DAY 24

 EVERY TRIBE, LANGUAGE, PEOPLE, AND NATION

“The First Noel” recalls for us a bit about the shepherds and the wisemen and their place in the birth narrative of Jesus.  In the second to last stanza it reminds us of the posture that the wisemen took when they found the Christ child.  They fell “reverently upon their knee.”  But we do not simply remember the posture they took.  The song challenges us to do likewise.  The final stanza says,

 

Then let us all with one accord
Sing praises to our heavenly Lord
That hath made Heaven and earth of nought
And with his blood mankind has bought.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel!

We, like the wisemen, should have an attitude of worship when we come before Christ.  They knew that this was no ordinary child.  Indeed, he was not.  It was through him that all was created.  And it is by his blood that he has purchased his creation again for himself.  Revelation 5:9 declares about Jesus, the Lamb of God,

And they sang a new song, saying,

“Worthy are you to take the scroll
    and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
    from every tribe and language and people and nation,

 This Advent season, remember that Jesus came to purchase people from every tribe, language, people, and nation.

THE FIRST NOEL

The First Noel, the Angels did say
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay
In fields where they lay keeping their sheep
On a cold winter’s night that was so deep.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel!

They looked up and saw a star
Shining in the East beyond them far
And to the earth it gave great light
And so it continued both day and night.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel!

And by the light of that same star
Three Wise men came from country far
To seek for a King was their intent
And to follow the star wherever it went.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel!

This star drew nigh to the northwest
O’er Bethlehem it took its rest
And there it did both Pause and stay
Right o’er the place where Jesus lay.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel!

Then entered in those Wise men three
Full reverently upon their knee
And offered there in His presence
Their gold and myrrh and frankincense.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel!

Then let us all with one accord
Sing praises to our heavenly Lord
That hath made Heaven and earth of nought
And with his blood mankind has bought.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel!

DAY 23

TAKE THE CURE

It is hard for me to say which Christmas song is my favorite, but “0 Holy Night” is definitely in the top 10.  It has great lyrics and wonderful music.  It takes a singer with the ability to sing a wide range to do the song justice.  I like to sing it but do not do it justice.

You cannot help seeing, as you look around in the world, the mammoth evils our world faces.  Oppression is one of those evils.  If you line up 10 people, you will get 10 opinions about what needs to happen to end oppression in its various forms and degrees.

When we come to Jesus, there are varying opinions about who his is.  But the Word of God is clear.  He is the Messiah that was foretold generations before.  He is the Savior come to save the world.  In Matthew 1:21, Joseph is being spoken to in a vision by an angel.  The angel declares what the Messiah’s name will be.  He says, “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”  Jesus’ very name communicated who he is and what he would do.  He came to save us from our sins.

Sin is rebellion against God.  All evil in the world is a result of that rebellion.  Jesus came to bring a rebellious world back into harmony with the Father.  Jesus is the only one who can do this.  He is the only one that can bring to an end evils in the world like oppression.  The last stanza of this carol declares, “Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.  And in his name all oppression shall cease.” It is in his powerful name that all oppression will end.

So why, after 2,000 years since his birth, is there so much evil in the world?  I think that G. K, Chesterton puts it well when he says, “The Christian idea has not be tried and found wanting.  It has be found difficult; and left untried.”  If the cure is rejected, healing cannot happen.  The cure, Jesus Christ, must be accepted.  Then, and only then, can the healing begin.

This Advent season accept the cure.

 

O HOLY NIGHT!

O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Saviour’s birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
O’er the world a star is sweetly gleaming,
Now come the wisemen from out of the Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friends.
He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
His power and glory ever more proclaim!

