25(ish) Days of Advent: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing!

Hark! The Herald Angels sing,
"Glory to the new-born King;
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!"
Joyful, all ye nations, rise.
Join the triumph of the skies.
With th' Angelic Hosts proclaim,
"Christ is born in Bethlehem!"
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the new-born King."

Christ, by highest heaven adored,
Christ, the everlasting lord
Late in time behold Him come,
Off-spring of the 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 New-born king!"

Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace,
Hail, the Sun 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 New-born king!"

One of my all-time favorites. It speaks with such grandeur about Jesus as God, and how he willingly and humbly laid aside his glory and robed himself in our humanity. And he did it for love, so that we wouldn't have to die, so that we could be reconciled to God. For our ransom. For our rescue.

Merry Christmas.

And Everything Was Going So Well

I was really doing it! Blogging an advent post every day! Okay, so some days I'd write two and backdate one of them for the day I missed. But I had a post for every day, like a good little blogger.

And then, about a week and a half ago, we got this brilliant idea that we were going to put our house on the market - something we've been considering for a while - and that we were going to do this by Christmas.

My house, which was in its usual state ranging from cozily cluttered (kitchen) to downright embarassing (craft room), was going to be cleared, staged, and cleaned in under two weeks. With holiday obligations already on the calendar and Ben working full shifts every day and me not supposed to be lifting heavy stuff.

I'll wait while you laugh at our expense.

So we sorted. And packed. Rented a storage facility. Imposed upon guy friends to come and move stuff into said storage facility. Rearranged furniture. Coerced friend into painting with me. Coerced same friends in to helping again when the going got tough. Had carpets cleaned. Moved fully-decorated full-of-water Christmas tree. Cleaned, sorted, packed, repeated. Stayed up till 4am. Took two carloads full to Goodwill and another to recycling.

And guess what? By the grace of God and, again, the kindness of friends, we did it! Our house is almost unrecognizable, both in cleanliness and furniture placement. If no one even looks at it while we're gone for Christmas I'm going to be seriously unamused.

So our sweet little abode is on the market now! When it sells, we're hoping to move to the Franklin area (a suburb south of Nashville, for those of you not from around these parts) so Ben can be closer to work and so we can (eventually) take advantage of the Williamson County schools.

Getting the house ready in such a short amount of time is a great accomplishment, but it sort of killed my post-a-day advent series. For that I am terribly sorry, dear readers! I still hope to post at least one or two more. I was saving some of my favorites for last and everything!

I hope wherever you are your Christmas and holiday preparations are significantly less manic than ours have been.

25 Days of Advent: Angels We Have Heard on High

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.

Gloria in excelsis Deo!
Gloria in excelsis Deo!

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

Gloria in excelsis Deo!
Gloria in excelsis Deo!

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

Gloria in excelsis Deo!
Gloria in excelsis Deo!


This song was partially authored by the angels themselves, as the chorus is from the original Latin translation of Luke 2:

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

Gloria in Excelsis Deo! Glory to God in the highest! I quoted from it once before, but it's too good to exclude. So here is the Jesus Storybook Bible telling of Luke 2.

Now God was going to send a big choir of angels to sing his happy song to the world: He's here! He's come! Go and see him. My little Boy.

Now where would you send your splendid choir? To a big concert hall maybe? Or a palace perhaps? God sent his to a little hillside, outside a little town, in the middle of the night. He sent all those angels to sing for a raggedy old bunch of shepherds watching their sheep outside Bethlehem.

In those days, remember, people used to laugh at shepherds and say they were smelly and call them other rude names (which I can't possibly mention here). You see, people thought shepherds were no-bodies, just scruffy old riff-raff.

But God must have thought shepherds were very important indeed, because they're the ones he chose to tell the good news to first.

That night some shepherds were out in the open fields, warming themselves by a campfire, when suddenly the sheep darted. They were frightened by something. The olive trees rustled. What was that... a wing beat?

They turned around. Standing in front of them was a huge warrior of light, blazing in the darkness. "Don't be afraid of me!" the bright shining man said. "I haven't come to hurt you. I've come to bring you happy news for everyone everywhere. Today, in David's town, in Bethlehem, God's Son has been born! You can go and see him. He is sleeping in a manger."

Behind the angel they saw a strange glowing cloud - except it wasn't a cloud, it was angels... troops and troops of angels, armed with light! And they were singing a beautiful song: "Glory to God! To God be Fame and Honor and all our Hoorays!"

