend who comes to mind when I sing, "O Come All Ye Faithful." When I needed help one one of many church construction projects, all I had to do was call Ralph. He made it easy, because Ralph never learned to say, "No!"

"Seasonal saints" attend pageants and candlelight services but are hardly qualified to be numbered with the "faithful." The "faithful," like many in my experience, are reliable, ready and participate in the rigors of Christian service all year. The "faithful" are consistent. When the seats of the "faithful" are empty people are as surprised as when the fickle fans of seasonal religion appear.

John, one of the Twelve closest to Jesus, wrote, "Because in this world we are like him." (1 John 4:17) Jesus called the Twelve to be "with Him," and to learn from Him by observation and by participation with Him. So, when I sing, "O Come All Ye Faithful," I sing with wonder-filled memories of the past and with serious introspection so that I sing as one of the "Faithful."

O come all ye faithful joyful and triumphant
Oh come ye O come ye to Bethlehem;
come and behold him born the King of angels;
O come let us adore him Christ the Lord.
　
Sing choirs of angels sing in exultation
Sing all ye citizens of heaven above;Glory to God in the highest:
O come, let us adore him, Christ The Lord
Yea, Lord, we greet thee, born this happy morning;
Jesus, to thee be glory given;
word of the Father, now in flesh appearing:
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.

Certainly the "word of the Father, now in flesh appearing" is worthy of our worship, worship expressed in lives marked with consistency, reliably and integrity throughout the year. "O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord," during Advent and throughout the coming year.

Mary's Song

Mary’s song is the most beautiful response to the Holy Spirit ever recorded. The context for the song is Mary’s visit to Elizabeth and Mary sang in answer the Holy Spirit message spoken through Elizabeth.

"My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.

"From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me — holy is his name.

"His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.

"He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are

proud in their inmost thoughts.

"He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.

"He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.
 "He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers." (Luke 1:39-56)

The Spirit spoke and Mary sang even though she was navigating the most difficult passages of her young life. Pregnant, engaged but unmarried, Mary and Joseph’s reputations were on the verge of ruin. Their plans for a typical Judean life lifestyle were like small shards of broken glassware, strewn in disarray without hope of regaining what had been so promising. And yet, Mary sang!

Mary sang from the depth of her being, "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant." Songs that sustain and strengthen for life challenges cannot be learned with a few repetitions, pasted to the memory like decals on window panes. The songs that magnify the Lord, which give and sustain life, are planted by the Spirit in the depth of our spirit, cultivated with life experience, and often watered with tears before a crisis challenges security and sanity.

Mary’s song is an affirmation of faith. Your time and my space is limited, but I suggest that a review of the four "He has . . ." statements in Mary’s song. If we sing of the Almighty’s activity, our spirits will take wing and faith will soar above the immediate circumstances. Yes, "HE HAS . . ." and because of what He has done, my song and faith remain unshakeable. I write from experience. Some of our days are difficult. But, our song remains!

Mary’s song is filled with the future! From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. Nothing is better than living with an assurance, a hardy hope and certain conviction that One born in Bethlehem’s stable remains in charge of all world affairs and our family for generations!

In a few days our three generations will gather with a song that begins deep within and which finds joy-filled expression – regardless of the circumstances.

Pat and I trust that your family knows and has adopted Mary’s song as your own!

"I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day!

As an elementary school-aged boy our family attended a presentation of Handel’s Messiah, presented by the Pershing High School, a public school in Detroit, Michigan. Gloria, my sister, was an alto in the chorus. A love affair with fine music wedded to Scripture was born.

Since that first hearing of Messiah when listening I have anticipated being moved again by the chorus first penned by Isaiah.
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6 KJV)
It is as if heaven opens its jaws widely and drops eternities of gracious promise onto the earth! The possibility for peace is poured out in a torrent of mercy and grace.

As I write I am reminded of contractors pouring the foundation of Philadelphia’s newest and tallest skyscraper. Last weekend over 400 transit mix trucks emptied their payloads in one continuous pour of concrete. The task lasted for more than 12 hours. In contrast, God has been pouring out assurances of peace on earth for centuries and sealed his promise by sending the Prince of Peace.

In completing the vocation assigned to me by the Prince of Peace, I wrote more than 40 Christmas Eve candlelight services. We read the salient prophecies, sang traditional music, shared God’s Word and lighted candles while singing robustly "Joy to the World." We also frequently sang Henry Wordsworth Longfellow’s poem, "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day."
I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

Till ringing, singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head
"There is no peace on earth," I said,
"For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men."

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:"
God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men."
Longfellow’s poem is often overlooked, but deserves careful consideration each Christmas season. Longfellow wrote the memorable words as a twice widowed, sorrowing husband whose son had enlisted in the Union Army and was then mortally wounded. In addition, Longfellow suffered from Neuralgia, a stabbing, burning, and often severe pain that occurs along a damaged nerve. For Longfellow, like us all, peace is elusive.

Two verses of "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" are almost always omitted. The stanzas face harsh realities of slavery and war. Longfellow, the news of a son’s death, noisily plowing deep furrows of painful grief into every waking moment wrote:

Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn, The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
Thank you Mister Longfelllow. You remind us that the Prince of Peace has come and the Message of the season trumps cacophonous cannons, dirges of despair, disease and death.

This year we are praying for the families of several friends who are now listening to heavenly choruses. We miss our friends, but not like their children and spouses. My prayer is, "Lord, especially this year, make sure my friends’ families Hear the Bells on Christmas Day! May Isaiah’s prophecy prove powerful and real for those of us who await reunions in heaven." And, let us remind those who need the reinforcement to faith challenged by great loss, "God is not dead, nor doth He sleep!"

Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne

A favorite hymn celebrating the Incarnation is Emily Elliott’s, "Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne." The enduring tune was first sung in 1864, in St. Mark’s Church in Brighton, England pastored by her father. Emily Elliott may have been influenced by her Aunt, Charlotte Elliott, who penned, "Just as I Am," the song often sung at the end many services in my boyhood church and the invitation the Holy Spirit used to woo thousands at Billy Graham crusade altar calls.

The language is quaint, of middle 19^th century vintage, but the message is timeless and forever speaks to a world distorted by human error and wilful sin.
Thou didst leave Thy throne and Thy kingly crown,
When Thou camest to earth for me;
But in Bethlehem's home was there found no room
For Thy holy nativity.
O come to my heart, Lord Jesus,
There is room in my heart for Thee.

Heaven's arches rang when the angels sang,
Proclaiming Thy royal degree;
But of lowly birth didst Thou come to earth,
And in great humility.
O come to my heart, Lord Jesus,
There is room in my heart for Thee.

The foxes found rest, and the birds their nest
In the shade of the forest tree;
But Thy couch was the sod, O Thou Son of God,
In the deserts of Galilee.
O come to my heart, Lord Jesus,
There is room in my heart for Thee.

Thou camest, O Lord, with the living word
That should set Thy people free;
But with mocking scorn, and with crown of thorn,
They bore Thee to Calvary.
O come to my heart, Lord Jesus,
There is room in my heart for Thee.

When the heavens shall ring, and the angels sing,
At Thy coming to victory,
Let Thy voice call me home, saying "Yet there is room,
There is room at My side for thee."
My heart shall rejoice, Lord Jesus,
When Thou comest and callest for me.
When one considers the verses with care one notices that "Thou Didst leave Thy Throne" presents a powerful series of contrasts in each stanza. Notice the stark differences between "throne and crown" with "Bethlehem’s home and no room." The "living word that should set thy people free," with "mocking scorn and crown of thorn," leave me gaping in wonder. The marriage of lyric and tune calls me to thoughtful consideration of contrasts between my way and Jesus’ way.

After completing more than 48 years as a pastor and missionary, and now living in my eighth decade, I have observed that in all relational problems between individuals or groups of any size the root cause included arrogance and pride. Someone always stubbornly insists they have a special privilege, are privy to a divine insight or elevate a personal viewpoint to "the will of God." The truth is, we all graduated summa cum laude at the "College of Me First." Humility is constantly in short supply and Emily Elliott’s hymn calls us to deal with the issue!

 The refrain is simple, "O come to my heart, Lord Jesus, There is room in my heart for Thee." If we welcome the Jesus defined by Scripture, we will welcome Him of whom it is written, "Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross." (Philippians 2:6-8, NIV)

When we kneel before Jesus, make room for Him within, we open the door to powerful possibilities for reconciliation between warring factions, we become vulnerable to the point of admitting we are wrong, and we give Jesus an occasion to teach us what we have not yet learned.

Emily Elliott’s "Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne" is worthy of learning and singing!

Joy to the World

The last post to our blog, “Renewed Cities,” was in May 2014. We resume our bit of writing during Advent for a few reasons. The first is, I have a little more time. For the majority of this year we have filled the Philadelphia pulpit vacated by the untimely death of a dear friend, Abe Oliver. We have enjoyed the assignment, but preparation and travel time left little time for writing.

Pat’s health has been declining and my father-in-law, Roy W. Kolas Sr., passed away on Flag Day, June 14. Several trips to Indiana left us exhausted and still less discretionary time than usual. We miss Roy’s presence and rich contributions to our life. Pat’s health remains a challenge, and we are making new attempts at establishing routines to help us negotiate the ever-changing byways of Parkinson’s Disease.

We received little feedback to most of our “Renewed Cities” posts and I was secretly hoping someone would say, “We miss you!” Alas, few did and I spent some time evaluating whether or not we should stick with the exercise. 

 Then the “last straw” that set aflame a writing mood, Advent. The nearly total secularization of the glorious and eternal truth, The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth, (John 1:14 NIV) is too much for me. I cannot remain silent. At the risk of being tagged as an irrelevant Neanderthal, I will consider ten important Advent hymns we ought to learn and sing. A song is an effective communications medium. The truth of Advent is too important to follow the lead of Radio City Music Hall’s spiritual neutering of the great Message, God has cared enough about us to become one of us so that He could save us!

 We took our grandchildren to Radio City a few days ago. The last scene living nativity left me with a bit of hope after Santa and his elfish minions had center stage for more than 95% of the production. Pat and I attended a brilliant church Christmas pageant but I only recognized one singable song celebrating Jesus’ birth. I don’t expect too much from the secular stage, in my opinion, this is prime time for the church to get her Message out! If the church will sing the Message at her Advent events, in community marketplaces and at her neighbors’ doorsteps, the material on which faith rests will at least be heard once in the year. The songs of Advent have the potential of saving those floundering in darkness.

 The first of my ten selections (with a tip of the hat to David Letterman), is Isaac Watts’ “Joy to the World.” This Advent hymn is important because joy is on equal footing with love, peace, and the other fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22ff). I offer little commentary on Watt’s enduring lyrics, they speak eloquently and effectively and I have nothing to add.

 

Joy to the World , the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the World, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,

Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

 
I beg the church to sing this faith-building anthem. Sing it often. Sing it well! Sing it until tears well up in people’s eyes. Sing “No more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground.” Hope warms, then seeps and finally spews as a geyser as the Word that became flesh is discovered. Friends, let’s sing Joy to the World! All together now . . .