 

DAY 22

DELIVERER AND RENEWER

It is an interesting question.  “Mary did you know?”  Did she really know what Jesus would do?  The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and announced in Luke 1:28-35

And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”  But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 

And to Joseph, the angel gave this message as found in Matthew 1:20-21,

“Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

So both Mary and Joseph had been given insight into who Jesus was and what he would become for mankind, but I think they probably did not understand the full extent of God’s plan.  I think they did understand that God had a plan and that he was using them in that plan.  There are so much paradoxes in the birth of Jesus.  Things that make us stop and say, “How can that possibly be?”  How can a virgin become pregnant?  How can the Creator step into his creation?  How can holy God enter into a world that is unholy?  How can an infinite God be born into finite flesh?  One of the questions that the song “Mary Did You Know” askes is, “Did you know that your Baby Boy has come to make you new?  This Child that you delivered will soon deliver you.”  This question and statement get at an amazing reality.  God chose Mary for an incredible privilege.  She was the one through whom his Son would enter into the world.  But at the end of the day, Mary had the same need that all of us do.  We need to be made new.  We need to be delivered.

This reminds me that there is no great act of service or devotion that I can do for God that will win my way into his eternal presence.  Christ came to accomplish something for mankind that we could not do on our own.  God wanted to restore our relationship with him and so it was necessary for us that Christ must enter into the world that he had created.

This advent season, let us remember that Jesus entered into the world that he created to deliver us and make us new.

 

MARY DID YOU KNOW

by Mark Lowry (lyrics) and Buddy Greene (music)

Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy would one day walk on water?
Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy would save our sons and daughters?
Did you know
that your Baby Boy has come to make you new?
This Child that you delivered will soon deliver you.

Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy will give sight to a blind man?
Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy will calm the storm with His hand?
Did you know
that your Baby Boy has walked where angels trod?
When you kiss your little Baby you kissed the face of God?

Mary did you know..

The blind will see.
The deaf will hear.
The dead will live again.
The lame will leap.
The dumb will speak
The praises of The Lamb.

Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy is Lord of all creation?
Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy would one day rule the nations?
Did you know
that your Baby Boy is heaven’s perfect Lamb?
The sleeping Child you’re holding is the great “I am”

DAY 21

COME, SEE, ADORE!

The refrain in “Angels We Have Heard on High” is “Gloria, in excelsis Deo!”  This phrase is from Latin and means, “Glory to God in the highest.”  This song remembers the angelic visitation of the shepherds.  This phrase was part of the message the angels brought to the shepherds as recorded for us in Luke 2:14,

“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

The shepherds invite us to come to see what the angels announced to them.

Come to Bethlehem and see
Christ Whose birth the angels sing;
Come, adore on bended knee,
Christ the Lord, the newborn King.

They invite us to come and see.  Then once we have done that.  We are invited to come and adore on bended knee.  How many times have you heard the announcement of the angels?  Does the message reach your ears?  What is your reaction when you hear the message?  The message of the song calls us to come and adore on bended knee.  No matter how many times we hear the message, it should lead us to worship Christ the Lord.

This Advent season, come, see, and adore him on bended knee.

 

ANGELS WE HAVE HEARD ON HIGH

Angels we have heard on high
Sweetly singing o’er the plains,
And the mountains in reply
Echoing their joyous strains.

• Refrain:
  Gloria, in excelsis Deo!
  Gloria, in excelsis Deo!

Shepherds, why this jubilee?
Why your joyous strains prolong?
What the gladsome tidings be
Which inspire your heavenly song?

Come to Bethlehem and see
Christ Whose birth the angels sing;
Come, adore on bended knee,
Christ the Lord, the newborn King.

See Him in a manger laid,
Whom the choirs of angels praise;
Mary, Joseph, lend your aid,
While our hearts in love we raise.

 

DAY 20

CITIZENSHIP

Many believers are concerned about the state of Christmas.  Each year, secularist expunge more and more of Christ from the holiday.  We are told we must now say, “Seasons Greetings,” lest we offend other people’s religious or nonreligious sensibilities.  Schools now take a winter a break and not a Christmas break.  The call from many Christians is that we need to put Christ back in Christmas.  If that is truly what we are fighting for, then the battle is lost.  Christ was not born into the world to be relegated to a holiday.  He was born into the world so that he could come to dwell in the hearts of those who would believe.

“O Come All Ye Faithful” is a call to the faithful to come and give adoration to Christ the Lord.  The world does not need a holiday with Christ in it.  It needs to come and adore the One born of the virgin, the Son of God.  This song is a call to the “citizens of heaven above” to come and adore him.  Paul says in Philippians 3:20-21

  “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.”

