This bright song is right at home at Christmas time, but could work all year round. Originally in French, we find many different English versions of the song. Give the version we chose a sing-along listen, then come right back and we’ll enjoy savoring the lyrics together.

Glad tidings a long time coming

♫♪ Through long ages of the past
Prophets have foretold His coming ♫♪

For at least 3500 years people who knew what Moses and other prophets proclaimed could see that a Messiah was coming.

Genesis 3 gave the first inkling that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent’s head.
Genesis 22 told that through Abraham’s offspring, “all nations on earth will be blessed.”
Numbers 24 said, “A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel.”
2 Samuel 7 said of David’s offspring that God “will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.”
Isaiah 7 declared the one coming would be born of a virgin and he would be called “Immanuel.”
Isaiah 11 said he would come from the line of David and “The spirit of the Lord will rest on him.”
Jeremiah 23 said that from David would come “a righteous Branch, and a King … he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
Micah 5 said the promised one would be born in Bethlehem.

These are a few of many references.

Perfect — and unspeakable — gift

♫♪ O how lovely O how pure
Is this perfect gift from God ♫♪

“Unspeakable” is another adjective the Bible uses to describe this gift.

2 Corinthians 9:15: “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.”

“Unspeakable” means “that which cannot be fully declared.” It is something larger than language can describe. THAT is a good description of the largest gift ever given.

Recall John 3:16, which says “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son….” The size of God’s love for us can be measured by the size of the gift He gave us. Think about THAT! How could the full measure of this love and this gift be put into words?

The Gospel of John closes with, “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.”

Amen, indeed!

Making Jesus Lord

An ocean is an unimaginably powerful force. Yet God put limits on boundaries of oceans. People trust those boundaries so much that they are not afraid to build multi-million dollar houses right up against the ocean’s edge. (Though they might not know to give God the credit, they are demonstrating believing — which is “information received and acted on.”)

God commanded the oceans to behave a certain way — and they do.
God said “Let there be light” — and there was.
God said “Let the earth bring forth grass” — and it did.

God commands and things happen.

In light of that, there is a record in Matthew 15 that is almost beyond belief. Jesus was confronting the scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem for transgressing the commandment of God. Jesus told them, “…you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.”

Did these scribes and Pharisees have some kind of super-human-super-hero kind of power that enabled them to do something a mighty ocean cannot do — to freeze a commandment of God in its tracks?!?

Grass, oceans and even light move when God commands. Yet these religious leaders made God’s commandment of no effect. No effect to what? To grass? Oceans? Light?

No. It was of no effect to THEM!

What a terrible place for a person to put himself!

We see in our song the words “Jesus Lord”. A “lord” is one who rules — one to whom service and obedience are due. Jesus Christ has the right and the ability to be Lord. But if a person does not recognize Jesus as Lord, he is making — for himself — the lordship of Jesus of none effect and is missing out on life, literally.

What a terrible place for a person to put himself!

Romans 10:9 — If you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is LORD and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

The day is coming when Jesus’ Lordship will be apparent to everyone — both to those who made Jesus their Lord and to those who did not. Every knee will bow.

Until THAT day, let THIS be the day Jesus’ lordship rules us and directs our obedience and service.

As we get to know Him better, we see that His yoke is easy. His burden is light. He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly
— to which we sing —

♫♪ He is born, with joy we sing
Christ the Lord is with us now.
He is born, with joy we sing
Let the whole Earth praises bring. ♫♪

Amen?

God bless you lots!
Dale R.

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Download this song sheet

LYRICS: He Is Born
French traditional

Refrain:
He is born, with joy we sing
Christ the Lord is with us now
He is born, with joy we sing
Let the whole Earth praises bring.

1. Through long ages of the past
Prophets have foretold His coming.
Through long ages of the past
Now the time has come at last.

2. O how lovely O how pure
Is this perfect gift from God.
O how lovely O how pure
His great love and grace we laud.

3. Jesus Lord, O King with power,
Though a little babe you came.
Jesus Lord, O King with power,
Rule o’er us from this glad hour.

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