Holy Night!

And so the fourth candle - the candle of love - in our Advent Wreath at home has been lit and we wait for the morning to light the Christ candle in the center.- it is Christmas Eve, and all is quiet as we wait for the song of the angels!! 

"Alleluia! Christ is born!"

December 24th 2010
Scripture: Luke 2:6-12

Christmas Hymn for today:
“Silent Night, Holy Night”

 “So it was that while they were there, the days were accomplished for her to be delivered, and she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”

Silent night, holy night,
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child,.
Holy Infant, so tender and mild;
Sleep in heavenly peace.

Silent night, holy night,
Shepherds quake at the sight;
Glories stream from heaven afar;
Heavenly hosts sing, “Alleluia!”
Christ, the Savior, is born!

Silent night, holy night,
Son of God, Love’s pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus Lord, at Thy birth.

Silent night, holy night,
Wondrous star, lend thy light;
With the angels let us sing,
“Alleluia!” to our King!
Christ, the Savior, is born!

(author:  Joseph Mohr)

Meditation -   “Holy Night”

It is hard to imagine a hymn/carol of the Christmas season that is more beloved than “Silent Night, Holy Night”.  It wouldn’t surprise me at all if many of us already know the story that accompanies the writing of this beautiful and deeply-loved hymn.  It was written on the night before Christmas in 1818 at the little village of Oberndorf Austria, by Joseph Mohr, the Vicar of the Church of St. Nicholas.

Father Joseph and his good friend Franz Gruber had often lamented the fact that “the perfect Christmas hymn” had never been written.   Father Mohr had this very thing in mind when he received word that the organ in the church would not function because mice had eaten through the bellows!!  He decided that he would have to start work immediately and write his own Christmas hymn if he was to have music for Christmas Eve Mass.  He did not want to disappoint his faithful “flock”.  When he finished the text, he took it to his friend, Franz, who, upon seeing it, exclaimed, “Friend Mohr, you have found it - the right song - God be praised!” 

There is, as Dorothy used to say so often to her dad and me, “Drama going on here!”  In this instance, the drama of the first rendition of “Silent Night, Holy Night” was augmented by the fact that the organ in the church where Mass was to be celebrated broke down during the week before Christmas!!  I have BEEN an organist with the responsibilities for Christmas Eve worship, and I KNOW what kind of drama this is!!!   The holes in the leather bellows were HUGE . . . these weren’t little tiny field mice . . . more like wharf rats!! 

Franz Gruber, not wanting to fail his friend and pastor, brought out his guitar, and thus it happened that the first public presentation of the beloved hymn turned into a duet between the author and the composer with voice and plain guitar accompaniment.  By the way, if you have never had a chance to hear and sing this song to only guitar accompaniment, you have missed something dramatically spectacular, in my opinion!!

The breaking down of the organ was instrumental in popularizing the new hymn.  When the organ was being repaired some time afterward, Gruber played the new carol on it as a way of testing the tone of the repaired instrument.  The repairman, according to the story, was fascinated and enchanted and requested a copy of the hymn.  He took it back with him to his own village (Zillerthal, Austria) where the people received it with great joy and enthusiasm!!   ( I don’t know about you, but I have a feeling this is one of those “light in the darkness” experiences in life.

Something that seemed so disastrous as a broken organ on Christmas Eve turned into something that will forever be remembered with great joy for the contribution of this beloved hymn to our Christmas hymn literature!

Father Mohr and Franz Gruber never had, in all likelihood, any idea that their hymn would EVER be heard outside of their little mountain village.  Four daughters of a Zillerthal glovemaker heard the hymn in a church service following the organ repairman’s return to that city with his copy and they used this song in concerts they gave from town to town and village to village while their father sold gloves.

Soon everyone was singing “Silent Night, Holy Night” and it spread throughout the entire region.  So, too, have people continued to sing it through generations up to now, and so they will sing it as long as Christmas is part of human life.

“Silent Night, Holy Night” was heard in the United States for the first time in 1839 when a family of Tyrolean Singers used the music during their concert tour. It wasn’t long before it was being translated into numerous other languages, including English.  There are even eight ENGLISH translations in use at this time.  The one MOST in use current is the translation by John F. Young.  

Today is Christmas Eve.  tonight as you attend whatever services you choose, think about the beauty of snow-capped mountains and a little country church as it witnessed not only the birth of the Savior, but also the birth of one of the most beautiful imaginable of hymns about that night! Allow the words of the hymn to reverberate in your head and in your heart as you worship the newborn Babe of Bethlehem. 

Prayer ~ Lord Jesus, on this silent night - this holy night - as we anticipate the joy of Christmas morning, we remember the circumstances surrounding your birth - - - the young and frightened parents to whom You came - the stable - the manger - the animals - the shepherds - all of it.  We remember, and we kneel in awe before You praising God for His Gift to us - thanking God that He so loves us that He gave us “YOU”, and that you were willing to leave the throne and glory of heaven to come to earth to redeem us.   Welcome! - to our hearts and lives - to the earth again. We rejoice at Your presence in our lives! Amen ~

Activity ~ Attend a Christmas Eve Communion Service with your family.

Some Shepherds and a Shining Throng

December 22nd 2010

Lectionary Scripture: Matthew 1:18-25

Christmas Hymn of the Day 
"While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night"

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

"Fear not!" said he, for mighty dread
Had seized their troubled mind - 
"Glad tidings of great joy I bring
To you and all mankind."

"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."

"The Heavenly Babe you there shall find
To human view displayed,
All meanly wrapped in swaddling bands,
And in a manger laid."