 I cannot control how people celebrate this holiday we call Christmas, but I can control how I celebrate it.  I will heed the call of the song and “come and adore him, Christ the Lord.”   He is my Savior and my citizenship is in his kingdom.  There I heed his call.

This Advent season, remember that your citizenship is above.  Come and adore the King!

 

Oh, Come, All Ye Faithful

 Oh, come, all ye faithful,
Joyful and triumphant!
Oh, come ye, oh, come ye to Bethlehem;
Come and behold him
Born the king of angels:
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord.

Highest, most holy,
Light of light eternal,
Born of a virgin,
A mortal he comes;
Son of the Father
Now in flesh appearing!
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord.

Sing, choirs of angels,
Sing in exultation,
Sing, all ye citizens of heaven above!
Glory to God
In the highest:
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord.

Yea, Lord, we greet thee,
Born this happy morning;
Jesus, to thee be glory given!
Word of the Father,
Now in flesh appearing!
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord.

 

DAY 19

HATE’S END

“I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is a carol that I did not become familiar with until adulthood, but it has quickly become one of my favorites.  I am attaching to this blog two videos.  The first one tells a little about the history behind the song lyrics and the other video is sung by Johnny Reid.   I like this song because it takes seriously the problem of evil in the world and what its solution is.

The song states,

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.”

We speak of peace often during the Christmas season.  It is a fitting topic for the angels announced that peace had come to men.  But then we evaluate the situation in the world.  There seems to be very little peace today.  Hate, indeed, is very strong in our world and seemly is winning the battle.

 The song continues,

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.”

It is easy to give up and fall into a pit of despair.  If we look at the world at face value, we will end in despair.  The more man tries to alleviate the problem, the worse the world becomes.  The reality is, “God is not dead, nor doth he sleep.” God is alive and at work in his world.  Matthew 1: 23 reminds us, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel (which means, God with us).”  God made the greatest incursion into enemy territory in the history of warfare when he was born into his world that was in open rebellion against him.  The truth is the battle is ended.  He has won the victory.  Hate is in the throes of death.  Satan is defeated and he knows his time is short.

This Advent season, do not hang your head in despair.  Hate is defeated.  Peace is victorious through our Savior whose birth we celebrate.

 I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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.

I 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.”

 

 

 

DAY 18

RECONCILED

“Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” has one line which if Jesus had a mission statement, this would be it.  The song states, “God and sinners reconcile.” Simply put, this is why Christ came into the world.  This is why Christ’s birth has significance.  This is why the angels proclaimed, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:14)   God was pleased to enter the world he created.  He is the one who has made peace with us, not us with him.  He came to his creation which was living in rebellion against him and offered pardon to all who would accept his gift.

This Advent season, raise your praises to heaven for God has reconciled us to himself through the “Son of Righteousness.”

HARK!  THE HERALD ANGELS SING

(This carol was originally written by Charles Wesley, but has undergone several alteration from its original form.)

Hark! The herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!”
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With the angelic host proclaim,
“Christ is born in Bethlehem.”
Hark! The herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!”

Christ, by highest heaven adored:
Christ, the everlasting Lord;
Late in time behold him come,
Offspring of a virgin’s womb.
Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see;
Hail, the incarnate Deity:
Pleased, as man, with men to dwell,
Jesus, our Emmanuel!
Hark! The herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!”

Hail! The heav’n born Prince of peace!
Hail! The Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings,
Risen with healing in his wings
Mild he lays his glory by,
Born that man no more may die:
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.
Hark! The herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!”

 

 

DAY 17

KEEP SILENT!

“Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”

(Psalm 46:10)

One familiar song declares Christmas as the “most wonderful time of the year.”  That may be, but I would also say it is one of the noisiest times of the year.  By noise, I mean not only sound, but busyness too.  People run from this Christmas party to the next.  They rush around town looking for just the right gift.  Even Christmas music has becomes the background sound to a busy life.

I have come to love the song “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent.” It is not a song I was familiar with until adulthood.  As the song rolls along and the words and music flow over me, it creates in me what the title and first line states.  By the fourth stanza, I am there with the seraph and cherubim crying out, “Alleluia!”  But this shout of praise comes after my heart is quieted before “Christ our God” who “to earth descended.”  With “fear and trembling,” I stand in silence before my Lord.

