Merry Christmas!

Joy to the World!

December 24

Once in Royal David's City has become famous as the processional hymn since 1919 for the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at King's College Chapel, Cambridge, which is performed on Christmas eve (today at 10 am EST). The first verse is sung as a solo by one of the boy choristers, the second by the whole choir and on the third and following the congregation joins in. The choristers do not know who will sing the solo until immediately before they sing...

It is precisely 10 seconds to air for A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at King’s College, Cambridge. The college’s director of music, Stephen Cleobury, looks one boy chorister directly in the eye and gestures for him to step forward. Only then does the soloist learn that he has the honour of singing, unaccompanied, the opening verse of Once in Royal David’s City.

“The boys might speculate on which one of them I’ll pick, but not actually telling them until seconds beforehand is the only way to avoid nerves,” says Cleobury. “This way the boy performs in the heat of the moment. I always have three or four candidates in mind, but if I revealed their identity even a day before, the pressure would be far too great.”

(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/6840413/Carols-from-Kings-Cambridge-prepares-for-Christmas.html)

Performance at the opening of Nine Lessons and Carols at King's College Chapel.

Once in Royal David's City lyrics
1. Once in royal David's city
Stood a lowly cattle shed,
Where a mother laid her Baby
In a manger for His bed:
Mary was that mother mild,
Jesus Christ her little Child.

2. He came down to earth from heaven,
Who is God and Lord of all,
And His shelter was a stable,
And His cradle was a stall;
With the poor, and mean, and lowly,
Lived on earth our Savior holy.

3. And through all His wondrous childhood
He would honor and obey,
Love and watch the lowly maiden,
In whose gentle arms He lay:
Christian children all must be
Mild, obedient, good as He.

4. For he is our childhood's pattern;
Day by day, like us He grew;
He was little, weak and helpless,
Tears and smiles like us He knew;
And He feeleth for our sadness,
And He shareth in our gladness.

5. And our eyes at last shall see Him,
Through His own redeeming love;
For that Child so dear and gentle
Is our Lord in heaven above,
And He leads His children on
To the place where He is gone.

6. Not in that poor lowly stable,
With the oxen standing by,
We shall see Him; but in heaven,
Set at God's right hand on high;
Where like stars His children crowned
All in white shall wait around.

The poem on which the song is based was written by an Irish woman, Cecil Frances Alexander, around 1848. She also wrote another well know hymn text, All Things Bright and Beautiful (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Once_in_Royal_David%27s_City). 

December 23

Anti-Santy Ranty...

They say there’s a big man who lives far away,
Supposedly jolly but it’s hard to say.
I’ve never seen him, and neither have you.
But the children believe, and I spose that’ll do....

December 22

Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence (French traditional carol)

Evidence suggests that the Greek text of "Let All Mortal Flesh" may date back to the fifth century. The present text is from the Liturgy of St. James, a Syrian rite thought to have been written by St. James the Less, first Bishop of Jerusalem. It is based on a prayer chanted by the priest when the bread and wine are brought to the table of the Lord. (https://hymnary.org/text/let_all_mortal_flesh_keep_silence) 

Gerard Moultrie's translation from Greek was arranged by Ralph Vaughan Williams to the tune "Picardy", a French medieval folk melody.  (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let_all_mortal_flesh_keep_silence)

This duet provides a simple rendition of the carol.

Let all mortal flesh keep silence,

And with fear and trembling stand;

Ponder nothing earthly minded,

For with blessing in His hand,

Christ our God to earth descending

Comes our homage to demand.

King of kings, yet born of Mary,

As of old on earth He stood,

Lord of lords, in human vesture,

In the body and the blood;

He will give to all the faithful

His own self for heavenly food.

Rank on rank the host of heaven

Spreads its vanguard on the way,

As the Light of light descendeth

From the realms of endless day,

Comes the powers of hell to vanquish

As the darkness clears away.

At His feet the six winged seraph,

Cherubim with sleepless eye,

Veil their faces to the presence,

As with ceaseless voice they cry:

Alleluia, Alleluia

Alleluia, Lord Most High!

December 21

He Came Down... a video showing the Christmas story to be good and joyful news for all people.

But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. (Luke 2:10 NIV)

December 20

In the Bleak Midwinter is based on a poem by the English poet Christina Rossetti. The poem was published under the title "A Christmas Carol" in the 1872 and first appeared in The English Hymnal in 1906 with a setting by Gustav Holst.

