21 DECEMBER 2023

 

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

Charles Wesley wrote over 6,000 hymns in his lifetime, many of them while riding on a horse as he travelled from town to town with his brother John, preaching the Gospel. He would scribble notes in shorthand on to small cards and upon arrival at his lodgings at day’s end would immediately ask for a pen and ink and write down the newly composed hymn.

Inspiration for arguably his most famous hymn came from a different source however, about 12 months after his conversion. Walking to church one Sunday morning, his heart erupted with joy as he listened to the pealing of the church bells calling people to worship. It seemed to Charles as if the heavens above, along with the angels, were singing out glorious praise to God for His mighty act of saving people from their sin.

Basing his thoughts on Luke 2:14 – “good will toward men” – he wrote what he later called his “Hymn for Christmas Day.” Oddly enough, the original tune was quite dreary but perhaps you recognize its opening line:

“Hark how all the welkin rings!”

Welkin? What on earth is a welkin?

Welkin is an old English word, no longer used today which means “heavens” and sometimes referring to the “place where angels dwell.”

Thankfully, a good friend and colleague of the Wesley brothers, George Whitfield, rewrote the opening line which we are familiar with today:

“Hark! The herald angels sing,

‘Glory to the newborn King;’”

100 years later, Felix Mendelssohn composed the tune we now know so well and the combination of his “rousing” tune with Wesley’s words have resulted in this being one of the most popular Carols of all time.

Above all, this hymn causes us to focus with thankfulness and joy on the greatest truth of all – salvation through Jesus Christ.

As Wesley’s words remind us:

“Peace on earth, and mercy mild,

God and sinners reconciled!”

Hark how all the welkin rings!

Have you trusted Christ as your Lord and Saviour and accepted His free offer of salvation from your sin? If you would like to know more about becoming a Christian, please contact us at mail@wbcinc.org.au