Notes on the Notes – December 1, 2024

First Sunday of Advent
Hope

This week’s music:

“Once in Royal David’s City” (VU #62)

“Once in royal David’s city stood a lowly cattle shed,
Where a mother laid her baby in a manger for his bed.
Mary was that mother mild, Jesus Christ her little child.

He came down to earth from heaven who, with God, is over all,
And his shelter was a stable, and his cradle was a stall.
There among the poor and lowly lived on earth our Saviour holy.

For he is our lifelong pattern; daily, when on earth he grew,
He was tempted, scorned, rejected, tears and smiles like us he knew.
Thus he feels for all our sadness, and he shares in all our gladness.

And our eyes at last shall see him, through his own redeeming love;
For that child who seemed so helpless is our Lord in heaven above;
And he leads his children on to the place where he is gone.”  

“Once In Royal David’s City” is a Christmas carol originally written as a poem by Cecil Frances Alexander. The carol was first published in 1848 in Miss Cecil Humphreys’  “Hymns for little Children.”  A year later, the English organist Henry John Gauntlett discovered the poem and set it to music.   Since 1919, the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at the King’s College Chapel Cambridge has begun its Christmas Eve service with Dr Arthur Henry Mann’s arrangement of “Once in Royal David’s City” as the processional hymn.

Hear The Choir of Trinity College Cambridge recorded in Trinity College Chapel:  https://youtu.be/QmspXB6lUeg

“Light a Candle”

“Light a candle for hope in the darkness.
Minds at rest, we know you are near;
Advent watching and waiting for Jesus,
God with us, redeeming the years,
Emmanuel, hope is here;
Hope is here!”

This beautiful new Advent song was written by Lisa Waites in 2018. Each week we will be using a verse as we light the candles in the Advent wreath.

“Come, Come Emmanuel” (MV #11)

“Come, come Emmanuel. 
Come, Emmanuel. “

This gentle chant will be used as our response to the Words of Assurance during the season of Advent. It was written by James J. Chepponis in 1995.

“Longing for Light” 

“Longing for light, we wait in darkness.
Longing for truth, we turn to you.
Make us your own, your holy people,
Light for the world to see. 

Longing for peace, our world is troubled.
Longing for hope, many despair.
Your word alone has power to save us.
Make us your living voice.

Longing for food, many are hungry.
Longing for water, many still thirst.
Make us your bread, broken for others,
Share until all are fed. 

Longing for shelter, many are homeless.
Longing for warmth, many are cold.
Make us your building, sheltering others,
Walls made of living stone. 

Many the gifts, many the people,
Many the hearts that yearn to belong.
Let us be servants to one another,
Making your kingdom come.

Christ, be our light!
Shine in our hearts. 
Shine through the darkness.
Christ, be our light!
Shine in your church gathered today. 

This song was written by Bernadette Farrell in 1993 and expresses our longing for the light of God to come into our lives, and through us, go into the world. Hear the song recorded by the Harmony Singers (2021):

“Celtic Advent Carol”

“Be not afraid, I bring you good news.
The Savior is coming in glory to you.
He shall be called “God’s Holy One.”
Will you be ready for Him when He comes? 

Light the candle, Jesus is coming.
Open your hearts, prepare ye the way.
Sleepers awake, for soon is the dawning.
He will turn night into glorious day.

Be of good cheer and put away fear,
The light now is coming to dry every tear.
Love now with us, God’s perfect Son.
Will you ready for Him when He comes?

Veni, Emmanuel. (Come, Emmanuel)
Captivum solve Israel. (Come now and ransom Israel)
Jesus is coming. Jesus is coming.
Could He be coming today?”

This week’s anthem joyously reminds us to prepare for the arrival of Jesus.  It was written by David Angerman & Michael Barrett (2007).

“In This Advent Time of Waiting” 

“In this Advent time of waiting may we serve the Prince of Peace.
Share our gifts with those around us, joy and hope in all increase.
Dream the vision, tell the story, healing bring to those in need.
Share the promises once more, Christ is near, who came before.” 

Our offering response for the season of Advent will be sung to a variation of the traditional Polish carol, W ZLOBIE LEZY, known in English as the carol “Infant Holy, Infant Lowly.”

“Jesus, You Have Called Us” 

“Jesus you have called us to your table here.
By your invitation all are blest and dear.
Bringing our gifts, we meet each other here.
Christ we come rejoicing!  Come, O Christ appear!

In this feast of mercy, Christ, we thirst for you.
Open wide our hearts to what your love will do.
Make us your Cup, the Manger where you lay.
Love made flesh among us, Christ be born today.”

As we prepare for the Sacrament of Communion we sing this Advent Communion hymn with words by Steve Garnaas-Holmes.  The tune is the tradition French carol NOEL NOUVELET, which can be heard at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEVNV4yt_5o.

“O Little Town of Bethlehem” (VU #64)

“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.

 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 all on earth.

How silently, how silently the wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts the blessed gift of heaven.
No ear may hear his coming; but in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive him, still the dear Christ enters in.

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.”

The text for “O Little Town of Bethlehem” was written by Phillips Brooks (1835–1893), an Episcopal priest, Rector of the Church of the Holy Trinity, Philadelphia. He was inspired by visiting the Palestinian city of Bethlehem in 1865. Three years later, he wrote the poem for his church and his organist, Lewis Redner, added the music. Redner’s tune, simply titled ST. LOUIS, is the tune used most often for this carol in the United States and Canada.

See Sarah McLachlan sing this carol at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyPMDD8fGeA

Hear the song “Bethlehem” by Chris Tomlin at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kL2d4MI85KA

Hear Nat King Cole at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHKORmpW4Cg

“May the God of Hope Go With Us” (VU #424)

“May the God of hope go with us every day,
filling all our lives with love and joy and peace.
May the God of justice speed us on our way,
bringing light and hope to every land and race.

Praying, let us work for peace, singing, share our joy with all,
working for a world that’s new, faithful when we hear Christ’s call.”

We will be using the first verse of this hymn as our Advent benediction response.  It was written in 1984 by Alvin Schutmaat, an American Presbyterian musician, theologian, and educator who taught in South America and Mexico.   An educator, theologian and administrator, he used the arts to communicate the gospel.   “May the God of Hope” is a song of blessing, justice and peace.  The tune is an Argentine folk melody chosen by Alvin Schutmaat for his text.