Crown of Glory
I
The Ancient of Days throughout history,
covered by the angels singing holy,
holy, holy, awesome is His glory
Worthy is He to receive our praise, wholly

In unapproachable light He hath dwelled
The beginning, the middle, and the end
Worship Him you creatures, wholly compelled
Praises of His saints like incense ascend.

He is righteous and pure; the truth, the light.
His understanding is higher than ours,
thoughts incomprehensible; His way right
Who can fathom His transcendent powers

Behold His beauty in glory arrayed
Hath never love more true, more pure displayed

II
Hath never love more true, more pure displayed
than the Fathers love to His only Son,
begotten eternal, divinely clade
the light of the Father, His Holy One.

His Word by His side for aeons past
Alpha, Omega; beginning and end
Trustworthy and true, the first and the last
His splendor and worth, who can comprehend?

His desire to reveal the Father’s love
to direct pure worship and devotion
from all of creation to God above
giving life to all in Him, the chosen

Gathered from every tribe through history
Endlessly radiating His glory
III
Endlessly radiating His glory
The Father shares His only begotten
With a word spoke, time begins—our story
Begins, a moment nearly forgotten

In the beginning, God created the
Heavens and the earth; Spirit, Son, Father
With one swift word, He issued His decree—
“Let there be—“ and brought forth land and water.

His divine plan was to fashion a man
From the dust of the earth and give him life
His blueprint before creation began
To create in His image man and wife

And share life with them; innocent, unafraid
Knowing only in Him could true joy be weighed
IV
Knowing only in Him could true joy be weighed
The serpent, the devil of old; cunning,
wicked, conniving tempted with forbade
fruit, luscious, to eyes and mind quite stunning

God’s word of warning had not been heeded
“The day you eat this you shall surely die”
He had offered all they ever needed
The formed clay for the potter’s role would vie.

O what rebellion, what uprising is this?
Created thing should cast off Creator,
surely something, somewhere had gone amiss.
Woe upon woe! Is there treason greater?

Creation stands mouth agape in dismay
Insidious desire’s led man astray

V
Insidious desires led man astray
Resentment to God, nakedness exposed
Mutiny as this our hearts did betray
Toward what wickedness man is disposed

A calling voice, an old love forsaken,
Sounds through the garden, where are you my friend?
Panic stabs my chest, my courage shaken,
This torn accord, impossible to mend.

I flee for my life and take my refuge,
In deep shadows away from His gaze.
Now vile iniquity do I effuse
What Treach’ry! I suffocate in malaise!

Though created in such noble lin’age
Naked, afraid man flees from God’s visage,
VI
Naked, afraid man flees from God’s visage,
Terrified to glimpse the holy semblance
Of the One who fashioned in His image
Treas’nous man who marred his God’s resemblance.

“Where are you?” the Lord called to the couple.
Naked and ashamed, Adam and his wife
Stepped forth with heads hung, shamed by their trouble
Heart wrenched the Lord knew, this had cost their life

They could no longer in His presence dwell,
But from the beginning, He knew the end
He cursed them but this was not the death knell
He promised them the servant He would send

Long before their breach He had planned a way
God clothed man and promised peace one day
VII
God clothed man and promised peace one day.
Adam breached God’s trust; though God is righteous
Like a potter who fixes broken clay
Jars, God will send a servant in His likeness.

He sets apart a people for His own
Through this blessed tribe, He’ll heal a broken world
He’ll send His Son for sin’s curse to atone
The exact imprint of His nature whorled.

Promised Lion of Judah, David’s seed
The Lamb God provides on His holy hill
Redemption sure, His worth doth far exceed
The ransom for sin when His blood will spill

Told from the fall, this salvation message,
Oblation Holy restores His image.
VIII
Oblation Holy restores His image,
A stumbling block, a message of offense
To sinful man whose warped sense of privilege
Sees no reason for God’s judgment dispensed

For I am righteous says the sin-filled one
Though He is poor, blind, guilty and naked
In light of the Father’s radiant Son
It is because of this mankind has hated

His creator, though God did us no wrong.
Very good was man when He gave us breath
‘Twas our desire to join the rebel throng
Try what we might we cannot escape death

Our good deeds don’t compare to holy awe
For none made righteous through works of the law
IX
For none made righteous through works of the law
The law of sin and death has found man cursed
The wages of Man’s works have earned Hell’s maw
No deed can be done to see this reversed.