In this Advent season, take time to be silent before our Lord who came to be our King of kings.

LET ALL MORTAL FLESH KEEP SILENT

Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
and with fear and trembling stand;
set your minds on things eternal,
for with blessing in his hand
Christ our God to earth descended,
come our homage to command.

King of kings, yet born of Mary,
once upon the earth he stood;
Lord of lords we now perceive him
in the body and the blood.
He has given to all the faithful
his own self for heavenly food.

Rank on rank, the host of heaven
stream before him on the way,
as the Light of Light, descending
from the realms of endless day,
comes, the powers of hell to vanquish,
clears the gloom of hell away.

At his feet the six-winged seraph,
cherubim with sleepless eye
veil their faces to his presence,
as with ceaseless voice they cry:
“Alleluia, alleluia!
Alleluia, Lord Most High!”

 

DAY 16

GO AND TELL

“Go, Tell it on the Mountain” has a simple message.  Go and tell!  The message that we take when we go and tell, to those who will listen, is more than a story about the birth of a child.  The song says,

 

Down in a lowly manger

Our humble Christ was born

And God send us salvation,

That blessed Christmas morn

 

God sent to us salvation through his Son, Jesus Christ.  That is why we are compelled to go.  That is the message that we proclaim from the mountain top.

Now if you happen to live in central Illinois where I grew up, do not think that you are off the hook.  No, there are no mountains in central Illinois, but that is not the point.  The point is the message is meant to be proclaimed to everyone in every place.

This Advent season, find your voice and go and tell the message of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

 

GO, TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN

 

While shepherds kept their watching

Over silent flocks by night,

Behold throughout the heavens,

There shone a holy light:

Go, Tell It On The Mountain,

Over the hills and everywhere;

Go, Tell It On The Mountain

That Jesus Christ is born.

 

The shepherds feared and trembled

When lo! above the earth

Rang out the angel chorus

That hailed our Saviour’s birth:

Go, Tell It On The Mountain,

Over the hills and everywhere;

Go, Tell It On The Mountain

That Jesus Christ is born.

 

Down in a lowly manger

Our humble Christ was born

And God send us salvation,

That blessed Christmas morn:

Go, Tell It On The Mountain,

Over the hills and everywhere;

Go, Tell It On The Mountain

That Jesus Christ is born.

 

When I am a seeker,

I seek both night and day;

I seek the Lord to help me,

And He shows me the way:

Go, Tell It On The Mountain,

Over the hills and everywhere;

Go, Tell It On The Mountain

That Jesus Christ is born.

 

He made me a watchman

Upon the city wall,

And if I am a Christian,

I am the least of all.

Go, Tell It On The Mountain,

Over the hills and everywhere;

Go, Tell It On The Mountain

That Jesus Christ is born.

 

DAY 15

MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE!

“Sing We Now of Christmas” is a French carol from the 15^th century that was translated into English.  This song is a call to sing praises for “the King is born.”  Christmas will never lose its meaning as long as one person sings praises to the King.  Psalm 100:1 admonishes us to “make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.”  You may say, “God has not giving me a beautiful voice to sing.” This may be true but God did not say it had to be beautiful.  The sound that comes out of your mouth when you sing might just be noise, but you can make it be joyful noise to the Lord.

This Advent season, join your voice with the multitudes of heaven and earth and sing the praises of our King.

Sing We Now of Christmas

Sing we now of Christmas,
Noel, sing we here!
Hear our grateful praises
to the babe so dear.

Refrain:
Sing we Noel, the King is born, Noel!
Sing we now of Christmas, sing we now Noel!

Angels called to shepherds,
“Leave your flocks at rest,
journey forth to Bethlehem,
find the lambkin blest.” [Refrain]

In Bethlehem they found him;
Joseph and Mary mild,
seated by the manger,
watching the holy child. [Refrain]

From the eastern country
came the kings afar,
bearing gifts to Bethlehem
guided by a star. [Refrain]

Gold and myrrh they took there,
gifts of greatest price;
there was ne’er a place on earth
so like paradise. [Refrain]