Exegeting the Hymns #68 - Glory in the Highest

Glory in the Highest
w/m - Ben Cantelon, Jeff Pardo, Travis Cottrell

Who could have imagined this
Infant and the Infinite
Son of God so wonderful
Heaven's perfect miracle

Glory in the highest
Glory in the highest
Prince of Peace King of kings
Jesus Lord of everything
Glory in the highest

Born to die and born to save
Born to take our sin away
Light and life to all He brings
With the angels let us sing

Come and worship
Come and worship
Worship Christ the newborn King
Come and worship
Come and worship
Worship Christ the newborn King

Who could have imagined this
Infant and the Infinite
King of all so meek and mild
God and sinner reconciled

This is our new song for Christmas 2018 and the month of December at MABC. It’s a very singable melody with a familiar bridge (the chorus of “Angels From the Realms of Glory”). Good Christmas songs are not about us, but about Christ and this is no exception.

Who could have imagined this: Infant and the Infinite. This is the first time I have run across this particular play on words, and as a songwriter, I know the feeling when you get when you pen a line as clever as this. We as humans are weak, but none more helpless than a newborn infant. And yet, the all powerful Sovereign Lord of the universe took on not just human flesh, but the most helpless of forms, an infant. This is not the way most of us would have done it, but we are not God.

Son of God so wonderful, heaven’s perfect miracle. The term “Miracle” is thrown around a lot today… ”Corn flakes were on sale today…it’s a miracle!” But this truly was the most miraculous event. God became man in order for man to be saved.

Glory in the highest. Prince of Peace King of kings, Jesus Lord of everything. This chorus hearkens back to the prophecy in Isaiah 9, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.”

Born to die and born to save. Born to take our sin away. Jesus came to earth for a specific purpose that was determined from before the foundation of the world, and that was to be the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Light and life to all He brings, with the angels let us sing. John 1:9-11 says, “The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.” The common grace of the presence of Jesus was for all men, but not all could see the light.  

Come and worship. Worship Christ the newborn King. The bridge takes us from doctrine to application. Our response to the work of Jesus is to worship Him. We are all born to be worshipers, but unless the object of our worship is Christ, we are without hope.

King of all so meek and mild, God and sinner reconciled. The only way we can be reconciled to God is through the shed blood of Jesus. That’s why He came. 2 Corinthians 5 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.” Reconciliation is the work of God. It is why we give Him praise. It is why we worship Him and Him alone. It is why we, with the angels sing, “Glory in the Highest!”

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