25 Days of Advent: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

Today I am featuring a guest blogger... my momma! I asked Sally to write something about one of her favorite Christmas hymns, "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel." As usual, she did awesome. Here are her wise thoughts for you to enjoy!

*****

On December 1, 1990, our little family went to a Christmas play called Impressario/Celebration” at the Masonic Temple in Guthrie, Oklahoma. This was the first time I remember that the song “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” really sunk into my heart. To me the melody is so haunting and the words have come to mean more and more each passing Christmas.

When I started to study the Old Testament it helped me understand this song and have a richer understanding and appreciation of Christmas and the coming of the long awaited Messiah, Emmanuel (God with us).

Christmas hope goes all the way back to the beginning when God promised Adam and Eve, and all those who would come after them, a deliverer – one who would free them from their bondage. God’s faithful remnant, those who trusted in His promises, clung to this hope down through the years.


O Come, O Come Emmanuel

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
and ransom captive Israel
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.

O come, thou Dayspring, come and cheer
our spirits by thine advent here;
disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
and death’s deep shadows put to flight.

O come, thou Wisdom from on high,
and order all things, far and nigh;
to us the path of knowledge show,
and cause us in her ways to go.

O come, Desire of nations, bind
all peoples in one heart and mind;
bid envy, strife and quarrels cease:
fill the whole world with heaven’s peace.


Each verse features one Old Testament name for the Messiah:

#1 Emmanuel – God with us. - Isaiah 7:14

#2 Dayspring (morning star) - Malachi 4:2

#3 Wisdom – Isaiah 11:2

#4 Desire of Nations – Jeremiah 10:7


The verses of this song still have life application for us today. We want God to be with us. We need Him to free us from our bondage. We have all felt exiled, isolated. Things in our lives can be dark and gloomy and we want light. We want death to be conquered. Our lives are chaotic and we need God to order our lives. We want to know how to proceed in life. We want people in our family, in our community, in our world to get along; we’re tired of all the fighting. We long for heaven’s peace.

Christmas, the birth of Christ, was the fulfillment of God’s promise to send a Messiah – a Savior. He invaded earth with His presence. So we can sing the refrain:

“Rejoice, rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.”

And not just Israel, He came for everyone. Emmanuel, God with us: His presence is just as real today. He’s still touching lives and changing hearts.

25 Days of Advent: A Cradle in Bethlehem

A Cradle in Bethlehem

Sing sweet and low your lullaby
'til angels say, "Amen."
A mother tonight is rocking
A cradle in Bethlehem.

While wise men follow through the dark
A star that beckons them
A mother tonight is rocking
A cradle in Bethlehem.

"A little child shall lead them,"
the prophet said of old.
In storm and tempest heed him
Until the bell is tolled.

Sing sweet and low your lullaby
'til angels say, "Amen."
A mother tonight is rocking
A cradle in Bethlehem.


Do you guys know of the MTV show "16 and Pregnant?" I think that's what it is called. I've only seen it once, and it is seriously depressing. Girls who are just out of childhood, mostly with deadbeat (at their worst) or dumb (at their best) boyfriends, often themselves having been the product of teen pregnancy.

I think about how it feels to be pregnant, physically and emotionally. I think about how impossible this would feel to me without Ben, without the blessing of our limited but secure finances, without the support and love of my family and friends. Without proper medical attention! I think about how difficult and sad and confusing and painful it must be for teen moms.

Then I think about Mary. Most scholars agree she was just a teenager herself. And though times were different and women were considered grown and became wives and mothers much earlier, she was still young and inexperienced and poor and alone. God knew this, and yet he chose her for one of the most important tasks ever. And by God's hand, she came through. Did she ever come through.

She bore her baby in the dust of a barn, without even the traditional midwives to help her. It was as bloody and messy and painful as any birth. And she wrapped him up and nursed him and held the salvation of the world - indeed, her own salvation - in her arms. Maybe she sang to him. She probably marveled at his tiny fingers and tiny toes and counted them all twice. Someday she would stand beneath the cross and watch her son murdered. The only one present at his birth and his death. But that first Christmas night, she was just a mama, rocking her baby in Bethlehem.

25 Days of Advent: Once In Royal David's City

Once In Royal David's City

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.

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 knew;
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 heaven above,
And He leads His children on
To the place where He is gone.

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

This is another song which I was not previously very familiar with, but grew to love from the festive version on the aforementioned Sufjan Christmas album. Like "Away in a Manger," it was originally written for children. And like many things meant for children, it might really mean more to us grown-ups.