Thus spake the seraph; and forthwith
Appeared a shining throng
Of angels praising God on high,
Who thus addressed their song.

"All glory be to God on high,
And to the earth be peace;
Good will henceforth from heaven to men,
Begin and never cease!"
 
Based on Luke 2:8-14
Luke 2:8-16

"Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks by night.  And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.

Then the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David, a Savior, Who is Christ the Lord.  And this will be a sign to you:  You will find a Babe, wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.'   

And suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying: 

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill to men!" 

So it was when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, 'Let us now go even into Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.'  

And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe, lying in a manger."  (KJV)

Meditation 

"While shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night" is a beautiful, pictorial hymn, a Christmas CAROL in the finest style.  It was written by Nahum Tate in the late seventeenth century and first appeared in the "Supplement to the New Version of the Psalms" in 1700.  It was one of six hymns he wrote for Christmas, Easter and Communion.  Only this one, the Christmas one, which is based on St. Luke's version of the nativity story as recorded in Luke, Chapter 2:8-14, survived.  It has not only survived, but has become so permanent a part of the celebration of the holy season that it will last as long as Christmas exists.  It is impossible for me to imagine a Christmas season going by without my hearing, playing and/or singing this lovely carol. 

The singing of hymns as we know it today was non-existent in England the the United States from the beginning of the Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century until the dawn of the eighteenth century.  Singing during this time was mostly in rhyme or Psalms, set in verses.  

As time moved on,  more modern congregations began to demand changes in the style, language, and character of those earlier days, and they wanted additional material for their worship services.  In 1696, Nahum Tate and Nicholas Brady published a supplement to their work which consisted of 16 hymns in addition to the more metered Psalms.  One of these hymns was this Christmas carol of Tate's, describing the angel's appearance to the shepherds.   

King William III gave his official endorsement and approval to this "new" supplement to the hymnal that was then in use, and it eventually made its way into America, where it was adopted by the American Episcopal Church in 1789.  

Nahum Tate was born in Ireland in 1652.  He was the son of an Irish clergyman and was educated at Trinity College.  In 1690, he was named "Poet Laureate of England" for the court of William and Mary during their reign.   Tate was rather a "party" animal and eventually spent all his money and ended up dying in 1715 in a debtor's refuge, drunk and alone, in Southward, London.  

During the "lambing season" every spring,  shepherds would sit all night beside their flocks, watching for wolves and the many other dangers that plague flocks of sheep.  Sometimes the shepherds would feed orphaned lambs with milk on a soaked rag, and would do anything they could to safeguard the lives of the sheep that were entrusted to their care and keeping. 

I have a cousin who was a shepherd at Pierce College in California while he was in school, and he has given me insight into the life of a shepherd that I could never have gained anywhere else or in any other manner.  I was particularly fascinated with his explanation about the sheep "knowing" their shepherd's voice . . . often several flocks would be penned together and several shepherds would share the campfire and the camaraderie that sprang up when they were in one another's company.

No doubt this explains why the shepherds were "seated on the ground" on the night Jesus was born, for many scholars believe that the event actually occurred sometime in the spring - late March or April, and it would be natural for these humble men to be fearful, not only for themselves, but for their flocks as well when the bright light and voices of the angels shattered the silent night.  

When time came, such as in the morning, for the flock to move from pen to pasture,  each shepherd would call his flock and ONLY the sheep that were accustomed to following that particular shepherd would get up and follow him.   Knowing this gives me an entirely different perspective on the scripture in the Gospel of John where Jesus refers to Himself as the Good Shepherd who is willing to lay down his life for his sheep.  He says, "My sheep hear my voice and they know me".  I was pretty surprised to find that this is literally true. Makes me want to "know" Jesus so well, that I recognize His voice speaking to me!!! 

With what wonder they must have heard the exhilarating news!  Are we surprised that they left their sheep and hurried with "great joy", even if a bit doubtfully, to see the Holy Babe in the manger??  They just had to see this with their own eyes!!!

Can we not easily understand and forgive their seeming "dereliction of duty" to the sheep for whom, on an ordinary night, under ordinary circumstances, they would have gladly given their own lives to protect?  This night and these circumstances could hardly be called "ordinary" by any stretch of the imagination!!

This is probably as good a place as any to say a brief word about the style of this hymn.  You may have noticed the use of the words "hymn"  and "carol" rather interchangeably, but there is a good reason for the distinction. 

A hymn differs from a carol in that a carol tells a story throughout its verses.  It is difficult at best, and often impossible at worst, to understand the full meaning of a carol without singing or reading all of the verses. The story unfolds as you move from verse to verse and is incomplete if any are omitted.   The verses of a hymn are connected and organized around a single subject, scripture or thought, but they do not "tell a story" as such.  "While Shepherds Watched" is as an excellent an example of a "carol" that tells a story as any other I can remember.  When you hear and sing this carol during the Christmas season this year, enjoy the story once again!

Prayer -  Our Father, we see once again in the words of this charming Christmas carol, the important in Scripture of the shepherd who tends the sheep and provides for their welfare and safety. We confess that all too often we are like sheep who would go astray without the Good Shepherd to bring us back to safe pasture under His tender watchful care. We thank you that you have sent your Son to be our Shepherd, and we praise your Holy Name for your love, mercy and unfailing grace. We pray these things in the name of the Good Shepherd, even Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen ~

Activity -  Enjoy dinner by only the lights of your Christmas tree tonight.  Remember about special Christmases you have shared together with all who are present.  Think some about what it means to have those little lights of your tree pierce the otherwise gloomy night.  Reflect on how we are like the shepherds on the hillside over Bethlehem, and how we are like the sheep being guarded and protected.

