Tag: Carol

While Shepherds Watched…

Karla Lees

While shepherds watched
Their flocks by night
All seated on the ground
The angel of the Lord came down
And glory shone around
And glory shone around

God decided to let the lowly know before the mighty that Good News was just around the corner in the Christmas story.

Notice the angel didn’t show up again in the Holy of Holies as He did with Zechariah, father of John, but the King of Kings was announced to a humble group of shepherds with all the fanfare of celebration you would come to expect from a statesman with might and power!
“

Fear not,” he said,
For mighty dread
Had seized their troubled minds
“Glad tidings of great joy I bring
To you and all mankind,
To you and all mankind.”

And like most of us, when we see something of beauteous wonder, we tremble with fear.

Those shepherds were no different than us in their immediate reaction, but the carol reminds us to focus on the message, so we don’t miss the Good News!

“To you in David’s
Town this day
Is born of David’s line
The Savior who is Christ the Lord
And this shall be the sign
And this shall be the sign.”

“The heavenly Babe
You there shall find
To human view displayed
And meanly wrapped
In swathing bands
And in a manger laid
And in a manger laid.”

Here is the best part of this carol in my opinion….

The shepherds were not only told the prophecy of Messiah was coming true, but where to find Him!

And He was in their midst, within arms reach! 

Thus spake the seraph,
And forthwith
Appeared a shining throng
Of angels praising God, who thus
Addressed their joyful song
Addressed their joyful song

“All glory be to
God on high
And to the earth be peace;
Goodwill henceforth
From heaven to men
Begin and never cease
Begin and never cease!”

Not only have these shepherds just heard the Good News live from an angel, with directions of how to meet their Messiah, they are then treated to a wonder no one else recorded in the Word has ever enjoyed – a heavenly chorus of angels singing Gloria!

For not even the angels can keep from offering God His due for the arrival of Jesus. Emmanuel, God with us. The Messiah promised through the ages, present with His people.

May we too continue to proclaim the Good News this Christmas to a world full of people who need to see the Light in all His wonder!

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Historical Background:

This carol was written in 1703 by Nahum Tate (poet in residence to Queen Anne) and Nicholas Brady. This was one of the first paraphrased pieces from Scripture outside of the psalms to be sung in the Church of England.

Angels from the Realms of Glory

Karla Lees

One of my all time favorite carols, this classic proclamation of the Good News beautifully covers the main players in the Christmas story.

Angels from the realms of glory,
Wing your flight o’er all the earth;
Ye who sang creation’s story,
Now proclaim Messiah’s birth:
Come and worship, come and worship, Worship Christ, the newborn King!

God knew that the world might miss out on His timing, so He sent the angels to proclaim the Good News. The Creator came to His creation!!

Shepherds, in the fields abiding,
Watching o’er your flocks by night,
God with man is now residing,
Yonder shines the infant Light;
Come and worship, come and worship, Worship Christ, the newborn King!

The first people the angels spoke to were those who were the loneliest and who needed to know they weren’t forgotten: the shepherds, living on the outskirts with their flocks.  The Good News had arrived!

Sages, leave your contemplations,
Brighter visions beam afar;
Seek the great desire of nations,
Ye have seen His natal star;
Come and worship, come and worship, Worship Christ, the newborn King!

Not only did the angels proclaim the Good News to the shepherds, but the star over Bethlehem attracted the attention of several wise men in a far off land, who had studied the prophecies and understood the King was being born.

His timing is such that He not only sent an angel to Mary to let her know she would bear the Messiah, but set a star alignment in the sky which would draw seekers outside of the Jewish faith to come to Him.

God was already letting us know He was coming for all:

Those who were in the family, those who were on the outskirts, and those seeking from afar.

Saints before the altar bending,
Watching long in hope and fear,
Suddenly the Lord, descending,
In His temple shall appear:
Come and worship, come and worship, Worship Christ, the newborn King!

