Once in Royal David’s City 3rd Tuesday in Advent
Read: Psalm 2:6-12 “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” Mark 10:14 (NIV) Being a primary school teacher, I know that when teaching a child, you need to talk to them in words and terms they can understand, and in concepts not too advanced without being condescending. ‘Once in Royal David’s City’ was written by Cecil Frances Alexander (1848) who wrote hymns for children as she thought it was the best way to teach the fundamentals of the Christian faith.
The hymn tells the story of Jesus’ birth in storybook form and often refers to children who are to live their lives faithfully to please Jesus. This is a favourite amongst church families as it expresses this wonderful story in simple terms that children can understand. She also wrote the hymn: “All things bright and beautiful.” The Jesus described in the Christmas carol, is relatable – he was little, weak, dear and gentle, developing as all children do. This is a huge connection with the life of Jesus in knowing that He experienced life just as we do! The beginnings of His life were not one of pomp and splendour, born to a wealthy aristocrat, but lowly, humble and laid “in a manger for His bed.” God sent His Son into a world in need.
The world would not recognise Him immediately, though the wise men obviously had been informed somehow, but the happenings around His birth were obvious from the angels that this was a special baby. The simple hymn of Cecil Frances Alexander reminds us that God came into the world as our Saviour, in a humble, meek and mild way. God became one of us and turned the world upside down when sending the Son of God to the world as King. He is present, He is near, and He is constantly concerned about all His children. Sometimes maybe we need the simplicity of a simple hymn to fully understand the truths behind His love. Not complex in theology, but pure and simple: it was in His love for you and me that God sent His Son to earth!
Sing or listen to: Once in Royal David’s City PRAYER V3: 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. Amen. 2
Mary’s Boy Child 3rd Monday in Advent Read: Luke 1:26-38
“Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14 (NIV) Do you ever get the feeling that Christmas has been hijacked? That the story of Jesus’ birth is told so that others can make money from the celebration of Christmas? I have always liked this Christmas Carol, it is boppy and modern. I even like the reggae version by Boney M. For this devotion I have done some digging as to its history and the meaning behind the words. Jester Hairston in 1956 wrote the tune with the calypso rhythm of ‘Mary’s Boy Child’ with different lyrics as a birthday song, for a mostly West Indian party. It was originally titled ‘He Pone and Chocolate Tea’, pone being a type of corn bread. (This was never recorded).
Sometime later, he was asked to write a new Christmas Song and remembered this calypso rhythm, so wrote new lyrics for it. Since then, this song has been sung and performed by Harry Belefonte, Boney M., Andy Williams, Mahalia Jackson, Anne Murray, The Little River Band, Tom Jones, John Denver, Harry Connick Jr, The Bee Gees, Hi-5, The Wiggles and probably about twenty others. What is it about this Christmas carol that has captured the talents of all of the above and more? I would like to think it is the lyrics about the birth of Jesus, but the tune is adapted and changed to suit each of the above people’s styles, and each have made it their own. I watched some of the Boney M. music video, and was somewhat disappointed to see spaceships, strange settings and people playing in the snow.
There were a couple scenes of children pretending to be Mary, Joseph and the other nativity characters, but these were overshadowed by the other quirky scenes. Christmas is not about the carols and the trimmings to make it feel Christmassy; it is taking time to live and remember that Jesus came to be born on earth as a gift to humankind. Through this gift God made a covenant and promise to be with us always and bring us peace.
Sing or listen to: Mary’s Boy Child PRAYER V1: Long time ago in Bethlehem so the Holy Bible say Mary’s Boy Child, Jesus Christ was born on Christmas Day. CHORUS: Hark, now hear the angels sing “New King’s born today. And man will live forevermore Because of Christmas Day.” Amen.
O Little Town of Bethlehem 3rd Sunday in Advent
Read: John 1:9-10 “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.” Micah 5:2 (ESV) The Civil War had just ended. It was 1865 and a young American preacher travelled to the Holy Land, and his time in Bethlehem would not just leave a memorable impact on him, but on all of Christendom. Phillips Brooks wrote a poem three years later, 1868, for his class of Sunday School children at The Church of the Holy Trinity in Philadelphia. This was turned into the beautiful hymn and carol, ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’ by his church organist, Louis Redner who wrote the tune simply titled ‘St. Louis’. It was performed that year for the first time on Christmas Eve. In 1903, in England, another tune was set to the words; ‘Forest Green’, which is the one in our Australian Lutheran Hymnal 633.