Take the third verse. I love the lines "Tears and smiles like us He knew/And he feeleth for our sadness/and he shareth in our gladness." Part of the miracle of Jesus being fully God and fully man was exactly this. He knew sadness and joy, first as a little child and then, like us, more fully and more deeply as an adult. He wept at the death of his friend. He feasted and celebrated at the wedding banquet. He is not dispassionate or incapable of understanding our life here on Earth, because he too lived it. He became like us, even humbling himself so far as to be born a helpless baby. C.S. Lewis put it like this:

The Eternal Being, who knows everything and who created the whole universe, became not only a man but before that a baby, and before that a fetus inside a woman's body. If you want to get the hang of it, think how you would like to become a slug or a crab.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. (John 1:14)

He too shared in their humanity, so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death... For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way. (Hebrews 2:14,17)

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16)

One Hot Tip

Though I like to think of myself as such, I am not much of a domestic diva. I don't like cleaning and organizing, and thus unless someone is coming over, most of the time my house looks like a gentle tornado swept through. I can't sew, or knit, or make candles or soap. I love baking, which I guess is pretty domestic, but I don't really like cooking and I'm not very good at it or adventurous when I do try.

However, I have a few tricks up my sleeve, and I'm about to share one of my best with you.

When you're cooking ground meat (beef, turkey, chicken, sausage, whatever) for a recipe, cook it in the microwave in a rice cooker. Get one that looks like this:


They sell these super cheap in the store, usually in the same aisle with the microwaves. All it needs is an outer bucket and an inner bucket with drainage grate/holes in the bottom. You don't want one with too big holes or where the entire bucket is mesh. And you don't need the lid.

Here's what you do. Put the raw meat in the inner bucket, and then put that in the outer bucket. If you have additives you like (spices, minced onion or garlic) you can put that right in with the meat and mix it up. Pop it in the microwave, and start cooking a minute or two at a time, taking it out and stirring/breaking up the meat as it cooks. Do this until it is all cooked through.

Now take out the inner bucket holding your cooked meat (careful, it might be a little drippy) and marvel (not for too long because it's kinda gross) at all the fat that has drained off. Even if you buy lean meat, like I do, I'm always kinda stunned by how much additional fat gets left behind.

You're left with ultra-ultra-lean cooked ground meat ready for whatever recipe you've got in mind, plus an easy way to dump the leftover ick into your grease jar. Throw that rice cooker in the dishwasher and you're done.

Ta-da! That's my one super-awesome domestic diva tip. Use it well.

25 Days of Advent: Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming

This is, at least to me, a more obscure Christmas hymn. In fact, I'm not sure I've ever sung it in a church service. I sort of fell in love with it, though, after hearing the version from Sufjan Steven's Christmas albums. Here it is, for your listening enjoyment.



Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming

Lo, how a Rose e'er blooming
From tender stem hath sprung!
Of Jesse's lineage coming
As men of old have sung.
It came, a flower bright,
Amid the cold of winter,
When half-spent was the night.

Isaiah 'twas foretold it,
The Rose I have in mind:
With Mary we behold it,
The virgin mother kind.
To show God's love aright
She bore to us a Savior,
When half-spent was the night.

This Flow'r, whose fragrance tender
With sweetness fills the air,
Dispels with glorious splendor,
The darkness everywhere.
True man, yet very God,
From sin and death He saves us,
And lightens ev'ry load.

The imagery rises from the prophecies of Isaiah, including this one from Isaiah 11:1 - "A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit." There's a lot of history to take into context, but in a nutshell, it foretells that the Messiah will come from the descendants of David, as promised. The Jesse being referenced was David's father. They were from Bethlehem, which is why Joseph and Mary had to travel there for the census, and why they were there when Jesus was born (Luke 2:1-4). Not coincidentally, this fulfilled the words of another prophet, Micah, who wrote in Micah 5:2 - "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. "

This stuff is important. Don't let Biblical history bog you down or bore you because it isn't directly about you. This is something I really learned through my recent study of Daniel. We need to open our Bibles ultimately to learn about God and to find him worthy of our awe and worship. The Bible is for us, but it isn't just about us.

We can find the love and mercy of God in these Old Testament prophecies, by realizing that he planned for millennia the salvation he would provide for us in Jesus. This song honors that.

25 Days of Advent: O Little Town of Bethlehem

O Little Town of Bethlehem

O little town of Bethlehem,
How still we see thee lie;
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by:
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting Light;
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee to-night.

For Christ is born of Mary;
And gathered all above,
While mortals sleep, the angels keep
Their watch of wondering love.
O morning stars, together
Proclaim the holy birth;
And praises sing to God the King,
And peace to men on earth.

