Loud praise to Christ our King; Alleluia, Amen!
Let, all with heart and voice,
Before His throne rejoice;
Praise is His gracious choice: Alleluia! Amen!
This hymn, written by Christian H. Batemen (1813-1889), was originally intended to be a children's song. The first line read, "Come, Children join to sing, Alleluia! Amen!" Not very different, but it is a significant change. What happened? Adults loved to sing this song, so a slight change was made. I don't know if it was necessary, all Christians are children of God. The hymn works both ways.
2) Come, lift your hearts on high, Alleluia! Amen!
Let praises fill the sky; Alleluia! Amen!
He is our Guide and Friend;
To us He'll condescend;
His love shall never end: Alleluia! Amen!
I really love the celebration of this song. In this stanza, the line, "To us He'll condescend;" is an excellent reminder that God comes to us. If He does not condescend, then we would never know Him. He would remain aloof above His creation and we would be deprived of His grace. Fortunately, God's never ending love means that we get to know Him both as Lord and Friend.
3) Praise yet our Christ again, Alleluia! Amen!
Life shall not end the strain; Alleluia! Amen!
On heaven's blissful shore
His goodness we'll adore,
Singing forevermore, Alleluia! Amen!
The third stanza reflects the first. It circles back to Christ. I'm fairly certain the second stanza is also focused on Christ, but it's the first and third that mention our Savior explicitly. That's the thing. As believers, we need to always come back to Christ. We point others to the Gospel. It is His work that redeems us. We receive Jesus' righteousness in order to be saved. It is a beautiful story that causes us to sing, Alleluia, Amen!
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