In 1865, the year the Civil War in America ended and President Lincoln was assassinated, themes of peace and quiet would probably have been welcome to Americans. In that year, the Rev. Phillips Brooks took a trip to Israel and saw Bethlehem and it’s surrounding fields on Christmas Eve, which eventually inspired him to write this Christmas hymn. In contrast to some other Christmas hymns that emphasise the glory of God as seen in the grand chorus of angels, Brooks focuses on the quietness of Christ’s birth, and how little the larger world paid attention. The final stanza is a prayer that Christ would come and be present with us¹.

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 tonight.

For Christ is born of Mary,
and, gathered all above
while mortals sleep, the angels keep
their watch of wond’ring love.
O morning stars, together
proclaim the holy birth,
and praises sing to God the King
and peace to all the earth.

How silently, how silently,
the wondrous gift is giv’n!
So God imparts to human hearts
the blessings of his heav’n.
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 today.
We hear the Christmas angels
the great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us,
our Lord Immanuel!

¹hymnary.org/text/o_little_town_of_bethlehem

This modern Christmas song by Matt Boswell and Matt Papa has become one of my favourites since my church sung it for our Christmas celebration service. It tells of the lowliness and humility of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who is worthy of all our adoration and praise as the King above all kings.

Come adore the humble King
Lowly in the manger
Fall before His majesty
Hail the little Savior
Hope what hope no tongue could tell
God has come with us to dwell
His name is Emmanuel
O praise the humble King

Come adore in humble state
He the song of angels
Join the wise who call His name
And with all creation
Who oh who would condescend
God unknown now calls us friend
Love that none could comprehend
O praise the humble King

Come adore the King who came
To our world to save us
Born to heal our prideful race
Crown us with forgiveness
Fall oh fall before the one
Who in mercy left His throne
Christ the Lord God’s only Son
His glories now we sing
O praise the humble King

Come adore come adore
Come adore the King
Bow before come adore the
Name above all names

‘O Holy Night’ had its origins in the mid-1800s in France. But the song stirred a lot of controversy in the church, to the point where it was banned. When asked to pen a poem for his parish’s Mass that Christmas, composer Placide Cappeau thought about the birth of Jesus, as cataloged in the Gospel of Luke, as he wrote the lyrics. He enlisted the help of his Jewish friend Adolphe Charles Adams to aid in the composition of the music. The song was initially titled, “Cantique de Noel.” Although the church in France initially accepted the carol, Cappeau was later swayed by socialist propaganda and walked away from his faith. The church in France condemned the work due to this. Nevertheless, the lyrics and music made its ways to America through abolitionist John Sullivan Dwight. Thanks to Dwight and the covert efforts of the lyrics being sung during Christmas in Europe, the song’s notoriety spread worldwide, rumoured to have been even sung on Christmas Eve during the Franco-Prussian War¹. Here is a beautiful choral version I think you’ll enjoy 🙂

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

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here came the Wise Men from Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger,
In all our trials born to be our Friend.
He knows our need— to 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 shall He break, for the slave is our brother,
And in His name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we;
Let all within us praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! O praise His name forever!
His pow’r and glory evermore proclaim!
His pow’r and glory evermore proclaim!

_¹christianity.com/wiki/holidays/what-is-the-meaning-and-story-behind-o-holy-night.html

Sometime in the early part of the 18th century an unknown French hymnist penned the words and music for “O Come, All Ye Faithful.” The hymn first appeared in a collection by John Francis Wade, priest of a private chapel, in 1751. At that time it was in Latin. Since that time over 40 different English translations have been made¹.

O come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant
O come ye, o come ye to Bethlehem
Come and behold Him born the King of Angels

Refrain
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
Christ the Lord

God of God, light of light eternal
Lo, he abhors not the virgin’s womb
Son of the Father, begotten not created

Sing choirs of angels, sing in exultation
Sing all ye citizens of heaven above
Glory to God, glory in the Highest

Yea, Lord we greet Thee, born for our salvation
Jesus to Thee be all glory given
Word of the Father now in flesh appearing

¹https://plymouthbrethren.org/article/10268

Although this is a favourite Christmas carol, surprisingly, this hymn was not written for Christmas. Rather, Isaac Watts wrote the hymn as a paraphrase of the last five verses in Psalm 98 for his 1719 publication, The Psalms of David Imitated. In this hymnal, Watts rewrites many of the psalms using a Christological lens. His versification of Psalm 98 is no different. Verse nine of the psalm reads, “…let them sing before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity.” Watts unapologetically interprets this as a reference to Christ. The theme of “Christ coming” made it an apt hymn to be sung at Christmastime, and it has since become one of the most beloved Christmas carols¹. I haven’t included a video below as there are so many! Perhaps post your favourite 🙂 Have a blessed Christmas and Lord’s Day!

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
let ev’ry heart prepare him room
and heav’n and nature sing,
and heav’n and nature sing,
and heav’n, and heav’n and nature sing.

Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ,
while fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains,
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow
nor thorns infest the ground;
he comes to make his blessings flow
far as the curse is found,
far as the curse is found,
far as, far as the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace
and makes the nations prove
the glories of his righteousness
and wonders of his love,
and wonders of his love,
and wonders, wonders of his love.

¹https://hymnary.org/text/joy_to_the_world_the_lord_is_come

As we reach the eve of celebrating Christ’s birth, I was going to share the classic Christmas song Silent Night, however have decided to post Sovereign Grace’s new remake: Silent Night, Lonely Night. The traditional version tells of the night when Jesus was born (which my pastor, always jokingly adds, was probably far from silent!). This version, however, alludes to those saints who believed God that the Messiah would come, and yet not seeing what they believed. It also connects with those who have wondered if God is listening and will answer their prayers through trials and suffering. It’s a lovely rendition, and not a traditional Christmas song in the sense of speaking explicitly throughout of Christ’s birth, but is in the spirit of Advent – waiting for God to do what He has promised.