God does not desire any would perish,
But man’s sin created a boundless rift.
Despite all He gave we did not cherish
The position He’d given as a gift.

A murderer cannot undo his crime,
Nor can the vile stain of sin be made clean.
We faced iniquity’s debt for all time,
But by His work He promised to redeem.

No penance paid could ever earn grace, sorry;
God alone will save man for His glory
X
God alone will save man for His glory
One thing is true, God cherishes His Word
Told of old, the ancient prophets’ story
Tells His plan—Don’t you know, haven’t you heard?

Righteous judgment comes, His Son’s right alone,
To punish the wicked and dispel death.
That day, that hour remains to man unknown
In Him is life abundant that gives breath.

He calls to us repent, turn back from sin
Perfect sacrifice, given at His cost
Provides the way and covers our chagrin
The sins of the world were nailed to the cross

Lo! The Son, for us He fulfilled the law
Love like this, now revealed in splendid awe
XI
Love like this, now revealed in splendid awe
Light breaks forth, shines in brilliance
Releasing us from the enemy’s claw
Once gripped by death, now alive in His radiance

Darkness ensnared and engulfed all mankind
The chokehold of sin bound in captive chains
Our Savior sets us free, gives sight to the blind
And He will heal the broken-hearted’s pains

He who knew no sin became sin for us
And bore our curse of death upon the cross.
Death had no hold, He rose victorious
From the grave that haunted man since our loss.

To bear the punishment we could not take
One come from heav’n above will darkness break
XII
One come from heav’n above will darkness break
Yes, faithful to the Father’s will He comes
To drink the cup of God’s wrath, for our sake
The object of God’s judgment He becomes

But through His chastisement He brings assurance
Of peace with God, a propitiation
To show God’s righteousness in forbearance
That He could reconcile every nation

To Him, in Him, by Him, for His pleasure
A remnant from ev’ry nation and tribe
Gather to Him through faith as His treasure
All glory and honor to Him ascribe

Holy choir gather ‘round and proclaimeth,
Righteous is the lamb, faithful to last breath!
XIII
Righteous is the lamb, faithful to last breath
He is the Passover, pure and holy,
Jesus vanquished sin, redemption cometh
Lift up praises to the Lord our God solely

The grave could not hold him, death lost its sting
Your throne O God, forever, and ever
Come now, hear the seraphim praise our King.
He sits at the right hand of the Father

As His enemies are made a footstool
For His feet, all will be subject to Him.
In righteousness and honor He will rule,
Receive His peace now, before time grows thin.

All will bow, He is Lord, you will confess
Yea, sing aloud, for He has conquered death!
XIV
Yea, sing aloud, for He has conquered death!
People from every tribe, nation, tongue
Come drink Living Water and be refreshed
Gather round His throne, the old and the young

Come, partake the bread of life, be nourished
And receive, His life in great abundance.
Only in him, by Him can we flourish
Give Him your guilt, let go your reluctance

He resists the proud, give grace to humble
Hearts that come to be cleansed. His infinite
Worth is greater than all sin or stumble
Faithful to forgive, redemption definite

Behold our God, crowned with might and Glory
The Ancient of Days throughout history
XV
The Ancient of Days throughout history
Hath never love more true, more pure displayed
Endlessly radiating His glory
Knowing only in Him could true joy be weighed

Insidious desires led man astray;
Naked, afraid man flees from God’s visage,
God clothed man and promised peace one day,
Oblation Holy restores His image.

For none made righteous through works of the law
God alone will save man for His namesake
Love like this, now revealed in splendid awe
One come from heav’n above will darkness break

Righteous is the lamb, faithful to last breath
Yea, sing aloud, for He has conquered death!