How silently, how silently,
The wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His heaven.
No ear may hear His coming,
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive Him still,
The dear Christ enters in.

O holy Child of Bethlehem,
Descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin, and enter in,
Be born in us to-day.
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us,
Our Lord Emmanuel.

Here's something I like about this song. The line that ends the first verse says, "The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight." Hopes and fears can be two sides of the same coin, in a way. You hope for something, and you fear the opposite. You hope for a healthy child, fearing the many illnesses and disabilities that exist. You hope for job security, fearing what would happen without that income. You hope for a peaceful family get-together, fearing the arguments that could occur. You hope for a change of heart, fearing that without it you are not the person you thought you were.

In little Bethlehem, on the first Christmas, God met all your hopes and fears in the person of Jesus Christ.

You have hopes? How big? How unlikely? "What is impossible with men is possible with God." Jesus himself promised that. By laying our hopes at the feet of Jesus, we allow Him to pick them up and wield them far more powerfully than we ever imagined.

You have fears? How bad? How scary? "There is no pit so deep but Christ is deeper still." In Jesus, ultimate fear is vanquished by perfect love. And daily fears are assuaged by fellowship, by prayer, by the promises of God's word.

All your hopes and fears are met in Him tonight. Now.

25 Days of Advent: Welcome to Our World

This is not a hymn but a modern song, written by Chris Rice. And his version is the best; accept no covers. Go and find it and listen to it.


Welcome to Our World

Tears are falling, hearts are breaking
How we need to hear from God
You've been promised; we've been waiting
Welcome Holy Child.
Welcome Holy Child.

Hope that you don't mind our manger
How I wish we would have known
But long-awaited Holy Stranger,
Make yourself at home.
Please make yourself at home.

Bring Your peace into our violence.
Bid our hungry souls be filled.
Word now breaking heaven's silence,
Welcome to our world.
Welcome to our world.

Fragile finger sent to heal us,
Tender brow prepared for thorn,
Tiny heart whose blood will save us
Unto us is born.
Unto us is born.

So wrap our injured flesh around You.
Breathe our air and walk our sod.
Rob our sin and make us holy,
Perfect Son of God.
Perfect Son of God.
Welcome to our world.


I love this. I love how tenderly it allows us to view the baby Jesus as to see Him as the man He would become: our Savior. I can only imagine what it will be like to look at my own babies and wonder at what they will be and acomplish. Tiny hands that might be good at painting or music or science or teaching. A little heart that will grow in love and and little mind that will fill with knowledge. To turn such a gaze upon the baby in the manger and to know what he became... these little hands would learn a carpenter's trade, heal sick, break the bread, wash feet, be driven through by nails. It brings a touch of the bittersweet to the Christmas celebration, but I think like Mary we can take these thoughts and ponder them in our hearts, and welcome Jesus for all he is.

25 Days of Advent: We Three Kings

I'm cheating a little. It was a busy weekend. So I'm stealing some of my thoughts from a blog I wrote last Christmas and I'm post-dating it so that it appears I put it up on Saturday like I was supposed to. Blogging magic!

We Three Kings of Orient Are

We three kings of Orients are
Bearing gifts we traverse afar
Field and fountain, moor and mountain
Following yonder star.

Born a King on Bethlehem's plain
Gold I bring to crown Him again,
King forever, ceasing never
Over us all to reign.

Frankincense to offer have I,
Incense owns a Deity nigh
Prayer and praising, all men raising,
Worship Him, God on high.

Myrrh is mine, its bitter perfume
Breathes a life of gathering gloom
Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying
Sealed in the stone-cold tomb.

Glorious now behold Him arise
King and God and Sacrifice
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Earth to heaven replies.

O star of wonder, star of night,
Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading, still proceeding,
Guide us to thy perfect light.


"When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh." Matthew 2:10-11

Gold - Just like today, gold was very valuable during ancient times. It would also have been a practical gift since it could be used for currency by Mary & Joseph. The symbolic nature of gold is to reference Jesus as king. In fact, all the gifts are common to what might have been given to royalty at that time. The wise men recognized Jesus's lordship, even in the form of a chubby little baby.

Frankincense - This gift, like its name implies, was a material that could be burned as incense. It comes originally as dried sap from a specific tree that is native to the southern area of the Arabian Peninsula. It was used by multiple ancient cultures, including Egyptians, Jews, and Chinese, across Africa and Asia as a fragrant incense during religious ceremonies. It was also used in perfume, makeup, and medicines. It relates symbolically to Jesus as priest, as our connection to God the Father.

