Best known for writing the worship classics "Open the Eyes of My Heart," "Hosanna (Praise is Rising)," "Above All" and "Your Name," seminal worship artist Paul Baloche has released his first full-length Christmas album, Christmas Worship.
Just like when you sing along with any of Baloche's songs for the Church, this seasonal album is filled with congregation-friendly songs about submitting all of yourself to God. I had the great opportunity to interview Paul about his medley of "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" combined with his new worship song, "King of Heaven."
Please tell me about the story behind recording the song.
"Hark the Herald Angels Sing" is almost a course in theology. You could take the song and break it down and teach on it for 10 weeks, probably. There's so much biblical theology in the song. The song is jam-packed with the Gospel.
A lot of times in corporate worship we like songs to be simple enough for congregations to sing, but not simplistic. That's "King of Heaven." It's not a complicated song. The essence of the song is an intercessory prayer. That was the genesis of the song in writing it. It's essentially The Lord's Prayer as in the verses we sing, "let Your Kingdom come, let Your will be done."
People might just be hearing the snippet in this song and wonder what we're singing about because God's Kingdom has already come. Yes, we're saved, but we are also working out our salvation in fear and trembling. It is both. We continue to ask God, "let Your will be done, let Your Kingdom come" as Jesus taught us to pray. That wasn't just to be prayed one time; it is the model prayer that Jesus gave us. So that chorus is inviting God into your life, into your family, into that gathering of believers. It's that immediate expression, "King of Heaven come," which is consistent with other Christmas carols, like "O Come all Ye Faithful," and "O Come, O Come Emmanuel."
There's a longing for the Messiah to come. I think that hasn't changed and applies now in 2013 for the person that's going through a health issue or struggling financially, praying come King of Heaven, Emmanuel, God with us. For a marriage that is in trouble. The song can help us pray to God to redeem, help, and heal us.
Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?
Isaiah 7:14 (NKJV): "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.
Matthew 18:20 (NKJV): "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."
Philippians 2:5-11 (NKJV): "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
What's the takeaway message for listeners about the song and album?
People have said to me that they are surprised that in 20 years of making music, I've never recorded a Christmas album. The thing that stopped me over the years is that I'm not Michael Buble or Nat King Cole. I don't have this super peculiar and fascinating voice where you'd want to hear me singing the typical songs. I've always thought that there is no point in me recording a Christmas album—except, as a worship pastor the last 20 years in my church, every time I start thinking about Christmas, I'm always confronted with the challenge of how do we sing these Christmas carols. They are rich with content and we have to sing them. They are beautiful and it is an important part of our calendar year. Most of them lack an element of vertical singing directly to God a "singing your prayers" style of worship that we're accustomed to throughout the year.
For years, I've worked on blending familiar Christmas carols with a simple vertical chorus. Sometimes I would write short, new lyrics to create an inhale/exhale effect. You're inhaling all this rich content which is pure and nostalgic, founded in these timeless carols, and then have a chance to respond to that in a direct vertical expression to the Lord. That provoked me to realize that since if I feel this, there are probably other worship pastors who want to keep worship happening throughout the Christmas season by integrating those two things, classic carols and modern worship choruses.
Last year I decided to make this album. There are three types of songs on this album: The carol/worship chorus blended songs, original Christmas songs, and familiar choruses where we re-wrote the verses describing the Christmas narrative describing God's story and the intent behind Christmas. They are songs about God sending His Son into the world.
Rather than teaching ten new songs, we modified songs like "Your Name," "Offering," and "What Can I Do" to reflect the Christmas story in the verses. We want these songs to serve the Church and to be sung corporately. That's my heart as a worship pastor. What I tell people about "King of Heaven" is to activate their spirit and pray for God to come down into their lives. May the Lord answer that prayer and be present in your life.
Lyrics:
Hark the herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn King
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled
Joyful, all ye nations rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With angelic host proclaim
Christ is born in Bethlehem
Hark the herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn King
Hail the heav'n born Prince of Peace
Hail the Son of Righteousness
Light and life to all He brings
Risen with healing in His wings
Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Hark the herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn King
King of heaven come down
King of heaven come now
Let Your glory reign
Shining like the day
King of heaven come
King of heaven rise up
Who can stand against us
You are strong to save
In Your mighty name
King of heaven come
Oh oh oh
Christ by highest heav'n adored
Christ the everlasting Lord
Late in time behold Him come
Offspring of a virgin's womb
Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Hark the herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn King
King of heaven come
King of heaven come
King of heaven come
King of heaven come
Every Christmas season I've had the privilege to start listening to new Christmas albums in September, in order to select the songs I'd like to feature for this Behind the Song Devotional series. I had a fun time with Paul Baloche's album, as I could literally write about every song because they are all filled with biblical truth.
We should all heed Apostle Paul's words, "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men" (Phil 2:5-9).
That's the story of Christmas. Our King of Heaven came down to save us from our sins and was obedient to the point of death on a cross. That's what we can ponder as Mary and Joseph did when they welcomed Him to Earth.
A key lyric in "Hark the Herald Angels Sing," written by Charles Wesley in 1739, is "born to give them second birth." That's an exciting Truth that by Jesus coming to earth we have the ability to be born again and be saved as Jesus explained to Nicodemus in John 3. That's the ultimate gift of Christmas, the gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus.
The beauty of this song is that in addition to that Truth, this song celebrates what Paul shares in Philippians 2:9-11: "Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Amen to that!
(Listen to the song here.)
