“You came not in a splendor bright as monarch, but as humble child.”

“You came not in a splendor bright as monarch, but as humble child.”

Carol: “Creator of the Stars of Night” – 9th Century
Plainsong Tune: CONDITOR ALME SIDERUM

In my years of doing full-time music ministry, two of the choral pieces I often used at Christmas concerts were “No Golden Carriage” and “How Should a King Come?” The texts of both dealt with Christ’s arrival being unlike that of most kings: little fanfare, no big public celebration, no fancy clothes, toys or parades.

This line from a truly ancient advent carol gets at the same theme – the child of humble beginnings. We use that phrase a lot to describe great politicians and business-people – those who “pulled themselves up by the bootstraps” (whatever that means) and became great leaders and visionaries. So it was to some extent with Jesus.

His rise to leadership and greatness was by divine design… prophet-foretold, Israel anticipated. Those prophecies and expectations were for more of an earthly-kingly entrance and a much more dominating (even militant) reign. Surprise! God would have none of that. From the very beginning, he was destined to save his people through peace and goodwill according to the angels who created the only fanfare.

Humility vs hubris. It’s a conflict we still encounter. We see it in our leaders… even among ecclesiastics. Worst of all, many of us have a similar war raging within us: Am I going to maintain the Christlike characteristic, or will I be sucked into the worldly vortex of pride? We are too often drawn to the spotlight of arrogance, egotism and self-importance, rather than the shadows of servanthood. Service is often trumped by superiority… even among those who call themselves an FOJ.*

During these weeks, we do not gather around a fancy, linen-pillowed cradle; we don’t race to peek through the windows of a golden carriage to get a quick glance at the most-recently-born ruler; we don’t have camera crews posted outside hospital doors to alert us of the birth of the next monarch. No, we gather around straw-filled manger replicas. And I think we all like it better that way.

Once again, God knew what he was doing!

                                                                                                                             * - Follower of Jesus
   
This carol chanted by solo voice

“To show God’s love aright…”

Carol: “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming” – 15th Century German
Tune: ES IST EIN ROSE

How should we show the love of God in the best possible way? That’s a question we all ask ourselves regularly. Sometimes it is a philosophical musing; at other times, it is a question we ask when confronted with a situation: “What should I do? What would Jesus have me do?”

In this carol, it is referring to Mary’s willingness in the half-spent night to bear to us a Savior. But every time we cross this line in our Advent singing, I ponder for a moment how I could be more intentional about showing the compassion of Christ appropriately… in a way that is pleasing to God and beneficial to others.

Here is the prayer my wife Carlita prayed at choir rehearsal last night. I think it gets at this same quandary… and gives us some insight into rightly dividing the spirit of Christ during this season:

Dear God, Father of the Infant Jesus: Thank you for loving us so much that you were born to us and among us to save us. In a season that is so full of joy and anticipation, we nevertheless look around and see broken hearts, hunger, hate, violence, need of every kind. 
When we encounter a need, help us know how to respond. 
When we are prone to a rush to judgment, give us a sense of gentle and compassionate thoughtfulness. 
When we are distracted by the world, turn us again towards Bethlehem. 
This Christmas season may we want only more of you and not merely “more”. 
Shape our worries into prayer. 
Mary and Joseph’s journey to the manger was not an easy one – likewise, may we find our way through the holiday throngs and madness to silent adoration at the cradle of our King. Amen.

She has a “way with words,” and her prayer helps me better understand how to show God’s love aright. Hopefully, also with you.

This carol beautifully sung by one of Baylor’s excellent groups

“His coming known shall be by the holy harmony which his coming makes in thee.”

Carol: “Thou Shalt Know Him When He Comes” – Anonymous

This text of unknown origin has been set by many composers through the years. The closing line will be my focus for today.

In the study of harmony, there are two words which define the relationship of two or more notes when sounded together: dissonance and consonance. While you may not know what causes this, you recognize the difference when you hear it. For most of us, consonance is preferred over dissonance. The reality is that we could not distinguish between the two if we had never heard a dissonant harmony. In other words, we recognize consonance (stability) because we relate it to a dissonance (instability) we have heard before.

So it is with life: we can only appreciate the stability of it after we have experienced the instability.