Myrrh - Myrrh is also a tree-sap byproduct. It has some really interesting historical uses. The ancient Egyptians used it to embalm the dead. Despite its bitter qualities, it was also used in fine perfumes and anointing oils, and is mentioned throughout scripture as such. Myrrh also has a functional use as an antiseptic, and is used as such even today. Whether the magi intended it or not, the gift of myrrh has come to foreshadow Christ's death on the cross.

The symbolic nature of these items is fascinating stuff, but when I think of the magi and their gifts, I am mostly convicted about my own gifts to God. Have I brought him my best? My most rare and valuable? My most prized and significant offerings? Gifts to glorify Jesus my God, to honor Jesus my Priest, to thank Jesus my Savior? Clean hands, a pure heart, incessant prayer, songs of worship, obedience, compassion... these and more are the offerings we can bring.

25 Days of Advent: Good Christian Men, Rejoice

I had no idea, before my little research, that this song was so old. The original lyrics, from which the English song was derived, were written in a mixture of Latin and German in the early 1300s. I kind of love that, you know? Little reminders that the worship and wonder of God has been around for a long, long time.


Good Christian Men, Rejoice

Good Christian men, rejoice
With heart and soul and voice!
Give ye heed to what we say:
Jesus Christ is born today.
Ox and ass before Him bow,
And He is in the manger now:
Christ is born today, Christ is born today!

Good Christian men, rejoice
With heart and soul and voice!
Now ye hear of endless bliss:
Jesus Christ was born for this.
He has opened heaven's door,
And man is blest forever more.
Christ was born for this,
Christ was born for this!

Good Christian men, rejoice
With heart and soul and voice!
Now ye need not fear the grave:
Jesus Christ was born to save;
Calls you one and calls you all,
To gain His everlasting hall.
Christ was born to save,
Christ was born to save!


Jesus Christ was born to save. Jesus said of himself, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." When Simeon held baby Jesus in the temple, he realized in wonder what lay in his arms and praised God, saying: "For my eyes have seen your salvation."

The helpless baby in the manger and the man who suffered and died on the cross are the same. The Christmas baby grew up to be the Easter Savior, the resurrected Christ. His was the ultimate fulfilled destiny.

25 Days of Advent: Away in a Manger

Away in a Manger

Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
The little Lord Jesus lay down His sweet head;
The stars in the sky looked down where he lay,
The little Lord Jesus, asleep on the hay.

The cattle are lowing, the Baby awakes,
But little Lord Jesus, no crying He makes;
I love Thee, Lord Jesus! Look down from the sky,
And stay by my cradle till morning is nigh.

Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay
Close by me forever, and love me, I pray;
Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care,
And fit us for heaven to live with Thee there.


Such a sweet little song, a Christmas hymn for little voices. Like Jesus Loves Me, This I Know, it is a song that teaches children how much Jesus loves them, and to love him in return. Did I get teary-eyed just now thinking of my own little child singing this song? Maybe. (Yes.)

Jesus did love children, and in fact told us grown-ups to be more like them: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me." (Mt 18:3-5)

With that in mind, here is the telling of the Christmas story from The Jesus Storybook Bible - which, if you are wondering, is hands down the best children's Bible out there.

Sure enough, it was just as the angel had said. Nine months later, Mary was almost ready to have her baby.

Now Mary and Joseph had to take a trip to Bethlehem, the town King David was from. But when they reached the little town, they found every room was full. Every bed was taken. "Go away!" the innkeepers told them. "There isn't any place for you."

Where would they stay? Soon Mary's baby would come. They couldn't find anywhere except an old, tumbledown stable. So they stayed where the cows and the donkeys and the horses stayed.

And there, in the stable, amongst the chickens and the donkeys and the cows, in the quiet of the night, God gave the world his wonderful gift. The baby that would change the world was born. His baby Son.

Mary and Joseph wrapped him up to keep him warm. They made a soft bed of straw and used the animals' feeding trough as his cradle. And they gazed in wonder at God's Great Gift, wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger.

Mary and Joseph named him Jesus, "Emmanuel" - which means "God has come to live with us." Because, of course, he had.

That same night, in amongst the other stars, suddenly a bright new star appeared. Of all the stars in the dark vaulted heavens, this one shone clearer. It blazed in the night and made the other stars look pale beside it.

God put it there when his baby Son was born - to be like a spotlight. Shining on him. Lighting up the darkness. Showing people the way to him.

You see, God was like a new daddy - he couldn't keep the good news to himself. He'd been waiting all these long years for this moment, and now he wanted to tell everyone.

