Retro: Isaac and Gabriela
Ten years ago today we were at the wedding of our friends Isaac and Gabriela! Hannah and her friend (and ours!) Cathy were involved in the wedding, and so there were some great photo ops. 🙂
Christmas Song #6: Earth and Heaven
I mentioned that James Montgomery would be considered, by some, a bit of a rebel. The newspaper that he went to work for was the Sheffield Register (Sheffield – in England, east of Manchester). And that became a large part of his life.
The Register was a rare local newspaper that actually printed local news, rather than just reprinting news from London. But it was also known for some views that were radical, or at least reform-oriented. It promoted the abolition of slavery, and religious tolerance.
But politically it was a time of upheaval. The radical aspects of the French Revolution alarmed those in England who were afraid that the same violence would come to their shores. Calls for political reform were rightly or wrongly linked to political movements in France. As arrests began to take place, the editor of the Register fled to Germany.
Montgomery, having been with the paper only two years, took over along with another man, but eventually became the sole editor. He relaunched the paper as the Sheffield Iris, trying to distance it from its more radical roots.
But controversy still followed, and James found himself in prison more than once. The second time, he had written against a militia, who had responded violently to a public protest, resulting in two deaths.
But his Christian perspective came through as he meditated on the Christmas story. God had broken into the course of events of this world, and that changed everything.
Imagine the shepherds, going about their mundane business in the fields – the same as always. Until the angel made the announcement, they didn’t know that God was on earth. Yes, God is omnipresent, He is present everywhere in that sense. But imagine – God had come into time and space in the physical universe, as a baby…
Shepherds, in the field abiding,
Watching o’er 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.
God has come – as an infant? Incredible! Incomprehensible! And yet true. A Baby, worthy of worship, because He is the Eternal King (Isaiah 9:6). Regular work will never be the same, now that God came to reside with us.
And then we enter the mystical academic halls of the magi. Philosophy, all the deep thoughts and knowledge of history, contemplated here. What could cause these men to leave the exclusive place of power and wisdom that they inhabited? (Colossians 2:8)
Sages, leave your contemplations,
Brighter visions beam afar;
Seek the great Desire of nations;
Ye have seen His natal star.
Come and worship, come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn king.
“Brighter visions” – again, a baby? Yes! And notice once again the worldwide impact of this event that Montgomery sees – Jesus is the Desire of Nations (for more on that term, check out this article). Paul said it this way:
For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
1 Corinthians 1:21-24
There are many things that are important to us – maybe even actually truly important in our lives, our families, our communities. But there comes a time to realize that it is all meaningless unless we start with the Lord Himself, and His entrance into time and space, shown to the world first in Bethlehem.
In your daily mundane works, pause in wonder – God with us! In your important studies, arguments and discussions, take the time to leave them and realize that true wisdom was found by the light of the star, in a manger.
Pause, this Christmas. Pause, to come and worship. And there you will find the greatest Treasure of all.
Back in Mexico
Just to make it official – yes! We are in Mexico. 🙂
Thanks to all of you who were praying for our trip. Everything went very smoothly.
Now that we’re back, there’s a lot to get organized. Our first day home I was already getting our van verified so that we could drive it freely (for those who don’t know or don’t remember, vehicles in Mexico City need to be emissions tested. They’re then categorized with fewer or more restrictions, based on the age and condition of the vehicle.) There’s a lot to do to simply get life going again.
And thanks to those who were praying for my Mom, who finally got a place to move into. Even though it may still be temporary, it’s a lot nicer than waiting in a hospital!
Travelling to Mexico
Yes, Lord willing we will soon be back home in Mexico! We appreciate those who are praying.
Not long before our trip south was to begin, we all got sick, which certainly meant some unexpected changes to our last few days in Canada. We’re still not at 100%, so that makes it difficult to look forward to all this travel. So if you think of it, do pray that we will be all right on the trip. There’s also a lot that needs to be done right away as we settle back into life in Mexico, so pray that we would be able to get those things done and have some time to recuperate over the next few weeks.
We’re thankful that my Mom is also moving – a room became available which will likely be temporary, but it is a room, a nice room actually, and it’s not in the hospital, where she’s been waiting.
Lots happening all at once, as always! For us at the moment, it’s planes and taxis!
Christmas Song #6: A Message for “All the Earth”
You could say that this was the story of an MK (missionary kid). Well, it is – and it isn’t. James didn’t grow up overseas, but the missions work of his parents did influence his life and his writing.
James was born in Irvine, Scotland in 1771 – only about 15km from where some of my family would be living (and may already have been living). Andrew and Janet Armour would soon be starting a family (my great great great great grandparents). But James’ parents were John and Mary, who had become attached to a new Moravian settlement in the area. Uneducated but eloquent, John became an itinerant preacher and was newly stationed in Irvine when James was born.
The Moravians, a Christian tradition dating from the 15th century, were very missions-minded, and James was to spend his early life in the excitement, chaos and sacrifice of this movement. From what we can tell, the family was very poor, and sacrificed much. And when James was only about 12 years old, his parents were sent as missionaries to the West Indies. They both died there in the early 1790s, in Barbados and in Tobago (my sources seem to contradict regarding which parent died where).
James had been sent to a Moravian school, but seemed more interested in composing epic poems than being diligent in his schoolwork. But certain loves would stay with him his entire life – a love of missions, and a love of poetry.
James went from job to job, with his poetry his only steady passion. He finally got a job at a newspaper in England, surprisingly quickly becoming its editor. More on that later, but suffice to say the newspaper became a vehicle for his writing.
And so on Christmas Eve in 1816, he published the first version of what would become one of the world’s most well-known Christmas carols…
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 story of the “Christmas angels” in the Gospel of Luke is well known. But James also takes a passage from Job, where God says,
Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
Job 38:4-7
The “sons of God” are apparently the angels, watching in amazement as God created the earth. The morning stars may refer to angels as well.
But this is not simply talking about the announcement to the shepherds. The songwriter is asking the angels to share their message with the whole world – the world that they once saw created. Here James’ missions heart comes through. The message of the incarnate Christ is not just for the shepherds – or Israel – or even Scotland – it’s for the whole planet, and everyone on it. All are called to worship the King.
And I hope that a closer look at this carol will lead us to do the same thing over the next few weeks – worship, and proclaim!
Another Christmas Carol?
Well, I guess after 5 years, it’s almost a tradition! Why not keep it going?
For the last 5 years I’ve done a deep dive into some of the great – and sometimes unusual – Christmas songs. Here’s what we have so far:
- O Come, All Ye Faithful
- Hark! The Herald Angels Sing!
- It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
- Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence
- O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
This year I’d like to look at another carol that is quite common, and yet it comes from quite an interesting time in history – and some history that took place quite near where some of my family lived at the time. The author was a missionary kid, a bit of a rebel, and sometimes a rather controversial figure. He even found himself in jail at one point. But in spite of his political involvement, it was his influence on the church that he’s remembered for.
Well – maybe he’s not remembered that much. But his influence remains, and this remarkable song is part of the story.
So this Saturday we’ll start to explore Christmas Song #6 – because, as you might have noticed, Saturday marks only one month until Christmas!