BIRTHDAY OF THE KING

Every family celebrates birthdays differently. Some throw big parties and give big gifts. They make a special fuss about "special" birthdays - like numbers 30, 40, 50, 60, 70. For others, like us, they are just another day and celebrated without parties or presents. They are just part of the normal aging process. However, our one exception is for our seven grandchildren. We do have a special meal for them. They can choose the menu - anything from salmon and ham to pizza and subs. We also make a special cake for them until they reach thirteen when they get a heart shaped cake. I guess the same difference in approaches to a birthday comes at Christmas. Some get so involved with travel, presents, decorations, parties, and meals that the guest of honor - Jesus - is often forgotten. This can happen even to the most dedicated of believers. The day can be filled with stress rather than worship. What was your day like yesterday? One of my favorite Christmas carols reminds us that Christmas is really the birthday of the King. And those who came to proclaim His coming and those who went to see the baby in the manger probably celebrated it correctly. No stress, just joy and astonishment, and true worship. Well Christmas is now over. The presents are opened. The food is eaten. The families have departed. The decorations have begun to come down. But have you taken time to worship the King? The origins of this melodious hymn are not known, although it is said to have been written by a William H. Neidlinger in 1890. Spend time in worship today as you sing these words.

In the little village of Bethlehem,

There lay a Child one day;

And the sky was bright with a holy light

O'er the place where Jesus lay.

Alleluia! O how the angels sang.

Alleluia! How it rang!

And the sky was bright with a holy light

'Twas the birthday of a King.

'Twas a humble birthplace, but O how much

God gave to us that day,

From the manger bed what a path has led,

What a perfect, holy way.

Alleluia! O how the angels sang.

Alleluia! How it rang!

And the sky was bright with a holy light

'Twas the birthday of a King.

The first time I heard this hymn was in high school when our chorus sang it for Christmas. A close friend of mine had the solo part. He had an excellent tenor/baritone voice and sang it so beautifully. Since then my favorite renditions of this feature male soloists. Unfortunately for me, I was not able to find a suitable clip of it being sung by a male soloist. But you will still enjoy hearing it sung here. LISTEN.

THANKS FROM THE "BLOGGER"

Please accept my sincere wishes for a very blessed Christmas and New Year. I began this blog almost two and a half years ago because I wanted to share with others some of the great hymns that have influenced my Christian growth and experience. I was also doing this because I was preparing hymns for monthly hymn sings which my wife and I have been leading for about six years at Pinebrook Bible Conference. I never realized that I would continue writing this long, completing about 125 of these weekly blogs. I also never expected that so many of you would actually take time to come and read these ramblings created by a non-musician amateur writer. So I have been amazed that weekly readership has now reached about 300! I find that humbling and say thank you for dropping by each week. My hope and prayer is that some of these blogs and hymns have touched your lives. I especially thank those who have posted anonymous responses sharing your reactions. I will try to continue these blogs into 2011 and pray that they will bless you as they have blessed me. Again, thank you for dropping by and may you have a great holiday season.

IT CAME UPON THE MIDNIGHT CLEAR

Did you ever sing a song and not fully understand all the words? I must admit that this was the case with this week's choice. I have sung it all of my life and yet not fully understood the words of verse three. But recently, after looking at the time when it was written, I began to understand that the writing of this text occurred at a time in American history when there was much unrest, including the foreboding of the tensions between the North and Southern States, social upheaval due to industrial revolution, and the time of the "Forty-niner" gold rush. This Christmas carol actrually helped to heal the torn nation by the foretelling of better times to come. Perhaps in today's world of strife the words of this old hymn can again bring comfort to those of us who are bent beneath the crushing load of life. The final stanza is a verse of hopeful optimism: "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 writer of the text, Rev. Edmund Hamilton Sears, was born on April 6, 1810, (my birthday but 131 years earlier), in Sandisfield, Massachusetts. He graduated from Harvard Divinity School and spent life pasturing small Unitarian Churches in Massachusetts. Many were surprised that Sears, a Unitarian, could write such a fine text surrounding Christ's nativity. He was viewed to be more a Unitarian in name than by conviction, for he believed and preached the deity of Christ from his pulpit. He wrote: "Although I was educated in the Unitarian denomination, I believe and preach the Divinity of Christ." Sears wrote a number of publications, but authored only two hymn texts, both intended for the Christmas season. His first carol hymn, written while a student in Harvard Divinity School, was "Calm on the Listening Ear of Night." This hymn is also included in various hymnals today, but it is not as popular as "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" written 15 years later. The first two verses tell beautifully the Christmas story - the first coming of Jesus. The third verse expresses hope for those who are crushed by the events around them. Finally, the fourth verse presents the impact of the day when Christ shall come again. What a great message for those who lived in the time when it was written, as well as for those of us today.

(1) 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, good will to men,

From Heaven's all gracious King."

The world in solemn stillness lay,

To hear the angels sing.

(2) 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 over its Babel sounds

The blessèd angels sing.

(3) 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 glad and golden hours

Come swiftly on the wing.

O rest beside the weary road,

And hear the angels sing!

(4) 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 splendors fling,

And the whole world send back the song

Which now the angels sing.

