Last night, Sarabeth was here for "Bible Study," which, as she was the only who came, turned into "Cookie Baking Study." Hey, it's Christmas.
These were pretty easy to make. You actually frost them before you bake them, which is odd, but it worked. Can you see SB's adorable little baby bump?
Sounds just like Christmas, doesn't it? Today's post will be Contemplation Lite, because really, read those lyrics. Yay for happy bells! Yay for Christmas cheer! I think I've chosen this carol more for the music, which has always thrilled and fascinated me. And here is a gift for all of you: a video of me Being Stupid! Who doesn't love that? This is from two years ago, and the faint strains of this song in the background are from a "Light Jazz Christmas" CD that I mostly hate. Except for this one, which makes me dance like a cross between one of Charles Schulz's Peanuts and a Muppet. Jordan, forgive me!
Edited to add: I've had to remove the video: it didn't work anymore. If you didn't see it last year, you've really missed out! I have two new favorite versions, the Transiberian Orchestra's "Christmas/Sarajevo/12/24" and Barlow Girl's, which is a medley with "Sing We Noel."
Lo, how a Rose e
This is the Bentz family. Today, Russ, husband and father, passed away from an infection. They attend our church, and we love them all very much.
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,
O come let us adore Him,
O come let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord!
Sing choirs of angels,
Sing in exaltation!
Sing all ye citizens of Heav'n above!
Glory to God, glory in the highest.
O come let us adore Him,
O come let us adore Him,
O come let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord!
Yea, Lord we greet Thee,
Born this happy morning!
Jesus, to thee be all glory giv'n.
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing.
O come let us adore Him,
O come let us adore Him,
O come let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord!
This is the first carol that I've been able to sit down and type out without looking at any words! I just sang it to myself as I typed. I might be able to sing it in Latin, too, but I'm not going to try typing that out!
Yea Lord! We greet thee!. This is such a joyful, praise-y, rejoicing kind of carol. It doesn't spend any time telling the story, contemplating the circumstances, or working on the emotions. It is all about worship. Come let us ADORE Him. Adore/adoration are words that we bandy about too much these days. We "adore" people, we find things "adorable." Which is fine if you're French and that is your word. But if you speak English, it means something more than "I find you delightful and I like you very much," and "I think you are so cute!" It means, "I worship you. I fall on my face before you and worship you with my very being, because You are worthy of such praise." We might love puppies, but not that much. They are not adorable. Jesus Christ is. I am guilty of this myself, this dumbing down of the language, this mass mis-using of words until it is an accepted definition.
This song is a call to worship, a call to adoration. It urges the faithful, the heavenly host, choirs of angels, and the citizens of heaven to worship the Word made flesh. I get this picture in my mind of a vast group of beings/people, whatever, awaiting the dawn, bursting forth with "yea Lord! We greet Thee!" as the sun rises and Christmas begins. That is what Jesus deserved when He was born here, not the humble stable. Not mere shepherds and foreign dignitaries. We can worship Him like this now, though.
Come, let us adore Him!
What is more Christmasy than Tuba Christmas? Tuba Christmas with my favorite kids, their beloved mother, my best auntie and cousin, and my handsome honey, of course! AND THEN–dinner at the Flying Fig, where my favorite kids' talented father makes uber-yummy food!
We started the adventure at the Christmas market at Lock 3 in Akron. Doughnuts and hot chocolate.
Awesome hat, Kristen
More awesome hats
And some disguises
After this fun, we walked uphill for three blocks to E.J. Thomas hall and Tuba Christmas! It was already packed, so we couldn't all get seats together. Chad and I took Ben and sat in the very back, Kristen had the girls right up front, and Heidi & Jordan sat three rows ahead of us.
As usual, Tubas playing Christmas carols make me cry. I think it's a sign of . . .well, something.
So crazy fun! Of course, half-way through, Ben sighed loudly and said in his loud, bell-like voice, "Is this OVER yet?" It's kind of a long time for a five-year-old. He liked ringing his jingle bell during all the clapping bits, though.
Afterwards, we made the trek up to Cleveland to eat at The Flying Fig.
A little kissing torture for Olivia, who completely deserved it.
