p. 14 | And His Name Shall Be Called Wonderful

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Jun 30, 1909

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 36, No. 25.

“And His Name Shall Be Called Wonderful”

By Mrs. L. D. Avery-Stuttle

By Mrs. L. D. Avery-Stuttle

I

O WONDROUS prophecy of old O wondrous tale of Christ foretold! O wondrous Babe, at whose strange birth The wisest princes of the earth Brought gold and incense from afar Their only guide a gleaming star. O Child of Bethlehem! Thy birth Hath brought the heavens down to earth; Hath blest the spot which Thou hast trod,— Emmanuel, the Christ of God.

II

Strange, strange, that when the clock of time Rang forth the hour in tones sublime, The very hour when seers foretold Thy wondrous birth in days of old, Thy virgin mother laid Thy head Upon that lowly manger bed.

III

And when within the Temple’s walls Midst the Sanhedrin’s lordly halls A simple Lad of tender years The Child of Nazareth appears. He spake such words of wondrous lore As sages ne’er had heard before.

IV

Aye, wonderful the life He led, And wonderful the words He said, And wonderful the lessons taught, And wonderful the deeds He wrought!

V

His gentle touch brought quick relief To saddened hearts bowed down with grief; He made the helpless blind to see And Satan’s captives set He free; He snatched the keys of dusty death, And gave to dead men life and breath— The wondrous Christ of Nazareth.

VI

At last, on Calvary’s rugged side, How wonderful the death He died! And when that sad, despairing cry Rose upward toward the darkening sky, The rock-ribbed earth, as if in pain, Like ocean billows rose amain; While graves were rent on Calvary As died the Man of Galilee.

VII

O tyrant Death! how vain thy strife To bind the mighty Prince of Life; But few brief hours must He remain Fast held beneath thy galling chain. Then heavenly light dispels the gloom Which hangs o’er Joseph’s new-made tomb; An angel cleaves the wondering skies,— “O Son of God, arise, arise!”

VIII

The rocks shook ’neath the earthquake’s birth The Roman soldiers fell to earth As with a mighty Conqueror’s tread He rose, victorious, from the dead. Then did the dragon’s power break; Then did the throne of darkness quake. O wonderful; ye sons of men, The Christ of Calvary lives again.

IX

O wonderful that thrilling hour, And wonderful that mighty power, And wonderful the victory Of Christ, the Lamb of Calvary!

X

At last, on Olive’s mount so green The ascending Son of God is seen, What wondrous day, what wondrous hour What showing forth of wondrous power!

XI

Yet once again—O faith so grand— On Olive’s brow His feet shall stand, And this old earth, from sea to sea, His glorious Capital shall be, Then wondrous peace from shore to shore, And righteousness forevermore.