25 Days of Advent: Angels From the Realms of Glory

Angels From the Realms of Glory

Angels from the realms of glory
Wing your flight over all the earth;
Ye who sang creation's story
Now proclaim the Messiah's birth:

Come and worship, come and worship
Worship Christ, the newborn King

Shepherds, in the field abiding,
Watching over your flocks by night,
God with us is now residing;
Yonder shines the infant light:

Come and worship, come and worship
Worship Christ, the newborn King

Saints before the altar bending,
Watching long in hope and fear;
Suddenly the Lord, descending,
In His temple shall appear.

Come and worship, come and worship
Worship Christ, the newborn King.

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

Come and worship, come and worship
Worship Christ, the newborn King

Though an infant now we view Him,
He shall fill His Father's throne,
Gather all nations to Him;
Every knee shall then bow down:

Come and worship, come and worship
Worship Christ, the newborn King!


I have been using this site as a resource for a lot of these Christmas hymns; they usually have interesting historical information as well as the original words/verses. Such was the case for this one. My hymnal has five verses but the last two are different and apparently, additions/substitutions from the original words, which I have printed above.

I don't know why, because that fourth verse is about the best thing I've heard all day. It feels almost Easter-victorious, but I love that the author of this Christmas poem included it. The celebration of Christmas is made sweeter because we know why Christ came and what he did for us in his time here. "Justice now revokes the sentence; mercy calls you, break your chains!" The justice of the Holy God, righteously cast on sinful man, is, in that same God's infinite mercy, lifted from our heads and placed on the person of Jesus. If you know this truth and are standing around with your chains still on, know this: the baby who came at Christmas already broke them for you. Repent and shake them off once and for all. Come and worship!

25 Days of Advent: I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

The lyrics from this song were originally a poem by Longfellow. He wrote it just months after the Civil War's bloody engagement at the Battle of Gettysburg. It is about Christmas, yes, but even more so about peace.

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

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.

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.'

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.

Hate is strong. "Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil." John 3:19

But God is not dead, or sleeping, or unaware, or uncaring. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts... [My word] will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." Isaiah 56:8-9, 11

"He will not let your foot slip - he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep." Psalm 121:3-4

The wrong, ultimately, shall fail. "Woe to the wicked! The will be paid back for what their hands have done." Isaiah 3:11

"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you game me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." Matthew 25:41-43, 46

The right, ultimately, shall prevail. "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade." 1 Peter 1:3-4

"Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore." Psalm 125:1-2

And there will be everlasting peace. "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." Revelation 21:3-4

25 Days of Advent: Infant Holy, Infant Lowly

Infant Holy, Infant Lowly

Infant holy, infant lowly, for his bed a cattle stall;
Oxen lowing, little knowing Christ the Babe is Lord of all.
Angels winging, praises singing, Noels ringing, tidings bringing:
Christ the Babe is Lord of all.

Flocks were sleeping, shepherds keeping vigil till the morning new
Saw the glory, heard the story, tidings of a gospel true.
Thus rejoicing, free from sorrow, praises voicing greet the morrow:
Christ the Babe was born for you!

This is a simple little Polish carol, and it is really sweet to sing. I love that the second verse is basically a summation of the transformative power of the gospel of Jesus. We hear the story, and in our hearts God ignites the realization that it is not just good news but truth. In our acceptance of his love, with nothing but the empty hands of faith, he enters our lives. Then we can rejoice! We are free, not from the sorrows of this world, but from the greater sorrow of the bondage of sin and fear of death. Now we are the ones singing praises to greet the morning. We are the ones who can't help but tell the world: Christ was born for you!

25 Days of Advent: Break Forth, O Beauteous Heavenly Light

This is a less common Christmas hymn; in fact, I don't know that I've ever sung it in a church service. It's an oldie, with both the words and original music dating to 1641. There are other verses, but from what I could gather, only this first one is original:

Break Forth, O Beauteous Heavenly Light

Break forth, O beauteous heavenly light

And usher in the morning.

O shepherds, shrink not with affright

But hear the angel's warning.

This child, now weak in infancy

Our confidence and joy shall be;

The power of Satan breaking,

Our peace eternal making.

That's lovely, isn't it? The baby born at Christmas became Christ on the cross. His love and sacrifice are our confidence in eternal life and joy in reunion with God. He broke the power of hell and canceled death for us, his brothers and sisters adopted into the family of God. Jesus will reign in peace forever, just as Isaiah prophesied:

For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given,

and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.