Silent night, lonely night
All but calm, all but bright
Darkened clouds have hidden God’s face
Deepening doubts have veiled His grace
Have You heard our cries?
Have You heard our cries?

Silent night, lonely night
Wearied by many trials
Clinging to the promise foretold
Peace and comfort for our souls
Lord, we long for You
Lord, we long for You

Refrain
Jesus, You entered our night
Bore our sorrows, laid down Your life
Conquered the darkness and rose up in light
All of our hope is in You

Silent night, lonely night
Yet there’s peace, at Your side
Covered by redeeming blood
Sheltered in Your arms of love
Christ, the Savior is born
Christ, the Savior is born

Silent night, holy night
All is calm and bright

Keith and Stuart Townend originally wrote “Joy Has Dawned” for a collection of hymns on the Apostle’s Creed. Like many carols, Stuart’s lyrics explain the Gospel story as the song develops. When they sing this song in church services they combine it with one of their favourite carols, “Angels We Have Heard on High.”¹ Enjoy 🙂

Joy has dawned upon the world,
Promised from creation—
God’s salvation now unfurled,
Hope for ev’ry nation.
Not with fanfares from above,
Not with scenes of glory,
But a humble gift of love—
Jesus born of Mary.

Sounds of wonder fill the sky
With the songs of angels
As the mighty Prince of Life
Shelters in a stable.
Hands that set each star in place,
Shaped the earth in darkness,
Cling now to a mother’s breast,
Vuln’rable and helpless.

Shepherds bow before the Lamb,
Gazing at the glory;
Gifts of men from distant lands
Prophesy the story.
Gold—a King is born today,
Incense—God is with us,
Myrrh—His death will make a way,
And by His blood He’ll win us.

Son of Adam, Son of heaven,
Given as a ransom;
Reconciling God and man,
Christ, our mighty champion!
What a Savior! What a Friend!
What a glorious myst’ry!
Once a babe in Bethlehem,
Now the Lord of hist’ry.

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

¹https://store.gettymusic.com/uk/song/joy-has-dawnedangels-we-have-heard-on-high/

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was one of America’s greatest poets. Longfellow was born on February 27, 1807 and experienced quite a bit of tragedy. His first wife, Mary Potter, died suddenly while Longfellow was overseas. After a long and difficult courtship, he married Frances Appleton in 1843 and the couple had six children. In 1861, while sealing envelopes with hot wax, a flame caught Frances’ clothes on fire and she was burned beyond recovery; Longfellow fell into a deep depression after this event and threw himself into his work. On December 1, 1863, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow received a telegram that his eldest son Charley had been severely wounded four days earlier in the Civil War. Longfellow found himself staring down another Christmas season as a widower, with five children dependent on him and now one child on the brink of death. Outside, he heard the Christmas bells ringing, and in the midst of his pain and hope he penned this poem¹. Here is a modern rendition 🙂

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
and wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

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

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

Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born
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.”

¹biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/finding-praise-through-pain-in-i-heard-the-bells-on-christmas-day.html

The carol was composed by American clergyman and hymnodist, John Henry Hopkins Jr. and appeared in his Carols, Hymns and Songs collection in 1872. Its original use was for an elaborate Nativity drama Hopkins was staging. It’s intended as an Epiphany carol, meaning it’s technically meant to be sung towards the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas (Epiphany is 6 January in 2023). The carol tells the story of Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection – and the melody alternates between regal, minor-sounding Aeolian mode verses, in which the Three Wise Men announce what gifts they’re presenting to the son of God, and a major chorus joyfully proclaiming the beauty of the star guiding their way to the manger¹.

We three kings of Orient are;
bearing gifts we traverse afar,
field and fountain, moor and mountain,
following yonder star.

Refrain:
O star of wonder, star of light,
star with royal beauty bright,
westward leading, still proceeding,
guide us to thy perfect light.

Born a King on Bethlehem’s plain,
gold I bring to crown him again,
King forever, ceasing never,
over us all to reign.

Refrain

3 Frankincense to offer have I;
incense owns a Deity nigh;
prayer and praising, voices raising,
worshiping God on high.

Refrain

Myrrh is mine; its bitter perfume
breathes a life of gathering gloom;
sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying,
sealed in the stone-cold tomb.

Refrain

Glorious now behold him arise;
King and God and sacrifice:
Alleluia, Alleluia,
sounds through the earth and skies.

Refrain

¹classicfm.com/discover-music/occasions/christmas/we-three-kings-lyrics-composer-origins/

“The First Noel” has its roots in the fifteenth century in its oral form, and it appeared on eighteenth-century broadsides in Helston, near Cornwall (Keyte and Parrott, 1992, 482). It was published first in the revised edition of Some Ancient Christmas Carols (1823), edited by Davies Gilbert. Its publication in the famous Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern (1833), compiled by William Sandys in London (Sandys, 1833, 74–75) increased the carol’s prominence. Originally in nine stanzas, five are commonly used in most hymnals today. Though the angels’ appearance to the shepherds (Luke 2:1–20) is the subject of the first stanza, most of the carol focuses on the journey of the magi (Matthew 2:1–12), giving the carol an Epiphany focus¹.

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.

Refrain
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.

Refrain

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.

Refrain

Then entered in those Wise men three
Full reverently upon their knee
And offered there in His presence
Their gold and myrrh and frankincense.

Refrain

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.

Refrain

¹umcdiscipleship.org/articles/history-of-hymns-the-first-noel