That Man No More May Die
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 the angelic host proclaim,
“Christ is born in Bethlehem!”
Hark! Th’ herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn 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 th’ incarnate Deity,
pleased as man with man to dwell,
Jesus, our Emmanuel.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!”
Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings,
risen with healing in his wings.
Mild he lays his glory by,
born that man no more may die,
born to raise the sons of earth,
born to give us second birth.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!”
Tidings of Good Cheer
This Christmas carol originally written by John Wesley, and further refined by George Whitefield, explains the true meaning of Christmas in one sentence: “Born that man no more may die, born to raise the sons of Earth, born to give us second birth.”
What did all mankind get for Christmas? A savior and eternal life if they chose to believe.
A wonderful scripture that speaks of the reason for the season is: “And there were shepherds residing in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks by night. Just then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
“But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid! For behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord! And this will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”
These scriptures speak of God sending his son Jesus so that humanity can be saved. Saved from what you might ask yourselves? From all that displeases a holy God.
The Christmas story posits that none of us are worthy by our own merits to receive the gift of eternal life to be lived out in the presence of a holy God in heaven. A heavenly life with no more tears, fears, and death, no cancer, no hatred, and no violence, the better place people speak of after the death of a loved one. Earth was to be just such a paradise, but it was marred, and is still marred, by what the bible refers to as sin, which is easily understood as missing the mark of all that God intended for our lives.
As the saying goes, paradise appeared to be lost, but God made a way. How so? From the gospel of John, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” That is, Jesus was born to die for you, so that you could live with and for God in eternity.
Moreover, as another scripture puts it, “Salvation exists in no one else, for there is no other name, except the name of Jesus, under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” Or, as Jesus himself said, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to God but through me”.
Merry Christmas!
Andy Caldwell, Executive Director, COLAB
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