Called to Rejoice!

Noah's Ark Ornament - Acrylic and Gold

Hymn of the Day

“Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee”

Author: Henry Van Dyke
Based on Galatians 5:22-23

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness,faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”

Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee, God of glory, Lord of Love;

Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee, opening to the sun above.

Melt the clouds of sin and sadness, Drive the dark of doubt away.

Giver of immortal gladness,  Fill us with the light of day!

All Thy works with joy surround Thee, Earth and heaven reflect Thy rays.

Stars and angels sing around Thee, Center of unbroken praise.

Field and forest, vale and mountain, Flowery meadow, flashing sea,

Chanting bird and flowing fountain, Call us to rejoice in Thee.

Thou art giving and forgiving, Ever blessing, ever blest.

Wellspring of the joy of living, Ocean depth of happy rest.

Thou our Father, Christ our Brother, All who live in love are Thine.

Teach us how to love each other,Lift us to the joy divine!

Mortals join the mighty chorus which the morning stars began,

Father love is reigning o'er us, Brother loves binds man to man.

Ever singing, march we onward, Victors in the midst of strife,

Joyful music leads us sunward, In the triumph song of life.

Meditation

“Called to Rejoice!”

This joyous hymn is sung to an arrangement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. There have been numerous hymnwriters who have attempted to create verse which could measure up to this music, some of the world’s greatest. It wasn’t until a few years before World War I (in 1911) that Dr. Henry Van Dyke finally succeeded in writing words that caught the true fullness of the joy of Beethoven’s music. Together, the words and music of this hymn combine to make one of the outstanding pieces of hymnody in the entire Church.

Henry Van Dyke was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania, on November 10, 1842. During his lifetime he was recognized as one of the ablest Presbyterian ministers and leading liturgy figures in the country. In addition to his fame as a preacher, he served as Professor of Literature at Princeton University from 1900-1923, was moderator of his denomination; was a Navy Chaplain during World War I and represented his country as Ambassador to Holland and Luxembourg. He was a prolific writer of devotional material with many of his books becoming best sellers. He wrote some wonderful short stories, which I commend to your reading.

This is Henry Van Dyke’s best known hymn. "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee" is a joyous interplay between God’s created world and the manifestation of the same creative spirit in the lives of believers. The hymn is full of similes like “hearts unfold like flowers before Thee” which point toward this interplay. The second verse of the hymn serves to remind us that all of God’s creation speaks of His glory. We are directed in our worship directly to the Creator, Himself. The fourth verse provides a glorious invitation for all of God’s children to join the mighty chorus of joy begun at creation’s dawn. Job 38:7 says: “When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” (NKJ)

The hymn text was written while Van Dyke was a guest preacher at Williams College, in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It is said that Van Dyke handed the manuscript to the college president, telling him, “Here is a hymn for you. Your mountains [the Berkshires] were my inspiration. It is to be sung to the music of Beethoven’s “Hymn of Joy”. It was first included in Van Dyke’s Book of Poems, Third Edition, and published in 1911. One of the most powerful ideas expressed in the hymn is that God’s gracious love for us should create a greater “brother love” for our fellow man. With God’s help we can become victorious over strife and be "lifted to the joy Divine” as we show daily more and more love to others.

How wonderful it is to receive the invitation in Van Dyke’s words of the fourth verse, to join with all the mighty chorus which was begun by the morning stars. We revel in the Father’s love that is reigning over us and the brother love that binds us to each other under the Fatherhood of God. We can delight in being called “children” of the Heavenly Father. We are invited also to be “ever singing” as we follow where Christ would lead us, into paths of service to Him and our Father in heaven. We are told in no uncertain terms that we are “victors in the midst of strife” and that there is joyful music to accompany us along the way of our journey until we come to the place where we will sing songs of triumph forever more! Oh to be ready when He comes for me!

Prayer - Oh God, we do adore Thee with joyful hearts. We thank You again and again for coming to us through your Son, Jesus. We confess that we often fail to lead the joyous and abundant life you would have us to lead, and that joy is sometimes very far away indeed. We get busy, especially at this time of year, and we let our anxieties and frustrations bog us down. We do things more out of a sense of duty than out of joy, and we regret this. Help us to live more as you would have us to live and to do your holy will for our lives, that we might be instruments of your glory and more fully spread joy throughout the world in which we live. We pray in Jesus’ name, Amen~

Christ Was Born for This!

Child in the Manger

December 19th 2010 - Fourth Sunday of Advent

"When God Comes"

Annunciation Sunday

COLOR:  Purple   CANDLE:  The Candle of Love
This candle we light today symbolizes God's love for His world, expressed
in His gift of His only Son to be our Savior.

Lectionary Readings for the Fourth Sunday of Advent 

Isaiah 7:10-16     Psalm 80:1-7:17-19 
Romans 1:1-7  Matthew 1:18-25 

Christmas Hymn of the Day - "Good Christian, Men, Rejoice!"
Based on Isaiah 49:13

"Sing, O heavens! Be joyful, O Earth!  And break out in singing, O, Mountains!  For the Lord has comforted His people, and will have mercy on His afflicted."

Good Christian, men, rejoice with heart and soul and voice;
Give ye heed to what we say: "Jesus Christ is born today:" 
Ox and ass before Him bow, and He is in the manger now. 
Christ is born today!  Christ is born today!

Good Christian men, rejoice with heart and soul and voice:
Now ye hear of endless bliss: Jesus Christ was born for this!
He hath oped the heavenly door, and man is blessed forever more,
Christ was born for this!  Christ was born for this!