Isaiah 9:6-7

15 Weeks!

Sweet Baby James,

We are 15 weeks today! My tummy looks more round now. I mean, rounder than before. Your momma is no beanpole. But now it looks more pregnant-round and less lumpy. I approve.

This week I started putting together a registry for you at Target. Target, FYI, is one of my favorite stores and they have a great selection of baby stuff. I still need to do some research on a few items, and of course I'm waiting to find out boy-or-girl for some stuff like bedding.

Nothing too much else exciting to report. My appetite is coming back. A lot of times food still doesn't sound great but now when I am hungry, I am HUNGRY. And I want food immediately. Like a true son or daughter of mine, you seem to have an affinity for Mexican food. And pizza. And milk. I started buying organic milk since I'm drinking it so much. On the flip side, it means I'm drinking a lot of $6-a-gallon milk. I'm also very excited because yesterday at Trader Joe's I found us some nitrate-free turkey sausage. I've been craving that and haven't had it in three loooooong months.

Actually, now that I think about it, today is three months exactly from the day we made you. I can hear a teenaged version of yourself saying, "Gross, mom. TMI." Oh well. Nothing you can do about it now.

Love,
Momma

25 Days of Advent: It Came Upon a Midnight Clear

Okay, I'm going to cheat juuuuust a touch here. I actually blogged a little bit about this song two Christmases ago, so I'm mostly going to copy and paste parts of that entry. Starting... now.

I was never a big fan of "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" anyway - the melody is kind of awkward and gets really high, and it just didn't pack the emotional punch of some of my favorites. But yesterday (that is, yesterday two years ago) I was listening to Sara Groves' new Christmas album and her version of the song totally captured my attention. By the end I was crying, overcome by the lovely old words and the sweet hope they proclaimed.

It Came Upon a Midnight Clear

It came upon a midnight clear

That glorious song of old

From angels bending near the earth

To touch their harps of gold;

“Peace on the earth, good will to men,

From Heaven’s all gracious King.”

The world in solemn stillness lay,

To hear the angels sing.

And ye beneath life’s crushing load,

Whose forms are bending low,

Who toil along the climbing way

With painful steps and slow,

Look now! for glad and golden hours

Come swiftly on the wing.

O rest beside the weary road,

And hear the angels sing!

Still through broken skies they come

With peaceful wings unfurled,

And still their heavenly music floats

O’er all the weary world.

Above its sad and lowly plains,

They bend on hovering wing,

And ever over its Babel sounds

The blessèd angels sing.

What a beautiful message! So many centuries ago, the angels spilled forth from heaven to proclaim the good news - not just that Jesus was born, but that God desired to reconcile with His children. They sing it still, o'er all the weary world, above our noise and fear and sadness, if only we will listen. We have such a great hope. I love the exclamation in the second verse. Look now! For glad and golden hours come swiftly on the wing! Our salvation comes, riding on the dawn. He bears the name Immanuel, to be God-with-us.

25 Days of Advent: Love Came Down at Christmas

New background for the blog! I tried to find a good wintery one but I just really liked this star when I saw it, all glowing and warm.

Today's song is "Love Came Down at Christmas." To spice things up a bit, here is a great version done by Jars of Clay. The music video is slightly odd, such as I'm pretty sure Mary rode more of a donkey animal than a unicorn animal. But the basics are there.



Here are the words from the hymn:

Love Came Down at Christmas

Love came down at Christmas
Love all lovely, Love divine
Love was born at Christmas
Star and angel gave the sign

Love shall be our token
Love be yours and love be mine
Love to God and all men
Love for plea and gift and sign

I like this, sweet and simple as it is. It's about love. And God isn't just about love. He is love. I don't really have anything better to say than the apostle John already did in 1 John 4:

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. BUt perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, his is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.

So Christmas brings the promise of God's love for us: Love all lovely, love divine. And Christmas brings the commandment that we would make God's love complete on earth by loving one another: Love shall be our token. Love God. Love one another. Love started at the first Christmas.

25 Days of Advent: God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen

It is kind of an odd carol, but I like God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen alot. I'll admit it is mostly because I love the haunting melody and chanting rhythm. I like the words, too, but as I was doing a little (light, internet) research for this blog I found out a few interesting things. I only knew three verses, but did you know there are actually NINE? It's a long story song, with verses about all the major "manger scene" players. Here are the two most well-known verses:


God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen

God rest ye merry, gentlemen!
Let nothing ye dismay.
Remember Christ our Savior
Was born on Christmas day,
To save us all from Satan's power
When we were gone astray.

