The carol I chose to close out this year's series is one that I have shared once before several years ago and which I have known from my earliest years. I only discovered that there were actually words when I was in my late teens and they remain some of the most beautiful and profound Christmas lyrics in my ken. 

         Perhaps you've never heard The Golden Carol of The Wisemen, or perhaps, like me in childhood, you've only ever heard the melody and never the words. This medieval carol needs little introduction, and I don't wish to say much about it. Today is Christmas, we will be relaxing among family members, opening presents, eating food, and possibly taking naps. 

         However, let us not leave the day without a thought for why we celebrate; why this day should cause us to rejoice. In the words of St. Patrick's Breastplate:

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

      And, without further ado:

1. We saw a light shine out a-far,
    On Christmas in the morning;
And straight we knew it was Christ's star,
    Bright beaming in the morning.
Then did we fall on bended knee,
    On Christmas in the morning;
And prais'd the Lord, who let us see
    His glory at its dawning.

2. Oh! Every thought be of His Name,
    On Christmas in the morning;
Who bore for us both grief and shame,
    Afflictions sharpest scorning.
And we may die (when death shall come,)
    On Christmas in the morning;
And see in Heav'n, our glorious home,
    That Star of Christmas morning.

          I don't know about you, but I cannot wait to meet that star of Christmas morning one day! I only pray that God will help me keep this hope in the front and centre of my life always. May everything I do be born out of a love for Christ and close communion with Him whom I shall someday see face to face. If I am blessed to die on Christmas morning, it will make it all that much more precious to those left behind. They may know that I am celebrating the best Christmas of all with my Saviour who bore all for me.

          Merry Christmas!

                       ~ Christianna

        I discovered this song only this year, and I believe it was written only last year so I feel as though I've come full circle with you all, sharing ancient carols from nearly 1000 years ago, as well as ones that have been out for barely a year, but just savour these beautiful verses by Chris Anderson with me for a moment.

I think my favourite point in Handel's Messiah is the part where the bass sings, "For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the peoples, but the Lord shall arise upon them. And the nations shall come to its light, and kings to the brightness of His rising. ... The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light and they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death upon them hath the light shined."

        It's all straight out of Isaiah, but this song explains, in part, why I love it so. 

            Until Tonight,

               ~ Christianna

         Yes, this is another re-run, something I posted a few years ago, which some of you may not have had the chance to hear, not to mention a good refresher for the rest of us. It's another John Rutter classic, based on a fifteenth century English Poem by John Audelay. In it, Christ is portrayed as a flower, the sweetest and most fragrant flower ever to blossom.

I thought it would be fun, though, to share the original lyrics. They spoke and spelled a little differently in the 1400s. Let me know if you can decipher this without opting to the translation below. You go up points in my estimation if you're able to make it through and understand, roughly, what's being said in each stanza. This is where I am most grateful for my muddling through Spencer's Faerie Queene, and Chaucer's Canterbury tales. 

A couple tips, if you don't know where to start, remember that at this time there was no standardised spelling so people spelled things the way they sounded. Granted, they spoke a little differently back then too...so, there's that, but do let me know how you get on.

There is a floure sprung of a tre,
The rote therof is called Jesse,
A floure of pryce;
Ther is non seche in paradise.

This flour is fayre and fresche of heue;
Hit fadis never, bot ever is new;
The blisful branche this flour on grew
Was Mare myld that bare Jhesu —
A flour of grace,
Agayns al sorow hit is solas.

The sede hereof was Godis sond,
That God himselve sew with his hond;
In Bedlem, in that hole lond,
In medis here herbere ther he hir fond.
This blisful floure
Sprang never bot in Maris boure.

When Gabrael this mayd met,
With "Ave, Maria," he here gret;
Betwene hem two this flour was set,
And kept was, no mon schul wit,
Hent on a day
In Bedlem, hit con spred and spray.

When that floure began to sprede,
And his blossum to bede,
Ryche and pore of evere sede,
Thai marvelt hou this flour myght sprede!
Til kyngys thre
That blesful floure come to se.

Angelis ther cam out of here toure
To loke apon this freschele floure —
Houe fayre he was in his coloure,
And hou sote in his savour —
And to behold
How soche a flour myght spryng in golde.

Of lille, of rose of ryse,
Of prymrol, and of flour-de-lyse
Of al the flours at my devyse,
Thet floure of Jesse yet bers the prys,
As most of hele
To slake oure sorous everedele.

I pray youe, flours of this cuntre,
Whereevere ye go, wereever ye be,
Hold hup the flour of good Jesse,
Fore your freschenes and youre beute,
As fayrist of al,
And ever was and ever schal.

     You all know I love it when something not only tells a story, but paints a picture in metaphor. This is one of the best devices for poetry and I do wish people would write poetry with this in mind nowadays rather than ... well ... you know, rap. 

       Alright, that being said, here is the actual song, and I'll include the translation underneath. There is none better to sing this than the King's Singers; perhaps the group I draw from more than any other for my Christmas carol performances. No sloppy vowels, crisp, clean harmonies, clear enunciation, and a cohesive sound. If you listen to Glad and then the King's Singers, you may understand why I can only listen to so much of Glad before it irritates me. Or, you may not, but this is very much a case in point...it's not just the arrangements, it's how they sing them.

