1. Away with our Fears!
The Godhead appears
In CHRIST reconcil'd,
The Father of Mercies in JESUS the Child.
2. He comes from above,
In manifest Love,
The Desire of our Eyes,
The meek Lamb of GOD, in a Manger he lies.
3. At IMMANUEL's Birth
What a Triumph on Earth!
Yet could it afford
No better a Place for its Heavenly Lord.
4. The Ancient of Days
To redeem a Lost Race,
From his Glory comes down,
Self-humbled to carry us up to a Crown.
5. Made Flesh for our Sake,
That we might partake
The Nature Divine,
And again in his Image, his Holiness shine;
6. An Heavenly Birth
Experience on Earth,
And rise to his Throne,
And live with our JESUS eternally One.
7. Then let us believe,
And gladly receive
The Tidings they bring,
Who publish to Sinners their Saviour and King.
8. And while we are here,
Our King shall appear,
His Spirit impart,
And form his full Image of Love in our Heart.
Could there be a more comforting way to begin a hymn or song than what is seen here? One might expect that to announce that God is going to appear would evoke fear in the audience. Think about the reactions of the people who heard 'Sinners in the hands of an angry God.' But the angels pronounced on the Day of the Lord, "Fear not!" Jesus came not to bring condemnation, fear and dread, but favor, faith, and hope, because his Father is a "Father of Mercies"! Ours is a response that recognizes our own sin and need for God but we have confidence and trust in a God who is merciful to alienated people and a physician to the sick. "Away with our Fears! The Godhead appears." "For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, 'Abba! Father!'"
How fitting that the news of the arrival of the "meek Lamb of GOD" would first be announced shepherds. "Meekness" is another one of those underused and undervalued Scripture words. Maybe it's because we don't know what it means. Maybe it's because meekness doesn't get noticed. I'm not sure why, but Christ sure did value meekness. "The meek shall inherit the earth (or the Land)." This is pronounced toward the beginning of the Sermon of the Mount. I forget which Church Father brought this out, but it was noted that Moses was described as 'meek' in the OT. But he never stepped foot in the Promised Land. The point made in Jesus' statement is that in the kingdom inaugurated in Jesus, the 'meek' now can inherit the land. Meekness is one of those beatitudes that really is hard to embrace and display in my culture. That Christ as Lamb was 'meek' implies that he silently endured persecution. He silently appeared on Earth as arriving in a stable among more beasts than people.
There's much more that could be said, but I think I'll end this post on the note of 'meekness'. Seems fitting.
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