Heaven and Nature Sing
Advent/Christmas Calendar Music List

Chris Tomlin shared that he likes Christmas music but wanted to have worship music that shared the story of Christmas. From this came his worship album, Adore, Christmas Songs of Worship. Tomlin shared that writing the songs for this album, which includes "Noel," took a couple of years to write. However, it was recorded in one night at Ocean Way Studio in Nashville. It is a former church. There were about 300 people on hand to help with the recording. He said it only took a couple of hours to record and was for him an album that focuses on the birth of Jesus Christ. One of those 300 on hand was Lauren Daigle, who was featured singing "Noel."
As you listen to the song I hope you hear the power of scripture that reminds us of the baby who came to save the world and bring to us amazing love.

This Carol originated in Italy by Alphonsus Liguori, a Neapolitan priest who was later deemed a saint by them. It has been given several translations, and was popular enough to be used by the baroque composer Domenico Scarlatti. Scarlatti used the tune in his Sonata in C major, Kk513. Also, the leading 20^th Century Italian composer Ottorino Respighi used the carol for the second movement of his Trittico botticelliano, P 151 (1927), "Adoration of the Magi” just to name a few.

Thou art the world's Creator, God's own and true Word, yet here no robe, no fire for Thee, Divine Lord.
Dearest, fairest, sweetest Infant, dire this state of poverty. The more I care for Thee, since Thou, O Love Divine, will'st now so poor to be.

"Still, Still, Still"'s exact origins are unknown. It was originally published in an Austrian folksong collection in 1865, with the standard version of the German lyrics being attributed to Georg Gotsch. There have been several English translations over the years. This carol brings to us a feeling of peace as Mary gently sings a lullaby to the newborn Jesus.

Happy Epiphany! What is Epiphany? It is the day we celebrate that the wise men visited Jesus and recognized him as King of the Jews at his birth. That his birth was not just for the Jews but for all people. As we keep learning, we realize the number of people who came to see Jesus is actually unknown, but because of the three gifts, it is often said there were three. This happens especially for Christmas pageants at churches. Because of this, a song is often needed to sing as the wise men come on the scene. This was the inspiration for "We Three Kings."
 
It was written in 1857 by John Henry Hopkins, Jr. , when he was teaching music as a deacon at General Theological Seminary in New York City .This is the explanation of the song as found on Aletia.org at https://aleteia.org/blogs/deacon-greg-kandra/following-yonder-star-the-story-behind-the-writing-of-we-three-kings/
"It was in 1857, while teaching music at the Seminary that Rev. Hopkins wrote the hymn, “We Three Kings” for a Christmas pageant that was presented at the Seminary that Christmas. He probably wrote the hymn with his nieces and nephews in mind. Since, he traveled from New York to Vermont every Christmas, where his father, John H. Hopkins. Sr., was the long time Episcopal Bishop for the State of Vermont. He always had a surprise for the youngsters at Christmas, and this year was no different. As usual, bachelor Uncle Henry did not disappoint the children. The family always had a dramatization of Matthew chapter 2, and the entire Christmas Story. The hymn was sung by the family for the next two years, and was so popular with family and friends that by 1863 it had been published by Rev. Hopkins in his first collection of 'Carols, Hymns, and Songs.'"

Other fun facts about this hymn is that Hopkins wrote both the words and the music. It was also the first Christmas Hymn written in the United States that achieved widespread popularity. I hope you enjoy this on this final day of Christmas as the song moves us from Christmas to the life and even the death that will be experienced by this baby boy.

"Glory in the Highest" came to our attention while compiling songs, from our supplemental hymnal titled Worship & Song. This song is listed as a traditional Puerto Rican carol, with an arrangement by Raquel Mora Martinez and translation by Gerhard Cartford. Martinez (b. 1940) is a well known composer and arranger of Hispanic songs and hymns.