I love this Carol in part because of the fourth verse. We are part of the Christmas story, saints. 

All of Christmas was done with us in mind.

To draw attention to the reality that God had always had us on His mind, and was always willing to pour out His heart of love for His Beloved.

What a carol to proclaim to the world, indeed!

All of us have one song to sing, this Christmas and every day: Come and worship Him!

May His song arise within you, and pour out in His praise again today!

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He is the Song we are to sing, always!

Historical Background:
Irishman James Montgomery penned the words, and Henry Smart composed the music for “Angels from the Realms of Glory” in 1816.

Fun Fact: In the UK, “Angels we have Heard on High” is also sung to this tune!

O Holy Night

Karla Lees

O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Saviour’s birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!

The thrill of Hope is sweeping through my weariness this morning.

The words to this, one of my all time favorite Christmas carols, revives my spirit in this weather which is usually sparkling white, but is dull and dreary,

The Divine of heaven touched the drudgery of humanity that Holy night, for that moment became Holy when Holiness emerged from Mary’s womb.

When we experience the divine in all situations, when we need Him most, those too become holy moments.

God used that great wondrous Holy Night to clearly show us He would always reach down to His people.

Nothing would hinder His drawing near.

God enfleshed.

God with us.

Emmanuel.

The reason for the season.

Christ came for the masses, for everyone!

What a divine, Holy Night indeed!

In case you too need an audible reminder of the wonder of that Holy Night, Point of Grace has a wonderful version of these divine stirring words which you can watch & listen to here.

May He rekindle your desire to worship Him this Christmas, as we seek Him afresh each day, in each holy moment.

Let the wonder of who He is steep deep within, and cause you to fall to your knees as you #praiseHymn again!picsart_11-24-06.18.46.jpg

Historical Background:
Placide Cappeau de Roquemaure, wine seller and poet, penned these lyrics in 1847. His friend Adolphe Charles Adams who had attended the Paris Conservatory of Music composed the tune.

 

 

See Amid the Winter’s Snow

Karla Lees
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this carol in the hymnal I sang it from this past Sunday night!

See amid the winter’s snow
Born for us on earth below
See the tender Lamb appears
Promised from eternal years

Hail, thou ever-blessed morn
Hail, redemption’s happy dawn
Sing through all Jerusalem
Christ is born in Bethlehem

I have two favorite ways I love to experience this carol.

The first is to sing it live. The hair raising wonder I get from the chorus stirs me each and every time I proclaim Him born.

But the second? Hearing Annie Lennox sing it in the way I only dreamed it could be sung.

A slice of heaven here on earth.

There are moments when we are struck dumb with wonder, and hearing this song on her latest Christmas album was one of them.

Because I know (last time I heard) that she is not a believer.

And she, along with many hundreds of other artists, record these carols on their Christmas albums, proclaiming the newborn King to be born.  Even though they don’t personally believe it.

Somehow, the wonder of who He is has leaked into the songs He has gifted to His people, and the world continues to proclaim Him despite not intimately knowing Him.

This only serves to reflect our humanity, doesn’t it?  How many times has someone spoken the expected response, when you know they don’t believe it for themselves?

We can be the same when it comes to our worship.

These words contain the Word Himself, and with His birth, we too are born anew, remade as His Beloved.

We are to enter the Christmas story, not as observers, but as part of the heavenly chorus proclaiming His arrival and kingship!

Today, if you hear one of the familiar carols, tune your mind to sing or hum along as your act of worship.  Savor the moment, even if you are standing in line for a gift or in the coffee shop taking a sip of sanity.

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Historical Background:
“See Amid the Winter’s Snow” was first published in England in 1871 under its alternate name “Hymn for Christmas Morn.” Words by Edward Caswell, music by Sir John Goss.