Listen to it here. LISTEN

O COME, O COME, EMMANUEL

For centuries men looked for the coming of the Messiah. And when He came, silently in a manger, many folks missed it completely. Others were looking for a political deliverer and leader and the real Messiah just didn't meet what they wanted. Others just rejected anmd ignored Him completely. And things still haven't changed today. Our hymn this week is one of the oldest hymns still found in hymnals. It has its origin in seven prose Latin sentences which were sung during medieval monastic vespers leading up to Christmas. Its usage dates all the way back to the 9th century. Each stanza (originally, the stanzas were short sentences) salutes the returning Messiah by one of the many titles ascribed to Him in Scripture. kWith its haunting minor melody, the ancient hymnwriter refers to Jesus as "Emmanuel" and "God with us". He implores Jesus to come and end the Christian's separation from God. "Israel", used three times in the stanzas and each time in the refrain, signifies the waiting Church. While we can experience reconciliation and friendship with God right now, the hymn longs for that perfect, completed fellowship which will be enjoyed in eternity. Jesus is also referred to as the "Dayspring" (or the "Rising Sun"—see Luke 1:78) and is asked to remove the gloom of spiritual night and the shadows of death. Whether writing in the 9th or 21st century, these words still address the yearning of Christians everywhere for Christ's return. Another name for Jesus is the "Rod of Jesse" (see Isaiah 11:1). It is a term found in the King James Version of the Bible and signifies Christ's fight to free His people from Satan, hell and the grave. It hearkens back to the time when a rod, the club used by shepherds to fight wild animals, played a significant role in defending the sheep. And while many missed the first coming of the Messiah, nobody will miss the second coming. This time He won't come as a babe in a lowly manger. This time it will be with the shout of the angel and the sound of trumpets. And all the world will see. And so while for centuries mankind cried out "O come, O come Emmanuel", today believers should cry out the same prayer and watch for His soon return. O come, O come Emmanuel - and may it be today! What a tremendous Christmas that would be. Keep looking up.

O come, O come, Emmanuel,

And ransom captive Israel,

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free

Thine own from Satan's tyranny;

From depths of hell Thy people save,

And give them victory over the grave.

Rejoice! Rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Day-spring, come and cheer

Our spirits by Thine advent here;

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,

And death's dark shadows put to flight.

Rejoice! Rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Key of David, come,

And open wide our heavenly home;

Make safe the way that leads on high,

And close the path to misery.

Rejoice! Rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Root of Jesse's tree,

An ensign of Thy people be;

Before Thee rulers silent fall;

All peoples on Thy mercy call.

Rejoice! Rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Desire of nations, bind

In one the hearts of all mankind;

Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,

And be Thyself our King of Peace.

Rejoice! Rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

Listen to it here. LISTEN

HALLELUJAH CHORUS

I have been looking for something special to kick-off the Christmas season and I thought maybe I would depart from my usual selection of hymns and feature a tremendous piece of choral literature that has thrilled people for centuries. I also chose it because of the special video I have linked below which shows this being sung in a very unique and stirring way. If you can't listen to this being sung without tears in your eyes and praise overflowing in your hearts, then maybe you need to check your pulse. Messiah is an English-language oratorio composed by George Frideric Handel, and is one of the most popular works in the Western choral literature. The libretto by Charles Jennens is drawn entirely from the King James and Great Bibles, and interprets the Christian doctrine of the Messiah. Messiah (often and incorrectly called The Messiah) is one of Handel's most famous works. The Messiah sing-alongs now common at Christmas usually consist of only the first of the oratorio's three parts, with the Hallelujah Chorus (originally concluding the second part) replacing His Yoke is Easy in the first part. Composed in London during the summer of 1741 and premiered in Dublin, Ireland on 13 April 1742, it was repeatedly revised by Handel, reaching its most familiar version in the performance to benefit the Foundling Hospital in 1754. In 1789 Mozart orchestrated a German version of the work; his added woodwind parts, and the edition by Ebenezer Prout, were commonly heard until the mid-20th century and the rise of historically informed performance. The tradition of standing during the Hallelujah Chorus began during a performance on March 23, 1743. King George II was attending the performance. When the Hallelujah Chorus began King George rose. It is unclear why he stood up, he may have been stretching his legs, it is possible that King George, who was partially deaf, mistook the opening notes for the national anthem, or he may have risen to his feet out of respect. No one knows why King George stood but we do know that people around the world still rise to their feet whenever they hear first notes of the Hallelujah Chorus. But whether you stand or sit, sing along with the great words as you worship the King of Kings and Lord of Lords to begin the Christmas season.

|: Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! :|

|: For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth.

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! :|

For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

|: Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! :|

The kingdom of this world

Is become the kingdom of our Lord,

And of His Christ, and of His Christ;

And He shall reign for ever and ever,

For ever and ever, forever and ever,

King of kings, and Lord of lords,

|: King of kings, and Lord of lords, :|

And Lord of lords,

And He shall reign,

And He shall reign forever and ever,

King of kings, forever and ever,

And Lord of lords,

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

And He shall reign forever and ever,

|: King of kings! and Lord of lords! :|

And He shall reign forever and ever,

King of kings! and Lord of lords!

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

You really don't want to miss this special rendition. Please take time to watch and sing along. LISTEN