Christmas Joy

CHRISTMAS

Joy

Discover the Wonder of Christmas From the Songs You Love

Harrison House Tulsa, Oklahoma

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. Scripture quotations marked NAS are taken from the New American Standard Bible. Copyright © T h e Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977. Used by permission.

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Christmas Joy— Discover the Wonder of Christmas From the Songs You Love ISBN 13: 978-1-57794-824-7 ISBN 10: 1-57794-824-6 Copyright © 2006 by Harrison House Publishers Printed in the United States of America. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. Contents and/or cover may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form without the express written consent of the Publisher.

Table of Contents 1

Holiday Glow ......................................4

2

Joy to the World..................................6

3

Away in a Manger ..............................9

4

I Wonder as I Wander ....................12

5

Good King Wenceslas ....................15

6

O Holy Night ....................................19

7

Go Tell It on the Mountain ............23

8

Silent Night ........................................26

9

Prayer of Salvation............................29

R Holiday Glow 1

Don’t you just love to hear Christmas carols during the holiday season? Chestnuts roasting on an open fire and Jack Frost nipping at your nose. A reindeer with a red nose that glows, Mama kissing a jolly but rotund gentleman named Santa Claus, and the pleasant sound of bells ringing and jingling. Some are sung by famous singers and movie stars you know and love. Some are sung by barking dogs and chipmunks! And for weeks they bring holiday cheer every time you turn on the television or radio. What is it about these songs? T h e y always give you a warm feeling in your heart that no matter what the news is reporting or you are facing in your life, everything is all right. And every year you wonder why you can’t feel that way all year long. But 4

even as you are happily picturing a white Christmas, there is that nagging thought in the back of your mind that in January, like clockwork, Santa’s jolly smile will fade from memory when the credit card bills come in! It’s back to work, back to school, back to the reality of life on planet earth. If only you could keep that holiday glow throughout the year! A c t u a l l y, there are other songs of Christmas that have an entirely diff e r e n t effect. You might hear them from colorfully dressed carolers who sing outside your window during the season. Years ago people would sing them everywhere, but today they are rarely heard in a public place. You know the songs I’m talking about—the ones that tell what Christmas is really all about.

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A Joy to the World 2

Every American is taught that the Pilgrims came to America so that they could worship God freely. If you were really serious about your Christian beliefs in England in the 1600s, you were often in danger of imprisonment or execution. Take, for instance, Isaac Watts. His father was in prison for his beliefs when Isaac was born. When Isaac’s father finally was released from prison, he came home to find a son who had a great gift for writing verse. Why was this so important? There were hardly any good verse writers in the Church of England at the time, and most hymn writers followed John Calvin’s teaching that Christians should only sing Scripture verbatim. Young Isaac was like his father, however, and not afraid to rock the boat. So he 6

began writing hymns in rich verse that spoke the truth without quoting the Bible word-for-word. Today Isaac Watts is known as the father of modern hymns because he launched church composers into a time of rich lyrics that reflected biblical truths. One of his most famous hymns is “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross,” and another is a song that many sing every Christmas. The music was written by Lowell Mason, who used an older melody that many believe came from the German composer Handel. 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 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, 7

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.

This song does exactly what it says: it brings joy to our hearts. But the joy it speaks about is not found in gifts under a Christmas tree once a year. This joy penetrates our souls all year long as we remember the wonder of God’s love for each of us. He sent the King to take away our sorrow, to save us, and to rule with truth and grace. The King who gives you joy, forgives you of any sin, and rules with truth and grace. Who is this King? Jesus. 8

R Away in a Manger 3

Is there anything more peaceful, more hopeful, more heartwarming, than a baby sleeping? As a mother and father gaze lovingly at their newborn, they see their future and a million dreams-come-true wrapped in that miracle from God. Mary and Joseph probably felt the same way, but their baby was a miracle in a way no baby had ever been a miracle. The wonder of the birth of Jesus is captured by this beloved Christmas carol. Away in a manger, No crib for His bed The little Lord Jesus Laid down His sweet head; The stars in the bright sky Looked down where He lay The little Lord Jesus Asleep on the hay. 9

The cattle are lowing The poor Baby wakes But little Lord Jesus No crying He makes; I love Thee, Lord Jesus, Look down from the sky And stay by my side, ‘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 take us to heaven To live with Thee there.