In Puerto Rico, one of the traditions is Parrandas, or carol singing. Friends gather late in the evening and go to houses to carol. As the houses are woken up, they join in, so that the group gets larger and larger as they travel from house to house. Another tradition comes on January 6^th. On Epiphany, or Día de Reyes (Day of the Kings), Puerto Rican families celebrate the Wisemen (kings) coming. Children will leave fresh grass in shoeboxes under their beds the night before for the King's camels to eat. In the morning, presents will be left for the children to find.

If you had been to the church office during the month of November, there was a good chance you heard Christmas music coming from Suzy's computer. She was in the process of putting together a Christmas themed cabaret, and was listening to  quite the range of Christmas songs. One such song quickly became a hit with the staff for it's catch-phrase: "Don't Be a Jerk, It's Christmas!"

The song comes to us from a 2008 episode of Nickelodeon's show "SpongeBob SquarePants". In it, the residents of Bikini Bottom begin acting out of character. What's SpongeBob to do? Why sing of course! Through this song, he realizes he can cure his friends and neighbors.

Christina Georgiana Rossetti (1830-1894) was an artist in a family of artists. Her brothers started the art movement the Pre-Raphaelites, and she was family friends with Charles Dodgson, better know for his pen name Lewis Carroll who wrote Alice in Wonderland.

It’s notable that while writing of shepherds, she herself also held no degree. It being the 1800s,  Christina Rossetti, like the shepherds, wasn’t employed in anything considered important but what was considered her duty.

Did you know that Christmas actually lasts for 12 days? In fact, there are always at least two Sundays in Christmas. The twelve days remind us that it took time for the wise men to visit Jesus. In the book of Matthew, it actually says that they got  there when he could have been 2 years old. (Matthew 2:16)

The song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas" is all about these two days. It became popular in the form we sing it now  was composed by Frederick Austin in the early 1900s. He most likely got the inspiration from poems already written. One such example was published in London under the title "The Twelve Days of Christmas sung at King Pepin's Ball", as part of a 1780 children's book, Mirth without Mischief. (Anonymous (1780). Mirth without Mischief. London: Printed by J. Davenport, George's Court, for C. Sheppard, no. 8, Aylesbury Street, Clerkenwell. pp. 5–16. )

Lately, it is told that this song teaches the lessons of the foundation of Christianity. It  most likely was not written for that purpose, but  I believe anything that helps us learn about our faith is helpful. However, you want to understand this song, I hope you will enjoy it and remember that the message of Christ's birth lasts more than just one day. In fact, it can even last us our entire lives. Merry Christmas on the first day of Christmas. Pastor Tessa

From an excerpt of an interview between MercyMe's Bart Millard and Beliefnet:

Our whole intention was to make a record of songs that we grew up with and change them up a little bit, but we kind of stumbled on writing "Joseph's Lullaby." The irony is when I originally wrote the song, it was called "Mary's Lullaby." I wrote it from Mary's standpoint and it was in a higher key, a real falsetto, and it just wasn't right. One day, the producer's wife said, "Well, it's kind of odd that you're singing from Mary's perspective, being the guy. Why don't you do Joseph?"

It just hit me like a ton of bricks. I never knew why it didn't cross my mind to do that. So I went through the song and just put some more masculine lyrics, and it took on a completely different life. As a father myself, I wondered if he [Joseph] went through the same things I did. Did he become instantly protective, did he have an idea of what was to take place through the life of Christ and become even more selfish and hold him closer?

We started writing the song in December 2004, a month after my 2-year-old son was diagnosed with diabetes. I spent a week in the hospital watching my son. I couldn't do anything, I couldn't fix the diabetes, and it was a really hard time, but it played a role in helping me write the song. I never understood why you never heard much about Joseph. I've always wondered, from a father's perspective, how he felt, especially since, technically, Jesus wasn't his child, though he didn't love him any less. There had to be something in Joseph that just wanted to hold his son and say, "Regardless what life brings and what's to take place, tonight you're mine, you're safe, and just find a way to sleep."