All families, couples, groups live in harmony. Some are only familiar with dissonance because they are constantly bickering, in-fighting, supplanting. Others enjoy a more consonant relationship with supportive, loving interaction. Harmony is sort of like cholesterol: it can be good or bad!

The use of “holy harmony” which is ours when the coming Christ arrives indicates harmony of the most-stable kind – the most consonant, agreeable, calming stacking of notes we can imagine.

During this Advent season, you are going to hear all kinds of harmonies in the music which surrounds you in church, in the concert hall and at Wal-Mart! Fortunately, most Christmas songs include mostly consonant harmonic structures. Let those pleasing, smile-inducing melodies remind you that the holy harmony of Christ can be yours… eventually – even when you think your life couldn’t be any more dissonant.

    Thou shalt know him when he comes,
    not by any din of drums,
    nor his manners, nor his airs,
    nor by anything he wears.

    Thou shalt know him when he comes,
    not by his crown or by his gown.
    But his coming known shall be,
    by the holy harmony
    which his coming makes in thee.

Mark Sirett’s Setting of This Text

(Thanks, Suzanne Matheny for reminding me of this wonderful text.)

“Seraph (and) cherubim…veil their faces to the Presence as with ceaseless voice they cry, ‘Alleluia.’”

“Seraph (and) cherubim…veil their faces to the Presence as with ceaseless voice they cry, ‘Alleluia.’”
Carol: “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence” – Fifteenth Century
Tune: PICARDY

Many of you know that I collect Mickeys, Magi and Angels. I have slowed my angel-collecting since it has become trendy to do so; remember the words rebel and southerner are almost synonymous! Because I have several seraphim and cherubim sitting on shelves around the house, this hymnline may be more significant to me than it is to others.

Today we consider one of the holiest hymnlines ever penned (translated). It is definitely one of those “picture this” phrases. In the Presence, even angels cover their faces and voice their praises. While an obvious allusion to Isaiah’s sixth-chapter experience, these words set to this haunting melody conjure up a warming, hair-on-the-arm-raising reaction (as opposed to arm-raising!). I never sing or hear this without putting myself in their place – standing (or flying) before the very form of the Almighty, now shaped as a human. The melismatic “alleluia” rolls from the lips of the winged messengers, and I have no recourse but to join them… and my mortal silence is broken.


Fernando Ortego Sings This Carol

I love Cynthia Clawson’s version of this, but can’t find it online to share with you. Visit www.cynthiaclawson.com and buy the CAROLSINGER album!!!

“Hope of all the earth thou art. Dear desire of ev’ry nation…”

“Hope of all the earth thou art. Dear desire of ev’ry nation…”
Carol: “Come, Thou Long-expected Jesus” – Charles Wesley (1707-1788)
Common Tune: HYFRYDOL


If you attend a church that still sings hymns, you might well have sung this Advent carol recently. It’s one of those that comes up once a year, usually on the first Sunday of Advent… which in many congregations is the day the “hope” candle is lighted.

This mash-up of two lines from Wesley approaches the hope subject from two sides. On the one hand Messiah is the “hope of all the earth”; on the other hand, the long-expected One is the “desire of every nation.” Similar, but not exactly the same.

As Christian people, we have a deep and abiding hope which is more akin to confidence than to some event or object we want to happen or come our way. During this season of anticipation, we start with the word “hope” because it looks forward; for believers, we don’t “wish” for what might happen in the future; we are confident that it will happen. Our hope is in Christ Jesus, as Paul says consistently in the epistles. That blessed assurance is ours.

Desire is something else altogether. This half of my mash-up is the state in which the yet-to-know-salvation nations find themselves – those peoples who yet await the arrival of a Messiah… a Savior. Almost every time explorers have uncovered a new people-group (tribe), they have found that they await some god-like redeemer. While their descriptors may vary, the Christ of Christmas may well be exactly what they’re waiting for – the desire of every nation.

Hope IS a state of looking forward. Absolutely. We who have already known the joy of the manger, the tragedy of the cross and the mystery of the resurrection can be SURE… sure enough to expose the desiring nature of all humanity to the beauty of that in which we are confident: the Lord Jesus Christ.

A Celtic Setting