Arise Sons of the Kingdom

Originally written December 2024 – A hymn of the month!

Arise, Sons of the Kingdom was penned in c. 1651 by Johann Rist,
and translated by Catherine Winkworth in 1858. The original tune
name AUS MEINES HERZENS GRUNDE translates to “From the Bottom of my heart”. Translated: a song of thanks.

The song is calling us to arise, to get glad, to worship for the sole reason that Christ is on His way. While the tune name may not sound like it matches the content only a grateful people could make such a call. (Psalm 51:12-13).

Lyrics

[1] Arise, sons of the Kingdom!
The King is drawing nigh;
Arise and hail with gladness
The Ruler from on high.
Ye Christians, hasten forth!
Your praise and homage bring Him
And glad hosannas sing Him;
Naught else your love is worth.

[2] Arise, ye drooping mourners!
The King is very near;
Away with grief and sorrow!
For, lo! your Help is here.
Behold, in many a place–
Oh, blessed consolation!–
You find Him, your Salvation,
Within His means of grace.

[3] Arise, ye much afflicted!
The King is not afar.
Rejoice, ye long dejected,
Here comes the Morning Star!
The Lord will give you joy;
Tho’ troubles now distress you,
With comfort He will bless you,
E’en death He will destroy.

[4] Arise, ye poor and needy!
The King provides for you;
He comes with succor speedy,
With mercy ever new.
Receive your gracious King,
The Giver of all blessing.
Hail Him, His name confessing,
And glad hosannas sing.

[5] Be righteous, ye His subjects,
The King is just and true;
Prepare for Him a highway,
Make all things straight and new.
For, lo, He means it well;
Then willing bear the crosses
That He Himself imposes,
Nor let your courage fail.

[6] O rich the gifts Thou bringest,
Thyself made poor and weak!
O Love beyond expression,
That thus can sinners seek!
For this, O Lord, will we
Our joyous tribute bring Thee
And glad hosannas sing Thee,
And ever grateful be.

Here comes the breakdown. (cue crash cymbals)

Sons of the Kingdom

The song begins by calling the sons of the kingdom to be happy and glad! The last verse calls it like it is – sinners! Sinners are being called! It calls sad people to get happy. Those who are suffering. Those who are poor and needy. It reminds of Matthew 5 and the sermon on the mount: Blessed are the poor, those who mourn, the lowly, the hungry and thirsty – they will be met with the comfort, with true satisfaction, with true justice, an eternal kingdom, ultimately they will inherit the earth.

Who is called? Those who have come in to the Lord, and those who long to come in to the Lord, and those who refuse to come in to the Lord. So… EVERYONE.

Why?
Because the King of the Universe is on His way. That’s why. Justice for those who have been oppressed by sin, death, and the devil. Wrath for those who refuse to turn away from their wicked way. Some of you know this already, but advent is a time of expectancy in that Christ is about to be born as child. God the son is about to show up in flesh and bone. But this has happened already.

What expectancy should we have now?
We expect that the Lord will appear, descending just as he ascended. (Acts 1:10-11). If you’ve ever ventured into the book of Revelation you will know that it is all good for those who turn to the Lord, and all bad for those who set their hearts against the Lord. And do not be fooled, there is no neutral stance in the cosmic war for the soul. All will end up choosing a side. Yet you should rejoice, because you are being saved. And there are many a heart who will turn to him when they see that what they long for is fulfilled in Christ! The KING IS ON HIS WAY! 

Make a Highway

This is a call to tell people. Or at least, make it easy for people to see the way! No one hides light, generally. (Matt 5:14-16) They use it to illuminate a darkened room. And while this may be an uncomfortable thought, we hope to bring light to society around us – especially those who refuse Him. All people are called to worship. ALL PEOPLE. Let us help them get here.

A highway is a path that has been carved out or built to avoid the many, many obstacles that are typically found in a city. We also build highways by bringing down mountains (usually blowing them up and cutting through!) and bringing up valleys to connect cities to cities in as smooth and beautiful a way as possible. How should this be accomplished as Christians calling all nations and peoples to be disciples?

You have to start by being a disciple. You might win them over with musical preferences, scene, and kids program… but have you won them over to Christ? We can only win people over to Christ by being a disciple. (Matt 28:19-20)

Bring good gifts

Alas, we are called to bring good gifts. Real gifts. True Sacrifice. True thanksgiving. True praise. When Cain became jealous of Abel and slew him, he did not do so because he planned on offering to God what Abel had been offering – it’s not like he wanted to take over the business of Abel. He murdered him because Abel offered something to God that Cain wasn’t offering, a true and willing heart of worship. And I’ll go as far as to assert that Cain was envious (Genesis 4:1-16), vying for God’s attention and not even knowing why.

Here are a few more examples of what sort of approach we should have in bringing gifts to the Lord. The woman with the Alabaster box (Matt 26:6-13, Mark 14:3-9, Luke 7:36-50, John 12:1-8). The woman with the two mites (Mark 12:41-44, Luke 21:1-4). Those broken in spirit (Psalm 51:16-17, Matt 5:3). If you really want to take it up a notch, obedience is quite possibly the highest gift to bring the Lord. It is the most difficult for us, I think (1 Samuel 15:22). (Obedience also implies trust in the Lord, so perhaps trust is the root issue and obedience is the symptom – it’s a good symptom to be sure).

So…
Get happy. SING! Rejoice. Not only in what has been done through the Cross but for the work that will yet be done on the earth. God’s justice will pervade throughout the land, whether at the end of the age, or right now.

#hymn #arise #sons-of-the-kingdom