Go, Tell it! - Part Three

"Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people he favors!” – Luke 2:14

Transcript of the Video:

What is your favorite sound of the Christmas season? Is it snowball fights? Christmas Carolers? What about the ringing of jingle bells? I’d even throw the sounds of people ice skating into the mix. Of course, mine is Christmas music – surprise! And I’ve got five fantastic versions of the classic carol, Hark! The Herald Angels’ Sing, to share with you today.

The birth of Jesus was certainly surrounded with sounds. The bleating of sheep in the field, maybe the shepherds were listing to the snaps and pops of their campfire burning, and certainly the sound of the angels. This sound is the topic of verse two of Go, Tell it on the Mountain. If you want to catch up on the other episodes about, Go, Tell it, I put links to those videos in the description of this one. Here’s verse two:

The shepherds feared and trembled When lo! above the earth, Rang out the angel chorus That hailed our Savior’s birth.

I don’t think the shepherds had any choice as to whether or not they heard the angels. Luke’s account says, “Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people he favors!” – Luke 2:13-14

This account was originally written in Greek, and the word that is translated “multitude” is “plethos.” I think our modern word plethora gives us an accurate understanding of the number of angels the shepherds saw and heard that night. There was no ignoring that sound. But listening requires more than just hearing the sound, it requires an openness to receive what is being said. Are you listening for what God has to say to you this Christmas season? This is one of the reasons why I love the song, Hark! The Herald Angels’ Sing. The first word is a call to all of us to listen to what God has to say to us.

This history of this song is fascinating. The song was originally written by Charles Wesley. It was published in 1739 under the title, “Hymn for Christmas Day.” Wesley was inspired by the sound of church bells as he was out walking in London. The first line of the song was originally, “Hark how all the welkin rings!” Obviously we all know that welkin is an old English word that refers to the sky or the heavens. So, Wesley heard the skies ringing with church bells and told the story of another day that the skies were filled with a glorious sound. Thankfully Wesley had friends, one of them, namely George Whitefield, changed the first line to what we sing today - Hark! The Herald Angels’ Sing.

You have to fast forward 100 year to get to the melody we sing today. It was written by Felix Mendelssohn in 1840 as part of his cantata Festgesang, which was written to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Johannes Gutenburg’s printing press. William Cummings adapted Wesley’s text, repeating the first lines of the song as the refrain to match Mendelssohn’s melody and published it in The Congregational Psalmist in 1858.

Hark! the Herald Angels Sing emphasizes the need to listen to the angels, because their message was one of hope – us messed up people could find forgiveness, redemption, and fulfillment in the saving work of Jesus, the Messiah.

“Jesus, You laid your glory by. You were born to give us second birth. You Yourself said, ‘Truly I tell you, unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God' (John 3:3). Thank You for being sent so that anyone who believes in you will not perish, but have eternal life. Help me to listen to what You have to say every single day.”

Such a great song! So many fantastic versions to talk about. In fact, I added a few extra in the blog post that goes with this video. I’m going to start with Nat King Cole. Every Christmas playlist needs to have some Nat King Cole. His version is hopeful and regal. Make sure you check that one out. The arrangement that brings back the most memories for me, is one by the Vince Guaraldi Trio. It’s highly recognizable because it’s the soundtrack for A Charlie Brown Christmas. I still think the best reading ever of Luke 2 was done by Linus as they were rehearsing for the Christmas program. At this point I want to give a shout out to the Mid America Freedom Band from Kansas City. They did a sweet little 8-piece brass band YouTube video this year that really captures the spirit of the holidays. One of the most creative versions I have is from Bebe and Cece Winans’ First Christmas album. They are two of the greatest singers on the planet. Their R&B rendition has gospel and island overtones. It’s a smooth jam that will keep you moving as they resurrect a verse that doesn’t get much attention anymore. Lastly, I’ll give you one by one of my favorite vocalists of all time, Bryan Duncan. His version is an upbeat pop music celebration.

Are you ready to listen?

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Here are some more great versions of Hark! The Herald Angels Sing:

The Worship Society

Pentanonix

Take 6

David Alstead