Reading through the words of this beautiful hymn, it is easy to see what struck Brooks as he visited Bethlehem those many years ago. He must have been walking around at night looking at the sky and the stars and noting the quietness of this town. Jesus was born at night (the Bible references stars and the shepherds resting for the night). Think about it: as everyone lay sleeping, they were totally unaware that the Saviour of the World was coming to live on earth. This momentous event was happening right there among the quietness of the night.
Jesus didn’t come with trumpets and fanfares but quietly entered our world even amongst all the fulfillment of the prophecies. Like the people of Bethlehem 2,000 years ago, we can also sleep through the miracle of Jesus’ birth and never really know Him. Amongst all the clamour and noise of our society, attention can easily be pulled away from that still, small voice of a baby that asks us to come into a relationship with our eternal Father. In Jesus, our hopes and fears are stilled by the unconditional love and forgiveness of a loving Saviour. Share this love and open your homes and families to the free gift of life and salvation this Christmas.
As Phillips Brooks wrote, the everlasting light is shining in the dark streets.
Don't sleep through it! Sing or listen to: O Little Town of Bethlehem
PRAYER V1: O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie! Above thy deep and dreamless sleep, the silent stars go by: Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting Light; The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight. Amen.
O Come, All Ye Faithful
Read: John 1:1-4, 14 “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14 (NIV) I love to travel. Later this year, my husband and I are going on a journey to Europe to see our son in Switzerland. Many people love to travel and journey to places of significance to them. Part of our travel to Europe is to see the places of our ancestors in Silesia, Poland; Harz Mountains, Germany; NykØbing, Denmark.
We want to visit the places that formed our ancestor’s faith. In a sense it is a type of pilgrimage. During the Advent season we are invited through the hymns and carols we sing to take us back to the first Christmas where Jesus was born. In ancient Jewish faith, the Jews made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem at the Passover wherever possible. As 21st century Christians we take a pilgrimage each Advent to reflect on the miracle of God becoming man as a baby. We listen to the angels, marvel with the shepherds, follow the star to the manger where our Saviour was born to be the King of the World.
Every Christmas we relive and celebrate the moment when God sent His Son to earth as a baby to grow as a human and die for our sins. The hymn talks about the faithful. Take a moment to reflect – are you one of the faithful? Do we really trust Jesus and follow Him each day? Are we faithful to Him in every aspect of our lives? Even so, God still asks us to “Come”! The hymn invites us to come and see and behold this Son of God and to sing with the angels and rejoice that He is born our Saviour. The author of this hymn is not known; however John Francis Wade is credited to it. He spent his time as a copyist for musical manuscripts found in libraries. He also used to then sign his name as his calligraphy was so beautiful.
In 1751, this hymn was published as ‘Adeste Fideles’. Even though it was written in 1751, three hundred years later we still join together with all the faithful to sing this loved carol every Christmas. Sing or listen to: O Come, All Ye Faithful PRAYER V1: O come, all ye faithful, Joyful and triumphant, O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem; Come and behold Him, born the king of angels: O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord! Amen. 1
Angels We Have Heard on High
2nd Friday in Advent Read: Hebrews 1:1-6 “…when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, ‘Let all God’s angels worship him.’” Hebrews 1:6 (NIV) Let me set the scene: Sheep are scattered but settling down for the night, the shepherds have lit a fire, having some dinner and swapping tales of the day as they watch over the sheep and guard them from wild animals. Then, in a divine moment, God burst into the night sky with shining angels singing ‘Glory to God’ and speaking of the Saviour’s birth. In that solitary moment, the shepherd’s lives were transformed – becoming part of a story that has been retold for thousands of years. No wonder there are so many carols and hymns about the angels and the shepherds.
This carol: ‘Angels We Have Heard on High’ reminds us of this amazing night. The refrain “Gloria in Excelsis Deo”, literally means ‘Glory to God in the Highest’ and this helps us get a taste of what the angelic chorus sounded like as it sung the Good News – Christ is born! The angels sharing the birth of Jesus to these simple shepherds changed their lives forever. God loves to still speak through ordinary people (you and me) to transform others’ lives into something extraordinary through His grace and love. The earliest known printed version of ‘Angels We Have Heard On High’ was in an 1842 French song book.