Did you know that “Oh Little Town of Bethlehem was originally written for children? The original forth stanza shows this: “Where children pure and happy pray to the blessed Child.”  Now, it brings us all into the story with child like wonder and awe!

Christina Rossetti was born in England in 1830 to Italian immigrants. She would grow up surrounded by the arts (her father was a professor and her brothers started the Pre-Raphaelites art movement). She eventually would write several collections of mostly religious poetry and devotions. "Love Came Down at Christmas" was published in her Time Flies: a Reading Diary from 1885. It was not until the early 1900s when hymnal editors began using more English poems as the basis for hymns, that it was set to music. The most common tune it is tied to is the Irish "Gartan". Many scholars praise Rossetti's "Love Came Down at Christmas" for the beauty in its simplicity. British hymnologist Richard Watson notes, “The sublime simplicity of this hymn is the mark of a very great writer.”

Love came down at Christmas, Love all lovely, Love divine; Love was born at Christmas; star and angels gave the sign. 

“While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks” by Nahum Tate, is the crossroads of both tradition and the stretching of traditions. In the 1700s, common church practice was to ONLY sing metrical Psalms. That is Psalms put to rhyme and meter. So to sing a metrical retelling of Luke 2:8-14 was a stretch while still building on the tradition of singing scripture nearly verbatim.

Then, almost 50 years later, it went through another change to make the wording more similar to the King James Version of the Bible, but this loosened some of the ties to traditional metrical singing. This shows us how the expression of faith through song has changed and been reshaped over time and how we continue to live into that heritage as we sing and listen to these songs.

Paul Baloche shares in an interview how he was leading worship one Sunday and as he looked out in the congregation he realized he wanted to inspire people to come to praise God, not be entertained. So, he wrote the song "Offering" to help people do just that. The song "Christmas Offering" was then written to tell the Christmas story with the chorus from Offering. It reminds us of the promise given to us from God that we then get a chance to thank the Lord for as  we worship. The reality is that worship can happen anywhere and any time. I hope you take a moment as you listen to this song to think of the offerings you have shared and will share with the Lord.

This spiritual uses the pentatonic scale; a five note scale (do 1, re 2, mi 3, sol 5, la 6). Part of the genius of this song comes at the end of each stanza: “there shone a holy light.*” At the word “light” the song has the surprise of using the note fa, the 4^th note of the scale, which is not from the pentatonic scale. This propels the music back to the opening chorus.

"Joy to the World” is perhaps an unlikely popular Christmas Hymn, according to Discipleship Ministries of the United Methodist Church. It is based on Psalm 98, and written by Sir Issac Watts. In fact, it points more toward the second coming of Christ then to the birth of our Savior. The “curse” is a reference to Genesis 3:17 as the result of eating the apple from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. So, why is it used for Christmas? I believe the reason is because Christmas is just as much about the coming of the kingdom of God, brought about by Christ, as it is about the birth of a little baby in Bethlehem.

As with many older hymns, verses eventually stop being in common use. The final verse of this Christmas standard is often omitted.

Sinners, wrung with true repentance, Doomed for guilt to endless pains, Justice now revokes your sentence, Mercy calls you; break your chains.

It does seem like an off note to end a joyful carol on, but with it the lyrics make a purposeful progression: from the angels to the shepherds, to the wise men, to praises in heaven, and finally those still on earth. So let us sing for God to break our chains!

Lindsay Williams wrote in her article online for KLOVE about "Behold Him" by Francesca Battstellli. "'Behold Him' vividly describes a woman missing a loved one who has passed and a man wondering how he’s going to provide for his family after losing his job. If the lyrics seem timely, they are. Yet, ironically, Battistelli wrote and recorded the song way before COVID-19 took its toll on our nation. The song was released in December of 2020 because Battistelli felt like God was telling her she was supposed to wait to share this song with the world. How appropriate then to have it in the midst of a global pandemic. A reminder to us all to stop and look to God for hope, encouragement, and comfort.

