Salute the Happy Morn

 

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The link for the live-streamed Christmas Eve service is here

Ed. Note: Thanks to our clerk of session for this Christmas morning post.

My Favourite Christmas Hymn is, "Christians Awake, Salute the Happy Morn".

Here is the story of how it became so special to me.

 

One of my loveliest Christmas memories took place in the late 1960's when I was the assistant house mother at Dr. Barnardo's in Canterbury.

It was Christmas Eve and so the house parents, who were Anglicans, took the older children to the early Christmas Eve service at the Cathedral while I stayed home with the younger ones and got them off to bed. 

When the other children arrived home, they got themselves off to bed and I was then free to go to the Methodist Church that I attended at that time, for the 11:00 pm service.

It was a beautiful service and it was timed so that the last hymn was sung just after midnight (now Christmas morning) & that hymn was, "Christians AwakeSalute the Happy Morn."

It just felt right to me at that time and really touched my heart.

After all our Christmas greetings to one another, we came out of church and it had just begun to snow, it was almost magical and as I walked home alone, through the now quiet city streets, that just a few hours earlier had been all of a bustle with shoppers buying last minute gifts, up through the city's West Gate, there was a really quiet peace. I can't explain it but all seemed right with the world, right at that moment, it was Christmas and Christ was born!

The words of this hymn are very meaningful to me and still fill my heart with hope, peace, joy and love, a real hymn of praise for Christ's birth.

 

Christians Awake! Salute the Happy Morn

This hymn, written by John By­rom, in 1745 as a Christmas gift to his daughter, Dolly, isn't sung in our churches as often as "Joy to the World" for example, but it is a wonderful salute to Christmas morning.  Enjoy.






Christians Awake
Christians, awake, salute the happy morn
Whereon the Savior of the world was born.
Rise to adore the mystery of love
Which hosts of angels chanted from above,
With them the joyful tidings first begun
Of God incarnate and the virgin’s Son.


Then to the watchful shepherds it was told,
Who heard th’angelic herald’s voice, “Behold,
I bring good tidings of a Savior’s birth
To you and all the nations of the earth;
This day hath God fulfilled His promised Word;
This day is born a Savior, Christ the Lord.”


He spoke; and straightaway the celestial choir
In hymns of joy, unknown before, conspire;
The praises of redeeming love they sang,
And Heav’n’s whole orb with alleluias rang.
God’s highest glory was their anthem still
Peace on the earth and unto men good wil

To Bethl’hem straight th’enlightened shepherds ran
To see the wonder God had wrought for man
And found, with Joseph and the blessèd maid,
Her Son, the Savior, in a manger laid;
Then to their flocks, still praising God, return,
And their glad hearts with holy rapture burn.


Like Mary let us ponder in our mind
God’s wondrous love in saving lost mankind!
Trace we the Babe, who hath retrieved our loss,
From His poor manger to His bitter cross,
Tread in His steps, assisted by His grace,
Till man’s first heav’nly state again takes place.

Then may we hope, th’angelic hosts among,
To sing, redeemed, a glad triumphal song.
He that was born upon this joyful day
Around us all His glory shall display.
Saved by His love, incessantly we sing
Eternal praise to Heav’n’s almighty King.


To hear the tune Yorkshire
click here