Rejoice & be merry

Karla Lees

Rejoice and be merry
in songs and in mirth!
O praise our Redeemer;
all mortals on earth!
For this is the birthday
of Jesus our King,
Who brought us salvation,
His praises we’ll sing!

With the announcement of the season of Christmas, many of us first think of all the extra tasks or jobs we have associated with what is to be one of the most joyous occasions of the year.

Instead of focusing on the wonder wrapped about the miracle Christmas is.

It took a death, then a birth to restore my vision.

My sister in law passed away suddenly at the beginning of winter a few years ago, and the weight of grief hung heavy over my heart.  I knew we were to be celebrating Jesus has come, but all I could feel was the loss.

I allowed it to overshadow the gain.

For Jesus isn’t just a gift doll we pull off of the shelf each Christmas, playing with him for a bit then putting him away with the other ornaments until the next.

He is the gift itself.

He is Present.
He is Love.
God with us, through it all.

One of my coworkers had a baby the next Christmas, and the excitement His arrival brought into my heart made me realize the miracle of God coming to us as one of us.

But the story doesn’t just stop with His birth.

It begins.

This Christmas, choose to rejoice.

Not because you have to, but because you choose to.

You may be under the weight of loss, pain, weariness.

He knows, and He came to join you right where you are at.

Not in the castle of the rich and famous, but in the humble shed of a working man, surrounded by the works of his hands.

To a woman who’s priority was serving God before all else. Her reputation, her engagement, her family ties.

To a man who although he started off shaking with doubt, came through when she needed him most.

Love was the undercurrent of the Christmas story, and the story He is continuing to write in our lives.

For the sky may be dark and the fog blocking our sight, but He is there to lovingly guide us as He Himself is our Light.

Because He never lets us go, we can rejoice.

Because He is always with us, we can be merry.

Because of who He is, we can always have a song to sing in praise!

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Historical Background:
This carol is also referred to as the Gallery Carol, one of the traditional pieces sung by many choirs in their church galleries before the invention of the organ, in the early 19th century. It is believed to have been written in the 18th century, and is considered to be a Dorset Carol.

The First Noel

Karla Lees

The first Noel the angels did say
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay:
In fields where they lay keeping their sheep
On a cold winter’s night that was so deep.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel!

One of my all time favorite carols, I just love the majesty of this chorus.

The songwriter has captured the first Christmas story in a way that future generations have been echoing each Noel since its release.

We too are meant revisit this miracle, God come to live among us, every time Christmas draws near, but also every time we open the Word.

I believe God stirs up His children to resound the truth of this season because He knows how frail we are, how our hearts leak out His love when we forget to draw close and allow Him to fill us up.

And that is why worship songs such as these are so important to the Body. Because the truth they remind us of is the truth we need to hold onto every day of our lives.

God with us.
God loves us.
The King is here!

Noel!

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Historical Background:

The First Noel is an Cornish folk song in origin, first in print in 1823.
It is one of the most unique in its melody arranging, and  is usually performed in the arrangement by composer John Stainer (1871).

Deck the Halls

Karla Lees

Deck the halls with boughs of holly, 
Fa la la la la, la la la la. 
Tis the season to be jolly, 
Fa la la la la, la la la la. 

Don we now our gay apparel, 
Fa la la, la la la, la la la. 
Troll the ancient Yule tide carol, 
Fa la la la la, la la la la. 

This is one of my favorite traditional carols to listen to when sung acappella by a quartet…but I have never previously taken a closer look at its words.

Until now.

It really doesn’t have much to say about the reason for Christmas, apart from using the words Yule or Yuletide. The history of which refers to Winter Festival and celebrating the season.

But what do you do when there is no snow to make snowmen with, nor fancy new apparel due to a lean budget? Would this be a song we could sing when things didn’t look so good up ahead?

It struck me that the words to this song are as outdated in one sense as its language.

You can’t properly celebrate the season without celebrating the Season Giver, can’t you?

