Advent Day 3 - Draw Near

Is it not a wonderful thing this Advent season to know that God bids us come? That this great, holy God of righteousness and wrath says, “Draw near to me through my Son, your High Priest. Draw near to me.1

Before we could draw near to God, He first drew near to us. He came veiled in flesh and lived among us. He came to seek and save the lost and continues to do so to this day.

Romans 10:5–9 (NLT) — 5 For Moses writes that the law’s way of making a person right with God requires obedience to all of its commands. 6 But faith’s way of getting right with God says, “Don’t say in your heart, ‘Who will go up to heaven?’ (to bring Christ down to earth). 7 And don’t say, ‘Who will go down to the place of the dead?’ (to bring Christ back to life again).” 8 In fact, it says, “The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart.” And that message is the very message about faith that we preach: 9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

For a moment, let's consider a few of my favorite lines from Hark! The Herald Angels Sing. (Incidentally, Christmas hymns are sublime pieces of art and theology. There is a reason they have been around for centuries - because they are excellent. Most of what is on the radio today will soon be forgotten, but I digress.) We all (sort of) know these traditional hymns. We can sing the chorus pretty well before we are reduced to humming the stanzas. In other words, we probably don't know them as well as we think we do. But if we take the time, not to just hear, but to ponder what is being proclaimed, we will find that they herald majestic and wonderful things.

This hymn is full of great joy. Great joy because God has given His greatest gift, His only Son. And His Son is peace, His Son is light, and His Son is life. Because of that, rebellious sinners can be reconciled to God.

Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the new-born King!
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled."
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;

I also love how it sings of the incarnation. The fact that God came in the flesh and lived among us:

Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see;
Hail, th'incarnate Deity:
Pleased, as man, with men to dwell,
Jesus, our Emmanuel!
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the new-born King!

Lastly, it proclaims how Jesus came and brought life, light, and healing. It proclaims how Christ came to give the second birth so that we could have eternal life. Truth be told, this entire hymn could be highlighted in bold print.

Hail! the heaven-born
Prince of peace!
Hail! the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings,
Risen with healing in his wings
Mild he lays his glory by,
Born that man no more may die:
Born to raise the son of earth,
Born to give them second birth.

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing is a hymn about how a Holy God drew near to fallen humanity. It is about the God who came in the flesh and lived among us to transform rebels into sons and daughters.

1Piper, John. The Dawning of Indestructible Joy (p. 20). Crossway. Kindle Edition.