Good Christian, men, rejoice, with heart and soul and voice:
Now ye need not fear the grave; Jesus Christ was born to save~
Calls you one and calls you all to gain His everlasting hall.
Christ was born to save! Christ was born to save."

Meditation
"Christ Was born for This!"

This is a joyous carol, paraphrasing a 14th century carol by John Mason Neale.  It serves as a reminder to us that Christmas should be the most joyous season of the year for Christians.  Our lives should be filled with gratitude to God for the measureless love He shows to us in the gift of His only Son,  Jesus Christ.  Out of hearts full of gratitude and joy we should be exuberant in "heart and soul and voice!"  Often in writing repetition is used for emphasis, and that is certainly the case with this hymn!  Neale means for us to be impressed by the "endless bliss" won for us by the birth of Christ who opens the way to heaven and conquers our fear of death through His assurance of eternal life with the Father. 

The  hymn is fascinating to people who love words and love to study them!  It blends 14th Century Latin phrases with everyday ordinary German expressions.  The original Latin title is In Dulci Jubilo which means "in sweet shouting".  Over the years German people added their own words making this a carol that combines two or more languages.  The English translation we are familiar with is rather liberal and first appeared in print in 1853 in "Neale's  Carols for Christmastide".   

In the repetitive phrases that we find in this wonderful hymn, we hear over and over that "Christ was born for this!"   He was born to bring us salvation from our sins and to remove forever our fear of death and the grave.  

One of the most important lessons we can learn as we mature in the Christian faith is to rejoice no matter in what circumstances we may find ourselves.  Paul says in his writings, "I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therein to be content."    How we long for such a faith that brings this kind of contentment!!  I confess that this is one of my own "growing edges".  A few years back when I was very very gravely ill and confined to home,   I discovered that I am "NOT" so content in all the "states" in which I find myself.  I am impatient, and I often have no joy in being "in the moment" so to speak.  

So much tells me that just the opposite should be the way of life for Christians, and our task is to move ever closer to Him and to follow His teachings so closely that we approach even the frightening things in our lives with joyful anticipation and gladness of heart. It is when we are able to trust God to bring blessings into our lives, even in the midnight hours, that are able to find this state of joyful contentment and being to understand Romans 8:28 which tells us, "All things work together for good for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose."  

The festive spirit of Christmas should not wane as the holiday comes closer, is celebrated and passes for another year.  The joy and peace that Christ brings to our lives should enable us to be continually rejoicing Christians, regardless of our circumstances.  The blessing that came to us on Christmas morning in Bethlehem have illuminated our pathways and our lives forevermore!!!

Prayer -  Dear Jesus, we thank you that you came to earth for us . . . to save us from our sins and from ourselves, and to show us how to live more victoriously, with joy and with gladness of heart.  We confess that we often fail to find contentment in whatever circumstances life throws at us, and we pray that You would lead us from our adoration at the manger to a more abundant life every other day of the year.  We would praise You and rejoice always and know the "endless bliss" the hymnwriter speaks of to us.  Amen ~

Activity - Take a walk today and listen for the songs of "Jubilate" in the birds of the air and in all of the earth's creatures.  Join with them in your own song of rejoicing!!!

"A Christian's practical theology is often found in his hymnody."   Unknown 

How Silently, How Silently

You're Most Welcome!

The pineapple is the symbol of "welcome" in many places. Later today, *we* will welcome our friends to "Open House" at our home. This morning, I find myself thinking about what it means to hold "Open House", and about how the inn in Bethlehem was anything but "open" the night Jesus was born into this world.

"Open" is about "welcome", and about being receptive to visitors and events of the day. In some cases, "open" and "welcome" are both about "preparation", and I find my  "wonderings" including the asking of questions to myself about whether or not I work as diligently and as hard preparing for the arrival anew of Jesus into my heart and life as I have for the party today.


Hymn of the Day
"O Little Town of Bethlehem"


One of my favorite Christmas hymns is "O Little Town of Bethlehem".

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.

For Christ is born of Mary and gathered all above

While mortals sleep the angels keep their watch of wondering love.

O morning stars together, proclaim the holy birth,

All praises sing to Christ the King and peace to men on earth

How silently, how silently the wondrous Gift is given.

So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His heaven

No ear may hear His coming, but in this world of sin,

Where meek souls will receive Him, still the dear Christ enters in.

Where children pure and happy pray to the blessed Child,

Where misery cries out to Thee, son of the mother mild,

Where charity stands watching and faith holds wide the door,

The dark night wakes, the glory breaks and Christmas comes once more.

O, Holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us we pray.

Wipe out our sin and enter in. Be born in us today.

We hear the Christmas angel the great glad tidings tell.

O come to us, abide in us, our Lord, Emmanuel!

The birth of this beloved Christmas carol was rather dramatic. Its appearance was as sudden as the announcement of the angelic host concerning the birth of Christ, to the Shepherds in the fields outside Bethlehem. The seeds of the hymns were sown in 1865 on Christmas Eve in Bethlehem. Phillips Brooks, a noted Episcopal Bishop, who was often referred to as the “Prince of the Pulpit”, attended services in the ancient basilica, which was believed to have been built by the Emperor Constantine in the fourth century.

He was a young minister at the time, and the simple service made a permanent impression on his heart. Three years later while he was rector of Holy Trinity Church in Philadelphia, at the request of the children in the Sunday School, he wrote a new Christmas carol. His trip to the Holy Land came back to his mind vividly, and he wrote the verses of this beautiful hymn. Thoughts of that little town of Bethlehem were so strong in his mind and heart that Brooks completed the entire hymn in just one evening.

