Matt Boswell & Matt Papa
Christmas is about waiting. For centuries, God's people yearned for the promised Savior. When did he come? "In the fullness of time" (Galatians 4). This modern carol captures both the longing of the waiting heart and the joy when the waiting is over.
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
-Galatians 4:4–5 ESV
The Christmas season will soon come upon us once again, filling our lives with songs of the Savior’s birth. Many of the earliest hymns Christians sang together centered on the incarnation. The mystery and wonder of God the Son taking on frail human flesh causes our hearts to well up in song anew in each generation. “God with us:” there is no greater message to sing.
In the spirit of traditional carols, we sought to give new expression to the importance of this event which came to pass “in the fullness of time.” In Galatians 4:4 Paul uses this phrase to speak of the incarnation and the benefits that flow to God’s people because of it: redemption from sins and adoption as sons and daughters of the Father.
The moment of Christ’s birth is unlike any other in redemptive history. It truly was the moment when mankind beheld “incarnate love.” In this song we tried to imagine ourselves at the scene of his birth, after centuries of God’s people waiting, when “the hopes and fears of all the years” were finally met in Christ.
We borrowed language from the Nicene Creed to tell of the one who is “God of God, light of light, begotten One, there in a manger laid.” Springing from idea of this as a “Holy, holy, holy moment,” we decided to conclude the song by writing a new verse to Reginald Heber’s beloved hymn:
Holy, holy, holy
In a manger lowly
Christ the Son now veiled in flesh
In our humanity
Kingdoms bow before Him
Heav’n and earth adore Him
God here in person
Hail His majesty
We pray this song would help us all wonder afresh at the perfect timing of our promise-keeping God.
- Matt Boswell
Matt Boswell is lead pastor of The Trails Church in North Texas and the President of Doxology & Theology. He is an author and hymnwriter, known for songs including “His Mercy is More” and “Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery”. Boswell earned his MA in Christian Ministry, ThM in Biblical Spirituality, and PhD in Christian Worship from Southern Seminary. He lives in Texas with his wife and four kids.
Matt Papa is a songwriter, worship leader, and author whose heart longs to see people from every corner of the world set ablaze by the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. His latest project, “Almost Home,” showcases over a dozen songs co-written with frequent collaborator Matt Boswell.
