Christmas Morning Selection

"Joy To The World"


Words by Issac Watts and musical arrangement by Lowell Mason both prolific hymn writers.

Christmas Eve Selection

"Oh Holy Night"
Music by Pla­cide Cap­pea and words by Adolphe C. Adam. This is said to have been the first mu­sic ev­er broad­cast over a ra­dio. This last stanza is so appropiate for this world!










Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His Gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother
And in His Name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy Name!
Christ is the Lord! O praise His name forever!
His pow’r and glory evermore proclaim!
His pow’r and glory evermore proclaim!

Sunday's Selection

"Silent Night"
This hymn’s his­tory is the source of some dis­agree­ment. The tra­di­tion­al story is that Mohr and Gru­ber wrote it in Obern­dorf, Aus­tria, on Christ­mas Eve when they dis­cov­ered the church or­gan was brok­en (dif­fer­ent ver­sions say it rust­ed out, or mice chewed through vi­tal parts). How­ever, re­cent evi­dence in­di­cates this may be only folk­lore. An old man­u­script has re­port­ed­ly been dis­cov­ered that shows Franz Gruber wrote the score 2-4 years af­ter Mohr wrote the lyr­ics. What­ev­er the truth, this car­ol has been a Christ­mas fav­o­rite for al­most 200 years.
I selected this carol for this Lord's Day as every time I hear or sing this carol I think of our Pastor, Paul Jensen at Mt Vernon Presbyterian Church and his using this hymn every Christmas Eve candlelight service having us sing at least the first verse in German. When I hear this carol I still remember my struggling with the German words, but still so very blessed. Thank you Dr Jensen.

Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht!
Alles schläft, einsam wacht
Nur das traute hochheilige Paar,
Holder Knabe mit lockigem Haar,
Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh,
Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh.

Today's Selection

I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

Till ringing, singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head
“There is no peace on earth,” I said,
“For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men.”

The words of this carol were written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow pictured on the right. The music is by John B. Calkin who served as or­gan­ist, pre­cent­or and choir­mas­ter at St. Co­lum­ba’s Coll­ege in Ire­land, and at var­i­ous church­es in Lon­don. He was al­so a pro­fess­or at the Guild­hall School of Mu­sic and Croy­don Con­serv­a­to­ry.

Another Favorite

"Oh Come All Ye Faithful"

This is one of my top ten Christmas Carols because it's so fun (for a man) to sing. The chorus has such great singing parts for men's voices. Words by John F. Wade 1710-1786. A Ca­tho­lic lay­man, Wade fled the Ja­co­be­an re­bel­lion in 1745, set­tling in Douay, France. He taught mu­sic and co­pied plain chant and hymn man­u­scripts for pri­vate use. The image is the translator Frederick Oakeley 1810-1880.

The music is Ades­te Fi­de­les, at­trib­ut­ed var­i­ous­ly to John Wade, John Reading, or Simao Portogallo.

One of my top ten!

For the next ten days I'm going to list one of my top ten traditional Christmas Carols and tell a little of the composer, the era when written and how it speaks to me, etc. I'm going to resist the temptation to assign any listing of one over another, but will just say these are my top 10.

Here goes....
Once in Royal David's City, Cecil Frances Alexander 1818-1895. She wote a series of hymns to teach children about the Apostles Creed. She also a a knack for taking major biblical themes and boiling then into four or six simple lines. This carol is so complex, yet simple and beautiful that I can't just list one stanza. Music by Henry J Guantlett. An exceptionally gift­ed or­gan­ist, Gaunt­lett was well known in 19th Cen­tu­ry Eng­lish mu­sic cir­cles. He was al­so, in turn, law­yer, au­thor, or­gan de­sign­er, and or­gan re­ci­tal­ist. Some say he wrote over 10,000 hymns during his lifetime. He is considered the "Father of Church Music".




"Once in Royal David's city, Stood a lowly cattle shed.Where a mother laid her baby. In a manger for His bed. Mary was that mother mild. Jesus Christ her little Child.

He came down to earth from heaven. Who is God and Lord of all. And His shelter was a stable. And His cradle was a stall. With the poor, and mean and lowly. Lived on earth, our Savior holy.

And through all His wondrous childhood. He would honor and obey. Love, and watch the lowly mother. In whose gentle arms He lay. Christian children all must be. Mild, obedient, good as He.

For He is our childhood's pattern. Day by day like us He grew. He was little, weak and helpless; Tears and smiles like us He know; And He feeleth for our sadness, and He shareth in our gladness.

And our eyes at last shall see Him, Through His own redeeming love; For that child so dear and gentle. Is our Lord in heav'n above; And He leads His chidren on. To the place where He is gone.

Not in that poor lowly stable, With the oxen standing round. We shall see Him, but in heaven, Set at God's right hand on high. When, like stars, His children crowned, All in white shall wait around.

Ideas

Great minds discuss ideas.

Average minds discuss events.

Lesser minds discuss people.


Seen on the website trapshooting.com, no author listed.

Words for this storm from step-daughter Kerri Schwab

CASTING CROWNS LYRICS
"Praise You In This Storm"

I was sure by now
That You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say "Amen", and it's still raining

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear Your whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

I'll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
Every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry
You raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can't find You

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth

Amen! Thanks Kerri.

Mountains

"If the mountain is smooth it couldn't be climbed"

I though of this statement heard on the radio program recently. I don't remember its author but the truth in it made me appreciate the difficult mountain peaks I've had to climb in my life experiences.

Music and Culture

Here's a article that perked my interest and I wonder how you feel about the issues raised,etc

http://reformation21.com/Reformation_21_Blog/Reformation_21_Blog/58/pm__114/vobId__6752/