The next day when Lewis Redner, organist and Sunday School Superintendent, came into Brooks’ study, his friend handed him the poem and asked him if he could write some music for it so it could be used during the Christmas season. Redner waited for inspiration but none came. On the night before Christmas, he woke up suddenly, in the middle of the night, with the melody of the song ringing in his ears. Grabbing a piece of paper, he wrote down the music that he heard so clearly in his mind, and went back to sleep. The following morning he harmonized the melody, and that same day the little children of Holy Trinity Church sang for the first time one of the most loved of all Christmas carols.

Brooks was born in Boston, MA, in 1835. After his graduation from Harvard and the Episcopal Theological Seminary in Virginia in 1859, he began a long, distinguished career in the ministry, serving as pastor in Philadelphia from 1859-69, and at the Trinity Church in Boston from 1869-1891. He was appointed Bishop of all of the Episcopal Churches in the Massachusetts short before his untimely death in 1893. His many published volumes of sermons have since become American literature classics. He loved hymns and memorized them easily. At the time he entered college he could recite well over 200 of them. He used them often in his preaching.

This hymn paints a beautiful word picture for us of the little town of Bethlehem as it might have been on that wonderful night so long ago, when Jesus was born. We can almost “see” the Holy Family and the events that unfolded in the little town, lying so still beneath the starry night. Brooks characterizes the little town as sleeping deeply and without dreams, while silent stars go by overhead. Despite the darkness of the night, the picture he paints for us is one of great Light - - - the light of Christ come into the world, shining so brightly throughout the dark streets of the little town and in our time throughout the dark places in our own lives.

In the third verse we are reminded that the wondrous Gift that night in Bethlehem was given in great silence. There were no trumpet fanfares to announce the arrival of the Baby King. It’s likely that many who were present in and around Bethlehem found it hard to believe that God would choose such a way to come to earth. They were probably very skeptical. I wonder if I would have been otherwise? It’s hard to visualize a King and a Baby in the same person. It seems that a King should arrive with all sorts of people in his entourage - bands playing - bodyguards - the trappings of royalty. I think in some ways it would be easier for me if His arrival had been a little more “obvious” and “celebrated”. We all go for the “sensational”, don’t we?

We may not hear His coming at all, but we have the assurance that no matter whether we hear His approach or not, wherever He is received by the meek, He enters in. He did thousands of years ago, and he does so “still”! He enters in and casts out our sin and our fears if we are just willing to let Him do so. What a wonderful assurance it is.

Prayer - Lord, the calendar shows us that we are rapidly approaching that day set aside for the celebration of the birth of your Son into our lives. Help us to remain alert to His coming, lest we miss Him in the silence that surrounds the glorious event. We thank you for the Gift, and that you give it to us anew year after year. We thank You for the love that was so great that Jesus left His throne and His crown, and came to the earth to be born of a young girl. We pray for forgiveness of our many sins, and we bless your Holy Name as we thank your for that forgiveness. Amen ~

Activity - Hire a student to do odd jobs for you. There are always a lot of “odd jobs” to be done during this season …boxes of decorations to carry down from the attic or up from the basement, Christmas trees to be put in stands, leaves to be raked, outdoor lights to be rigged up, windows to wash, floors to clean, gifts to wrap, goodies to bake, babies to sit for, pets to sit for, errands to run - the list is endless. There are many kids who need spending money for Christmas. Hiring one does BOTH of you a favor!

In Praise of God

Christmas 2009 - Carnesville GA

December 17th, 2010 

Lectionary Reading: Isaiah 43:1-13

Hymns of the Day:  The Apostle's Creed - (Author Unknown)

Based on I Corinthians 15:3-22

"For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve.

After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles.  Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.  For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

But, by the grace of God, I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet, not I, but the grace of God which was with me.  Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

Now, if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?  But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.  Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up - if, in fact, the dead do not rise.  For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen.  And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!  Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.  If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pittiable. 

But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead.  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive."  (NKJV)

I believe in God the Father, maker of heaven and earth, 

And in Jesus Christ our Savior, God's own Son or matchless worth;

Laid aside His heavenly glory, by the Holy Ghost conceived,

Born unto the Virgin Mary, He in whom I have believed.

Suffered under Pontius Pilate, crucified for me, He died;

Laid within the grave so silent, gates of Hell He opened wide.

And the stone-sealed tomb was empty, on the third day He arose; 

Into heaven made His entry, Mighty Conqueror of His foes.
(author unknown)

Hymns of the Day:   Doxology and Gloria Patri

(Based on: Psalm 86:12)

"I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart,

and I will glorify your name forevermore."

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow; Praise Him all creatures here below;

Praise Him above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.  Amen ~

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost: as it was in the beginning, 

Is now and ever shall be, world without end.  Amen ~ 

Meditation

"In Praise of God" 

The Apostle's Creed  hymn is sung to a familiar tune (Franz Joseph Haydn's Austrian Hymn) but it is not often used in our hymnals today. It is based on I Corinthians 15:3-22, one of the earliest recorded summaries of apostolic teaching about the heart and soul of the Christian faith.  Paul, in this scripture passage, becomes a messenger revealing those things that have been revealed to him so he could pass along to others of his day, and onto us in our day. 

These things about life, death, burial and resurrection of Christ are really important "things".  We learn about our own sins and their being the cause for which Jesus came and eventually gave His life on the cross.  They are things we need to know and to take to heart!

In early verses (3 and 4) we read about how Paul spoke to us first of everything that HE had received, chiefly that Christ died for our sins and this according to prophecy in scripture - that He was buried and that He rose from the dead on the third day.  

