Christ Whose Glory Fills the Skies
Lyrics by Charles Wesley
Written by the prolific hymn writer Charles Wesley, “Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies” is a rich and beautiful hymn that speaks to us on several levels. Wesley’s first stanza alludes to Hebrews, Chapter 1 which tells us that Christ is the “radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being.” Wesley not only acknowledges who Christ is, the “true and only Light, the Sun of righteousness, the Day-star,” but he also beckons His presence (“be near. . . in my heart appear.”) The second stanza reminds us of the pain and sadness of our sinful condition and expresses yearning for God’s mercy to bring us light and joy. The third stanza is a prayer for the radiance of God to pierce the darkness, to dispel doubt, and for God to reveal Himself. The elements of Wesley’s lyrics in the 2nd and 3rd stanzas reflect his years of ministering to prisoners in London’s Newgate Prison, and this reminded me to pray again for “Clyde,” who murdered my sister in 1984, and who remains incarcerated in Georgia, yet has no remorse. My prayer is that he would repent and find God’s forgiveness. We, also, are imprisoned by sin which makes our days joyless without the mercy beams of Christ and His radiance, both of which come through repentance. Wesley’s words encouraged not only Newgate’s prisoners, but they also encourage us to confess our sins and to request mercy. They give us hope and reassurance as we look for the Perfect Day when we all meet Jesus face to face. Our prayer echoes Wesley’s: “fill [us] with radiancy divine.” Lord, rid us of our doubts. Pierce our darkness. Help us “triumph o’er the shade of night.” Shine in us, O God, this Advent and every day until that Perfect Day.
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