“Away in a Manger” went through many changes before it became the song we sing today. It began in 1885 with just the first two verses in a German Lutheran songbook called Little Childre n ’s Book for School and F a m i l i e s . The author was unknown, but because it was a Lutheran songbook, legend would say Martin Luther wrote the lyrics. 10

The melody was written by J. E. Clark, but it was not the one we sing today. In 1887 a man by the name of John Thomas McFarland added a third verse, but it is unclear whether he wrote it himself or discovered it elsewhere. As for the music, today we have two melodies. One is based upon “Mueller,” by James Ramsey Murray, and is the most wellknown. The other is “The Cradle Song,” by William J. Kirkpatrick. One thing is for certain, “Away in a Manger” is one of the most beloved songs of the Christmas season, reminding us that Jesus was born just like we were and experienced life just like we do. Even though He is God’s Son, we can relate to Him because He was also human, just like us.

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A I Wonder as 4

I Wander This Christmas carol is not one of the most well-known, but it is one of the most hauntingly beautiful. Its roots are deep in the folklore of America, and anyone who hears it will never forget it. I wonder as I wander out under the sky, How Jesus the Savior did come for to die. For poor on’ry people like you and like I... I wonder as I wander out under the sky. When Mary birthed Jesus ‘twas in a cow’s stall, With wise men and farmers and shepherds and all. But high from God’s heaven a star’s light did fall, And the promise of ages it then did recall. If Jesus had wanted for any wee thing, A star in the sky, or a bird on the wing, 12

Or all of God’s angels in heav’n for to sing, He surely could have it, ‘cause he was the King.

You can just see the writer of this song. A wanderer, a vagabond, a hobo. And yet, he or she is not lonely or depressed. They are lost in the wonder of how Jesus was God, became a human being just like them, and died for their sins so that they could have a new life with God. They are awestruck by the fact that as God and man, as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus could have had anything He wanted. But He chose to die for them. This memorable song is attributed to a gifted singer by the name of John Jacob Niles. In the early 1900s he left New York City and a successful career to return to his native Kentucky and explore the world of folk music. His travels led him to Murphy, North Carolina, in 1933. There he encountered Annie Morgan, a young travelling evangelist. Sitting on a bench by herself, she was singing a song he had never heard before. 13

That hot summer day Niles paid Annie Morgan 25 cents an hour to sing the song over and over until he had written it down in his notebook. The tune we sing today is so close to the traditional Appalachian carol that some say he arranged it, while others say he wrote it. Niles researched the song until his death in 1980, but he still had no idea when and with whom the carol originated. A n n i e Morgan said that she had learned it from her mother, who had learned it from her mother. “I Wonder as I Wander” was first published in 1934 in Songs of the Hill-Folk, by John Jacob Niles, but its mysterious history reflects the mysterious history of our Savior. Jesus has no beginning and no end. He lived as the Son of God in eternity past, with no pain or suffering, but He chose to become a human being and lived with us for thirtythree years on earth. He died on the cross and was raised from the dead. And now He lives in heaven, seated at the right hand of the Father—always praying for us. 14

R Good King Wenceslas 5

As a child, did you ever wonder who this king was? In fact, the song is based on a duke in what we call the Czech Republic t o d a y. He was born in 903 A.D. into a family like many today—totally dysfunctional. His father, the Duke of Bohemia, was a Christian, and his mother was a staunch pagan. When his father died Wenceslas was a young teenager, and his mother seized the throne from him. She tried to stamp out Christianity in Bohemia and even had his grandmother murdered because she was continuing to teach Wenceslas to be a good Christian man. When Wenceslas turned eighteen he took the throne from his mother, and because of his kind and generous nature his reign brought great peace and prosperity. T h e 15

song we sing about him during Christmastime was written by John Mason Neale in 1853, who heard the story of Wenceslas from British soldiers who had returned from Eastern Europe. Good King Wenceslas looked out on the feast of Stephen. When the snow lay round about, deep and crisp and even. Brightly shone the moon that night, though the frost was cruel, When a poor man came in sight, gathering winter fuel. Hither page and stand by me if thou knowst it telling Yonder peasant, who is he, where and what his dwelling? Sire, he lives a good league hence, underneath the mountain, Right against the forest fence, by Saint Agnes’ fountain. Bring me flesh and bring me wine, bring me pinelogs hither Thou and I will see him dine when we bear them thither 16

