“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

"Word of the Father now in flesh appearing."

"Nativity" - El Greco

Carol: “O Come, All Ye Faithful” – Latin Hymn (Various Translators)
Tune: ADESTE FIDELES


This is one of the few carols (or hymns for that matter) that has no rhyme scheme. Have you ever noticed that? It doesn’t lessen the impact. As a hymn-writer myself, I’ve spent many hours counting the exact syllables and trying make things rhyme; but when the various translators of this carol worked out the details, they didn’t find assonance to be important.

This carol seems to fling wide the gates of Bethlehem and invite us humans in, encouraging us to come joyfully and triumphantly to see this thing which has come to pass. Angels are invited to once again sing their “glory to God in the highest” refrain. In the final stanza (in most hymnals), we sing, “Yea, Lord, we greet thee,” or in modern English: “Yes, Lord, we welcome you!” That may be MY favorite moment in the carol. And the thought continues with, “Jesus, to thee be all glory given” because you are the “Word of the Father now in flesh appearing.”

Today’s hymnline is a versification of the John 1 passage: “The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory…” I doubt we can truly look upon the holy in any way BUT adoringly… with adoration.

Today and every day and night throughout the year, let us come adoring Christ the Lord – the One who comes filled to the brim with grace and truth. After our adoration, let’s allow him to fill us with both those attributes. If we would do that, our 2017 would be a whole different year.

Celtic Woman Singing This Carol

"Holy Child... teach us to resemble thee in thy sweet humility."

Carol: “See Amid the Winter’s Snow” – Edward Caswall (1814-1878)

Tune: HUMILITY

This hymnline prayer comes from a carol we don’t all know well… if at all. Here is the first stanza:

            See amid the winter’s snow,
            Born for us on earth below,
            See, the gentle Lamb appears,
            Promised from eternal years.

For now, I’ll zero in on this later stanza:

            Teach, O teach us, holy Child,
            By Thy face so meek and mild,
            Teach us to resemble Thee,
            In Thy sweet humility.

The request to learn to resemble Christ catches my attention. We bat around so many other terms like reflect, mirror, imitate, etc., but this is what I want personally: to resemble Christ. When someone looks at my life, I would love to bear a resemblance to the One I call Lord.

Most of us resemble one (or both) of our parents; we say that we “take after them” either physically or in our actions. The way we laugh may be the exact replica of our mother, or we may have the same voice inflection of our father. In my part of the country, they would say that I’m the “spitting image” of my daddy… but that I’m my mama all over again. I’m happy with that designation and recognition. I remember one time when a perfect stranger came up to me and said, “You’ve got to be Raymond Huff’s son” – just by looking at me.

Wouldn’t it be a wonderful thing if someone walked up to you during this Advent season and said, “You’ve got to be a child of the King.” – not because you look like Elvis, but because you act like Jesus… you are Christlike in the way you approach every detail of your dealings with others.

Admittedly, we don’t act-out our Christian faith to BE noticed, but we must admit it comes as a blessing when someone DOES notice and says so.

Are you teachable? Is humility something you want to learn? If so, this is a good time of the year to study the life and teachings of the One who is displayed in stable-beds all around us. Watch him… emulate him… glorify him by being a resemblance of who he is!

A Norwegian setting of the full text

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=aBNf5avr4aA

"Oxen lowing, little knowing Christ the Babe is Lord of all."

Carol: “Infant Holy, Infant Lowly” – Polish Carol paraphrased by Edith M. G. Reed (1885-1933)

Tune: W ZLOBIE LEZY

This has been one of my favorite carols since we included it almost every year in the Christmas Pageants at First Baptist Waxahachie back in the late 70’s and early 80’s. It’s one of those arrangements that no one ever said, “Do we HAVE to sing this again this year?” because it significantly ministered to the choir every time we sang it. Still does, I’d bet!

Today’s hymnline reminds me that way too many people who are onlookers to the Christmas season are totally unaware that Jesus is Lord. Like those cows in the stall next to Mary and Joseph (according to the carol, at least!), these folks observe the season with their partying, decorating, gift-giving – maybe even church-attending and carol-singing -- but know blessed little of the true Center of the celebration. Little do they know that the One whose birth we commemorate moves on from a wooden cradle to a rugged cross in order to redeem fallen humanity.

Without cramming it down their throats, we need to gently remind those who observe the season as not-so-innocent bystanders that Christ the Babe IS Lord. The simple long-standing statement of faith, “Jesus is Lord,” may be all we have to say… nod, smile and walk away.

During this season, why not simply say to folks (cashiers, salespeople, bank tellers, etc.), “It’s my Lord’s birthday, you know.” I have the feeling more of them will respond with a “Mine, too” than with a snarl of disapproval. There are more of US out there than we know.

Wouldn’t it be great to come to the end of the season and there be no one in our path who is oblivious to Christ being the Lord of all? I guess we’ll have to do our part to see to it that is the case!

From Choir of King’s College, Cambridge

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=IaqoeCl_jR0

Mack Wilberg’s Popular Arrangement

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=VMt9DDzS4gU

"Love's pure light radiant(ly) beams from thy holy face with the dawn of redeeming grace, Jesus..."

Carol: “Silent Night, Holy Night” – Joseph Mohr (1792-1848)

Tune: STILLE NACHT

While you join in the singing of familiar carols this season, I hope you will enjoy the experience; but even more, I want to be sure you get the message from each one.

A pet peeve of mine is the way we rip apart the meaning of the Christmas carols by breathing at the wrong place: this is one of them. We tend to breath between “love’s pure light” and “radiant beams.” We may do that because we don’t realize that in the translation from the German, we ended up with an adverb that does not end in ‘ly’! Before this sounds like a grammar lesson, the phrase should mentally read like the hymnline at the top of this post, realizing that love’s pure light is radiantly beaming from the holy face of Christ.

And those beams are like the ones that peep over the horizon at the rising of morning sun – it’s the dawn of redeeming grace. God provides us with lots of graces: sustaining grace, fortifying grace, comforting grace, etc.; but THIS is the beginning of grace that redeems us! We get our first glimpse of that redemptive possibility in the face of Bethlehem’s Baby.

This entire stanza is addressed TO Christ; that’s why there’s a comma after “Son of God.” So as we sing this, we’re saying, “Jesus, there’s a pure light emanating from your holy face, and in that light we can see the genesis of grace that redeems.”

As you sing this carol or hear it piped into the shopping mall… or Wal-Mart!... realize what it is saying, and rejoice in that knowledge. For those of us who believe Christ to be the Son of God, this should be one of our very favorite hymnlines during the season!

from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=8ri2thaAIyA

PS – Not wanting to get off my soapbox on this breathing-in-the-wrong-place thing, another place we miss the meaning is in the first, most familiar stanza. Read the whole line to yourself without breaking: “All is calm all is bright ’round yon virgin mother and child.” Around that virgin mother and her child, everything is calm and bright. Makes so much more sense, don’t you think? I’m stepping off my soapbox… for now.