In your silent night, when you're not alright, lift your eyes and behold Him.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was no stranger to heartache. In 1861, Henry's wife of 18 years was was sealing a letter with hot wax when her clothes caught fire. She burned to death. After she died, Henry went into a depression that lasted years. Then in March 1863, his son Charlie decided to join the fight in the American Civil War, without his father's permission. In November of that same year, Charlie was shot. The bullet went through him from shoulder to back, just bucking the spine. Henry went to Washington to get his son and nurse him back to health. It was in December that they made it home to start the process. That was when Henry wrote"I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day."

It is not known when Henry heard the bells ringing, but when he did he realized they were sharing a message that peace would come to a troubled nation. He wrote the song to give hope and inspiration to all who were fighting. It did not mean Henry was no longer depressed, it just showed he knew there was hope in the midst of the pain.

It was 1849, and the world to Edmund Sears was in turmoil. Sears was a pastor at the Unitarian Church of Wayland, Massachusetts at the time, recovering from an illness that forced him to step down from a larger church. America had just gotten out of a war with Mexico that many denounced, slavery was becoming a hot-button topic, and Europe experienced several revolutions. In response to this upheaval, Sears wrote a five verse poem that was later set to music; a poem/carol that does not focus on the birth of Christ, but instead implores us all to listen to the song the angels sing: Peace on the earth, good will to men, from heaven's all-gracious King.

The United Methodist Hymnal has four of the five verses printed, with the third being the one omitted. It is this verse that I believe tells most of Sears feelings of that year.
But with the woes of sin and strife the world has suffered long; Beneath the angel-strain have rolled two thousand years of wrong; And man, at war with man, hears not the love-song, which they bring: O hush the noise, ye men of strife, And hear the angels sing! 

In 1847, Placide Cappeau de Roquemaure was asked by his local parish priest to write a poem for Christmas mass. Cappeau ended up writing "Cantique de Noel", and felt that it needed to be set to music. He turned to friend Adolphe Charles Adams for help. It was shared three weeks later, and quickly became a favorite in France. The story takes a slight twist from there.

Several years down the line, Cappeau left the Catholic church and became part of the socialist movement. When the church leaders found this out, along with the fact that Adams was Jewish, they denounced the song and refused its playing in any Catholic churches. The song lived on though; the French people continued to sing it, and eventually an American writer by the name of John Sullivan Dwight  heard it. Dwight, an opponent of slavery, loved the third verse especially: 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. Dwight's translation quickly became popular in the northern states.

Later, on Christmas Eve 1871 during the Franco-Prussian War, the story goes a French soldier climbed out of the trenches without a weapon and began to sing this song. A German soldier followed with another carol, and the fighting stopped for the day.

Finally, on Christmas Eve 1906, Reginald Fessenden became the first to broadcast a human voice over the airwaves. He read the story of Christ's birth from the gospel of Luke, and then played "O Holy Night" on violin making it the first song heard on a radio.

Greensleeves, the tune that “ What Child Is This?” is put to, has not always been a Christmas tune. However, it has been used for other Christmas texts since 1642 when the carol “The Old Year Now Away Is Fled" was written. The lyrics' simple statement of faith in layman’s terms has made it a mainstay for the season. Listen for the dense poetry that invokes images of whole chapters of the Bible often in a single sentence. 

One of the most familiar hymns is "Away in a Manger". It is often sung by children every year at Christian pageants. It is said to have been written by Martin Luther for his young son. However, that has been found to not be the case. It was most likely written by German Lutherans in Pennsylvania around 1885. By 1891 the carol had at least 4 musical settings and was sung all around the US. It is a song that reminds us of the story of the birth  of Jesus Christ and reaffirms how we are loved by that same savior. What a great reminder of the simple origins of Jesus. It is important to note a baby who does not cry is not a good thing, but what a great thought at 2 am when the cries of a newborn can be heard. As you listen to the song, I invite you to listen to the verses and be reminded of how God loves unconditionally.

