12-24-06 Christmas carols

When I was a boy I went caroling with our church. We sang in the cold and snow to shut-ins and those in the hospital. I have always loved singing the Christmas carols as a result of this experience. Yet, we don’t often hear the old carols sung anymore or if we do we take the words for granted. So today, I would like to tell the story of Christmas through the scriptures as well as through some Christmas carols.

¨ Matthew 1:18-25 (NIV) 18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 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.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”—which means, “God with us.” 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave Him the name Jesus.

Isaac Watts wrote Joy to the World in 1719 based on Psalm 98. It is the great story of the promise of the Messiah and the truth that He has come. Yet although the King has come, each one of us must make room for Him in our hearts. When we do, there will be no bounds to the joy we have and we will sing His praises along with all heaven and nature.

Joy to the World

Joy to the world! The Lord is come

Let Earth receive her King

Let every heart prepare him room

And heaven and nature sing

And heaven and heaven 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, repeat the sounding joy

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, wonders of His love

¨ Luke 2:1 (NIV) 1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to his own town to register. 4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and 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.

The Christmas story is so simple that even a child can understand it. The song Away In A Manger describes the Christmas story as a child would see it and expresses the commonness of the place where Jesus was born. It ends with the simple prayer of a child expressing his love to the baby Jesus asking Him to bless all the children.

Away In a Manger

Away in a manger

No crib for a bed

The little Lord Jesus

Laid down His sweet head

The stars in the sky 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

Til 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

¨ 8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.

The words to Silent Night give us a sense of peace and calm that would have been present on that dark night. The shepherds would have been used to this and unaware of the birth that had taken place just a short distance from them. But before the angels made the great announcement to the shepherds, there was peace and quiet on the hills of Bethlehem. This is the wonder of the story that there was not a lot of fanfare announcing the birth of the King of Kings, but instead the stillness of the night to foreshadow the coming of the Prince of Peace.

Silent Night, Holy Night

Silent night, holy night

All is calm, all is bright

Round yon Virgin Mother and Child

Holy Infant so tender and mild

Sleep in heavenly peace

Silent night, holy night

Darkness flies, all is light

Shepherds hear the angels sing,

Alleluia, hail the King!

Christ the Savior is born

Silent night, holy night

Son of God, love's pure light

Radiant beams from Thy holy face

With the dawn of redeeming grace

Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth,

Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth

Silent night, holy night

Wondrous Star, lend thy light

With the angels let us sing

Alleluia, to our King

Christ the Savior is born

¨ 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 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. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

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 angelic hosts 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 the virgin’s womb.

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see,

Hail the incarnate Deity!

Pleased as man with men to dwell.

Jesus our Immanuel.

Hark the herald angels sing,

“Glory to the newborn king.”

Hail the heaven-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 newborn king.”

¨ 15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

Bethlehem was a small town south of Jerusalem—hardly the place for the birth of the King of the Jews. Yet centuries before it had been the birthplace of King David and it had been prophesied that from this little village would come the Messiah.

¨ Micah 5:2 (NIV) “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.”

Bethlehem means the house of bread. It is from the little town of Bethlehem that God sent the gift of the Bread of Life for all to be nourished and strengthened.

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 tonight.

For Christ is born of Mary,

And gathered all above,

While mortal 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 the 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!

¨ 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

¨ Matt 2:1-2, 9-11 (NIV) 1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” . . . 9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with His mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.

When the shepherds heard the news from the angels, they hurried to Bethlehem to find the baby Jesus. When wise men from the east followed the star, they were led to Bethlehem. They sought out the one who was born King of the Jews. It is still true today that all men must seek the Lord in order to find Him. We are invited to come to Him and when we do, He is waiting to receive us with open arms of love. Let us come today with our praise and adore Him—King of Kings—Immanuel—God with us!

O Come All Ye Faithful

O come all ye faithful

Joyful and triumphant

O come ye oh come ye

To Bethlehem

Come and behold Him

Born the King of angels

O come let us adore Him

O come let us adore Him.

O come let us adore Him

Christ the Lord!

Sing choirs of angels

Sing in exultation

O sing all ye bright hosts

Of heaven above

Glory to God, all

Glory in the highest

O come let us adore Him

O come let us adore Him,

Christ the Lord

Yea Lord we greet Thee

Born this happy morning

Jesus, to Thee be all

Glory given

Word of the Father

Now in flesh appearing

O come let us adore Him

O come let us adore Him,

Christ the Lord