Christmas Eve The Stories Behind the Carols
P. Bruce: Welcome & introduction
Carols: Getting it Right
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Stephanie: "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" is a Christmas carol which first appeared in Hymns and Sacred Poems in 1739. having been written by Charles Wesley . A sombre man, Wesley requested slow and solemn music for his lyrics and thus it was sung to a different tune initially.
Michael: Hark! Is the exclamation prelude to a formal announcement. The Carol point to the incredible moments when lowly shepherds heard from the voice of an angel that the long awaited savior had been born.
P. Bruce: The original opening couplet was "Hark! how all the welkin rings / Glory to the King of Kings".
Welkin is an archaic, English term; it refers to the sky, the upper air, the firmament, the heavens or the Celestial sphere
Cheryl: I can top that piece of trivia. Did you know that there are at least 48 different Christmas Carols Written beginning with the word Hark
P. Bruce: Hark! Announcement is made. The only begotten one, the shining radiance of God's Glory has come to earth. As of the late 20th century, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing had become the most popular traditional Christmas carol. We welcome you to our Christmas Eve Service and invite to sing with us. . .
HARK! THE HERALD ANGELS SING
Cheryl: "Adeste Fideles" or O, Come, All Ye Faithful, is a hymn tune attributed to John Francis Wade (although the exact authorship is unknown and disputed). The text itself has unclear beginnings, and may have been written as early as the 13th century.
Stephanie: The original four verses of the hymn were extended to a total of eight, and these have been translated into many languages many times, though the English "O Come All Ye Faithful" translation by an English Roman Catholic priest is the widespread and common translation.
Michael: The Carol is an invitation to be a worshipper at Christmas--to come and worship the savior at his birth. It is often the Call to Worship in services held on Christmas morning. 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,
Sing with us. . .
OH, COME, ALL YE FAITHFUL
Cheryl: We don't know the hymn histories of all the carols but we do know some specific things about another very popular Carol. The words are by English hymn writer Isaac Watts, based on Psalm 98 in the Bible. Listen to the Psalm and see if you can guess which carol was based upon it.
Pastor: Ps 98:1 Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. 2 The Lord has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations. 3 He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Michael: 4 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; 5 make music to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing, 6 with trumpets and the blast of the ram's horn -- shout for joy before the Lord, the King.
Stephanie: 7 Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. 8 Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy; 9 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. NIV
Cheryl: Isacc Watts was inspired by Ps 98 when he wrote the words of "Joy to the World."
He wrote it as a hymn glorifying Christ's triumphant return at the end of the age, rather than a Christmas song celebrating his first coming as a babe born in a stable.
When it is sung today only the second half of Watts' lyrics are still used.
Pastor: As of the late 20th century, "Joy to the World" was the most-published Christmas hymn in North America.
JOY TO THE WORLD
Do You Hear what I Hear?
Stephanie: It's not just the traditional Christmas songs that have a bit of history behind them.
Michael: "Do You Hear What I Hear?" is a Christmas song written in October 1962 with lyrics by Noël Regney and music by Gloria Shayne Baker. The pair were married at the time, and wrote it as a plea for peace during the Cuban Missile Crisis. It has sold tens of millions of copies and has been covered by hundreds of different artists.
Stephanie: Noel was inspired to write the lyrics "Said the night wind to the little lamb, 'Do you see what I see?' " and "Pray for peace, people everywhere," after watching babies being pushed in strollers on the sidewalks of New York City. Baker stated in an interview years later that neither could personally perform the entire song at the time they wrote it because of the emotions surrounding the Cuban Missile Crisis. The world was on the brink of nuclear war.
Cheryl: Why not is written about their spirituality, it is interesting that in a time of incredible uncertainty, even those with a vibrant relationships with Christ turn to the hope of the Christmas story.
Responsive Readings
P. Bruce: Responsive Readings remain a popular element in liturgical church services. But responsive readings were not always a part of public worship. In the protestant church they were at their zenith during the 1800 and 1900's.
