Liturgy Lessons: December 29, 2019 (Christmastide day 5)
Prelude
Welcome/Announcements
Call to Worship: Isaiah 52:7-10, Ps. 98:1-3
Prayer of Invocation
Hymn of Invocation: O Come, All Ye Faithful (#208)
Confession: Come, Lord Jesus and O Little town of Bethlehem (vs. 4)
Word of Assurance: from Luke 1, Song of Zechariah
Hymn of Praise: All My Heart Today Rejoices
Congregational Prayers
Reading of the Word: Luke 2:1-20
Advent Doxology: The First Noel (last verse)
Sermon: Rev. Shiv Muthukumar
Tithes/Offerings
Supper: Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence; See Amid the Winter’s Snow
Closing Hymn: Hark! A Thrilling Voice is Sounding
Benediction
Sung response: Gloria in Excelsis Deo!
Postlude
O Come, All Ye Faithful
Text: John Francis Wade (ca. 1740)
Tune: ADESTE FIDELES, John Francis Wade
“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.'”
Luke 2:15
“O Come, All Ye Faithful” is one of the most celebrated Christmas hymns of all time. It is essentially a musical Christmas card, inviting us to the party at the manger! Not once, not twice, but three times in the opening verse alone, we are invited to “come ye, o come ye to Bethlehem.” And, how shall we come? “Joyful and triumphant,” for the Christ child is the answer to our desperate plea. We celebrate and adore him who is the “Word of the father, now in flesh appearing.” As the verses continue, it’s as if the hymn itself sprouts legs, runs ahead of us toward the Bethlehem Star, shouting “Come on, guys, you gotta’ see this!” After each verse there is a fugal refrain, where one voice sings the tuneful invitation, and the others echo, as if caught up in the fervor, joy, and unbridled anticipation. I imagine that as we sing this we become the shepherds in the Christmas story from Luke 2. Of course, we cannot literally visit Jesus in the manger. But, each Sunday as we gather at church, we can come to Bethlehem in a sense. As we are called in by God to worship, our hearts and imaginations are rekindled by Him and the re-telling of his salvation story. We come to worship during ChristmasTide (remember, it lasts 12 days) to revere the central figure in that story, the miracle of baby Jesus, “Light of light, begotten not created.” And in our worship service we come to adore the infant king, who, for us and our salvation was born in a manger, walked the earth, suffered on a cross, and was raised from the dead on Easter. So come, fellow suburban shepherds, let us adore him, who now reigns in heaven, welcomes us into his presence, and equips us for every good work as we await His imminent return. This is cause for great rejoicing. Below is a link to an infectious up-tempo version of this that captures the true spirit of this expectant and celebratory hymn. Listen to it and imagine you’re joining in the refrain as the shepherds skip and sing their way to the Savior.
“O Come, All Ye Faithful” is a translation of a Latin hymn “Adeste Fidelis.” There is debate about the origins, but the hymn most likely was written by John Francis Wade in the middle of the eighteenth century. The most popular English translation, which is quite faithful to the original Latin, was written by Frederick Oakeley in 1852.
– Sheet music
– Recommended recording
All My Heart This Night (Today) Rejoices
Text: Paul Gerhardt, 1633; Tr. Catherine Winkworth, 1858, altered
Tune (and added refrain): Ross Hauck, 2016
In the middle of the 17th century, while Bach was churning out masterpieces in Leipzig, there was a Lutheran pastor outside Wittenberg (where Martin Luther had taught a century earlier) who was writing deeply devout hymns for his congregation. Paul Gerhardt, the “sweet singer of Lutheranism,” wrote metered poetry that was explicitly intended to be set to music and sung in church. Gerhardt wanted his hymns to be profoundly true but simple enough that the children could learn them at home. History remembers him mostly for “O Sacred Head Now Wounded,” “Jesus the Very Thought of Thee,” and “All My Heart This Night Rejoices,” which may be the most theologically rich Christmas hymn ever penned. Its simplicity and clarity make it one of Gerhardt’s most celebrated and enduring poems.
“All My Heart This Night Rejoices” first appeared in a collection of hymns published in Leipzig by Johann Crüger in 1653, with the tune that Crüger specifically prepared for it. The devotional and meditative hymn is a sermon unto itself, one that expounds upon the full meaning of Christmas. It trades the romantic for the realistic, and anchors the singer in the solid hope and joy that comes in and through Christ Jesus.
There were originally 15 verses (only 6 of which we will sing on Sunday), and taken in as a whole, they form a powerful assertion of the Gospel. Below is the original text in English translation.
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Should He who Himself imparted aught withhold from the fold, leave us broken-hearted?
Should the Son of God not love us, who, to cheer sufferers here, left His throne above us?
5. If our blessed Lord and Maker hated men, would He then be of flesh partaker?
If He in our woe delighted, would He bear all the care of our race benighted?
6. 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.
7. 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 feed; all you need I will surely give you.”
8. 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.
9. Ye whose anguish knew no measure, weep no more, see the door to celestial pleasure.
Cling to Him, for He will guide you where no cross, pain, or loss can again betide you.
10. Hither come, ye heavy-hearted, who for sin, deep within, long and sore have smarted.
For the poisoned wound you’re feeling help is near, One is here Mighty for their healing.
11. Hither come, ye poor and wretched. Know His will is to fill every hand outstretched.
Here are riches without measure. Here forget all regret, fill your hearts with treasure.
