They are inescapable in this advent season, these Christmas songs. No matter what radio station I turn on while driving in my car, Christmas tunes are playing nonstop. Stores and even my church have Christmas music playing in the background continuously during these days. It’s no wonder my thoughts are filled with the words to these songs, causing me to hum and sing various versions of these songs randomly throughout my day.

Today’s tune has been “Hark the Herald Angels Sing!” You know the one, right? “Hark the herald angels sing, ‘Glory to the newborn king! Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled.’ Joyful, all ye nations rise, join the triumph of the skies. With the angelic host proclaim: ‘Christ is born in Bethlehem.’ ”

I’ve sung this old Christmas carol for many years, which may be why I find myself today singing this song without really being aware of the words that I am singing and of their deep meaning in telling the true story of Christmas. From the very first line truth is proclaimed. The angels are singing “Glory to the newborn king” – which is the baby Jesus. This song proclaims Jesus identity as King, even though the world would not recognize nor receive Him as such at that time.

The song continues “God and sinners reconciled.” That’s the reason why we celebrate Jesus’s birth. Jesus came to live among us in order to reconcile us to God. He did this by taking on our human form, walking miles in our shoes and then dying in our place, for our sins so that we could be reconciled to our Creator, God. God is holy, we are sinners. We needed someone to bridge that unbridgeable gap between us. We couldn’t do it. But God could and He did. He came here in the person of Jesus Christ to make reconciliation possible! That’s why we celebrate His birth.

Something else occurs to me as I hum these tunes and sing these songs of the season. I only seem to know the first verse of these carols. But the words of the third verse are just as inspiring and truth filled as the first verse. This carol continues – “Hail the heaven born Prince of Peace!”

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, . . . And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)

The song continues, “Hail the Son of Righteousness! Light and life to all He brings, risen with healing in His wings.” The words of this song confirm what we read in God’s word about Jesus being the light of the world.

“In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:4-5)

“When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’ ” (John 8:12)

The next words of this old Christmas carol are truly extraordinary – “risen with healing in His wings”. This is a song celebrating Jesus’s birth and yet here are words referring to His death and resurrection – the reason He came, to die and to rise again leaving an empty tomb behind and the promise of eternal life before each one of us who believe in His name. This Christmas carol celebrates the whole story, from Jesus’s birth to His sacrificial death to His miraculous resurrection. The third verse continues with these words –

“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, ‘Glory to the newborn King!’ ”

This Christmas carol, in these words, gives us the reason for Jesus’s birth – “born that man no more may die” – no wonder we celebrate Christmas! No wonder we sing! That’s really good news – no more death! In just a few years, Jesus would explain this to Martha saying –

“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die.” (John 11:25-26)

When I sing the words “Mild He lays His glory by “, I am reminded of the cost to Jesus, an extraordinary, unfathomable cost, a price Jesus willingly paid in order to come here, to take on our human form in order to rescue and to redeem each one of us. Philippians explains it this way –

“Christ Jesus: 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! Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:6-11)

When I sing “Mild He lays His glory by”, I am reminded that when He laid down His glory, He took up something much heavier and much harder in its place.

“Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, . . . He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:4-5)

Sound familiar? “Risen with healing in His wings.” Jesus came to heal us, to heal our broken relationship with God, our Creator. Sing it with me – “God and sinners reconciled!” This Christmas carol ends with the words – “Hark! The herald angels sing, ‘Glory to the newborn King!’ ” The carol recalls the night of Jesus’s birth, when the angels did indeed sing, proclaiming the good news of Jesus’s birth to the shepherds in the fields and to the waiting world. The angels knew this newborn baby Jesus was indeed the King who had just left His home in glory to come and make His home among us for a little while. The time has come for us to make room for Him, to receive Him, to let Him in.

“Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is He, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty – He is the King of glory.” (Psalm 24:7-10)

sincerely, Grace Day