 There is a flower sprung from a tree,
The root thereof is called Jesse,
A flower of great worth;
There is no other such in paradise.

This flower is fair and fresh of hue;
It fades never, but ever is new;
The blessed branch where this flower grew
Was Mary mild who bore Jesu —
A flower of grace,
Against all sorrow it is solace.

The seed thereof was of God's sending,
Which God himself sowed with his hand;
In Bethlehem, in that holy land,
Within her garden he found her there.
This blessed flower
Sprang never but in Mary's bower.

When Gabriel this maiden met,
With "Ave, Maria," he her greeted
Between them two this flower was set,
And was kept, no man should know it,
Until one day
In Bethlehem, it began to spread and spray.

When that flower began to spread,
And his blossom to bud,
Rich and poor of every seed, [i.e. kind]
They marvelled how this flower might spread,
Until kings three
That blessed flower came to see.

Angels there came out of their tower
To look upon this fresh flower —
How fair he was in his colour,
And how sweet in his savour —
And to behold
How such a flower might spring amid the cold.

Of lily, of rose on branch,
Of primrose, and of fleur-de-lys,
Of all the flowers I can think of,
That flower of Jesse yet bears the prize,
As the best remedy
To ease our sorrows in every part.

I pray you, flowers of this country,
Wherever ye go, wherever ye be,
Hold up the flower of good Jesse,
Above your freshness and your beauty,
As fairest of all,
Which ever was and ever shall be.

         Let us all value Christ and hold him up above ourselves wherever we go. The last stanza is technically speaking to women, but I think it can safely be applied to all mankind. He is the fairest of ten thousand, the bright and morning star. Let us worship Him this Christmas above all else.

       Until Tomorrow,

                 ~ Christianna

          I usually tend to steer away from Christmas carols for this series that are not explicitly Christ focused. It's not that I won't join in a rousing round of sleigh bells, or sing Deck the Halls as loudly as anyone else, but for this series, my specific goal is to point my readers towards Christ, the cynosure of the entire celebration. If I can help to lift even one unbeliever's eyes towards our Lord of glory, or have a hand in drawing a believer into a deeper communion with my Saviour, then all of this will be worth it.

         While this song is not explicitly Christian, it does capture the spirit of Christmas with Christ, that I decided to share it. Beautiful music often does that, whether or not the writer intended it to do so.

We see a light, on Christmas night,

and see, a path now opens wide!

The lost, the stranger calls to us:

the wounded heart so needs us now.

Alive to love, the angels' song,

we'll travel where love leads.

Long locked away, our deepest song

now dances like a child.

We see a light,

this joyful Christmas night.

Then faith awakes, on Christmas night,

and we become love's answering voice!

The water flows, the mountains move,

we see much more than ruined lives.

Alive to love, the angels' song,

we'll travel where love leads.

Long locked away, our deepest song

now dances like a child.

Our faith awakes,

this star-fire Christmas night!

Let hope arise this Christmas night,

our hearts made great by love's new dawn!

A boundless love, a singing light,

that fills and touches all earth's lives!

Alive to love, the angels' song,

we'll travel where love leads.

Long locked away, our deepest song

now dances like a child.

Let hope arise,

this love-lit Christmas night.

       Let hope arise in all our hearts, this Christmas, for Christ has come and we  may rejoice!

            Until Later Today,

                       ~ Christianna

          Perhaps you weren't aware that the night watch were not only there to keep an eye out for any funny business and to protect honest people from brigands and trouble makers during the witching hours, but also to proclaim the time. The call, "Three O'clock and all's well!" Was a familiar sound if you happened to be up that early. Sometimes they would act like weathermen, embellishing things with a description of what things were like outdoors; "Four O'clock and clear skies!" They might say.

         Imagine if you lived back then, this was a ritual that would have been woven into your daily existence. It's no wonder then, that the English used the ubiquitous call of the night watchman as a basis for a traditional carol which has become one of my personal favourites for at least a dozen years now.

          I know I have shared this carol before, but it has been several years and I like to make a point of repeating some of the good ones every few years not just for the new readers who might have jumped on since then, but also for the old ones to be reminded. 

         In case I have any historians on my roster, I will note that the Christmas verses were actually penned fairly recently by George R. Woodward in the early 1900s, but the refrain and melody have been around since at least 1665, if not earlier. The verses, though, are highly reminiscent of that time, though, and fit perfectly with the dancing chorus:

       Once again, the song paints a picture of a cold night and travellers coming from the corners of the country and beyond to visit the Christ child. I love the way the final stanza completes it. 

      It is the way of those who have met with Christ, who carry His spirit within them, that they cannot let their friends, family, or strangers they meet along the way, go by without an earnest entreaty to go and see the one who was born king of the Jews, come and worship Him, Christ the Lord of glory!

        Do not stay you, I beg of you, if you have not confessed Him, today. Don't wait for a tomorrow that is not guaranteed. And if you have, then live like it, and rejoice in His birth this Christmastide!

         Until tomorrow,

                     ~ Christianna