Praise to Christ

Glory to Thee,
Almighty Saviour! We,
Bending before Thy footstool cry
Glory to Thee on high!
All honour,power, and majesty be given
To Thee by all on earth and all in heaven.

Thou art the First:
Thou wert when nature burst
From her chaotic shroud and stood
By Thee approved good.
Thou wert ere stars had chimed their orient hymn,
Or heaven had heard the songs of seraphim.

Thou art the Last:
When earth and time have past;
When suns have paled their feeble ray,
And stars have died away,
Thou shalt shine forth all gloriously bright,
In Thine own uncreated quenchless light.

Beginning none
Nor end hast Thou. Thy throne
Above the heavens for ever stands;
And Round it angel bands
Cease not with ratuous voice to hail Thee Lord,
Equal with God, the co-eternal Word.

Yet Thou didst come,
Leaving Thy glorious home
To be a little child on earth,
The Virgin's wond'rous birth;
Nor didst refuse to be for our relief
A Man of Sorrows and acquaint with grief.

Wondrous Thy birth!
Not less Thy life of earth!
With rapt amaze we follow Thee,
Onward to Calvary,
Along that weary path which Thou didst tread,
Bearing our sins upon Thy sinless head.

Awe-struck we see
God manifest in Thee -
God over all in Thee, the Man
Than whom, since time began,
of all who've toiled or suffered here below,
None ever bore so deep a load of woe.

William Lindsay Alexander (1808-1884)

This hymn was never finished, but we here at Free St. George's feel that it sums up what Christmas is really about.

We here at Free St. George's join in wishing you a very blessed Christmas. And may Christ be lifted up this Christmas.