It came upon the midnight clear,
That glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth,
To touch their harps of gold;
“Peace on the earth, good will to men,
From Heaven’s all gracious King.”
The world in solemn stillness lay,
To hear the angels sing.

Yet with the woes of sin and strife
The world has suffered long;
Beneath the angel strain have rolled
Two thousand years of wrong;
And man, at war with man, hears not
The love-song which they bring;
O hush the noise, ye men of strife
And hear the angels sing.

And ye, beneath life’s crushing load,
Whose forms are bending low,
Who toil along the climbing way
With painful steps and slow,
Look now! for glad and golden hours
Come swiftly on the wing.
O rest beside the weary road,
And hear the angels sing!

For lo! the days are hastening on,
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.

It came upon a midnight clear by Edmund Hamilton Sears (1849)
Photo courtesy of milena mihaylova.

I’ve always felt that there’s something rather weird about the story of the Magi. The three mysterious wise men from the East; their interview with Herod; the three curious gifts; the strange star which somehow guides them to a stable in Bethlehem; and then the message from God in a dream, warning them of Herod’s intentions.

It all seems quite otherworldly; almost magical, in a way. And the most perplexing part of the whole story is the motivation for their visit.
We are told that they came from “the East”; the implication is that they were foreign. We are told that they were “wise men” (not prophets of God) who studied the stars; this confirms that they were Gentiles, for prophets of God were not normally referred to as “wise men”, and astrology was prohibited under the Law of Moses.

It has been suggested that they learned of the prophecies about Jesus through the legacy of faithful believers like Daniel and his three friends, who lived during the Babylonian captivity – or Nehemiah, who lived during the Medo-Persian captivity.

Some people think this is a bit far-fetched. But there is historical evidence that faithful Jews in Gentile lands did indeed preach to those around them. One example is an ancient book called The Testament of Judah. It was written at least a century before the birth of Christ, long after the last prophet of God had died. It was written in Greek, apparently by a Jew with a Greek background. It was not inspired by God.

And it contains these words:

There shall appear for you a star arising from Jacob in peace. And a man shall come forth who is my heir, like the sun of righteousness, walking amongst the sons of men in gentleness and righteousness, and there will be no sin found in him. And the heavens will rain down upon him the spirit as a blessing from the Holy One. And he will pour out the spirit of grace upon you. This is the shoot of the most high God; the water of life for all humanity. He will shine his light upon the sceptre of my kingdom, and from your root will arise the shoot, and through it will stem forth the rod of righteousness for the nations, to judge and to save all who call upon the Lord”.

This was written by someone who knew the Old Testament prophecies. It was written by someone who understood those prophecies in the same way that Christians would later do. And because of this, most scholars considered it a Christian forgery for centuries! But it is not a forgery. Nor is it our only evidence for widespread knowledge of the Messianic prophecies before the Christian era.

In the 1st Century AD, the Roman historian Suetonius wrote:

An old and well established belief was held all over the Orient, that one would arise from Judea who would establish a government over all men.

Notice Seutonius does not present this as an exclusively Jewish belief. He confirms that it was known outside Judea; outside the Jewish community. And he confirms that it was an old and established belief.

It was a belief shared by the Magi. They came to Bethlehem because they were inspired by the message of that belief – a message of peace, reconciliation, love, and joy. A message unlike any other message in any other religion which had ever existed. And God helped them to discover that message because He could see that they were looking for it.

The story of the Magi proves the truth of Jesus’ words: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you”.

The joy of the Magi was the joy of faith fulfilled in reality. It was the joy of a living hope, rewarded within their own lifetimes. They returned to their Gentile land because God instructed them to flee from Herod. But they did not return as Gentiles. They returned as believers.

Jesus’ life had already changed them, just as it has changed us.

(via Bible Truth Discussion Forum via Christadelphians in Sutton Coldfield)

If you are celebrating Christmas, or if you are simply enjoying the holiday period - Happy Christmas to you!

Last weekend we took a trip up to the North - to Sunderland - to help out at a Christmas concert (the advert above was for it). The library theatre was pack out, and a good time was had by all! There were mince pies, too.

We’re holding a couple of Christmas sing-song events in December. They will both be good fun in their own way. You’re welcome to come to either or both: Carol singalong at 20 Dingley Road, 16 December Come around to sing carols and Christmassy songs. Share mince pies, and mulled wine if you’re lucky. Feel free to bring additional instruments. This is not a “carol service” and is intended to be informal and fun. Some of us are good singers, but no particular singing talent is required or expected to enjoy this. But if you feel up to performing, this will also act as practice for… Caroling around the neighbourhood, 18 December We’ll take our show on the road and go carol around the neighbourhood. Feel free to join us, or give us a ring if you especially want us to visit your house. Just make sure you have some figgy pudding at the ready. More details to follow…