Tag: Christmas

Coventry Carol

Karla Lees

Lullay, Thou little tiny Child,
By, by, lully, lullay.
Lullay, Thou little tiny Child.
By, by, lully, lullayb

The days in which God determines Jesus was to arrive here on earth were tremulous ones.

Great political unrest, overtaxing, long hard days forced to serve ‘landlords’ not of your choosing. Revolution was constantly simmering when it wasn’t breaking out against the oppressors.

God’s people were crying out for their Messiah.

When Herod began the slaughter of all the boy children of Israel in the hopes of destroying the newborn King, many families were suddenly grieving and wailing and grieving over the sudden loss of their children.

For you know who hoped to stop God in His tracks, in a feeble attempt to undermine His will, but a very costly one to those left with empty arms and wounded hearts.

Many likely thought all hope was lost.

And into that exact time and place, God chose to deliver His people through Jesus, soon to be delivered into the world as one of His people, as well as His Beloved son.

God did not let the madness of one fearful king halt the delivery method He was choosing to set His people free.

We know that God has always heard the cries of His people for deliverance, and mourned with them over their losses. The Bible is full of true life stories of His rescues.

If you are empty armed, missing your loved one, whether they have passed on or are on the other side of the country or world?

God hears your pain and lament.

I believe this song must have been written by someone who lost a child, and was horrified by reading the account of Herod killing an entire generation of boys.

We all should be, for God was horrified by it as well.

So full of compassion for His people, He sent His Son to us, to give us a beacon of Hope we could reach out and touch.

Because our God is the God of all comfort, justice, hope and compassion.

He couldn’t turn away from the cries of the brokenhearted. The frustrated. The poor. The exhausted. The empty armed. Those grieving. Those without hope.

This Christmas, if you hear this song of lament, be reminded of His compassion.

Each person ever in history has mattered to Him.

Those you have lost or had taken from you included.

Jesus came as one of the weakest to show us that weakness does not mean God cannot use you.

He came as one of us to show us that God understands the frailties of humanity first hand.

He came as an expression of God’s great love for each and every one of us.

And is right there beside us when we are hurting, feeling lost, wavering in our hope, and needing a God would can reach out and hold us as we lament.

So if you need to cry this Christmas, for it isn’t the holiday you thought it would be?

Allow Him to rock you in His loving arms as you lament.

God came right smack dab in the middle of turmoil to be there with us, for us, as one of us.

That same Love has not changed, and never will.
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Historical Background:

This lyrics for this piece were written in 1534 for a Christmas pageant by Robert Croo, the composer is still unknown, but believed to be in the early 1500’s.

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

Karla Lees

God rest ye merry, gentlemen
Let nothing you dismay
Remember, Christ, our Saviour
Was born on Christmas day
To save us all from Satan’s power
When we were gone astray
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy!

We can have rest because Jesus was born.

Shocking, isn’t it?

That the birth of a child can turn your whole world upside down?

If you are a parent, as we chatted about yesterday, you know it’s true.

But if that baby is God Himself, tucked into human form, supernaturally growing in a virgin’s womb, announced by a choir of angels to some of the lowest of the community, born in a stable?

You know miracles are going to happen. They are in His very DNA.

So like God, we can rest after creation.

Jesus came as part of God’s plan to restore, make right what was broken in the garden.

To remind us God hadn’t & hasn’t forgotten about us.

Jesus always was part of His story for reaching His people.

And because God is with us?

We can be merry for the Good News has come.

We can also rest, knowing we are not alone, and God has done all the work to make the way Home for us.

If this is a hard Christmas for you, missing your loved ones, or Christmas’ past, take comfort and joy.

The One we have been waiting for has come. He will always come to those He loves, Beloved.

Rest in that truth today!
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Silent Night

Karla Lees

Silent night, Holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon virgin mother and child
Holy infant, tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.

Since becoming a mother, I realized that probably one of the most peaceful moments I ever had with each of my children was the moment I first held them, as i gazed upon them with awestruck wonder at the precious gifts God had given to my husband and I.

Mary must have had a moment like that too…but not quite.

There would have been quite a bunch of noise going on, what with the angelic chorus singing over the flocks, a jam packed town with no space left in the inn, and likely Joseph’s concern mixed with Mary’s cries for deliverance.

Then Jesus was born.

Silent Night brilliantly captures the wonder of a virgin giving birth, and the Son of God coming down to earth as a baby.

Peace entered the world as the Prince of Peace.

And for one moment in history, all was calm, and all was bright.

Then the shepherds arrived to gaze at their new King, Mary and Joseph still had to head to take part in the census, and the angel would shortly arrive to yell them to flee the wrath of Herod.

Jesus, the Prince of Peace,was born into the hustle and bustle of real daily life.

He had to endure long days of travel on the road, becoming a refugee, learning a craft from His earthly father, being a brother and son, and the one many muttered gossip about over the years.

Our Messiah left His peace filled place in heaven to bring us the peace our souls and spirits desperately needed.

And when each of us grasp that truth? 

We too can experience the peace of Heaven, and lift up the song of praise our Prince of Peace wells up in our hearts!

#theADVENTurecontinues

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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.”

O Come O Come Emmanuel

Karla Lees

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O Come O Come Emmanuel and ransom captive Israel…

This hymn may seem like it doesn’t fit in the category of praise, until we remember how its sometimes in our darkest days that we are able to experience God the most.

When we encounter Him at our lowest, we cannot help but change our song of lament into a new song of praise.