So singing songs about good cheer without the Good News become just words to choose depending on your circumstances, instead of celebration.

We are meant to celebrate and be sharing the Good News this and every Christmas.

The Good News of God with us.

Knowing God came to earth to live among us is only the first part of the Good News, and leads us to want to know why.

We are meant to celebrate and be of good cheer because God is here, always with us.

So decorate with holly, and party jolly, Molly, but don’t forget the real reason behind Christmas as you do.

The love that brought Jesus to live beside us is still here for you in the ups and downs of life.

I come from a Scandinavian background on one side, and have been curious about some of its traditions over the years.

Kris Kringle (aka what became known as Santa Claus here in North America) was a man who decided to share the birth of Christ in the form of small gifts for the neighboring children.

And look what business has done with gift giving and the season since.

May God help us to let go of what need to go, and refocus our time, energy and gaze on the reason for this season.

Jesus.

Not the glow of the lights.
Not the glimmer of gifts.
Not the chill of the snow.
Not the yummies to enjoy.
Not buying for show.
Not the bustle of on the go.

Jesus.
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Historical Background:
Deck the Halls is a Welsh carol originally meant to be sung for New Year’s Eve, dating back to the 16th century. It was originally published in English in
1862.

Ding Dong Merrily on High

Karla Lees

Ding Dong! Merrily on High
in heaven the bells are ringing:
Ding dong! verily the sky
is riven with angel singing.
Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis!

One of the most awesome revelations i have ever experienced came to light when I was quite young via the song above.

I had a sense/glimpse of the angels filling heaven singing praise to God.  My hair on the back of my neck stood up. I could almost hear bells along with a chorus of voices beyond imagination.

There was a real sense of awe and majesty hovering, echoing in that flash of a moment, which I later came to believe was a thin place between Heaven and earth.

In that moment was the echo of the Incarnation.

When Heaven met earth in such a powerful way, the world was changed forever.

God came to be with us.

Heaven on earth.

And that miracle?

Gloria in Excelsis Deo!

We who know this truth will continue to join with the angels in singing this forever song, which will keep ringing out for eternity.

Gloria in Excelsis Deo!

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Historical Background:
Ding Dong Merrily on High was originally called Gloria in Excelsis Deo in Latin.  It is believed to be French in origin and written in the 16th century.

Carol of the Bells

Karla Lees

Hark! how the bells
Sweet silver bells
All seem to say,
“Throw cares away.”
Christmas is here
Bringing good cheer
To young and old
Meek and the bold

-Carol of the Bells

The songs of Christmas have been playing in homes, public gatherings and over the airwaves since that first night when Jesus was born.

And different nationalities bring their uniqueness to the ADVENTure, offering us a rich variety of song to express to our King as praise.

Just as each of us have a unique song of praise to offer Him.

I have a coworker who plays handbells with a team of talented musicians, whose church here in town had stood for many many years with a rich history.

Over a year ago now, that church burned down through a roofing accident.

Our town, and especially its parishioners were devastated.

No one was physically injured, yet the losses were huge.

One day, one of those cleaning out the structure recovered the church’s set of handbells.  And a few choir robes.

A bit smoky and in need of cleaning, but all in one piece.

Both tools used by those who knew how to offer up praise.

Those bells sound all the sweeter to their users now, for they know it was a miracle how they were spared in the fire.

We are the bells of Christmas.

God uses our unique songs to blend together and resound His love for the world, especially at this time of year.

For all those who are focused on what they have lost or lack need to be reminded of the Hope which arrived in all the humbleness humanity had to offer.

“Love came down to rescue me” and what a sweet sound that reminder is to the lonely, hurting ones among us. At any age and stage.

May He echo in the sounds of this season through those willing to let His praise resound.

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Historical Background:
Composed by Mykola Leontovych in 1904 with lyrics penned by Peter J. Wilhousky, Carol of the Bells song is based on an Ukrainian folk song, “Shchedryk.”