This scripture should serve to remind us of those who have passed the Gospel on to US . . . pastors, teachers, preachers, ministers, prophets, evangelists, choir directors, etc. - - - throughout the ages.  Here we find facts of very important significance to us:  things like "Christ died for MY sins.  He died a very real and human death.  He was buried and His followers and friends were devastated thinking all was lost!  Suddenly, He appears to Mary in the Garden and is alive again - raised from the dead!!  Notice these truths as you read the words of the hymn printed above. Sing them - post them on your fridge - in your car - your purse or wallet - become familiar with them. Take in the words . . . live them . . . love them . . . believe them . . . share them.

The hymn is a paraphrase of our Apostle's Creed, and was written anonymously as far as anyone has been able to discern.  The Apostle's Creed is THE most frequently and widely used statement of Christian belief.  The Creed itself is derived from  the Old Roman Creed of the second century AD as a "question and answer" form of teaching.  It was used to prepare new Christians for baptism.  


I had a personal experience with the Apostle's Creed as I was preparing for my own confirmation back in 1956.   The associate to my Pastor at  Grace United Methodist Church came to my house with an English Walnut that had this long piece of ribbon inside - it was a number of different colors of ribbon, each piece representing a phrase of the Creed, and I learned it that way. 

The teaching of Martin Luther tell us that it was his belief that the Apostle's Creed combined with the Lord's Prayer and the Ten Commandments contained all of the essential teachings in the Bible.  We can, and do, believe MORE than the Creed and Prayer and Laws, but never "less".   

Both of these hymns we use regularly in worship - The Doxology and the Gloria Patri are both doxologies.  The use of them (and there are MANY of them) dates back to early synagogues.  The Gloria Patri is known as the "lesser doxology", the more complete work from which it comes being found in a hymn based on the song sung by the angels when Christ was born - "Gloria in Excelsis Deo" (Glory to God in the Highest!)  

Prayer ~  Dear Father, we thank You for those who have gone before us who have left us a rich heritage of hymns that we may use in our worship to praise You and to give thanks to You for Your great love, mercy and grace toward your children.  We confess that we sometimes speak the words of our Apostle's Creed, and sing the words of the Gloria Patri and the Doxology in a rather perfunctory manner, not pausing to think and meditate on the importance of what these words say to us and about our faith.  


Forgive us when we do so, and increase our awareness of just what it means to say, "I believe in God the Father, Almighty, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son our Lord . . . " and to sing, "Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost . . . "  and  "Praise God from Whom ALL blessings flow . . . ".   We acknowledge that it is from You that we receive everything we have, and that it is You to whom all praise and glory belong.  We make our prayer in the name of Jesus.  Amen ~

Activity - Make up your own Gloria Patri or Doxology or other song of praise to the Trinity.  With which person of the Trinity do you most frequently relate?  Many of our hymns contain a form of the Gloria Patri  or Doxology.  Notice them, and use what you notice when you write your own. 

Clear Midnights

(It Came Upon A Midnight Clear)


Hymn of the Day

"It Came Upon A Midnight Clear"

Author: Edmund Hamilton Sears
Based on Luke 2:13

"And suddenly there was with the angel

a multitude of the heavenly host praising God ... "

It came upon the midnight clear

That glorious song of old,

Of angels bending near the earth
To touch their harps of gold.
"Peace on the earth, good will to men
From heaven's all-gracious King.
The world in solemn stillness lay
To hear the angels sing.

Still through the cloven skies they come
With peaceful wings unfurled,
And still their heavenly music floats
O'er all the weary world.
Above its sad and lowly plains
They bend on hovering wing,
And ever o'er its Babel sounds
The blessed angels sing.

Yet with the woes of sin and strife
The world has suffered long;
Beneath the angel-strain have rolled
Two thousand years of wrong;
And man, at war with man, hears not
The love-song which they bring:
O hush the noise, ye men of strife,
And hear the angels sing

And ye beneath life's crushing load
Whose forms are bending low,
Who toil along the climbing way
With painful steps and slow.
Look now! for sad and golden hours
Come swiftly on the wing;
O rest beside the weary road
To hear the angels sing!


For lo! The days are hasten'ing on
By prophet bards foretold,
When with the ever-circling years
Comes round the age of gold;
When peace shall over all the earth
Her ancient splendors fling
And the whole world send back the song
Which now the angels sing.

Meditation ~ "Clear Midnights!"

This very popular Christmas hymn was written in 1849 by a Unitarian Minister named Edmund Hamilton Sears. He was born at Sandisfield, Massachusetts, April 6, 1810, and spent most of his life in the ministry (27 years at Wayland, MA. For some twelve years of his life, however, he was associated with the Rev. Rufus Ellis in the editorial work of the monthly "Religious Magazine", and it was there that most of his work was published. His lineage dates back to Colonial Days as he was a descendant of Richard Sears, a Hollander who joined the Plymouth Colony in 1630.

After graduating from Union College in New York, Edmund Sears began to study law. A call to the ministry was more interesting to him than his law studies, so he entered Harvard Divinity School. After Harvard, he served several small pastorates in the central part of Massachusetts.

He wrote and published numerous works, but only two hymns - - -
both of them intended for Christmas. The first one was entitled
"Calm on The Listening Ear of Night" and is actually very similar, textually, to "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear.

"It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" is one Christmas hymn that should be sung year round because it bears a message of social service that is both timeless and seasonless. It is just as true that no Christmas season would be complete without the singing of this well-beloved carol/hymn. Since its writing in 1849, scarcely a hymnal anywhere has been published that does "NOT" include it. It was one of the first carols ever written by an American writer. It is something of a surprise to find such a text written by a Unitarian. It was often said of Sears that he was more of a Unitarian by name than by conviction. Being a Unitarian Minister did not keep him from believing in the divinity of Christ or from preaching it from his pulpit.