Though the source of the song is unknown, it is believed to have originated in 18th century France. The song was first translated into English in 1860 by James Chadwick, a Roman Catholic bishop. As we also sing of the angel’s great announcement this Christmas, don’t forget to also announce to others around you: friends, family, neighbours and work colleagues that yours and my Saviour is born at Christmas to bring life and love into lives filled with emptiness. Jesus lives in our hearts, in our words and our actions announcing the Good News to others through us. There are so many ways to help and show love to people around us – be an angel to the ‘shepherds’ of today! Transform a life for Jesus! Sing or listen to: Angels We Have Heard on High
PRAYER V3: Come to Bethlehem and see Him whose birth the angels sing; Come, adore on bended knee, Christ the Lord, the newborn King. Gloria in excelsis Deo! Amen.
The Holly and the Ivy
Read: Jeremiah 23:4-6 “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
Matthew 1:21 (NIV) Holly and ivy are often used in decorating at Christmas. Holly is often referred to as Christ’s thorn – having a sharpness in the leaves representing the crown of thorns and the red berries as a reminder of the blood that was shed for our salvation. In Europe it maintains its bright colours through Christmas. You may be thinking that this is more a story for Easter, but we can’t have an Easter without first having a Christmas.
The Christmas Carol ‘The Holly and the Ivy’ cleverly relates the Christmas story with the Easter Passion. In the carol, the holly symbolises Jesus and the ivy represents Mary, His mother. As you listen or read the words to this carol, keep this fact in mind. It traces the symbolism of the holly plant having prickles, makes a prickly crown, has a blossom, a berry, bitter bark – all referring to the crucifixion of Jesus at Easter. But interwoven into the carol are the words “And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ” bringing us back to Christmas.
I think it is a very cleverly written carol from the early 19th Century, but the relationship of holly and Christmas go back to medieval times where holly and ivy were used in decorating many British households.
The Advent and Lenten seasons are totally opposite in the emotions and responses to all that is happening. The Christmas story is a lovely one filled with angels, shepherds, shining star, gifts, and above all the birth of a baby, born to be Saviour of the world. But this little baby was born for greater things than to fill us with warm fuzzy feelings, this baby was born to be the Saviour of the World, our Saviour who died a horrible death for us. This Christmas, as you gaze and reflect on God’s love in sending His Son as a baby, remember God’s greater gift in sending His Son for our redemption. Sing or listen to: The Holly and the Ivy PRAYER V2: The holly bears a blossom, as white as the lily flower, And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ, to be our sweet Saviour. CHORUS: The rising of the sun and the running of the deer, The playing of the merry organ, sweet singing in the choir. Amen
Behold a Rose is Growing
Isaiah 11:1-5 “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.” Isaiah 11:1 (NIV) We are in the season of Advent when we reflect on the prophecies leading to the birth of Jesus. Isaiah was a prophet who lived in the 8th Century BC, 700 years before the birth of Christ. In many of his writings in the Old Testament he referred to and prophesised of the coming Messiah being of a virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14), the Good News He will bring and Jesus’ sacrificial death.
In Chapter 11, as we read above, tells of the shoot (a rose) which will sprout from the Tree of Jesse (Jesse of Bethlehem, the father of King David) telling of the lineage of Jesus. The hymn first appeared in print in 1599 and has appeared in many translations and with differing numbers of verses, but the original author is unknown (Australian Lutheran Hymnal – 622). The first verse tells of the prophecy and lineage of Jesus and the second verse concentrates on Mary being a virgin and the birth coming to be through God’s will. The Rose is implied to be Jesus, God’s Son.
The words to this hymn are beautiful and tell the story of Jesus’ birth and the reason He came to Earth, “True man, yet very God, From sin and death He saves us And lightens every load.” The harmonious tune by the German composer Michael Praetorius in 1609 is most commonly used for this hymn. Just by my office in Noosa I have a beautiful fragrant rose in a pot. This rose plant f lowers throughout the year and often has a flush of 8-10 flowers on a stem. Neighbours across the road and visitors are drawn to stop and smell when it is in flower and cannot but marvel at the fragrance and beauty. For those who are gardeners, it is a Rose Fragrance King and a beautiful apricot/peach colour. Jesus is our rose attracting people to Him through who He is (His fragrance and appearance, traits and actions).
