Deconstructed Christmas Carols-Part III

By C. Sampson
The fun continues with our take on O Little Town of Bethlehem. One more still to come-stay tuned!

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.

Bethlehem, just a small town where nothing exciting ever happens. Looking at you, no one would anticipate the miracle you would be involved in. As your residents slept, the Light of the world entered into the darkness and made visible the invisible God. This event brought fulfillment to those who had faithfully waited for the Savior and give them courage that they were not alone.

For Christ is born of Mary, and gathered all above,
While mortals 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!

Jesus was born that night. And, though men may have been sleeping, the angels were well aware of what had occurred. The heavens erupted with praises to God, acknowledging the miracle that had been witnessed. There was a joyous time of celebration and excitement now that peace has been made available to man.

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.

The gift of God’s own Son came without earthly fanfare. God chose to use humble people of low status rather than the grandeur of royalty or the accessibility of modern times to send the Savior. Though difficult to comprehend, especially while stuck in the depth of our rebellion to God, those who are willing to humble themselves before God, accept the reality of His coming and submit to His authority will be welcomed in to His family.

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 Emmanuel!

A prayer: Jesus, we believe in You. We ask that you reach out to us and enter our lives. Take away our sin and be Lord of all we are. We have heard the story, the gospel, of Your good news. You came to save us from ourselves and reconcile us to God the Father. We receive that gift of redemption and desire you to be our God and be here with us that we would know true peace.

Deconstructed Christmas Carols-Part II

By C. Sampson
As promised, here is the second song of our Christmas carol rewrite series. I hope that these give you a new appreciation for the author’s heart and a better picture of the Christmas story. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear:

It came upon the midnight clear,
That glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth,
To touch their harps of gold;
“Peace on the earth, good will to men,
From Heaven’s all gracious King.”
The world in solemn stillness lay,
To hear the angels sing.

Late one night, a night no different than any other, angels came to earth proclaiming that God had sent a way for men to have true peace and relationship with Him. The message, so glorious and profound, left the audience in silent stillness as they longed to hear every word.

Yet with the woes of sin and strife
The world has suffered long;
Beneath the angel strain have rolled
Two thousand years of wrong;
And man, at war with man, hears not
The love-song which they bring;
O hush the noise, ye men of strife
And hear the angels sing.

For centuries God’s creation has been crushed under the weight of its own sin. Man has struggled and fought against the God who made him and against himself. Even as the angels bring their good news, many are distracted by the chaos of the world and do not hear. Stop! Be quiet! Listen to the words God’s messengers have brought.

And ye, beneath life’s crushing load,
Whose forms are bending low,
Who toil along the climbing way
With painful steps and slow,
Look now! for glad and golden hours
Come swiftly on the wing. O rest beside the weary road,
And hear the angels sing!

If you are one of those who feels that life is unbearable, breaking you down and inflicting pain every minute you remain on this earth, if you feel lost in the chaos, it doesn’t need to be this way. Look! Listen! The messengers of God have come to let you know that rest and peace are available. God’s mercy comes quickly, just stop and hear His words to you.

For lo! the days are hastening on,
By prophet-bards foretold,
When with the ever circling years
Comes round the age of gold;
When peace shall over all the earth
Its ancient splendors fling,
And the whole world send back the song
Which now the angels sing.

This message is not for tomorrow, it is for today. The days are passing quickly and the day when God will return is drawing ever closer. As has been prophesied, God will bring ultimate peace when He takes back His creation from the grips of sin. Will you be ready when He ushers in the next age? A time when all will proclaim the glory of God and those who believe will fully see true peace and the magnificence of God.

The Angels Never Said “Hark!”

By C. Sampson
Being that it’s December, when getting the music ready for this past Sunday’s worship service I was compelled to start adding in Christmas carols. As I looked through my many choices, I realized that though I knew the songs well I had never really looked deeply at what message they are conveying.  I read through the words and saw that the antiquated verbiage and poetic and musical devices employed in the songs distracted or disguised the true meanings of the carols. So, I have taken some artistic license to rewrite a select few in a prose style. I think that looking at these classic songs in this way gives a clearer picture of the Christmas story.  Here is the first one-Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.

Attention! Look! Listen! God’s messengers are worshiping, saying “Glory to the newborn  King.” He’s here to reconcile all mankind to God the Father. For this reason, all nations stand and sing with the messengers and proclaim that God has come, He is born in Bethlehem. Attention! God’s messengers sing “Glory to the newborn King.”

Jesus, Lord of all and worshiped in heaven. Though it felt like He would never come, He did, being born among men. The fullness of God in man. Praise Him, God who came to earth. He faithfully came to live among us and we proclaim Him as God with us. Attention! God’s messengers sing “Glory to the newborn King.”

Praise the Prince of Peace, the bringer of righteousness. He came bringing life and light in the darkness of sin. He has the power to heal all brokenness. Humbly He set aside His rightful glory and sacrificed Himself so that we can have eternal life with Him. He was born for a purpose-to die and rise again, so that we may rise with Him out of death. He came so that we may be born again. Attention! The messengers of God sing “Glory to the newborn King.”