Page and monarch forth they went, forth they went together Through the rude winds wild lament, and the bitter weather. Sire the night is darker now, and the wind blows stronger Fails my heart I know now how, I can go no longer. Mark my footsteps my good page, tread thou in them boldly Thou shalt find the winter’s rage freeze thy blood less coldly. In his master’s steps he trod where the snow lay dinted Heat was in the very sod which the saint had printed Therefore Christian men be sure, wealth or rank possessing, Ye who now will bless the poor, shall yourselves find blessing.

“Good King Wenceslas” overcame incredible odds to make a tremendous diff e rence in his world because Jesus made all the difference in his life. He is a great example to us that nothing is impossible when we 17

have faith in Him. Although his brother murdered him to take the throne and suppress Christianity, no one sings songs of him. On the other hand, Wenceslas was proclaimed a martyr, is known today as a hero of the faith, and we sing of him every Christmas. Wenceslas also showed us the true spirit of giving that we attempt to practice every Christmas season. When we consider the great gift of eternal life God gave us in Jesus, when we stand in awe of how Jesus gave His life so that we could be saved from our sins and reconciled to God, we are inspired to give all that we can to those less fortunate than ourselves as well as to those we love and cherish. Our love and generosity displays to others the great love and generosity of our God and His Son Jesus.

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S O Holy Night 6

In 1847 a parish priest in France asked a wine seller named Placide Cappeau de Roquemaure to write a Christmas poem. The result was the lyrics to O Holy Night, which was then set to music by the composer Adolphe Charles Adams. Later, the song was translated into English by John Sullivan Dwight. This simple Christmas carol brings such divine peace to our hearts and souls, legend has it that it has literally stopped wars. The story is told that on a bitter cold Christmas Eve in 1871, the French and Prussians (Germans) were entrenched on either side of a bloody battlefield. Night fell and all was quiet. Suddenly, a French soldier leaped from his trench and stood unarmed and unprotected 19

before his friends and his enemies. Before anyone could react, he began to sing, O, Holy night, the stars are brightly shining, It is the night of the dear Saviour’s birth. Long lay the world in sin and error pining Till He appeared and the soul felt His worth. A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices, For yonder beams a new and glorious morn. Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices! O night divine! O night when Christ was born! O night divine! O 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 the Orient land. The King of Kings lay in lowly manger. In all our trials born to be our friend. He knows our need, To our weakness no stranger. Behold your King! before the lowly bend! Behold your King! before Him bend! Truly he taught us to love one another. His law is love and His gospel is peace. 20

Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother And in His name all oppression shall cease. Sweet hymns of joy in grateful ch o rus rise we. Let all within us praise His holy name. Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we. His pow’r and glory ever more proclaim! His pow’r and glory ever more proclaim!

Silence filled the battlefield. Then a German soldier emerged from his trench and began to sing a German carol, “From Heaven Above to Earth I Come.” For twenty-four hours, no blood was shed as Christian soldiers on both sides were united by the Prince of Peace. Today we look around us and see how nations are being torn apart by war. T h e Bible tells us that one day the world will be at peace forever because the Prince of Peace, Jesus of Nazareth, will come back to establish it. However, it also says that until that day, each of us can have peace in our hearts. All we have to do is to ask Him to do 21

what the song says He will do: fill our soul with worth, teach us to love one another, break the chains of oppression off of our lives, be our King and our Lord, and fill our hearts with a song of praise. When we know the reality of God’s love and peace in our hearts, we have the strength to face the difficulties of this world until Jesus brings eternal peace to the entire earth. His love gives us a hope and strength that lasts far beyond the Christmas season.