It was such a great day, it almost made up for my very painful night. I've been coughing for two weeks, and last week, I hurt my sides somehow while coughing. I've been in some breathtaking pain ever since, unable to bend very well, and not comfortable trying to sleep. I finally saw my dr. today, and she prescribed drugs. Lots and LOTS of drugs. I'm hoping to soon feel better enough to finish decorating for Christmas, do my laundry, vacuum up the massive hair swirls all over the floor, and bake some cookies.
We will now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.
Verse 1:
Infant holy,
Infant lowly,
For His bed a cattle stall;
Oxen lowing,
Little knowing
Christ the Babe is Lord of all.
Swift are winging
Angels singing,
Nowells ringing,
Tidings bringing,
Christ the Babe is Lord of all.
Flocks were sleeping,
Shepherds keeping
Vigil till the morning new,;
Saw the glory,
Heard the story,
Tidings of a Gospel true.
Thus rejoicing,
Free from sorrow,
Praises voicing,
Greet the morrow,
Christ the Babe was born for you!
This is a traditional Polish carol that has been translated into English by Edith M. G. Reed. I like it very much, especially since it contains almost no pronouns and very few subjects. It cuts out every extraneous word and focuses on actions and direct objects, distilling the Christmas story into verses very similar to modern poetry. It wastes no time on flowery description, nor does it wax poetic for over five verses. It gets it done, as they say, with terse yet evocative economy.
The tune is a lovely thing as well, building up to the triumphant "Christ the Babe was born for you!" It is somewhat difficult to sing, having, as we like to say on the Praise team, no air in it at all. But it bubbles up with joy and rejoicing.
Sadly, I don't have a recorded version of this song! I know! SHocking! I have to wait until I hear it on the radio or in a store or something, and then I sing along quite happily. Anyone out there know of a nice version one could download? I'd love to know!
Christmas 1979. Them pants is stylin'!
Willie, take your little drum;
With your whistle, Robin, come!
When we hear the fife and drum,
Tu-re-lu-re-lu, Pata-patapan,
When we hear the fife and drum,
Christmas should be frolicsome.Thus the men of olden days
Loved the King of kings to praise.
When they hear the fife and drum,
Tu-re-lu-re-lu, Pata-patapan,
When they hear the fife and drum,
Sure our children won't be dumb.God and man are now become
More at one than fife and drum.
When you hear the fife and drum,
Tu-re-lu-re-lu, Pata-patapan,
When you hear the fife and drum,
Dance and make the village hum!
Sing we now of Christmas,
Noel sing we here!
Listen to our praises
To the Babe so dear.
Refrain:
Sing we Noel,
The King is born, Noel!
Sing we now of Christmas,
Sing we all Noel!
Prophets sang of Christmas
Long before the dawn.
Now the Light is shining,
And we join their song.
Angels sang His glory
At the humble birth.
Hear the song crescendo
As it fills the earth.
This is not a common carol–I had a hard time finding the lyrics online! But it is one of my very, very favorites. I like it best when sung by a boys' choir, all high and fluty. Or fifey. Whatever. It has the most BE-a-YOO-tiful melody, minor and slightly melancholy, but quick-paced. It sounds like Christmas to me, it makes me feel festive and solemn all at once.
Hear the song crescendo as it fills the earth: Sing we now of Christmas, sing we all Noel!
(My favorite version: well, I don't know who does it. Chad downloaded it for me last Christmas with a bunch of other songs, and they're all in a folder called A Connor Prarie Christmas. I know they're not ALL on this album, though, because there is a song by the Bare-naked Ladies and one by Sixpence None the Richer. However, if you are interested, you should check out A Connor Prarie Christmas and see what you find. ALL the songs are lovely.)
