Angels From the Realms of Glory
Angels from the realms of glory
Wing your flight over all the earth;
Ye who sang creation's story
Now proclaim the Messiah's birth:
Come and worship, come and worship
Worship Christ, the newborn King
Shepherds, in the field abiding,
Watching over your flocks by night,
God with us is now residing;
Yonder shines the infant light:
Come and worship, come and worship
Worship Christ, the newborn King
Saints before the altar bending,
Watching long in hope and fear;
Suddenly the Lord, descending,
In His temple shall appear.
Come and worship, come and worship
Worship Christ, the newborn King.
Sinners, wrung with true repentance,
Doomed for guilt to endless pains,
Justice now revokes the sentence,
Mercy calls you, break your chains!
Come and worship, come and worship
Worship Christ, the newborn King
Though an infant now we view Him,
He shall fill His Father's throne,
Gather all nations to Him;
Every knee shall then bow down:
Come and worship, come and worship
Worship Christ, the newborn King!
I have been using this site as a resource for a lot of these Christmas hymns; they usually have interesting historical information as well as the original words/verses. Such was the case for this one. My hymnal has five verses but the last two are different and apparently, additions/substitutions from the original words, which I have printed above.
I don't know why, because that fourth verse is about the best thing I've heard all day. It feels almost Easter-victorious, but I love that the author of this Christmas poem included it. The celebration of Christmas is made sweeter because we know why Christ came and what he did for us in his time here. "Justice now revokes the sentence; mercy calls you, break your chains!" The justice of the Holy God, righteously cast on sinful man, is, in that same God's infinite mercy, lifted from our heads and placed on the person of Jesus. If you know this truth and are standing around with your chains still on, know this: the baby who came at Christmas already broke them for you. Repent and shake them off once and for all. Come and worship!
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