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R Go Tell It on 7

the Mountain In the early years of American history, southern plantation owners bought Africans to use as slaves. These dark-skinned people were viewed as animals more than as humans, and most were abused and treated harshly as a result. But God valued, knew, and loved each and every one of them, and they came to know Jesus as more than just a baby in a manger. They knew Him as their Savior, Lord—and Deliverer. The slaves’ songs about Jesus were deeply devotional and full of passion because they trusted Him to help them survive each day and to one day free them from their physical bondage. These songs were passed down as one generation taught them to the next 23

because most slaves were not taught to read and write. Finally, after the Civil War black historians like John Wesley Work began to document them, and one has become a wellloved Christmas carol. Refrain: Go, tell it on the mountain, Over the hills and everywhere Go, tell it on the mountain, That Jesus Christ is born. Verses: While shepherds kept their watching Over silent flocks by night Behold throughout the heavens There shone a holy light. The shepherds feared and trembled, When lo! above the earth, Rang out the angels chorus That hailed the Savior’s birth. And lo! When they had heard it, They all bowed down to pray, Then traveled on together, To where the Baby lay. Down in a lowly manger The humble Christ was born 24

And God sent us salvation That blessed Christmas morn. I too am like a shepherd, My flock of days to guard, Each day finds time for praying, From this I won’t retard.

No group of people have understood being spiritually free on the inside while being held in bondage on the outside like the African American slaves. No matter what the slave owners did to them, they survived and grew stronger as a people because they trusted Jesus. Furthermore, their great faith in Him eventually brought forth their physical freedom. As this song says, they did not stop praying to Him, and He answered their prayers with the Emancipation Proclamation and eventually the Civil Rights Act. “Go tell it on the mountain—over the hills and everywhere—that Jesus Christ is born!” That was the cry of freedom for the African American slave and the eternal cry of freedom for all of us. 25

A Silent Night 8

Perhaps the most famous Christmas carol of all is “Silent Night.” When we are rushing around, fighting the crowds and traffic—trying to buy just the right gift for our families, friends, and coworkers—this one song gives us a few minutes of welcome peace. There is something about it that soothes our exhausted, holiday-driven soul like a hot chocolate on a cold winter 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 Sleep in heavenly peace Silent night, holy night Shepherds quake at the sight Glories stream from heaven afar Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia! 26

Christ, the Saviour is born Christ, the Saviour 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

This carol began as a poem by Joseph Mohr, who was an Austrian priest. He wrote it in 1816, and two years later gave it to a friend of his, Franz Xavier Gruber. Gruber was touched by the poem and composed the melody for it that we sing today. The story is told that the organ in St. Nicholas Church, where they attended in Oberndorf, Germany, had broken. Thus the song was first sung accompanied by guitar during Midnight Mass. How appropriate for this sweet song that assures us that all is calm and all is bright even when things are broken and it is the darkest of nights. 27

The little baby Jesus was truly a bundle of joy, but He didn’t stay a little baby. He grew up and became the reason those who believe in Him can sleep in heavenly peace every night—all year long. That night our Savior was born, everlasting peace came into our world. Love’s Pure Light. Redeeming Grace. Jesus, Lord at Thy birth. To know Him as your Savior and your Lord, please read on.

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R Prayer of Salvation 9

God loves you—no matter who you are, no matter what your past. He loves you so much that He gave His one and only Son, Jesus, to die for you and offer you eternal life. “Eternal life” not only gives you the assurance of going to heaven when you die, but it also means living in peace, love, and joy while you are on earth. The Bible tells us, “Whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 NIV). Jesus laid down His life and rose from the dead so that we could experience His absolute best on earth and spend eternity with Him in heaven. If you would like to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior and know the true meaning of Christmas, say the following prayer from your heart. 29

Heavenly Father, I give my life completely to You. I believe that Your Son, Jesus, died on the cross for my sins so that I could be forgiven and know You as my Father. I believe that He rose from the dead so that I could have a brand-new life with You. Jesus, You are my Savior and my Lord. I choose to follow You and ask that You fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I thank You that because of You, I am now a child of God. Amen. If you prayed this prayer to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, please contact us on the Web at www.harrisonhouse.com to receive a free book. Or you may write to us at Harrison House P.O. Box 35035 Tulsa, Oklahoma 74153

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