This hymn is generally considered to be one of the finest hymn/carols to emphasize the social implications of the angels' message - - - that of achieving peace and good will toward our fellowmen in the midst of social difficulty. The writing of Midnight Clear occurred at a time in American history of great unrest and strained peace. In New England the Industrial Revolution was causing all sorts of social upheaval. It was the year of the California Gold Rush and all that attended that. It is to these that the hymn refers - - - those "beneath life's crushing load". The hymn text urges them (and us who have followed them) to listen once again to the singing of the angels. It is a distinctly American trait, by the way, to write hymns that stress this social message of Christmas - this "peace on earth, good will to men". Carols from England and other parts of Europe reflect no such concern.

The final verse is the great verse of hopeful optimism, speaking as it does of that golden age - - - 'when peace shall over all the earth, its ancient splendors fling, and the whole world gives back the song, which now the angels sing." The peace of Christmas, proclaimed by the heavenly chorus of angels, is one of God's greatest gifts to mankind. In II Corinthians Chapter 5, verse 19, we read that "God was reconciling the world unto Himself". This message of reconciliation involves us on three different levels: (1)Peace with God, (2) Peace with our fellowmen; and (3) Peace within ourselves. It is this wonderful and blessed concept that Edmund Sears wanted to emphasize in this unusual carol.

Just as the angelic announcement of peace was given at a time of much turmoil caused by the iron-fisted rule of the Roman Empire, and just as this hymn was written during a time of serious social turmoil in American society, so today does God's message of peace come despite all of life's crushing load and stormy circumstances. The hymn is distinguished by the omissions - the things it does not say . . . no mention, for instance, of Christ the newborn King . . . no elements of the scriptural account of the birth of Jesus from Matthew or Luke.

One of the things I am thinking about tonight as I ponder the words of "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" is how many things that seem so dark - - - so "midnightish" - - - can be transformed into the joyous or the miraculous. We fear the darkness of life - - - the midnight hours - - - those hours just before dawn that are said to be the darkest of all.

So many things constitute midnight hours for us. We abhor the darkness. We are often frightened by the darkness. When I had surgery in 1998, I kept my best friend on the phone almost ALL night the night before my surgery. It was a dark time for me and I was terribly frightened. Morning "did" come, though, and life and light "won" for me. It's so often that the darkness is something terribly frightening. We run from it, and yet, there are those things that "come upon a midnight clear" that are beautiful. The words to another wonderful hymn come to mind here. In the refrain to "We've a Story to Tell to the Nations", we find the words . . . "and the darkness shall turn to dawning, and the dawning to noonday light . . ."

Two personal examples come quickly to my mind. A few years ago, Terry and I were on the way back from Helen, GA, on a very dark, moonless, completely gorgeous night. The stars appeared to be close enough to touch. We pulled off the road and stopped to look at them, and just observe the beauty. Things in the night that might have been fearsome on another occasion were awesome in their beauty this night. We had only to stop and take the time to see what was actually in the darkness.

Secondly, December brings with it an annual major meteor shower. A few years back, Terry and I were eagerly anticipating the "show" only to be presented with rain and fog on the night of the "peak" showers, and it was all but impossible to observe anything at all of the meteor shower. I was quite disappointed when I went to bed, but the next night was clear, with lots of stars in the sky. On the way home from eating dinner, Terry and I went out to a road in our neighborhood that has no street lights, etc., and found a place to stop away from traffic. We watched and waited as our eyes adjusted to the darkness.

We were a bit too early for the meteors to be showing up, I suppose, 

but the night was gorgeous. We watched for awhile, and then left, thinking we might come back after midnight when they are supposed to be more active. Something to look forward to on a clear night at midnight?? On the way to the spot we had chosen to do our sky-watching and star-gazing, we saw a beautiful Stag Deer with a six-point rack of antlers cross the road in the headlights of the car. Here again was something beautiful to come out of the darkness of the night. Something unexpected, and to us, at least, something wonderful and awe-inspiring.

What other wonders await us in the midnight hour? During those times of darkness in our lives, what might be found in the midnight hour if we could but allow ourselves to tune in to it and to look for the beautiful that might be found?  

 

What might we find in those times when life is at its darkest if we can push ourselves to look the midnight square in the face and really find what's there?All they had to do to find that wondrous joy was to be willing to go looking for it. Isn't that all we have to do as well? Be willing to go look for the wondrous things that can come to bring light and life to us even in our darkness? Maybe even because of our darkness? 

 

What I have found in some of the experiences I have had the past few years, as I struggled with my health and had many of those midnight
hours is that the darkness may be exactly as it appears to be - - -
full of danger and reasons to fear it, but it may contain much 

more than that.

It is my job to look at what is actually there before I curse the darkness. Someone has said, you know, that "It's better to light a candle than to curse the darkness." Maybe what I am saying is that I have learned to look for those candles that have been lit for me in my darkness before I curse that darkness. It's not possible to observe the beauty of a meteor shower in the daytime, and the deer and other creatures of God's kingdom don't as often come out in the daytime in the same way as they do at night. Some beauty may just possibly require the nighttime to display

itself in its best light.