In verse one, Rossetti describes the physical circumstances of the Incarnation in Bethlehem. In verse two, Rossetti contrasts Christ's first and second coming. The third verse dwells on Christ's birth and describes the simple surroundings, in a humble stable and watched by beasts of burden. Rossetti achieves another contrast in the fourth verse, this time between the incorporeal angels attendant at Christ's birth with Mary's ability to render Jesus physical affection. The final verse shifts the description to a more introspective thought process. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_Bleak_Midwinter)

Rendition by Choir of King's College, Cambridge. 

In the bleak mid-winter
Frosty wind made moan;
Earth stood hard as iron,
Water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
Snow on snow,
In the bleak mid-winter
Long ago.

Our God, heaven cannot hold Him
Nor earth sustain,
Heaven and earth shall flee away
When He comes to reign:
In the bleak mid-winter
A stable-place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty —
Jesus Christ.

Enough for Him, whom Cherubim
Worship night and day,
A breastful of milk
And a mangerful of hay;
Enough for Him, whom Angels
Fall down before,
The ox and ass and camel
Which adore.

Angels and Archangels
May have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim
Thronged the air;
But only His Mother
In her maiden bliss
Worshipped the Beloved
With a kiss.

What can I give Him,
Poor as I am? —
If I were a Shepherd
I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man
I would do my part, —
Yet what I can I give Him, —
Give my heart.

December 19

Meet the Nativity 
A time-travelling comedy where 21st and 1st century Christmases magically collide.

Part 4 of 4 - The Father

December 18

Hark, the Glad Sound! The Savior Comes... written by Philip Doddridge (1702-1751), wins the prize for difficulty in finding a good rendition - here are two of the best. 

A nice choral presentation by a Slovakian choir

A beautiful trumpet version accompanied by strange pictures.


1 Hark, the glad sound! The Savior comes, 
the Savior promised long! 
Let ev'ry heart prepare a throne, 
and ev'ry voice a song.

2 He comes the pris'ners to release, 
in Satan’s bondage held; 
the gates of brass before Him burst, 
the iron fetters yield.

3 He comes the broken heart to bind, 
the bleeding soul to cure, 
and with the treasures of His grace 
t'enrich the humbled poor.

4 Our glad Hosannas, Prince of Peace, 
Thy welcome shall proclaim;
and heav'n’s eternal arches ring 
with Thy beloved Name.

December 17

At the end of the Meet the Nativity videos a booklet - Four Kinds of Christmas - is mentioned. Here is the video.

December 16

Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus... was written in 1744 by Charles Wesley and is sung to a number of tunes, though known best by either Stuttgard or Hyfrydol. The original text was two stanzas of eight lines, but may be divided into four stanzas of four lines each


1. Come, thou long expected Jesus,
born to set thy people free;
from our fears and sins release us,
let us find our rest in thee.
Israel's strength and consolation,
hope of all the earth thou art;
dear desire of every nation,
joy of every longing heart.

2. Born thy people to deliver,
born a child and yet a King,
born to reign in us forever,
now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal spirit
rule in all our hearts alone;
by thine all sufficient merit,
raise us to thy glorious throne.

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Come,_Thou_Long_Expected_Jesus)

December 15

Comfort, Comfort Ye My People... written by Johann Olearius a German hymnwriter, preacher, and academic at the University of Wittenberg in the mid-1600s. The text for Tröstet, Tröstet meine Lieben is based on Isaiah 40:1-5, later translated from German to English by Katherine Winkworth.

Here is a choral performance...

1 Comfort, comfort ye My people,
speak ye peace, thus saith our God;
comfort those who sit in darkness,
mourning 'neath their sorrows' load.
Speak ye to Jerusalem
of the peace that waits for them!
Tell her that her sins I cover
and her warfare now is over.

2 Yea, her sins our God will pardon,
blotting out each dark misdeed;
all that well deserved His anger
He no more will see nor heed.
She hath suffered many a day,
now her griefs have passed away;
God will change her pining sadness
into ever-springing gladness.

3 For Elijah's voice is crying
in the desert far and near,
bidding all men to repentance,
since the kingdom now is here.
O that warning cry obey,
now prepare for God a way;
let the valley rise to meet Him,
and the hills bow down to greet Him.

4 Make ye straight what long was crooked,
make the rougher places plain,
let your hearts be true and humble,
as befits His holy reign;
for the glory of the LORD
now o'er earth is shed abroad,
and all flesh shall see the token
that His Word is never broken.

https://hymnary.org/text/comfort_comfort_now_my_people

December 14

Meet the Nativity 
A time-travelling comedy where 21st and 1st century Christmases magically collide.

