Triumphant Chords

Joy to the World and Joy to You!

December 12th 2010 - Third Sunday in Advent

“Feast Day of St. Lucia”
COLOR: Pink CANDLE: The Candle of Joy

The candle we light today symbolizes our joy at the coming of Christ.


Lectionary Readings - Third Sunday of Advent
(The Magnificat of Mary)
Isaiah 35:1-10     Luke 1:46b-55
James 3:7-10     Mathew 11:2-11

Hymn of the Day

“Look, Ye Saints, The Sight is Glorious”

Based on Revelation 15:3-4

“They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: ‘Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! O King of the Saints! Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For you alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You. For Your judgments have been manifested.’”

Look, ye saints! the sight is glorious:
See the Man of Sorrows now;
From the fight returned victorious,
Every knee to Him shall bow;
Crown Him, crown Him,  Crown Him, crown Him,
Crowns become the Victor’s brow, Crowns become the Victor’s brow.

Crown the Savior! angels, crown Him;
Rich the trophies Jesus brings;
In the seat of power enthrone Him,
While the vault of heaven rings;
Crown Him, crown Him,  Crown Him, crown Him,
Crown the Savior King of kings, Crown the Savior King of kings.

Sinners in derision scorned Him,
Mocking thus the Savior’s claim;
Saints and angels crowd around Him,
Own His title, praise His name;
Crown Him, crown Him, Crown Him, crown Him,
Spread abroad the Victor’s fame, Spread abroad the Victor’s fame.

Hark, those bursts of acclamation!
Hark, those loud triumphant chords!
Jesus takes the highest station;
O what joy the sight affords!
Crown Him, crown Him, Crown Him, crown Him,
King of kings and Lord of lords! King of kings and Lord of lords!

 

 Meditation

“Triumphant Chords!”

This hymn was written by Thomas Kelly (1769-1854). He wrote seven hundred and sixty five hymn texts over a period of fifty-one years, and is recognized as one of Ireland’s finest evangelical preachers as well as one of its most distinguished spiritual poets of the nineteenth century. Kelly also composed the music for many of his texts, being an accomplished musician as well as poet.

He was the author of a number of hymnals, all of which were popular enough to pass into several editions. Although he was known and recognized for his preaching ability and scholarship, his leadership and his musical abilities, he was especially respected and loved for his gracious, generous spirit, always giving liberally to those in need.

Kelly was born in Dublin, Ireland, on July 13, 1769, and was the son of an Irish lawyer. He entered Trinity College in Dublin intending to become a lawyer, but experienced such a strong conversion experience, that he began to study for the ministry. In 1792 he was ordained into the Anglican priesthood. 

He was a forceful evangelical preacher, despite being in the Anglican tradition,   especially on the subject of justification by faith, which was  taboo according to the doctrine of the High Church, and he was eventually dismissed from the Anglican priesthood. He associated himself after that dismissal with the Congregationalists, where his reputation was established as a magnetic preacher, speaker, warm-hearted pastor and excellent scholar.

Ascension Day, which comes forty days after Easter, never falls on a Sunday, but the Sunday following Ascension Day is designated as Ascension Sunday. This hymn is generally regarded as one of the finest Ascension Hymns in the English language, one that is worthy of much greater use than it normally receives. The hymn was first included by Thomas Kelly in his "Hymns on Various Passages of Scripture", in 1806, and was originally entitled "The Second Advent".

The third Sunday in Advent is the Sunday that that the church traditionally sets aside for discussions of the Second Coming of Christ - - - his “second Advent” as it were. Traditionally, the somberness of the Advent season gets put aside, and the pink candle appears and is lit instead of a new purple one. There is a break in the fasting that accompanies Advent in the Roman Church. It becomes a time of focus on the joy that is to come when Christ returns to the earth to claim His own!

Revelation tells us that the sight will be glorious! We shall behold the Man of Sorrows in His great glory coming to reclaim His own and set up His Kingdom on earth. We read that “every” knee shall bow and that He will be crowned Lord of Lords and King of Kings. He will sit on the throne and the “vault” of heaven will ring with His praises. Those who crowned Him with thorns and crucified Him will see Him for who He is and will “own” His title and praise His name. There will be loud bursts of acclamation and triumphant chords when He comes and takes His place to reign on Earth as He now reigns in Heaven. There will be great joy!

One thing that “always” seems to happen whenever we begin to discuss the “Second Coming” or “Second Advent” of our Lord is that we begin to look for the “signs” of His coming and to speculate on when He may appear. We get so wrapped up at times in our “predictions” and speculations, that we lose sight of our task, which is to be found “worthy” when Christ does come again. We are to be doing His work in the world when He returns for us, at an hour, we are told, that we least expect Him.

This truth is brought home to us over and over again in the teachings of Jesus. His parables are literally “packed” with examples of this lesson. In one of the Parables we read about wise and foolish bridesmaids, five of whom prepared well for the coming of the bridegroom before they entered into the celebration of the marriage feast while the other five celebrated first and were not prepared when the bridegroom came to them. We are to be like the wise bridesmaids and be ever prepared, lest He come and catch us not ready.

  Some years back I bought a book called "Prepared to Die, Ready to Live".  It was at a time when I was doing some workshops on the subject of "Living Wills" and "Durable Powers of Attorney for Health-care" and its basic premise is that one prepares for LIFE by being ready for death.  I have found it to be true and worthy of sharing that having one's "affairs in order" is a major tenet of being able to relax and live a victorious life. 

So the questions becomes - What do we need to do to prepare our hearts for the coming of the Lord Jesus? Will we be ready? What is our unfinished business? What keeps us from being ready? What stops us from making those preparations? This is the perfect time to begin to finish our preparations for the coming of Jesus again into our lives. Can we afford to wait?

Prayer – Oh, Lord, deliver us from our foolishness that allows us to procrastinate and leave unfinished so much of what you would have us to do in your Name to bring about your Kingdom on earth. We confess that we have failed to be an obedient people. We have not done your will. We have not heard the cries of the needy , the poor and the homeless among us. We have not made preparations as we should have for the coming again of Jesus, both in His glory to set up His reign on earth, and His coming anew to our hearts and lives as the Baby of Bethlehem this Christmas. Help us, we pray, to “get on with the task” and to finish our unfinished business that we might be prepared for the coming of the Bridegroom, no matter when that might be. We thank You for your great love for us, and for your great Gift to us, even your only Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and it is in His blessed name we make this prayer. Amen~

Activity - Spend some time today thinking about, writing about, and perhaps sharing with someone close to you just what you know to be "joyous" - - - in your own life, and in the world at large. Find, if possible, someone who has little to be joyful about and do something to change, if only temporarily, that dynamic for that person.