This is a more well-known Christmas hymn.  It is very old and hauntingly beautiful.  But, let's focus on these words here.  It gives us a pretty good picture of the majesty of Christ, but take a look at the title.  Let all mortal flesh keep silence.  It is talking about how we are nothing compared to Christ, so let us keep silence in awe and homage to our king who came to earth as a mortal man.  Notice the last verse.  It talks about these sing-winged seraphs.  These guys are massive beasts, but take a look at what they are doing.  They are worshiping Christ.  They are massive and terrifying, but they are nothing compared to the king that they are worshiping.  So, enjoy this hymn (and find the tune if you can, it's amazing).

1. Let all mortal flesh keep silence, and with fear and trembling stand; ponder nothing earthly-minded, for with blessing in his hand, Christ our God to earth descendeth, our full homage to demand. 2. King of kings, yet born of Mary, as of old on earth he stood, Lord of lords, in human vesture, in the body and the blood; he will give to all the faithful his own self for heavenly food. 3. Rank on rank the host of heaven spreads its vanguard on the way, as the Light of light descendeth from the realms of endless day, that the powers of hell may vanish as the darkness clears away. 4. At his feet the six-winged seraph, cherubim, with sleepless eye, veil their faces to the presence, as with ceaseless voice they cry: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Lord Most High!

We are now in the season of Advent.  This is the season celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  So, for the next couple weeks, I'll be posting Christmas Hymns.  I'll be posting some that may not be familiar to some of you, so read carefully, and enjoy these hymns that you may never sing in church or anywhere else during the Christmas season.  This hymn is about Christ's birth on earth and the longing the Jews had for their savior, but it is more than that.  It gives a good picture of His birth, and the blessing that have some with it.  It gives us a good picture of what He was, and what His birth actually meant.  But, when reading this hymn, be thinking about Christ's second coming.  Be thinking about Christ coming again.  Be asking Him to come back soon.  Some of us may not be very excited when we think of Christ coming back and all of us being in heaven with God forever.  Sometimes I feel like that too.  I like this life, I don't want to be thinking about when it's over.  I don't want Jesus to come back now, I just started living!  But, we should be saying, "come, thou long expected Jesus.  Set us free from the bonds of sin and this broken world."  We should be asking for God's kingdom to come.  Does this mean we shouldn't enjoy this life?  Absolutely not!  It's a gift, and we need to enjoy it and live it to the fullest, but we shouldn't fall in love with it to the point where we'd rather be in this broken world, than for Christ to come and be with Him.  Am I making sense?  So, read and enjoy this hymn, about Christ's first advent, and looking forward to His second. 

Come thou long-expected Jesus, Born to set Thy people free; From our fears and sins release us, Let us find our rest in Thee. Israel's strength and consolation, Hope of all the earth Thou art; Dear Desire of every nation, Joy of every longing heart. Joy to those who long to see Thee, Day-spring from on high, appear: come, thou promised Rod of Jesse, of thy birth we long to hear!  Over the hills the angels singing news, glad tidings of a birth;  "Go to Him, your praises bringing; Christ the Lord has come to earth." Come to earth to taste our sadness, He whose glories knew no end; by His life He brings us gladness, our Redeemer, Shepherd, Friend.  Leaving riches without number, born within a cattle stall; this is the everlasting wonder, Christ was born the Lord of all. Born Thy people to deliver, Born a Child and yet a King. Born to reign in us for ever, Now Thy gracious kingdom bring. By Thine own eternal Spirit Rule in all our hearts alone; By Thine all-sufficient merit Raise us to Thy glorious throne.

If you're like me, when you pray you pray for yourself and you pray for other people.  You ask God to bless situations and people and things.  You earnestly seek His council.  You confess sin.  Now, all these things are good, but do you take significant time to thank and praise God?  I sure don't take enough time to do praise and thank Him.  I don't thank Him enough for His rich blessings, for His help in time of trouble and temptation, for His care and wisdom, for my family, for my whole situation, for my salvation, for Christ's death and resurrection, for His wonderful plan for my life, for His wonderful plan for His church, for the people He has put in my life, for His patience with me, for His mercy to me, for my church, etc...  I don't thank Him enough, I don't praise Him enough.  This hymn is about singing a song of thanksgiving.  Let all things living sing a song of thanksgiving.