Part 3 of 4 - The Stepmother

December 13

Lo He Comes With Clouds Descending... Although usually sung as an Advent hymn, the content of the text and particularly the title are derived from Revelation chapter 1, verse 7, which tells of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

The text has its origins in a hymn "Lo! He cometh, countless Trumpets" by John Cennick published in his Col­lect­ion of Sac­red Hymns of 1752. This was substantially revised by Charles Wesley for publication in Hymns of intercession for all mankind of 1758. Some hymnals present a combination of the two texts. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lo!_He_comes_with_clouds_descending)

Lichfield Cathedral Choir performs the piece.

1 Lo! He comes, with clouds descending,
once for our salvation slain;
thousand thousand saints attending
swell the triumph of His train.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
God appears on earth to reign.

2 Ev'ry eye shall now behold Him,
robed in dreadful majesty;
those who set at naught and sold Him,
pierced, and nailed Him to the tree,
deeply wailing, deeply wailing,
shall the true Messiah see.

3 Every island, sea, and mountain,
heav'n and earth, shall flee away;
all who hate Him must, confounded,
hear the trump proclaim the day:
Come to judgment! Come to judgment!
Come to judgment, come away!

4 Now redemption, long expected,
see in solemn pomp appear!
And His saints, by men rejected,
coming with Him in the air.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
See the day of God appear!

5 Yea, amen! Let all adore Thee,
high on Thine eternal throne;
Savior, take the pow'r and glory,
claim the kingdom for Thine own:
O come quickly, O come quickly,
Alleluia! Come, Lord, come!

https://hymnary.org/text/lo_he_comes_with_clouds_descending_once

December 12

Es ist ein Ros entsprungen (Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming) is a Christmas carol and Marian Hymn of German origin. It is most commonly translated into English as Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming. The author is anonymous, but it first appeared in print in 1599 and has since been published with a varying number of verses and in several different translations (some favoring a Catholic view, others Protestant, and even bent to Nazi use). It is most commonly sung to a melody harmonized by German composer Michael Praetorius in 1609. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Es_ist_ein_Ros_entsprungen) 

The beautiful hymn has an edge of tension and melancholy - our Christmas celebrations inevitably lead to Easter. Just as, in the prophecies from Isaiah, a “rose,” or stem, shoots up from the stump, so too do we celebrate Christ’s birth in the knowledge that He brings life out of death - and his death brings us a new kind of life. The season of Advent points us not only to Christmas, but to the second coming of Christ, when He will finally makes all things new. The tiny babe whose birth we  celebrate, our “Rose,” is come to “dispel…the darkness everywhere.” (https://hymnary.org/text/lo_how_a_rose_eer_blooming)

Here is a beautiful choral rendition. 

1 Lo, how a Rose e'er blooming
From tender stem hath sprung!
Of Jesse's lineage coming
As men of old have sung.
It came, a flower bright,
Amid the cold of winter
When half-gone was the night.

2 Isaiah 'twas foretold it,
The Rose I have in mind:
With Mary we behold it,
The virgin mother kind.
To show God's love aright
She bore to men a Savior
When half-gone was the night.

3 This Flower, whose fragrance tender
With sweetness fills the air,
Dispels with glorious splendor
The darkness everywhere.
True man, yet very God,
From sin and death He saves us
And lightens every load.

This is the translation by Theodore Baker (b. New York, NY, 1851; d. Dresden, Germany, 1934). Baker studied music in Leipzig, Germany, and wrote a dissertation on the music of the Seneca people of New York State–one of the first studies of the music of American Indians. From 1892 until his retirement in 1926, Baker was a literary editor and translator for G. Schirmer, Inc., in New York City and then returned to Germany. (https://hymnary.org/text/lo_how_a_rose_eer_blooming) 

December 11

Meet the Nativity 
A time-travelling comedy where 21st and 1st century Christmases magically collide.

Part 2 of 4 - The Girlfriend

December 10

Of the Father's Love Begotten...  

Marcus Aurelius Clemens Prudentius  (348-413 AD) was born in northern Spain. He was a poet (considered the "Christian Pindar" - Pindar being a renowned ancient Greek lyric poet), a successful lawyer and a magistrate whose religious convictions came late in life. He began writing in his late 50s and his sacred poems were literary and personal, not, like those of St. Ambrose, designed for singing. (https://hymnary.org/text/of_the_fathers_love_begotten)

One of the most prominent heresies was propagated by Arius (c. 250-336), whose most controversial position—and the one relevant to our hymn—was that God the Father and the Son did not co-exist throughout eternity. This heresy states that before his incarnation, Jesus was created by God and therefore Jesus did not exist through all time. Jesus was a creature (“created being”) that, though divine, was not equal to the Father. 

