Scripture Verse

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:11

Introduction

portrait
Gottfried W. Fink
1783–1846

Words: From A Col­lec­tion of Psalms and Hymns Ex­tract­ed from Va­ri­ous Au­thors, 10th edi­tion, by Mar­tin Ma­dan (Lon­don: Hen­ry Cock, 1783), num­ber 172. Adapt­ed by Ri­chard W. Ad­ams, 2017 (pub­lic do­main).

Music: Beth­le­hem (Fink) Gott­fried W. Fink, 1842 (🔊 pdf nwc).

illustration
Announcement to the Shepherds

Lyrics

Lift up your heads in joy­ful hope,
Salute the hap­py morn;
Hear heav’n­ly pow­er pro­claim the hour:
Lo, Je­sus Christ is born.
All glo­ry be to God on high,
To Him all praise is due;
The pro­mise sealed, the Lord re­vealed,
He proves the re­cord true.

Let joy around like riv­ers flow,
Flow on, and still in­crease,
Spread o’er the earth at Je­sus’ birth,
With Heav’n and men at peace.
Rejoice, come see, sal­va­tion free
For Adam’s help­less race:
From Heav­en’s throne to save His own,
Messiah comes with grace.

Then let us join the skies above,
Where shin­ing ser­aphs sing;
Join an­gel pow­ers, their Lord is ours,
Our pro­phet, priest, and king.
The tid­ings of great joy be spread
To earth’s re­mot­est bound;
With heav’n­ly host, to ev­ry coast
We raise the joy­ful sound.