Hark! the Herald Angels Sing
Hark! the herald angels sing
Glory to the new-born King;
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled.
Joyful, all ye nations rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With th'angelic host proclaim,
Christ is born in Bethlehem
Hark! the herald angels sing
Glory to the new-born King.
Christ, by highest heaven adored,
Christ, the everlasting Lord,
Late in time behold Him come,
Offspring of a virgin's womb!
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
Hail the incarnate Deity!
Pleased as man with men to dwell,
Jesus, our Immanuel.
Charles Wesley
Once in Royal David's City
Once in royal David's city
Stood a lowly cattle shed,
Where a mother laid her baby
In a manger for His bed:
Mary was that mother mild,
Jesus Christ her little child.
He came down to earth from heaven,
Who is God and Lord of all,
And His shelter was a stable,
And His cradle was a stall;
With the poor, and mean, and lowly
Lived on earth our Saviour holy.
C.F. Alexander
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Christian Beliefs
This hymn expresses some important aspects of traditional Christian belief.
- That Jesus is God, who came to earth to live as man, to redeem mankind from sin and its consequences. The God-man is perfectly qualified to be the mediator between God and men and thus to reconcile sinners with God.
Christ is thus described as 'the everlasting Lord'; He receives what only God may receive - the adoration of highest heaven; He is the Godhead veiled in flesh; He is the incarnate Deity; He is Imannuel (meaning "God with us").
- That He was born of the virgin.
THis teaching preserves the idea that Jesus did not inherit human sin from an earthly father, but was truly the Son of God, conceived of the Holy Spirit.
"Once in royal David's city" contains parts of the additional stable story, but emphasises again (as mentioned above) the Christian belief in the Deity of Jesus... "He came down to earth from heaven, Who is God and Lord of all."
He is the Saviour Who came to rescue fallen and lost humanity.
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