Christian hymns have been used for polemical purposes throughout history, and this is perhaps the first great hymn of this type. In a beautiful poetic form, Prudentius applies his legal skills to make a case for what has become the orthodox understanding of the Trinity. 

From the first line of stanza one, “Of the Father’s love begotten” (“Corde natus ex parentis ante mundi exordium”—literally “Born from the parent’s heart before the beginning of worlds (time)”—Prudentius sets forth his argument that the Son has always, is always and will always be with God and us. (https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/history-of-hymns-of-the-fathers-love-begotten)

An a capella rendering of the hymn...

1 Of the Father’s love begotten
ere the worlds began to be,
He is Alpha and Omega;
He the source, the ending He,
of the things that are, that have been,
and that future years shall see
evermore and evermore!

2 O that birth forever blessed,
when a virgin, full of grace,
by the Holy Ghost conceiving,
bore the Savior of our race;
and the Babe, the world’s Redeemer,
first revealed his sacred face,
evermore and evermore!

3 O ye heights of heaven adore Him,
angel hosts, His praises sing,
pow'ers, dominions, bow before Him,
and extol our God and King;
let no tongue on earth be silent,
ev'ery voice in concert ring
evermore and evermore!

4 Christ, to Thee with God the Father
and, O Holy Ghost, to Thee,
hymn and chant and high thanksgiving
and unwearied praises be:
honor, glory, and dominion,
and eternal victory
evermore and evermore!

The YouTube rendition and the text printed here follow J. M. Neale's translation of Prudentius' poem which has 6 stanzas. 

December 9

For unto us a son is born... It is interesting that children become symbols in several prophecies made by old testament prophets. Chapters 7 to 9 of Isaiah have a couple of examples of this. Chapter 7 contains the famous sign of the virgin birth, but here, specifically, as a time marker to King Ahaz

14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 15 He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16 For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted.

In Chapter 8, again, the maturity of the child is used as a time marker

3 And I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. Then the Lord said to me, "Call his name Maher-shalal-hash-baz*; 4 for before the boy knows how to cry My father or My mother, the wealth of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria will be carried away before the king of Assyria."  

(* means quick to the plunder, swift to the spoil)

Finally, in Chapter 9 Israel is promised relief from oppression in the short term, but clearly extending and expanding on long term promise of a Savior

2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined. 3 You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. 4 For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. 5 For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. 6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Several phrases from Chapter 9 are found in Handel's Messiah, including our focus for today - For Unto Us a Son is Born

As you might expect, if you were doing videos on famous phrases from the Bible, this would be one of them.

December 8

The Song of Mary, focus of my December 1 post contemplates a warrior image, pulling down the mighty, combined with the picture of Immanuel described by Scrivener, defending the downtrodden. John the Baptist, with prenatal audience to Mary's prophecy, also becomes an important figure in anticipating and preparing the way for Jesus - not for his birth, but for his later ministry. On Jordan's Bank the Baptist's Cry is an advent hymn in anticipation of this later phase of Jesus' work. 

1 On Jordan's bank the Baptist's cry
announces that the Lord is nigh.
Awake and harken, for he brings
glad tidings of the King of kings!

2 Then cleansed be every life from sin:
make straight the way for God within,
and let us all our hearts prepare
for Christ to come and enter there.

3 We hail you as our Savior, Lord,
our refuge and our great reward.
Without your grace we waste away
like flowers that wither and decay.

4 Stretch forth your hand, our health restore,
and make us rise to fall no more.
O let your face upon us shine
and fill the world with love divine.

5 All praise to you, eternal Son,
whose advent has our freedom won,
whom with the Father we adore,
and Holy Spirit, evermore. 

https://hymnary.org/text/on_jordans_bank_the_baptists_cry

December 7

Meet the Nativity 
A time-travelling comedy where 21st and 1st century Christmases magically collide.

Part 1 of 4 - The Boyfriend

December 6

We have looked a the name Immanuel - God with us - and we are aware that the Christmas story is about a baby, but the word incarnation - taking on flesh - is central to the Christian belief that God became a human being in the person of Jesus Christ. It was the reason for some of the early creeds as the church defined and defended these truths. Glen Scrivener explores the Word becoming flesh in his Reading Between the Lines series.