Christmas Song #3 – “The Age of Gold”
It Came Upon The Midnight Clear has reminded us that the song of the angels still speaks to us today. God will shatter the spear, bring justice to the oppressed, and finally bring true shalom to the world.
The last verse brings it all together…
For lo! the days are hastening on,
Edmund Hamilton Sears
By prophet-bards foretold,
When with the ever circling years
Comes round the age of gold;
When peace shall over all the earth
Its ancient splendors fling,
And the whole world send back the song
Which now the angels sing.
As I mentioned in my first post, this song is like an optical illusion. In some ways, you can see in it what you want to see. Of course we’ve been choosing to see it based on the Bible story that it alludes to.
Incidentally, I love the phrase “prophet-bards”. Some hymnbooks have changed that for some reason, taking away from the poetic language. Do people no longer know what “bards” are?
Anyway, the key to the last verse is the phrase “the age of gold”. What is it?
Well, according to Sears, it’s when “the whole world sends back the song which now the angels sing”. From the other verses, it also seems to be the time when wars are ended, and oppression has ceased.
Remember, the song of the angels is “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:14) So in this age, the whole world will give glory to God.
Of course, how exactly this works will depend on your eschatology – your view of the end times. The Bible teaches that this will be when the Lord Jesus reigns – whether you think of the Millennial Kingdom, or simply of His eternal Kingdom.
How will this come about? Some may hope that society will continue to “evolve” and improve, based on the efforts of good men and women. Christians have to reject this view, knowing that humans left to themselves will never bring that peace that we all long for.
Whatever your view of the future, Christians must all agree that it is Christ who brings true peace. Speaking of whom, there is something very unusual about this song.
We’ve now read all the verses (see the whole carol here). Did you notice some things that are missing?
- God is never mentioned, except in the first verse which simply says “Heaven’s all gracious king”.
- No Mary, no Joseph, no manger….
- No birth
- … in fact, no Jesus at all!
That’s right. In this Christmas carol, the birth of Jesus is never mentioned. In fact, it’s not even hinted at. It’s all about the message of the angels!
Now, I don’t think that’s intentional. This is just a meditation on the angels’ words, and it is assumed that we know the rest of the story. So I would be hesitant to accuse Sears of some conspiratorial plan (although, as I mentioned before, I don’t believe he was an orthodox Christian).
In fact, in some ways, when something isn’t mentioned, it can make us think of it all the more. The gaping hole in It Came Upon The Midnight Clear should remind us that the peace we all wait for comes not from the angels’ words, not from our hopes for the coming golden days, but from the Baby who was born, who is now the coming King.
The lack of peace we have today is actually because people are trying to imagine a universe without its King. As Paul wrote:
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honour him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Romans 1:18-21 (emphasis mine)
When Jesus is missing, and the manger is empty, so is the cross. So is the throne in Heaven. There is no purpose in life. No hope in death. No direction in history. No forgiveness of sin. No judgement of evil. No true beauty.
But, of course, Jesus is not missing. The angels were speaking of Him. And let’s not forget the words of the first angel, which this carol doesn’t mention:
Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.
Luke 2:10-12
Who is He? Saviour. Messiah (Christ). Lord! And He came as the Baby in the manger.
If you forget the promised Messiah, who offers true forgiveness and salvation, and who is truly the Lord of all – then not only does the song not make sense, neither does your life or mine.
“A Saviour, who is Christ the Lord”.
The age of gold will come for those who know Him. God is pleased with those who are in His Son. And so I can’t think of any better way to end than with these words:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.
Ephesians 1:3-10
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.