Who would have believed that a song first performed on a Christmas Eve in a small Austrian town in 1818 would become one of the most recognized Christmas Carols today? I doubt Joseph Mohr (who wrote the lyrics)  and Franz Xaver Gruber (who wrote the melody) did. The two sang the song accompanied by guitar that night because the church organ needed repair due to a flood. The organ repair man took a copy of the song back to his village, and from there it spread. First, to traveling folk singers. Then, across Europe, and eventually around the globe.

One of the best examples of this carol's power is from 1914 during World War 1. That year on Christmas Eve, a temporary truce was called. During that truce, soldiers sang this song simultaneously in German, French, and English. For a short while, the fighting stopped, and heavenly peace prevailed.

Originally written by Philipp Nicolai (1556-1608) and translated into English by Catherine Winkworth (1827-1878), "O Morning Star" is based on Revelation 21:16 as well as other biblical texts and is often sung during Epiphany. Phillip Nicolai was the son of a Lutheran pastor, who received a Doctor of Divinity degree from Wittenberg University in 1594. He assisted his father until he took his own churches. During 1597 and 1598, a plague swept through Westphalia while Philip was pastor there. Phillip had to bury many in his church. Could it have been that experience that led him to write the words to O Morning Star?  Words that remind us of all the scriptures that pointed us to Christ, just like the Wiseman as they traveled to the birth of our savior. A Savior who gives us hope in the midst of the unknown of our lives.

A common theme that seems to keep appearing as we delve into the stories of these carols is that they don't always start out as Christmas carols. Such is the case with this song. When Chris Eaton wrote "Breath of Heaven", the lyrics spoke of God's nature and our relationship with God. Then, as Amy Grant was compiling music for a Christmas album, she asked Eaton (who she is friends with) if she could use this song with different lyrics for the verses. Pregnant at the time, Grant thought the chorus spoke to her of Mary, and wanted verses to reflect what Mary would have gone through during her own pregnancy.

Eaton agreed to Grant's vision, and "Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song)" was released on Grant's Christmas album Home for Christmas in 1992.

Have you ever had a family story where each time someone tells it the story gets bigger and better? This song is a traditional Epiphany carol in the most real sense. It started as oral tradition and was passed down, changing over time till as we know it today.

 Noël is a French word for “birth” or “birthday”, but also has the connotation of Christmas, so “The First Noël” is the first birthday (of Christ). It is speculated that a French person may have been the original writer, not just because of the word Noël, but also because the form is similar to a medieval French story telling form: chanson de geste.

Imagine you are a shepherd in France during the Middle Ages. It is Christmas Eve, and you are spending it guarding your flock on a hillside alone. How do you share with others the good news of Christ's birth? Why you sing of course! Gloria in excelsis Deo! Glory to God in the highest! Now imagine the shepherds on the other hills hearing your song and echoing it back. All across the French countryside, a chorus of voices singing their praises to God. What a beautiful song that must have been!

It is from these roots that it is believed "Les anges dans nos campagnes" sprung from.  From there, the song evolved as it was passed along to become the "Angels We Have Heard on High" that we know today. The first known publication of the song was in 1855 in France; later translated to English and published in 1862. The translation we typically use was first printed in 1916.

The history of this song is largely unknown and was most likely of oral tradition having many authors. However, we can make sense of the old English “Gentlemen, may God keep you in peace and happiness”. Gentlemen did not have the stately connotations it holds today, it referred to the common class. 