Let all things now living a song of thanksgiving To God the creator triumphantly raise. Who fashioned and made us, protected and stayed us, Who still guides us on to the end of our days. God's banners are o'er us, His light goes before us, A pillar of fire shining forth in the night. Till shadows have vanished and darkness is banished As forward we travel from light into light. His law he enforces, the stars in their courses And sun in its orbit obediently shine; The hills and the mountains, the rivers and fountains, The deeps of the ocean proclaim him divine. We too should be voicing our love and rejoicing; With glad adoration a Song let us raise Till all things now living unite in thanksgiving: "To God in the highest, Hosanna and praise!"

Have you given everything in your life to God?  Is He Lord over everything in your life?  Have you given up everything to Him?  Friendships?  Family?  Fun? Your future?  Have you given Him your life?  This hymn is about giving your all to God.  "Take my life and let it be consecrated (made separate) to Thee."  Give Him everything, it is all His anyway.  Otherwise, you are saying that you do not trust God that He will do what is best.  You are saying that He doesn't love you enough.  You are saying that you know what is better than God.  You are making yourself your god.  Give everything to Him, and He will make it better than you can imagine. 

Take my life and let it be Consecrated, Lord, to Thee; Take my hands and let them move At the impulse of Thy love. Take my feet and let them be Swift and beautiful for Thee; Take my voice and let me sing, Always, only for my King.
Take my lips and let them be Filled with messages from Thee; Take my silver and my gold,Not a mite would I withhold.Take my moments and my days, Let them flow in endless praise; Take my intellect and use Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose.
Take my will and make it Thine, It shall be no longer mine;Take my heart, it is Thine own, It shall be Thy royal throne. Take my love, my Lord, I pour At Thy feet its treasure store; Take myself and I will be Ever, only, all for Thee.

What an amazing hymn.  If you're not sure what exactly Christ did for you with His death, take a look at this hymn.  If you still think that something other than Christ can save you, take a look at this hymn.  It gives good insight on how broken we are, and how it is only through Christ's blood that we can gain sanctification.  Christ's blood is the double cure--from sin's guilt and power.  Let Christ be glorified for His great work, and I hope this can make you ever thankful for His saving work. 

Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee; let the water and the blood, from thy wounded side which flowed, be of sin the double cure; save from it's guilt and power. Not the labors of my hands can fulfill thy law's commands; could my zeal no respite know, could my tears forever flow, all for sin could not atone; thou must save, and thou alone. Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to the cross I cling; naked, come to thee for dress; helpless, look to thee for grace; foul, I to the fountain fly; wash me, Savior, or I die. While I draw this fleeting breath, when mine eyes shall close in death, when I soar to worlds unknown, see thee on thy judgment throne, Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee.

This hymn was written in 1863, but had made a revival in recent years.  It is a very powerful hymn about Christ and His role past and present.  It is a good reminder of what Christ did and is doing for His people.  I love verse 2 which talks about when Satan tempts us to despair, we look to Jesus, who took away our sin.  Read and enjoy these great truths about our great Savior.

Before the throne of God aboveI have a strong and perfect plea.A great high Priest whose Name is LoveWho ever lives and pleads for me.My name is graven on His hands,My name is written on His heart.I know that while in Heaven He standsNo tongue can bid me thence depart.When Satan tempts me to despairAnd tells me of the guilt within,Upward I look and see Him thereWho made an end of all my sin. Because the sinless Savior died My sinful soul is counted free. For God the just is satisfied To look on Him and pardon me.Behold Him there the risen Lamb,My perfect spotless righteousness,The great unchangeable I AM,King of glory and of grace,One in Himself I cannot die.My soul is purchased by His blood,My life is hid with Christ on high,With Christ my Savior and my God!

Ahh!  I love this hymn.  It is such an amazing praise hymn, because it actually points out some of the great things of God.  It tells the people of God why we should praise Him...the great things He has and is doing.  I believe one of the keys to living a good Christian life, is to truly know who God is, and what He is actually doing in your life.  This hymn sheds some light on some of the great things that God does.  He is truly worthy of our praise, and I hope you can praise Him through the reading of this hymn.  The tune is really good too, if you want to listen to it online.