Prayer - Our Father, we are reminded of the words of this hymn and others, including one great Southern Gospel hymn, written by Mosie Lister, She wrote, and we feel, "In the dark of the midnight have I oft hid my eyes . . ." We hide, Father, from Thee and from the darkness of the midnight hours of our life. We pray that You will grant us greater understanding of the midnight, and teach us to look beyond the obvious, and the things that frighten us, for the blessings that may be there. We thank you for your love for us, and for your steadfastness to us in redeeming us and our darkness over and over again. Bless us so that we may in turn be a blessing to others in the name of the Light of the World, your Son, Jesus Christ, who came to bring everlasting Light into the darkness of our world, for we ask it in His holy name, believing that even as we ask, it has been accomplished. Amen ~

Activity ~ Call a nursing home and get the names of ten people who don't often get mail. Send each one a beautiful card, signed "From, Santa!"

Wicks Trimmed? Lights Burning?

Hymn for today ~ "Let the Lower Lights Be Burning"

Philip P. Bliss, 1871



Brightly beams our Father's mercy
From his lighthouse evermore,
But to us he gives the keeping
Of the lights along the shore.
(refrain)


Dark the night of sin has settled, 
Loud the angry billows roar;
Eager eyes are watching, longing,
For the lights along the shore.
(Refrain)

Trim your feeble lamp, my brother;
Some poor sailor tempest tossed,
Trying now to make the harbor,
In the darkness may be lost.
 (Refrain)


(Refrain) Let the lower lights be burning,
Send a gleam across the wave!
Some poor fainting struggling seaman,
You may rescue, you may save.

This hymn was written by Philip Bliss well over 100 years ago. It was born out of inspiration he received from a sermon he heard while living in Chicago.  

This is a hymn I grew up singing, and it is as familiar to me as hymns like "Amazing Grace"  and  "Blessed Assurance".  I can sing it from memory, but I'm not sure when it was that I finally did some thinking about "lower lights" and what they might be.  I think we sing and repeat creeds, etc.,  without thinking much about what we're actually saying.  When's the last time you gave close scrutiny to the words of "The Lord's Prayer"  for instance.  How often 

have you,  as I have, said, "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us"   without realizing you are asking God to forgive YOU for all of your sins (debts, trespasses, sins etc) to the same extent you are willing to forgive others?   That changes the entire prayer for me.  

The same applies to singing the words of this hymn - "let the lower lights be burning - send a gleam across the wave . . . "   What are lower lights anyway??!!

The lower lights are the shore lights.  The "big light" from the lighthouse itself is the one that gets all the credit for the safe arrival of the big ships into the harbor, but think about that kind of light.   


The HUGE Fresnel lens in the picture above is at Montauk Point Lighthouse on the eastern end of the South Fork of Long Island.   It's light can be seen shining out for several miles into the dark North Atlantic Ocean.  Sailors of old who approached it depended on that far-reaching shaft of light to let them know they were getting close to land.  That's as it should be, of course, but what happens when one approaches closer and closer to the shore on which a lighthouse stands?

The light doesn't "bend" to illuminate the path to the harbor, nor does it "travel" with the sailors to guide them all the way in.   Often, the land on which a lighthouse stands is rocky shoreline and there is danger that would be unseen beneath dark waters near the shoreline if it were not for the "lower lights" - those lights are the lights away from the lighthouse - lights that shine from our stores and windows and docks that light the way of the channel so the ship can find the "safe water"  - the safe passage.   Without these "lower lights",  the way is easily lost once one gets beneath the light of the lighthouse. 

We are to let the "Master" lightkeeper take care of the Lighthouse,  while we keep the "lower lights" burning and shining out in the darkness of the night!!   Just as a candle wick must be kept trimmed in order for the candle to light properly and stay lit without going out,  our lives must also be "trimmed" by the touch of the Master on them.

Scripture is full of references to "light" and to the "Light of the World, which is Jesus.   "Jesus is the Light of the World."  "The light shined in the darkness and the darkness comprehended it not."  "Let your light so shine before men that they see your good works, and glorify God."   There are vast numbers of individual references.  "Light" is an important part of scripture, and the entire season of Epiphany uses "light" as its symbol.   

Mt. Pisgah UMC in Alpharetta did a Christmas concert some years back and the finale was a beautiful work entitled "I Have Seen the Light".  The tenor who sang it had a very nice voice and the work was thrilling . . . I don't remember the entire text, but it read in part, 

"I have seen the Light shining in the darkness . . . "  That reminds me so much of seeing a lighthouse shining through the darkness.  I love especially the Montauk Point Lighthouse and I have a magnet on my refrigerator that I got there - - - it says, 

Montauk - "I Have Seen the Light" 


 I think one of the things I enjoy the most about Christmas decorations is the "light" and the hundreds of ways in which we use lights as symbols . . . candles in the Advent wreath,  on our tables, and mantels,  lights on the tree and in our windows . . . such wonderful reminders about the "Light" of our lives and the "Light" of the world, who is Jesus!!!  


Eventually,  I get around to asking myself, again and again, in fact, if I am a "lower light" . . . if I am a shining beam in anybody's life pointing to the Master Lightkeeper . . . providing illumination along a pathway that is safe for someone else to walk along their own journeys.  It's critical that we have the Lighthouse and the Master Lightkeeper, but "lower lights" have a job to do as well.   Is your wick trimmed?  Does your light shine out in the darkness?  Will anybody look at you or me and say to someone else, "I have seen the light shining in the darkness . . . "?? 

Prayer -  I thank you, Lord, for sending the Light of the world to illumine our darkness.  Help me to be a lower light for someone else who would otherwise be lost "at sea" trying hard to make harbor safely.  Trim me as I would trim a candle wick  - - - make me and mold me into a "candle" fit for use in your Kingdom.  Keep me watchful and looking through the darkness for the Light that is to come.  Amen