(I'm Mary, Jonathan is Joseph, and Lucas is the Star, ca. 1982)
It came upon the midnight clear,
That glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth,
To touch their harps of gold:
"Peace on the earth, goodwill 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 bless
Angels from the realms of glory Wing your flight over all the earth Ye, who sang creations story Now proclaim Messiah's birth Come and worship, come and worship Worship Christ the newborn King Shepherds in the fields abiding Watching over your flocks by night God with man is now residing Yonder shines the Infant light Come and worship, come and worship Worship Christ the newborn King Sages leave your contemplations Brighter visions beam afar Seek the great Desire of nations Ye have seen His natal star Come and worship, come and worship Worship Christ the newborn King Saints before the alter bending Watching long in hope and fear Suddenly the Lord, descending, In His temple shall appear Come and worship, come and worship Worship Christ the newborn King
This carol was written by James Montgomery, and the tune by Henry Smart, sometime in the 1800s. Each verse addresses a different group, commanding their attention and pointing them to worship Christ the newborn King. First the angels, who sang creation's story, (lovely line!) are told to proclaim the birth of the Messiah. The ubiquitous shepherds, who seem to feature in every carol, are watching over their flocks. "Hey guys!" the carol announces. "God with man is now residing!" Big news, that. Then my favorite line: "Sages, leave your contemplations," which I assume addresses the three wisemen, but I think it can apply to any thinker-type. Look for this instead, the carol urges: look for the great Desire of nations. Finally, it addresses the saints, Christians who are worshipping God and waiting for the return of Christ. I like the image of them bending before the altar, bowing their hearts before the Lord, "watching long in hope and fear." It feels like that much of the time. Hope and fear mingled, a watchfulness that has stretched into centuries, into millenia. He shall suddenly appear in his temple someday. But in the meantime, come and worship Christ the newborn king!
I won't mention (again) how lovely the alto line is in this carol, how much fun it is to sing. I don't have a favorite recorded version of this one, either. It's more of a carol we sing in church or while caroling, not one people record. That's ok. It's just as important to me.
Yeah, so, I got my pictures back from snorkeling. As soon as I try to appreciate them in a 1940s vintage sort of way, I LOVE them! But when I put on my National Geographic glasses, I want to cry. Oh well, the camera was only $15 and loaded with ISO 800 film. And those fish are FAST.
My favorite:
Fishy Collage:
Big Fish:
Fish face:
Fishes I love:
Now, don't make me fish for compliments!
The "Coventry Carol" is a Christmas carol dating from the 16th Century. The carol was performed in Coventry as part of a mystery play called The Pageant of the Shearmen and Tailors. The play depicts the Christmas story from the Gospel of Matthew. This carol presents the Massacre of the Innocents in which Herod orders all male infants in Bethlehem killed. The lyrics of this haunting carol represent a mother's lament for her doomed child. It is the only carol that has survived from this play.
It is notable as a well-known example of a Picardy third. The author is unknown; the oldest known text was written down by Robert Croo in 1534, and the oldest known printing of the melody dates from 1591. There is an alternate setting of the carol by Kenneth Leighton.
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And here we have the Dark Side of Christmas. Not much is preached about Herod's slaughter of Bethlehem's children, nor do we sing about it much. Christmas is supposed to be a happy time of year, a time for joy and making-merry. We call it "the children's time," for heaven's sake. So why have a Christmas carol about the massacre of the innocents?
It is a beautiful, haunting melody, a quiet lament of a lullaby, and there are some wonderful versions of this song. I love Loreena McKennit's rendition on A Winter's Garden, and Eden's Bridge's version on Celtic Christmas. I have also heard some lovely instrumental arrangements. It definitely belongs in the canon of Allyson's Favorite Christmas Carols.
So back to why. Shouldn't we think about the dark side of Christmas? It was not without cost. It was very costly to Mary, poor thing, who lost her reputation when she suddenly became a pregnant unwed teenager. It cost Joseph some mortification too, when people discovered that his fiancee was pregnant. And what about the second person of the trinity? The Word of God, who had to fit his magnificence into a human body. And we know what it cost God the Father, who in sending His Son to earth, was condemning him to die for mankind. Christmas cost much.
Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
The little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head.
The stars in the sky looked down where He lay,
The little Lord Jesus, asleep on the hay.
The cattle are lowing, the Baby awakes,
But little Lord Jesus, no crying He makes;
I love Thee, Lord Jesus, look down from the sky
And stay by my cradle 'til morning is nigh.
Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay
Close by me forever, and love me, I pray;
Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care,
And fit us for Heaven to live with Thee there.
Sweet little song, yes? I love both tunes to this carol, especially when it's a children's choir singing it. I'm a bit skeptical about the "no crying he makes" bit, because crying doesn't mean our perfect savior was being crabby–he was probably just exercising, as babies do. I don't know–maybe he didn't cry! The Bible doesn't get very specific there.
I did change one thing–the "new" lyrics for the last line of the third verse say "Take us to heaven," but I think the "fit us for heaven" is more appropriate. We can't get there without his fitness. If he didn't fit us for heaven, we'd still be lost and dead in our sinful natures. I think the change to "Take" weakens the message a lot, but the original words give credit to Christ's ultimate purpose in coming to earth: He came to save sinners.
