Notes on the Notes – Sunday, December 18, 2016
This week’s theme:
Advent 4 – Follow The Star
Do We Truly Believe?
This week’s scripture readings:
Isaiah 7:10-16 Matthew 1:18-25
Pre-Service carols at 10:20 a.m.:
“What Child is This” (VU #74)
“What child is this, who laid to rest, on Mary’s lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet while shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ the King, whom shepherds guard and angels sing;
Haste, haste to bring him laud, the Babe, the Son of Mary!
Why lies he in such mean estate where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christian, fear; for sinners here the silent Word is pleading…
So bring him incense, gold, and myrrh;
Come, one and all, to own him.
The King of Kings salvation brings; let loving hearts enthrone him….”
The lyrics of this hymn were written in 1865 by William Chatterton Dix. He was one of more than 20 lyricists who chose the traditional melody of Greensleeves as the music for his verse. In the era while Dix was writing hymns and raising a family, Christmas was not the celebration it is today. Neither was it a season where many openly celebrated the birth of Christ. Puritan groups feared that if set aside as a special day, Christmas would become a day of pagan rituals more than a very serious time of worship. In this context, it was unusual for Dix to feel moved to write about Christ’s birth, since many hymn writers of the period ignored Christmas altogether.”*
Watch Rita Ora and the Kosovo Philharmonic Orchestra: https://youtu.be/twGtLSl2Sz8
Watch The Gardiner Sisters at: https://youtu.be/bg0-n47JQFM
“Joy to the World” (VU #59)
“Joy to the world! the Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King!
Let every heart prepare him room,
and heaven and nature sing.
He rules the earth with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of his righteousness
And wonders of his love.”
This text is a paraphrase of Psalm 88:4-9. It was written by Isaac Watts and first published in his Psalms of David in 1719.
Enjoy this carol by:
George Fox University Music department: https://youtu.be/6oOwa0CWVVQ
Boys’ choir “Libera” at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IH8A86FLs0
This week’s music:
“O Come, All Ye Faithful” (VU #60) 
The original four verses of “O Come All Ye Faithful” were discovered in an eighteenth century Jacobean manuscript with John Francis Wade’s signature. At one time historians believed that Wade had simply discovered an ancient hymn by an unknown author, possibly St. Bonaventura, a thirteenth century Italian scholar. Further examination, however, has led many to believe that Wade wrote both the words and music of this hymn himself.
Wade, a Catholic who sympathized with the Jacobite cause in England, created several masses that promoted the return of exiled Catholics to the country of England. Interestingly, the “Jacobite manuscript” including an original copy of “O Come All Ye Faithful,” was one such mass. Printed in the margins of the song, Wade had called on faithful Jacobites to come together and rally against the English throne. Although most songbooks include only four verses to this hymn, four other verses are known to exist.
As exiled Catholics returned to England, they took Wade’s hymn with them. And in 1841, the words were translated into English. A copy of Wade’s hymn was also sent to the Portuguese chapel in London, where the Duke of Leeds heard it and introduced it to a group of concert singers he conducted. From there it circled the globe, becoming one of our most well loved Christmas hymns.
Watch a beautiful Christmas video by Brigham Young University Vocal Point and BYU Noteworth:
“Herald! Sound the Note of Gladness” (VU #28)
“Herald! Sound the note of gladness! Tell the news that Christ is here; make a pathway through the desert for the one who brings God near. Sound the trumpet! Tell the message! Christ the Saving One has come!…”
The text of this hymn was written by United Church minister Moir A.J. Waters in 1968 for the dedication of a memorial window, depicting Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist, installed at Robinson Memorial United Church in London, Ontario. The melody, from 1680, was composed by Joachim Neander for his hymn text which began “Unse Herrscher, unset Koenig” (Our Master, our King).
“Call the Baby Jesus”
“Mary, you will have a son – call the baby Jesus.
He will be God’s holy One – call the baby Jesus.
The lame will dance, the blind will see – call the baby Jesus.
He will set His people free – call the baby Jesus.
God has sent Emmanuel.
Love has come with us to dwell.
Let the whole world sing, “Noel.”
Call the baby Jesus.
He’s the One who was foretold.
Call the baby Jesus.
The perfect Lamb from heaven’s fold.
Call the baby Jesus.
Hallelujah!
Soon our eyes will see the sign -call the baby Jesus.
A shining star will light the sky – call the baby Jesus.
Let us sing forevermore.
Peace and love are now restored.
Celebrate the coming Lord – call the baby Jesus!
This week’s anthem by Michael Barrett focuses on the excitement and anticipation around the imminent arrival of the new baby Jesus.
“The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy” (VU #73)
“The virgin Mary had a baby boy;
The virgin Mary had a baby boy,
The virgin Mary had a baby boy
And they say that his name is Jesus.
The angels sang when the baby was born…
The shepherds came where the baby was born,…
He come from the glory,
He come from the glorious kingdom.
He come from the glory,
He come from the glorious kingdom.
Oh, yes! believer! Oh, yes! believer!
He come from the glory,
He come from the glorious kingdom.”
This West Indian Christmas carol comes from the Edric Conner Collection of West Indian Spirituals (1945). He collected it from James Bryce, who gave his age as 94, in 1942. The refrain may be older than the verse, perhaps coming from an African folk song. It was arranged by John Barnard for Hymns for Today’s Church in 1982.
Hear the Kingston Trio at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=A7zivz_XIqE
See the Gaither version at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wgO14-LGsHs
*A little Christmas bonus: a gospel quartet singing “A Wonderful Christmas Song” https://youtu.be/SzXJ3vuCzCc
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