A Long Time Ago

by

John Wheeler

A long time ago, the Lord of the heavens came to the earth,
And the first-born son of the maiden Mary became.
No royal bed but a manger awaited him at his birth;
But an angel of God gave his father and mother his name.

As he grew from a boy to a man, people wondered: "How can it be
That the son of a tradesman lives so much better than me?
What does he see that leads him to be so much better than me?"

For Jesus was a man, just as any other man, just like you and me;
He grew hungry and thirsty and tired as the day grew long.
But his heart and his will were the same that he had from eternity;
And the Spirit of God without measure made his mind strong.

As he came near thirty years old, people wondered, "How can it be
That a man such as this man doesn't have his own family?"
They just couldn't see who was to be in his family.

[Instrumental bridge]

A long time ago, the Lord of the heavens died on the earth,
Left alone by his friends and betrayed by a traitor to shame.
But his faith and his love never wavered in him from the day of his birth;
He obeyed his heavenly Father and honored his name.

As they raised him up from the ground, people wondered, "How can it be
That a man of God such as this man wasn't set free?"
They just couldn't see this had to be to set the world free.

The sun was dark and the moon was ashamed;
He cried aloud and the ground did shake;
The people wept and his foes were dismayed
The day that God died on a stake!

A long time ago, the Lord of the heavens lay in the earth;
For three whole days and nights He remained in the grave.
But the third day he rose at the end of the Sabbath in a new birth,
The first-born son of the Father to see a new day.

Though I don't understand how it was, and I wonder how it could be
That a girl such as I am should be in his family,
I'm honored to be chosen to be in his family.
Yes, I'm honored to be chosen to be in his family.

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