T'was The Twelfth Before Christmas....

        Yes, it's that time of year friends. I've been looking forward to this annual tradition of mine for a few months now, planning and plotting and writing down Christmas Carol titles, yet when I woke up this morning I hadn't the faintest idea what Carol I was going to use to kick off the season with!

         Last night when I stayed up until 1:00 A.M. working on a Christmas project, I thought through a variety of Carols popular and obscure but dredged up nothing of enough consequence....yes, and now you're shaking your head reproachfully at me.

    "Christianna, what possessed you to stay up that late; or may I say, that early?"

     "Don't you know that it's not good for you?" 

     "And I thought you were a morning person!"


 Yes, you're right, all of you. Furthermore, I know I could have gotten just as much work on my project done had I gone to bed on time and gotten up early to spend some time on it, and I would have been happier for it because I know that the quality of sleep I get before midnight is far better than that after midnight. I know that if I go to bed late and get up late my energy will be zapped by mid-afternoon. I know that when I stay up consistently past midnight, my face starts breaking out enough to make me cry every time I look in the mirror. I know that when I go to bed on time and get up at five, I get so much more done and have so much more energy!

     So, why did I stay up late last night when I knew I'd be regretting it this morning? That was the question I asked myself this morning, and every morning I open my eyes to find that daylight has beaten me to the punch yet again, and three precious hours have been lost that I could have had if I had risen at my intended hour.

       It was as I scolded myself yet again this morning that I remembered that this scenario demonstrates exactly why Christ came down at Christmas. I know something is bad and that I'll regret it and yet I still do it. I make silly excuses to justify doing things I know I'm going to kick myself for later. I make choices based on superficiality because I feel like it, knowing full well, that I'm being stupid and it's going to haunt me later. Without Christ there would be no hope of ever disentangling myself from this destructive cycle, as it is, I battle it constantly. Some days I have to drive home alternately crying desperately to God to give me strength and commanding myself to go to bed at nine, to go directly to bed and not stop to watch a movie on the way.

      What is this power, this drive which compels, yes, even controls, and corrals us into doing irrational things which we know will destroy us?

       It's the power of sin which dwells in all of us, is a part of us from the moment we take our first breath to the second we take our last. A power whose only aim is to ruin us, to make us the most miserable of creatures, simply because God is the most happiest. A power which seeks to make us the most destructive because God is the most Creative. A power which opposes good because God is the essence of goodness. What a fearful state, my friends, what a catastrophic captivity.

        This is why Christmas should be such a joyful occasion for us. Our sinful hearts weren't the end of the story, God gave us a way out. It's as though we were locked in a dark prison cell, for life and suddenly someone walked up cracked open the door, allowing the light to dazzle us with it's welcoming warmth, and told us that not only were we free, but also, if we walked out that door, we would be the richest people on earth!

       And it was when I realized that happy truth, my friends, I knew what song I wanted to kick off my advent carols with;

       O Come, O Come Emmanuel

   Most of you know this carol, I think. So I shan't go into too much explanation, but as you listen to this lovely rendition, dwell on the lyrics I'll post below. What a thing to rejoice over, what a thing to Thank God for, He came to ransom us from our unwelcome captivity, that which ought to make us mourn.

     I am not going to pontificate on the origins of the hymn, if I remember correctly I did that last year, and anyway, if you really want to know you can google it. This year, I want to get to the heart of each carol I discuss, however, for those of you who like historical facts, the English verses most of us are familiar with are extremely loose translations from the original Latin stanzas, I chose this particular version sung by Clare College Choir of Cambridge,  because they sing a more literally translated set of verses, so if you hear and read verses that seem to be a little different from what you remember, that's why. I think, however, and let me know if you agree or disagree ;) , that these verses hold so much more meaning and depth than do those we usually sing!

    Yes, I'm aware I just asked you to leave a comment, no exceptions, but it's Christmas, the time of giving, what did you think I was going to ask for? :)

      And because it's Christmas, I'll ask another favor of you. If you know anyone who you think would enjoy or be encouraged by these posts, share this or all my posts with him! ;) Alright, I promise, no more campaigning for the rest of the year; here are the lyrics I'm sure you're champing at the bit to read.



    
   Indeed, let us rejoice today, my friends. Emmanuel came that we need no longer live in captivity to a master whose only design is to destroy us preferably with our help.

     Today as you work, as you deal with that annoying individual who can't think of something nice to say, when you splatter salad dressing on your spotless white shirt, as you slam on the brakes for a driver who couldn't be bothered to think about someone besides himself....

       Rejoice! Emmanuel has come!


  ~ Christianna