Did you know that "O Come, All Ye Faithful" was written by two different men who lived over 100 years apart? John Francis Wade was a part of the Roman Catholics who fled to France and Portugal from persecution in England in 1745.  Wade taught music and became renowned as a copyist of music scores. After all, the printing of musical scores had to be done by hand and was seen as a art at this time.  It was thought that "Adeste Fidelis, Laeti Triumphantes" was a song Wade found and copied. However, when original copies were later found, they had Wade's signature. He wrote it in Latin.
Then, in 1845, Rev. Frederick Oakely, came across Wade's Latin Christmas Carol. He translated it into English. It took a couple of tries but when he came up with the phrase "O Come, All Ye Faithful, Joyful and Triumphant!" it caught on and has been passed down from generation to generation so we can sing it still today as we celebrate coming to worship the Lord.
(From Then Sings My Soul Special Edition by Robert J. Morgan, Thomas Nelson, Nashville 2010)

"Carol of the Bells" was written in 1914 as "Shchedryk" (meaning "the generous one") by Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych for the Ukrainian Republic Choir . The folklore the song was based off of tells of a swallow flying into a home to proclaim bountiful new year wishes to the family inside. Before Christianity was adopted in Ukraine, the new year would have been celebrated closer to the beginning of Spring (early April).  With Christianity and the Julian calendar's introduction, the new year celebration was moved to January.

It was not until the Great Depression, that the lyrics we are most familiar with came into being. Peter Wilhousky rearranged the melody with new lyrics for the NBC radio network's symphony orchestra. He chose bells as a subject because the melody brought to mind the ringing of hand bells for him.

This Christmas carol comes to us from the Provence region of France (southeastern corner) in the 17^th century. The song was first used as dancing music for the French nobility, thus, the lyrics were not sung. The lyrics tell of two shepherdesses named Jeanette and Isabella who excitedly tell the village of the birth of the baby Jesus. Those who visit the stable are told to lower their voices so the baby can sleep. Even now, on Christmas Eve in Provence, children will dress as shepherds and milkmaids, carry torches, and sing this carol on their way to Midnight Mass.

Bring a torch, Jeannette, Isabella. Bring a torch, come hurry and run. It is Jesus, good folk of the village, Christ is born, and Mary’s calling: Ah! Ah! Beautiful is the Mother, Ah! Ah! Beautiful is the Child! 

Have you ever felt like even though you know that God is everywhere, that He isn’t with you right now? A huge part of the  fulfillment of and through Jesus’ birth is God's very presence with us in the here and now. “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means “God with us”).” -Matthew 1:23 (NIV) Even in these times of uncertainty, we have that further fulfillment through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that not only is God with us in presence, but also in Spirit always. 

So many things come with the new seasons and the new year. Advent begins the church year, so it’s fitting that Wesley had recently become a Christian when he wrote this song. There are numerous scripture illusions throughout the lyrics. “God and sinners reconciled” shows the joy found in the Christ Child and alludes to 2 Corinthians 5:19 (as well as several others), while “Mild He lays His glory by. Born that man no more may die” eludes to Philippians 4:7 in Christ’s emptying himself to become a helpless child.

When meeting a king it’s difficult to know what to give them. They have all they could physically need or want so we say, “I have no gift to bring, that's fit to give our king.” We can only give what we have of our time and resources to the upside down kingdom, like the beating of a drum giving “pa rum pum pum pums” to the king.

In heartache or joy let me rest in Your care,  Be near me Lord Jesus ,  This is my Christmas prayer. These are the lyrics to the song "My Christmas Prayer" by Don Moen. This was a living example of his faith. “My Christmas prayer is that I would remain close to God, and He close to me. With all the suffering in the world today, there is the temptation to fall to fear… we need to be near the Lord.. we need the Hope of Christmas.” – Don Moen. (from donmoen.com/products/Christmas-a-season-of-hope)

I find it interesting that Don died in 2017, and yet these words speak to people year after year as we strive to live into the promise of God at Christmas; no matter what we are facing in our lives.

The season of waiting is not new, as proven by the song “O Come, O Come Emmanuel”. This song was originally written in Latin in the 8^th or 9^th century. It was sung the night before Christmas Eve as one of the “o antiphons” in Catholic Monasteries. “The Great O’s” were sung each night, starting seven days before Christmas. They were to help people focus on the coming of Christmas, “enriching the meaning of the Incarnation with a complex series of references from the Old and New Testaments.” ( British hymnologist J.R. Watson as stated on UMCDiscipleship.org.)