Isaiah 64:1-2 reminds us how God’s people had been crying out for a Deliverer, beyond the kings, prophets and judges they had asked for.

Humanity came to realize it could not save itself. It needed a Deliverer to set it free from its captivity to sin.

Only God could fix what humanity had broken in the Garden, but continued to dig deeper and deeper over time.

This hymn reminds me of the cry for freedom we all have deep within us, if we are all honest with the state of our hearts when we choose to be left to our own devices.

Those who have tasted the freedom God offers desire to become freer, as we learn to place more of ourselves into His loving hands.

The Deliverer Israel was wanting was the same one that miraculously freed them from Egypt, parted water before them, fed and clothed them in the desert.

The same one who gave them a new home, a new hope and a fresh start as He guides them into the Promised Land.

The same one they turned away from as they looked more at the gift instead of the Giver.

They allowed their eyes to wander from His wonder and gaze upon the wonderlands of earth.

What they came to realize as foreign nations subjugated them over and over?

The God they had turned away from had never turned away from them.

And the lament which that realization stirs within each of us who have wandered is echoed in the haunting strains of O Come O Come Emmanuel.

But the author(s) of this song doesn’t leave us only with the lament of those who know they are the chosen people, and long for restoration.

He trusted in the Promises, and because of his hope, could pen the chorus of this hymn which has rung out over the ages:

Rejoice, rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to us,
O Israel.

Historical Background:
The author was likely one or more monks over 1200 years ago. An Anglican minister John Mason Neale first translated it from the Latin, and the melody has been attributed to Henry Sloane Coffin and Thomas Helmore to reach the version we sing to Him today!

eyesight: peeling back the veil

Karla Lees

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God wants us to get to know who He really is.

He doesn’t just want to give us insight, but the ability to see things through His eyes, His eyesight.

And that’s the focus I am trying to maintain this Advent season.

To take a fresh look at the Word, and see Him through His Father’s eyes.

Each day in December, I will be sharing part of the Christmas story, and a song of praise which has arisen from His people, when they caught a glimpse of the wonder of Jesus.

Emmanuel. God with us!

Join me as we ask Holy Spirit to open our eyes to see the wonder of Christmas through His eyes.

Take a closer peek at those He chose to invite into His love story for the world….

See the love and tears involved in doing things His way.

Stand in awe at the majesty of His plan, and the wonder of His heart for us all.

Sing a new song of praise to Him as you can’t help but offer Him thanks for all He has done for you.

May He be our primary focus we keep our eyes fixed upon, especially this Advent, and each day of our lives!
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when you are asked to flee…Joseph

Karla Lees

After the wise men were gone, God’s angel showed up again in Joseph’s dream and commanded, “Get up. Take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt. Stay until further notice. Herod is on the hunt for this child, and wants to kill him.” Joseph obeyed. He got up, took the child and his mother under cover of darkness. They were out of town and well on their way by daylight. They lived in Egypt until Herod’s death. This Egyptian exile fulfilled what Hosea had preached: “I called my son out of Egypt.”

-Matthew 2:13-15

Joseph was likely thinking now that Jesus had been born, things in his family life would settle down for a while. They would have Jesus named on the way home, Mary would spend her time recovering and they would begin their new life together. It is possible Joseph may have rented a place in Jerusalem and found some work as a carpenter while Mary finished her purification period after giving birth, as traveling too far with a newborn was not the best idea for everyone’s sanity.

So we pick up the story Joseph may have believed finished and discover Joseph to be the feature again.

We know that Herod flew into a rage when he realized the wise men were not coming back to betray the new born King, but there is no sign that Joseph or Mary knew of the danger until the angel appears to Joseph again.

Humble, faithful Joseph has now seen an angel twice in his dreams.
Both times, he is informed of news no one else knew by the angel.

Interesting to note, he clearly recognized the angel in his dreams, and believed the words spoken enough to life alteringly act upon them.

The first time, Joseph was told Mary was carrying Messiah & to marry her, raising the child as his own.

This time? He is told to wake up, take Mary & the child and flee to Egypt, for Herod wants to kill Jesus.

I am guessing this was an early enough warning timing wise to get them to safety before Herod’s horrible plan began.

I know that the gifts Jesus had been given by the wise men were no accident, as all three were hot commodities to trade with, and would likely have been enough to cover all their expenses while in Egypt. Because God would certainly have provided for Jesus again. Note it mentions that this would be a fulfillment of calling His son out of Egypt in verse 15.

As Egypt was not likely on the best of terms with Israel over the whole escape from slavery issue, Joseph may not have been able to get work there as an immigrant.

God would have taken all of this into account to get the Carpenters ready for their sudden trip & extended stay in Egypt.

The other noteworthy point to observe? Joseph immediately woke up and while it was still dark, had the family well under way to Egypt by daylight.

Simply put, his obedience saved Jesus.

Not sure about you, but I would have been more than a little freaked at a second angelic visit while I was sleeping. I wonder if it took Joseph just that bit longer every night for a while to fall asleep. Tentatively wondering if an angel would speak to him yet again.

So how does this impact us, the readers of the Advent story?

I see three clear ways.

1. When God sends an angel to speak to us, we should do what it says.

2. God can speak to us while we are sleeping, not just while we are awake!

3. Some times its the right time to just pick up and go.

We leave today’s continuation of #AdventuresinAdvent with the Carpenters fleeing to Egypt, as Herod’s horror is unleashed on the families of Israel.

#TheWhenSeries
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Image from: http://jlgragg.org/2011/01/05/beyond-the-season-celebrating-christ-after-christmas/nativity-2/