Angels, from the realms of glory,
Wing your flight o’er all the Earth;
Ye who sang Creation’s story
Now proclaim Messiah’s Birth:
Come and worship, come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King.
The writer of today’s hymn, James Montgomery, was born in Irvine, Scotland, the same town in which my two daughters were born. After suffering hardship for a number of years, he eventually became a newspaper editor and was twice imprisoned for writing controversial articles.
His faith in Christ grew out of the harsh experiences in his early life and from time to time, he wrote religious poems for his newspaper. Eventually, this wonderful poem was set to the music ‘Regent Square’ by the gifted blind organist, Henry Smart.
The hymn describes the roles that the angels, shepherds, and wise men have to play in the Nativity story, as well as encouraging Christians to be prepared and look for Christ’s sudden return, which is what the season of Advent is all about.
Point to ponder
How will I worship Christ as the newborn King in my life? What is my role in His continuing mission on Earth?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, help us to prepare for Your Coming into our world and encourage our families and friends to do the same this Advent. In Your Holy Name, we watch and pray. Amen.
Today’s image is one of John’s Christmas Angel drawings called ‘The Messenger.’ If you would like to view a larger version, please click here.
You can enjoy watching and listening to this beautiful hymn as performed by the Carson-Newman University and our very own Knoxville Choral Society in the Tennessee Theater at this video on YouTube.