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation! O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation! All ye who hear, now to His temple draw near; Praise Him in glad adoration. Praise to the Lord, who over all things so wondrously reigneth, Shelters thee under His wings, yea, so gently sustaineth! Hast thou not seen how thy desires ever have been Granted in what He ordaineth? Praise to the Lord, who hath fearfully, wondrously, made thee; Decked thee with health, and with loving hand guided and stayed thee. How oft in grief hath not He brought thee relief? Spreading His wings to o're-shade thee. Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee; Surely His goodness and mercy here daily attend thee. Ponder anew what the Almighty can do, If with His love He befriend thee. Praise to the Lord, who, when tempests their warfare are waging, Who, when the elements madly around thee are raging, Biddeth them cease, turneth their fury to peace, Whirlwinds and waters assuaging. Praise to the Lord, who, when darkness of sin is abounding, Who, when the godless do triumph, all virtue confounding, Sheddeth His light, chaseth the horrors of night, Saints with His mercy surrounding. Praise to the Lord, O let all that is in me adore Him! All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before Him. Let the Amen sound from His people again, Gladly for aye we adore Him.

If you remember, a little while ago, I talked about some categories hymns can fall into.  Some hymns are prayers from God's people to God.  This hymn is a prayer, encompassing praise, adoration, and supplication.  It's a very good prayer, and perhaps it may show you some of the things that you should pray for?  In the second verse, it says, "Come and Thy people bless."  We need to remember as Christians, we shouldn't just pray for ourselves, or just our close friends and family.  We need to pray for the church body as a whole.  So, here's what I want you to do: read through this once, then read it again as a prayer to God.  Can you do that?  As always, enjoy the hymn!   

Come, Thou almighty King, Help us Thy name to sing, Help us to praise! Father all-glorious, O'er all victorious, Come and reign over us, Ancient of Days. Come, Thou Incarnate Word, Gird on Thy mighty sword, Our prayer attend; Come and Thy people bless And give Thy Word success; Spirit of Holiness On us descend. Come, holy Comforter, Thy sacred witness bear In this glad hour. Thou, who almighty art, Now rule in every heart And ne'er from us depart, Spirit of Power! To the great One in Three Eternal praises be Hence evermore! His sovereign majesty May we in glory see And to eternity Love and adore!

You'll notice that I like hymns that have to do with everyday life...with our interaction with God in everyday life...and how to face our challenges in everyday life.  This hymn follows that trend.  The words are amazing, especially the first verse, and I hope you truly take these words and apply it.  Do you know how much believing in God's sovereignty will help your everyday life, and your interaction with Him?  We say we trust Him, we say that we believe everything will ultimately work for our good, but do we live that way?  This hymn is a reassurance of God's grace in everyday life.  He will hold us close and protect us, for we are His greatest creation and He loves us.  So here is this amazing hymn.  Read these words, but do more than that.  Pray after you read this and ask God to help you to see how He works and who He really is.  Ask Him to give you faith. 

Day by day, and with each passing moment, Strength I find to meet my trials here; Trusting in my Father's wise bestowment, I've no cause for worry or for fear. He, whose heart is kind beyond all measure, Gives unto each day what He deems best, Lovingly its part of pain and pleasure, Mingling toil with peace and rest. Every day the Lord Himself is near me, With a special mercy for each hour; All my cares He fain would bear and cheer me, He whose name is Counsellor and Pow'r. The protection of His child and treasure Is a charge that on Himself He laid; "As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure," This the pledge to me He made. Help me then, in every tribulation, So to trust Thy promises, O Lord, That I lose not faith's sweet consolation, Offered me within Thy holy Word. Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting, E'er to take, as from a father's hand, One by one, the days, the moments fleeting, Till with Christ the Lord I stand.   

A friend of mine asked me if I would share with you the lyrics to the hymn Day by Day (also called Day by Day and with Each Passing Moment), and I read it and liked it...but today we sang the hymn Children of the Heavenly Father, and so I want to share with you the lyrics to this hymn instead...probably next week I'll put up Day by Day.  This hymn is a great comfort to me, because I usually worry about how God views me...and if I'm doing okay.  Pay special attention to the third to last verse...its really good.  Notice it says that He preserves us pure and holy.  He doesn't leave holiness up to our own strength...He helps us.  Enjoy!

Children of the heav’nly Father Safely in His bosom gather; Nestling bird nor star in Heaven Such a refuge e’er was given. God His own doth tend and nourish; In His holy courts they flourish; From all evil things He spares them;In His mighty arms He bears them. Neither life nor death shall ever From the Lord His children sever; Unto them His grace He showeth, And their sorrows all He knoweth. Though He giveth or He taketh, God His children ne’er forsaketh; His the loving purpose solely To preserve them pure and holy. Lo, their very hairs He numbers, And no daily care encumbers Them that share His ev’ry blessing And His help in woes distressing.Praise the Lord in joyful numbers: Your Protector never slumbers. At the will of your Defender Ev’ry foeman must surrender.