This Advent attracts neighbours and friends to the baby in Bethlehem – through Him we are saved. Sing or listen to: Behold a Rose is Growing PRAYER V3: This flower, whose fragrance tender with sweetness fills the air, Dispels with glorious splendour the darkness everywhere. True man, yet very God, from sin and death He saves us. And lightens every load. Amen.
It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
Colossians 3:15-17 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests” Luke 2:14 (NIV)
Peace, we all want it! We all need it, but at times it just seems so elusive. Peace is mentioned 329 times in the Bible. It is so important, but it is divided into three different kinds: international peace (1 Samuel 7:14), national peace (1 Kings 4:24) and civic peace (Romans 14:19).
We can obtain peace from God the Father (Philippians 4:7), Jesus Christ the Son (John 14:27) and the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22). In the Christmas story in Luke 2, we read of the angels singing of peace that is come into the world through God’s Son, Jesus. Many of the songs, hymns and carols of Christmas focus on peace. Is it the peace and serenity of a newborn child in the manger? Is it the peace we feel when thinking of the love God had for us in sending His Son to the world? Is it the ultimate peace we received when Jesus rose from the dead at Easter?
The Christmas Carol ‘It Came Upon the Midnight Clear’ is one carol that doesn’t mention the birth of Christ at all, but rather the focus is on the song of the angels: “Peace on Earth…” This is one of the earliest social gospel hymns written in the US (1849). Edmund Hamilton Sears (1810-1876) wrote the hymn out of his strong faith in God that He will send His angels to earth to bring peace. But it was written in a time when Edmund Sears was in despair from sickness, the Mexican American War and the unrest of slavery as the US was entering the Civil War.
Peace was needed and people were not listening to the angel's song bringing “Peace on Earth…”. We are also living in such a time of unrest. It is up to us to share this message of the Gospel that the angels bring: PEACE! May you find peace in Jesus even though the world around us is in chaos and “Rest beside the weary road and hear the angels sing.” Sing or listen to: It Came Upon the Midnight Clear PRAYER V5: For lo! The days are hastening on by prophet bards foretold, When with the ever circling years comes round the age of gold; When Peace shall over all the earth, Its ancient splendours fling, And the whole world give back the song Which now the angels sing. Amen
Christians, Awake, Salute the Happy Morn 2nd Monday in Advent Read: Luke 2:1-7
“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” 1 John 4:9-10 (NIV) This hymn is found in our Lutheran Hymnal 625 and as a child I remember this as one of the hymns we used to sing on Christmas morning. At the time I do remember wondering at the first line, “Christians, Awake, …” maybe the pastor is telling us to wake up after a late night on Christmas Eve with our presents!
This is one of the Christmas hymns that some of the older people in our church know well. It is not a hymn or song that I remember having sung for the last few Christmases; but it surely has a rousing tune that would wake up anyone dosing, as an organist would pound this out. John Byrom (1692-1763) was the writer of this hymn, who supposedly wrote it as a Christmas gift to his daughter, Dolly. He has an incredible history as being the inventor of a system of shorthand that was officially taught at both Oxford and Cambridge Universities and used by the clerk of the House of Lords.
He was a very learned man who also studied medicine but decided instead to patent this shorthand in 1740. (This shorthand was also used by John and Charles Wesley, the founders of Methodism). He was both a poet and a literary man who travelled in influential and intellectual circles in London and was also a spiritual man. The hymn tells the story of the first Christmas focusing more on the shepherds and angels. It originally was written with 6 verses, but verse 3 and verses 5 & 6 were combined to give us the four stanzas we have in our hymnal.
The poem was put to music by John Wainwright a couple years after it had been written. Like many of the Christmas carols and hymns, they tell the story of the birth of Jesus. If people do not know much else of the Christian faith, they learn of the birth of Jesus, the Son of God. We can thank John Byrom and all our other gifted writers through the ages that faith can be passed on through these wonderful words and stirring music at Christmas. Sing or listen to: Christians, Awake, Salute the Happy Morn
PRAYER V4/5: O may we keep and ponder in our mind. God’s wondrous love in saving lost mankind; Trace we the babe, who hath retrieved our loss, From His poor manger to His bitter cross; Saved by His love, incessant we shall sing. Eternal praise to heaven’s almighty king. Amen.