12. Let me in my arms receive Thee; On Thy breast Let me rest, Savior, ne’er to leave Thee.
Since Thou hast Thyself presented now to me, I shall be evermore contented.
13. Guilt no longer can distress me; Son of God, Thou my load bearest to release me.
Stain in me Thou findest never; I am clean, all my sin is removed forever.
14. I am pure, in Thee believing, From Thy store evermore, righteous robes receiving.
In my heart I will enfold Thee, treasure rare, let me there, loving, ever hold Thee.
15. Dearest Lord, Thee will I cherish. Though my breath fail in death, Yet I shall not perish,
But with Thee abide forever there on high, in that joy which can vanish never.
On Sunday we will be singing a musical setting of this that I wrote for church in 2016. The text is updated to modern English (taking out the King James), and it includes an added refrain that bursts into…
“Alleluia! Alleluia! Raise the glad triumphant song!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Now has our salvation come!”
This refrain gives us a chance to respond wholeheartedly to the beautiful and compelling truth laid out in the verses of the hymn. Sorry, no recording exists yet. Guess you’ll have to come on Sunday to hear it!
Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence
Text: Liturgy of St. James (5th cent.), paraphrased by Gerard Moultrie (1864)
Tune: French Carol (17th cent.)
Scripture References:
st. 1 = Hab. 2:20,Zech. 2:13
st. 2 = Rev. 19:16, Luke 22:19-20
st. 3 = Matt. 16:27
st.4 = Isa. 6:2-3
There is a meme floating around the internet that has a picture of a mock Christmas Eve bulletin. It lists the prelude and opening prayer. Then the first musical number is “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence, at which point there is a blank gap in the middle of the page, presumably for extended silence. Then, at the very bottom of the page are the words “end of service; go in peace.”
It is indeed ironic and a bit humorous that a call to silence would begin a hymn text. Of course, the holy hush that this hymn intends to beckon is not to be taken literally. It is invoking a stance of awe and wonder at the incarnation, something akin to Job’s response after the Lord of Creation showed up and spoke.
“Behold, I am of small account;
What shall I answer you?
I lay my hand on my mouth.”
(Job 40:4)
Taken on musical merit alone, this is a spectacular and superior hymn. It is probably on many musicians’ list of favorite Christmas carols. I know it is on mine. Hauntingly beautiful and powerfully evocative, the melody entitled PICARDY is a French carol dating from the 17th century. The minor tonality of this tune expresses a mystical sense of awe and transcendence. There is also a sense of mystery around the text. Scholars cannot agree on the actual date or source material, but most agree that “Let All Mortal Flesh” may date back to at least the 5th century. Hymnary.org offers this description:
“The present text is from the Liturgy of St. James, a Syrian rite in the Greek Orthodox church. It is based on a prayer chanted by the priest when the bread and wine are brought to the table of the Lord. The text expresses awe at Christ’s coming (st. 1) and the mystery of our perception of Christ in the body and blood (st. 2). With images from Isaiah 6 and Revelation 5, it portrays the glory of Christ (sung to by angels) and his victory over sin (st. 3-4). Although it has eucharistic emphasis, the text pictures the nativity of Christ in a majestic manner and in a much larger context than just his birth in Bethlehem. We are drawn into the awe and mystery with our own ‘alleluias.'”
In the Lord’s supper we celebrate the true mystical nature of the incarnation. The word made flesh, Emmanuel, God with us. While we sing this hymn, I invite you to imagine yourself kneeling in the manger in reverent silence to worship the King, born a child to banish the darkness away. May those “alleluias” continue to ring on in our hearts.
– Sheet music
– Suggested recording
See Amid the Winter’s Snow
Text: Edward Caswall, 1858
Tune: HUMILITY, John Goss, 1871
“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
– Luke: 2:8-11
“See Amid the Winter’s Snow,” originally titled “Hymn for Christmas Day,” is based on Luke: 2:8-11. It was originally written as a poem by Edward Caswall (1814 to 1878) who also wrote “When Morning Gilds the Skies” and the most popular English translation of “Veni Creator Spiritus” (“Come, Holy Ghost”). Caswall was an Anglican clergyman and hymn writer who converted to Catholicism. He wrote this piece as a poem in 1858, including it in his The Masque of Mary and Other Poems, published that same year.
The poem was set to the tune “Humility” composed specifically for this piece by Sir John Goss in 1871 and was published nationwide in the hymn book Christmas Carols Old and New. Sir John Goss, who lived from 1800 to 1890, was an English organist, composer, and teacher. He began as a boy chorister at the Chapel Royal in London, became organist at St. Luke’s Church, Chelsea and eventually organist at St. Paul’s Cathedral, London. Sir John also wrote the well-known hymn, “Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven.”
The music was designed as a dialogue between storyteller and the shepherds. A solo (or unison) voice would sing the verses and then all would respond by singing the refrain. You can clearly see that pattern in many older hymnals (i.e. this 1918 2-page version here and here).
Because one of my perpetual weaknesses is to try to please everyone, I am including two very different versions of this hymn. One is for the high-brow three-Kings type, and the other for the common folk who feel more at home with the shepherd mob. Whether your gift for the Christ child is fruitcake or frankincense, come and heartily join your voice in these fabulous refrains.
“Hail, thou ever-blessed morn! Hail, redemption’s happy dawn!
Sing through all Jerusalem, Christ is born in Bethlehem!”