O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy

Now to the Lord sing praises
All you within this place!
And with true love and brotherhood
Each other now embrace;
This holy tide of Christmas
All others doth deface.

O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy


The punctuation in that first line always threw me off. Shouldn't it be, "God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen?" That's what I grew up thinking it meant. God give you rest, you happy people! Nope! The lyrics, which originated in the 1700s, actually mean "God make and keep you happy, gentlemen." It's kind of a neat difference, right?

Here are two other cool differences. First, one source suggests the word "deface" has an archaic meaning that would make more sense to us as "efface." In other words, the meaning of the last line is not "everyone else out there doesn't respect Christmas" but rather "the holiness of Christmas outshines everything else." Secondly, in many of the original copies of the lyrics, the words into the chorus were "which brings tidings of comfort and joy" or "this brings tidings of comfort and joy." I like that.

If you want to read more of the nine verses and totally fascinating history of the song, which for most of the 1800s was THE most popular Christmas carol, you can check it out here. But interesting as it is, I don't want to get derailed with a history lesson.

Let nothing ye dismay. Stop your fear. Stop your worrying. Don't let anything make you forget or overlook the huge - epic, even - truth that Christ was born to save us when we were gone astray. Not after we got better on our own. Not after we proved we were good enough or brave enough or obedient enough. We would never be able to.

Be humbled. But don't be dismayed! Romans 5:8 says, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

While we were still gone astray, that's when Christ came for us: to make known the love of God. That's why he came at Christmas. That's why he died for us. That's good news.

25 Days of Advent: Come Thou Long Expected Jesus

Two posts in one day! I feel like I should get a cookie.

Every year I want to do an Advent-related series of posts, and every year I end up not doing them daily like I intend. But no time like the present, so here goes 2010's attempt!

I love Christmas carols. And I really love every year that I get older, how much more the words mean to me. I thought it would be great to use a Christmas carol as the inspiration for each day's Advent post, from now through Christmas day. Without further ado:

Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus

Come, Thou long expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free
From our fears and sins release us
Let us find our rest in Thee

Israel's strength and consolation
Hope of all the earth Thou art
Dear desire of every nation
Joy of every longing heart

Born Thy people to deliver
Born a child and yet a King
Born to reign in us forever
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring

By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone
By Thine all-sufficient merit
Raise us to Thy glorious throne

Israel waited, longing for their deliverer, for the promised one, for their messiah. They were singing this song with their mouth all while stopping up the ears of their heart with sin and disobedience and pride. When Jesus came, he was so unlike what they had in mind, they missed him completely.

We musn't miss our Messiah because he's not what we had in mind. Is our Jesus a safe Jesus? One who doesn't ask of us hard things, one who shares our political and social views, a kindly shepherd no more controversial than a cooing baby wrapped in his mother's arms?

The real Jesus isn't tamed by our shallow expectations. We find him in the Bible, as he really is: our Messiah, the Saving One, God Incarnate. Jesus, who tells us to give up our lives. To take up a cross. To give of ourselves and hold nothing back. To love the unlovely and show compassion to the orphan and the widow. To love God forsaking everything else. To cease worry. To repent. To recognize him as the only way to God. To flee from sin. To serve in humility. None of this is to earn salvation - that's impossible - but because of it. He would see us lay down our pride and fling ourselves helpless and empty-handed into his open arms.

If we sing, "Come, thou long expected Jesus," then we must expect and recognize the real Jesus. He is the one who, by his all-sufficient merit, is able to release us from fear and from sin. He's utterly unlike our tepid imaginings. This is the Jesus who we ask to come and rule in our hearts. This is the Jesus who came at Christmas.

Thump Thump Thump!

Or more accurately, "wah wah wah wah!" That, my Sweet Baby James, is the sound of your little heart just beating away! And I know this because we heard it for the first time yesterday!

I wish we had thought to record it with one of our phones, but we were just kind of in awe and didn't think to do anything but listen. The midwife got out the little Doppler machine, and started to place it on my tummy. "Sometimes it can take a minute to find at first," she said, and as the words were coming out of her mouth, there came your little heartbeat filling up the whole room! "Or not," she added. We just listened for a minute, and she counted and said it was about 150 beats per minute. Dad said you needed to calm down but I told him not to worry, that fetal heartbeats are much faster than ours.

I could have laid there and listened to that sweet sound all day. Now I'm just saving it up in my heart until I can hear it again! We go back for the big ultrasound (including gender reveal) in about 5 weeks. By then I'll be halfway done carrying you around. The time is flying!

Love,
Momma