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"A Hymn on the Nativity of My Saviour"
season. Today's WORSHIP QUOTE is a poem about the Incarnation, and I hope this one is new to you. Ben Jonson, one of England's finest dramatists and poets, was a contemporary of William Shakespeare. A HYMN ON THE NATIVITY OF MY SAVIOUR I sing the Birth was born to-night, The Author both of life and light; The angels so did sound it, And like the ravished shepherds said, Who saw the light, and were afraid, Yet searched, and true they found it. The Son of God, th' Eternal King, That did us all salvation bring, And freed the soul from danger; He whom the whole world could not take, The Word, which heaven and earth did make, Was now laid in a manger. The Father's wisdom willed it so, The Son's obedience knew no No. Both wills were in one stature, And as that wisdom had decreed, The Word was now made Flesh indeed, And took on Him our nature. What comfort by Him do we win, Who made Himself the price of sin To make us heirs of glory? To see this Babe all innocence, A martyr born in our defense: Can man forget this story? -Ben Jonson (1572-1637), from A TREASURY OF CHRISTIAN VERSE, selected and edited by Hugh Martin, SCM Press Ltd., 1959. ["The Son's obedience knew no No." That's my favorite line. And now we realize that his forgiveness knows no No because he "made Himself the price of sin/ to make us heirs of glory?" Wow! May these days of Advent and Christmas be filled with a keen awareness of God's immeasurable love for you.] For some biography on Ben Jonson, take a look at: < Have a great week, Chip Stam Pastor of Worship and Music Chapel Hill Bible Church Chapel Hill, North Carolina |