It was then translated from Latin by John Mason Neale (1818-1866). Many different stanzas with different words can be found, but most versions use Hymns Ancient and Modern (1861). When singing “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” you can know you are joining in a long tradition of faithful believers preparing their hearts to celebrate Christmas when Emmanuel (God With Us) comes.

The legend goes that in the late 16^th Century, a monk was walking through the woods on Christmas Eve. It was in these woods, he found a rose blooming. Taking it as a sign from God, he placed the rose in a vase on an altar to the Virgin Mary. The rest, as they say, is history.

While the author of the lyrics for this German carol is unknown, the melody was first found in print in 1599. Michael Praetorius later wrote in 1609 the familiar harmonies that are still in use today. Depending on the denomination, the rose is often thought to represent either Mary (Catholic) or Jesus (Protestant). However you wish to interpret it, it is with lyrics such as "O flower, whose fragrance tender with sweetness fills the air, dispel in glorious splendor the darkness everywhere", that this has become a well loved carol of the season.

Elenore Farjeon is most well known as the writer of “Morning Has Broken”. But, she also wrote the Advent song “People Look East”. It was first titled “Shepherds Shake Off Your Drowsy Sleep.” It is fun to find a song that reminds us that as we are waiting for the birth of Christ our Lord, we are also preparing. We have tables to set and preparations to make as we prepare for “Love” to come as a guest, a rose, a star, and Our Lord.

Often when we see injustice and poverty in the world. We long for the day when someone of authority will come and shake the worlds systems at its very core; as the world of Haggai 2:7 shows with the presence of God declaring he will fill the new temple and it will be more glorious then the last. Wesley saw the poverty around him and thought the same, so he did something about it and pinnned “Born thy people to deliver, born a child and yet a King,” giving a wide view of past, present, and future with Christ long before he has come as King of Kings.

There are many images that can invoke Christmas such as pine trees, gifts, and lights. "With a tail as big as a kite” can invoke the star of Bethlehem, but it can also invoke the image of a missile flying overhead. It was 1962, it was the middle of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the closest the Cold War came to becoming a full on nuclear war.

In the middle of that, Noël Regney and Gloria Shayne were asked to write a Christmas song. How do you write about the joy and celebration of Christmas in all that? They understandably didn’t want to at first! What about the prospect of nuclear war fit with Christmas music? So they wrote a lyric culminating in “Pray for peace, people, everywhere. Listen to what I say!” And the promised Child who will bring that peace. Luckily the missile crisis ended in peace treaties rather then nuclear fall out.

Not usually thought of as only a Christmas or Advent Hymn, "Joyful Joyful We Adore Thee" was written in 1907 by Henry Van Dyke (1852-1933). According to Dr. Hawn, the professor of music at Perkins School of Theology on UMCDiscipleship.org, it is said that he was inspired by the Berkshire mountains when he was in Williamstown, MA. He gave the hymn to the president of the Williams College and said it fit with Beethoven’s “Hymn to Joy.” It has since become one of the most popular hymns in history.

This makes sense. It is important to remember it was also written in the culture before World War I when life was not perfect and tensions were high. It was written to remind us of the joy and promise we have because of Christ. Yet another reason to sing it this advent season when we need a reminder of the hope we have, even when life is not as we expect.

Little has been written about this Austrian carol. The music and lyrics are not credited. The date it was first published is vague (19^th century). We are not even given information of whose English translation is used today. This understated existence seems to be the very embodiment of this carol, with its tune sweetly telling the Nativity story through the shepherds eyes.

As lately we watch'd o'er our fields thro' the night, A star there was seen of such glorious light. All thro' the night, angels did sing Carols so sweet of the birth of a King.