This page is provided so that you can hear the tunes of items which we use in church. Mostly they are written by the vicar. Please note that they are copyright - we are very happy to give permission to you to use them, but we would like to hear about it. Please include any use on your Christian Copyright Licence returns.
Down this page:
- the words,
- the story,
- the sheet music,
- media player.
Not as a newborn baby
Not as a newborn baby
Not as a newborn baby small,
not laid within a cattle-stall;
but strong and tall,
the judge of all
will you be on the last day, Christ.
Not limited to one small place,
no culture-gap to hide your grace;
but every race
shall see your face,
when you come on that last day, Christ.
Not veiled in peasant poverty,
concealed within humility;
but all will see
your majesty
when you come on that last day, Christ.
Not needing once again to die;
but now victorious in the sky,
and every eye
will see you high
when you come on that last day, Christ.
With angels, trumpets, power and might,
to wind up day, abolish night.
Amazing! Frightening!
What a sight!
When you come on that last day, Christ.
To take your people to their home,
freed from all sorrow, pain and groans.
Those on their own
will sigh and moan
when you come on that last day, Christ.
Words and tune copyright © John Hartley 2007.
Story behind the song
Like "We do not know you, Christ" this hymn was inspired by Brian Wren's words and Peter Cutts' tune on the theme of the transfiguration - the expression of awe and wonder and a side of Jesus which we previously knew nothing about, and a tune to match the mystery of the words. This one transfers the feelings to Advent, when we look forward to Christ coming again on the clouds, with the angels and the trumpets, to bring to an end the present order of creation and to take his people home.
John Hartley.
Windows Media Player. When you click the left-hand "play" button your computer should have started to play the tune. If it didn't, you might be able to get the tune by clicking here, or by right-clicking the link, choosing "save target as", saving it onto your computer, and then opening it with a music-playing program.
Please remember that a midi file of a tune isn't supposed to be a state-of-the-art musical arrangement - it is only supposed to give a basic idea of how the tune goes. Any reasonable organist / keyboard player / music group could make it sound far better.