All Hail, Thou Long-Expected King
All hail, Thou long-expected King,
Thou heir to David's throne,
Of Whom did once the prophets sing,
Now come unto Thine own!
A king Thou art, yet Thou dost lie
Upon a bed of hay,
With lowing oxen standing by,
On this, Thy natal day.
Before Thee once did seraphs bend
In homage to their Lord;
Now shepherds do on Thee attend,
Whom angels once adored.
How wondrous that Thou should so divest
Thyself of majesty,
Our souls from Satan's pow'r to wrest
That we might spotless be!
All praise to Thee, Immanuel,
To Whom we lift each voice!
Of all Thy honors we shall tell,
And in Thy love rejoice!
May all of you--my readers--have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Image: "The Nativity," by Lorenzo Lotto from the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC