Because Christmas is coming, I’ve decided to take a break from my daily review of modern worship songs and focus on Christmas hymns for a month. I’ve started with Advent.
Advent hymns emphasize waiting, longing, and preparation, while Christmas hymns celebrate fulfilment, joy, and Christ’s birth.
Today’s hymn is Long Ago, Prophets Knew
The lyrics are modern – from 1970, but it’s an old tune. I never remember singing it in church. Though an Advent hymn, it has a very “Christmassy” feel to it. The title emphasizes the fact that the Messiah was expected for centuries. And it wasn’t just a single obscure verse. You sometimes get cult leaders etc. claiming that the Bible predicted their coming. But with Jesus, it was hundreds of references and it was a constant theme and talking point throughout the gospels and the rest of the New Testament. Here are some examples:
Matthew 2:5–6
“For this is what the prophet has written: ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
Matthew 21:4–5
“This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: ‘Say to Daughter Zion, See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey…’”
Luke 24:25–27
Jesus says to the disciples on the road to Emmaus: “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?”
Acts 10:43
“All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
The most memorable part of the hymn is the chorus and the line “When he comes, who will make him welcome?” Advent hymns speak of the first and second coming of Christ, but they also touch on Christ coming into our lives.
Ring, bells, ring, ring, ring!
Sing, choirs, sing, sing, sing!
When he comes,
When he comes,
Who will make him welcome?
I think that this is what is meant by the chorus. When he’s presented to us, do we welcome him into our lives? In the Christmas story, we see the shepherds delighting in hearing the good news, the wise men, and Simeon and Anna, pious Jews who longed for the coming of the Messiah. Then, we see Herod, who wanted to murder him and so many others in the later life of Jesus who ended up crucifying him. Then, at Pentecost, 3,000 welcomed him into their lives and thousands more as the gospel spread. Christianity didn’t expand through military means. In later centuries, when big political powers adopted nominal Christianity, there were elements of that, but you don’t win people to Christ with the sword.
There’s an interesting statement that Jesus made that parallels the last line of the chorus:
Luke 18:8
“When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
Jesus was teaching about persistent prayer, which emerges from persistent faith. He was challenging his audience. Jesus doesn’t think in terms of statistics. It’s said that there are 2.6 billion Christians worldwide. But Jesus is concerned with what’s going on in people’s hearts. How many of that 2.6 billion have truly welcomed him into their hearts and have genuine faith in him? I hope that many have, but it’s a question worth asking ourselves.
Hibernia Gospel 