Sunday's Hymn

Oh Come, Little Children

Oh, come, little children, oh, come, one and all,
To Bethlehem’s stable, in Bethlehem’s stall.
And see with rejoicing this glorious sight,
Our Father in heaven has sent us this night.

Oh, see in the manger, in hallowèd light
A star throws its beam on this holiest sight.
In clean swaddling clothes lies the heavenly Child,
More lovely than angels, this Baby so mild.

Oh, there lies the Christ Child, on hay and on straw;
The shepherds are kneeling before Him with awe.
And Mary and Joseph smile on Him with love,
While angels are singing sweet songs from above.

—Christ­oph von Schmid

There are so many different versions of this children’s hymn, probably different translations from the German. I wish I could have found the words used in this sweet video below, but I couldn’t.

Other hymns, worship songs, sermons etc. posted today:

• O Come, O Come, Emmanuel at threegirldad
• He Has Come, the Christ of God at Rosemary at Home
• In the Bleak Midwinter at Wordwise Hymns
• Rest of the Weary at The Happy Wonderer
• Behold a Branch Is Growing at Field Stone Cottage
• O Come, O Come Emmanuel at Hiraeth
• Watcher, Tell Us of the Night at Conjubilant with Song
• Lord’s Day 49, 2010 at The Thirsty Theologian
• Sabbath Keeping at Thistle Cove Farms
• Update: Heart Aflame - December 5, 2010 at The Upward Call

Have you posted a hymn (or sermon, sermon notes, prayer, etc.) today and I missed it? Let me know by leaving a link in the comments or by contacting me using the contact form linked above, and I’ll add your post to the list.

Status Report: December

Sitting… at the old dining room table pushed up under the front window, watching the world go by.

Drinking…my morning coffee. Black, french-pressed.

Planning…my day. It’s cold out and I’d love to just stay home, but I usually go work in the church library  for a bit on Friday. But I could take a week off, right? Especially since I have some other important things to do?

Waiting… for the temperature to rise. We’ve had a pretty mild fall and early winter, until this week, when we got a big dump of heavy snow, and then the temperature began to drop…down, down, down to -35C at my place at 7pm last night. Since then the thermometer’s been slowly rising, and it’s supposed to be above freezing this weekend. I’m waiting for it and hoping the weather prediction is accurate.

Reading… a few books. One is Why Johnny Can’t Sing Hymns by T. David Gordon. I won’t be reviewing it because my feelings about it are mixed and I don’t want to take the time to explain. Some of what he writes I agree with, but his arguments seem scattered in places, and I’d say he pushes his conclusions beyond what his arguments can support. That said, I learned some interesting things, like why, for instance, some newer worship songs are so hard to sing together as a congregation.

Deciding… what to give this Christmas. This is the part of Christmas I dislike most, not because I’m a Scrooge, but because I don’t like deciding, especially when there’s a deadline.

Anticipating… Christmas parties. Putting the tree up this weekend.

Wondering… if this will be a wicked winter and hoping that it’s not. Wondering when I got to be such a weather wimp.

Pondering… the incarnation. How can it be? What does it mean?

Thankful… for a warm home, for time by the fire, for hope.

Copying… Staci.

The Word

Don Carson, from The God Who Is There, on John’s use of the term “Word” to refer to Jesus in chapter 1 of his gospel:

[T]he term “Word” is an interesting choice. What title or metaphorical expression should be applied to Jesus in the opening verses of John’s Gospel? I can imagine various possibilities going round and round in John’s head. But at some point John remembers, for example, that in the Old Testament we frequently read expressions like this: “The word of the Lord came to the prophet, saying… .” So God disclosed himself by his word in revelation. Then perhaps he remembers Genesis 1: God spoke, and the world came into being; otherwise put, by the word of the Lord the heavens and earth were made (see Ps. 33:6). So here we have God’s word in creation. Elsewhere, biblical writers speak of God sending forth his word to heal and help and transform his People (see for example Ps 107:20). All these things God’s word accomplishes: by his word, God reveals, he creates, he transforms, and John thinks to himself, “Yes, that’s the appropriate expression that summarizes all who Jesus is.” He is God’s self-expression, God’s revelation; he is God’s own agent in creation; and he comes to save and transform God’s people.

I’ve listened to all of the talks on which this book is based and recommend them. I’ve read some of the book, and recommend it, too, especially because the talks are dense, so it’s good to be able to work through the materially slowly and think on it, bit by bit, as the explanations build.

And now, if you prefer, you can watch the talks on free video made available recently by The Gospel Coalition. Here’s how the series of talks is described there:

This series will serve the church well because it simultaneously evangelizes non-Christians and edifies Christians by explaining the Bible’s storyline in a non-reductionistic way. The series is geared toward “seekers” and articulates Christianity in a way that causes hearers either to reject or embrace the gospel. It’s one thing to know the Bible’s storyline, but it’s another to know one’s role in God’s ongoing story of redemption. “The God Who Is There” engages people at the worldview-level.

The link in the quote is added by me. How could I resist?

If you are already a believer, don’t let the “geared toward ‘seekers’” thing throw you off. The lectures and book would be valuable to anyone who is a student of the Christian faith, and if you’re a believer, that should be you.

If you don’t have time for all the lectures, consider listening or viewing only The God Who Becomes a Human Being (the chapter/lecture that contains the above quoted bit) as part of your preparation for Christmas, our celebration of God becoming human.