Thou Who Wast Rich Beyond all Splendour

And here is my favorite. The lyrics by Frank Houghton, the tune I don't know how to share with you–
these delight my soul.
The mystery of the incarnation,
the absolute necessity for God to become a humble and despised man,
the wondrous love involved in this fathomless sacrifice–
these 'demand my life, my soul, my all'.

Is it ethical to bribe one's pastor to sing this on Christmas Day?

1. Thou who wast rich beyond all splendour,
All for love's sake becamest poor;
Thrones for a manger didst surrender,
Sapphire-paved courts for stable floor.
Thou who wast rich beyond all splendour,
All for love's sake becamest poor.

2. Thou who art God beyond all praising,
All for love's sake becamest man;
Stooping so low, but sinners raising
Heavenwards by thine eternal plan.
Thou who art God beyond all praising,
All for love's sake becamest man.

3. Thou who art love beyond all telling,
Saviour and King, we worship thee.
Emmanuel, within us dwelling,
Make us what thou wouldst have us be.
Thou who art love beyond all telling,
Saviour and King, we worship thee.

****************************

Merry Christmas, beloved friends!

All My Heart This Night Rejoices.

I was going to call this ‘another oldie but goodie’ but that is such a trite description of Paul Gerhardt’s sweet song of rejoicing and victory. He wrote it in 1653 and Catherine Winkworth, bless her little linguist heart, translated it in 1858. If you can find the tune by Johann Ebeling in 1666 please listen. It will fill you with joy.

All my heart this night rejoices

As I hear

Far and near

Sweetest angel voices.

"Christ is born," their choirs are singing

Till the air

Everywhere

Now with joy is ringing.

Forth today the Conqueror goeth,

Who the foe,

Sin and woe,

Death and hell, o'erthroweth.

God is man, man to deliver;

His dear Son

Now is one

With our blood forever.

Shall we still dread God's displeasure,

Who, to save,

Freely gave

His most cherished treasure?

To redeem us, he hath given

His own Son

From the throne

Of his might in heaven.

He becomes the Lamb that taketh

Sin away

And for aye

Full atonement maketh.

For our life his own he tenders;

And our race,

By his grace,

Meet for glory renders.

Hark! a voice from yonder manger,

Soft and sweet,

Doth entreat:

"Flee from woe and danger,

Brethren, from all ills that grieve you

You are freed;

All you need

I will surely give you."

Come, then, banish all your sadness,

One and all,

Great and small;

Come with songs of gladness.

Love him who with love is glowing;

Hail the star,

Near and far

Light and joy bestowing.

Dearest Lord, thee will I cherish.

Though my breath

Fail in death,

Yet I shall not perish,

But with thee abide for ever

There on high,

In that joy

Which can vanish never.

Lo, How a Rose e're Blooming

600 years ago some unknown lover of truth in Germany
expressed the wonder that a promised deliverer
of God's people would actually be God Himself become man.
A little over a century and a half ago Theodore Baker
blessed many generations of English speakers by translating
the text so we can delight in the lyrics below.

1 Lo, how a Rose e'er blooming
from tender stem hath sprung!
Of Jesse's lineage coming,
as those of old have sung.
It came, a floweret bright,
amid the cold of winter,
when half spent was the night. 

2 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 men a Savior,
when half spent was the night. 

3 The shepherds heard the story,
proclaimed by angels bright,
how Christ,the Lord of glory,
was born on earth this night.
To Bethlehem they sped
and in the manger found him,
as angel heralds said.

4 This flow'r, whose fragrance tender
with sweetness fills the air,
dispels with glorious splendor
the darkness ev'rywhere.
True man yet very God,
from sin and death he saves us,
and lightens ev'ry load.

5 O Savior, child of Mary,
who felt our human woe;
O Savior, King of glory,
who dost our weakness know,
bring us at length, we pray,
to the bright courst of heaven
and to the endless day.

All Praise to Thee, Eternal Lord

These graceful lyrics are credited to Martin Luther. I like it more than ‘Away in a Manger’ which, I just learned, was NOT written by the fine reformer.

I particularly like the line 'Choosing a manger for thy throne while worlds on worlds are thine alone'.

1 All praise to thee, Eternal Lord,

Clothed in a garb of flesh and blood;

Choosing a manger for thy throne,

While worlds on worlds are thine alone.

2 Once did the skies before thee bow;

A Virgin's arms contain thee now:

Angels who did in thee rejoice

Now listen for thine infant voice.

3 A little Child, thou art our Guest,

That weary ones in thee may rest;

Forlorn and lowly is thy birth,

That we may rise to heav'n from earth.

4 Thou comest in the darksome night

To make us children of the light,

To make us, in the realms divine,

Like thine own angels round thee shine.

5 All this for us thy love hath done;

By this to thee our love is won:

For this we tune our cheerful lays,

And shout our thanks in ceaseless praise.

See, Amid the winter's snow

This week I need to marshall all my creative juices for baking and craft projects and everything I should have done a month ago. So I'll be leaning on the creative genius of others by sharing some Christmas songs that 
get less air time than 'Do They Know it's Christmas', Have a Holly Jolly Christmas' or the ubiquitous 'Do You Hear What I Hear?'


Today, enjoy  'See, amid the winter's snow'
lyrics by by Edward Caswall. I wish I knew how to share the music, composed Sir John Goss.


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

Hail, thou ever blessed morn!
Hail, redemption's happy dawn!
Sing through all Jerusalem,
Christ is born in Bethlehem.

Lo, within a manger lies
He who built the starry skies:
He who, throned in height sublime,
Sits amid the cherubim.

Say, ye holy shepherds, say,
What your joyful news today?
Wherefore have ye left your sheep
On the lonely mountain steep?

"As we watched at dead of night,
Lo! we saw a wondrous light;
Angels singing, peace on earth,
Told us of the Saviour's birth."

Sacred Infant, all divine,
What a tender love was thine,
Thus to come from highest bliss
Down to such a world as this!

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