A Contemporary Responsive reading links us to this rich heritage and points us to the message Christmas.
HE CAME
Michael: She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.
People: Jesus Christ
Pastor: Who, being in very nature God,
People: Son of God,
Stephanie: King of kings,
People: Lord of lords,
Michael: 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.
People: He did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
Michael: but made himself nothing,
People: She gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Michael: taking the very nature of a servant,
People: But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.
Michael: being made in human likeness.
People: "This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
Michael: And being found in appearance as a man,
People: Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.
Michael: He humbled himself
People: After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
Michael: and became obedient to death--
People: Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."
Michael: even death on a cross!
People: From the manger to the tomb,
Michael: from the shepherds to the soldiers,
People: God so loved the world.
Stephanie: Jesus came.
People: Jesus loved.
Stephanie: Jesus wept.
People: Jesus touched.
Stephanie: Jesus died.
People: Jesus gave.
Stephanie: Jesus lives.
People: This Christmas
Pastor: let this same mindset be yours.
People: Let us come to Him because He came to us.
Michael: Let us love one another because He first loved us.
People: Let us weep with those who weep.
Stephanie: Let us touch the untouchables.
People: Let us die to self.
Michael: Let us give and let us live.
People: Let this mind be in us
Stephanie: Let it be in us today,
People: this holy time.
Michael: For to us a child is born,
People: To us a son is given.
_______________________
Matthew 1:21; Philippians 2:6-8; Isaiah 9:6; Luke 2:7, 10-12, 52; John 13:5; Matthew 26:39
NIV
"WHAT CHILD IS THIS"
Stephanie: Pastor you changed how we sang the carol.
Pastor: I did, sometimes some of the words those great carols become too familiar to us and they lose their sense of awe. The three choruses of the that great hymn remind us when sung consecutively that the birth we celebrate at the manage has always been tied to the sacrifice at the cross. Nails, spear shall pierce Him through, The cross be borne for me, for you. Hail, hail the Word made flesh, The Babe, the Son of Mary.
Michael: The Candles on the Advent Wreath
Advent worship is like a journey through the Christmas story. Christians use the Advent candles to celebrate this period with one lit every Sunday of Advent so that during the last week before Christmas all four candles are lit. The last central candle (which represents Christ), is lit on Christmas Eve.
What do the Advent candles stand for? Candles symbolize the light of God coming into the world through the birth of His son, Jesus.
(Light the Christ Candle) The fifth candle represents the birth of Christ. The flame of this candle reminds us that He is the light of the world and that if we follow Him, we will never walk in darkness, but will have the true light of life.
As you came into night you received a candle, a reminder of the candle that represents his birth. The light of the world. As we prepare to sing one final carol, I going to move among you and begin to pass on the light. Each of you when you receive it should in turn pass it on to another.
Silent Night (by candle light)
Cheryl: The original lyrics of the song Stille Nacht "Silent Night" were written in Austria by the priest Father Joseph Mohr and the melody was composed by the Austrian headmaster Franz Xaver Gruber.
The carol was first performed in the Church of St. Nicholas in Oberndorf, Austria on December 24, 1818. Mohr had composed the words two years earlier, in 1816, but on Christmas Eve brought them to Gruber and asked him to compose a melody and guitar accompaniment for the church service.
Stephanie: The traditional story is that the pastor wrote it on Christmas Eve when they discovered the church organ was damaged (different versions say it rusted out, or mice chewed through vital parts).
Cheryl: Charming as those stories are, they are fiction. In fact, in a letter written by Franz Gruber, son of the composer, he noted that "During the time when my father was the organist of the church of St Nikola, there was a very poor almost unusable organ there. This may well explain why the Reverend Mohr preferred to accompany tha carol on a well-tuned guitar than on an off-pitch organ."
P. Bruce: The carol has been translated into over 44 languages. It is sometimes sung without musical accompaniment but few have sung it as it was likely originally written, to be sung on guitar.
It is often the traditional carol of Christmas eve and candle lighting services. And we invite you to stand and sing with us Silent Night
SILENT NIGHT
