Merry Christmas and The Ninth Lesson

Merry Christmas to everyone~

Here at Willow's Cottage in California, near the Pacific Ocean, it is a cold and windy Christmas night. The stockings have been emptied, the meals (Christmas Eve Indonesian meal, Christmas morning breakfast and Christmas dinner) have been consumed, all the presents opened, loved and admired, and some family members have already departed.

What a wonderful day! We watched The New Boy celebrate his first Christmas! What joy!

And so I give you the last lesson and carol! Merry Christmas!

Lesson Nine
St. John unfolds the great mystery of the Incarnation

Text: John 1:1-14
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

The true light, which enlightens everyone,, was coming in to the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Song of Praise
Joy to the World

Joy to the world! The Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King.
Let every heart prepare him room,
And heav'n and nature sing,
And heav'n and nature sing,
And heav'n, and heav'n and nature sing.

Joy to the world! The Savior reigns;
Let men their songs employ,
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

No more let sin and sorrow grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground.
He comes to make his blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of his righteousness,
And wonders of his love,And wonders of his love,
And wonders, wonders of his love.

Isaac Watts and G.F. Handel

Lesson Eight
The wise men are led by the star to Jesus
Text: Matthew 2:1-12

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying,

"Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him."

When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

'And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a rulerwho will shepherd my people Israel.' "

Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared.

And he sent them to Bethlehem saying,

"Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him."

After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then opening their treasure, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

This Little Babe

This little Babe so few days old is come to rifle Satan's fold;
All hell doth, at his presence quake, though he himself for cold do shake;
For, in this weak unarmed wise, the gates of hell he will surprise.

With tears, he fights and wins the field, his naked breast stands for a shield;
His battering shot are babish cries, his arrows looks of weeping eyes,
His martial ensigns, Cold and Need, and feeble flesh his warrior's steed.

His camp is pitched in a stall, his bulwark but a broken wall.
The crib his trench, haystalks his stakes, of shepherds he his muster makes;
And thus, as sure his foe to wound, the angels' trumps alarum sound.

My soul, with Christ, join thou in fight, stick to the tents that he hath pight.
Within his crib is surest war, this Babe will be thy guard.
If thou wilt foil thy foes with joy, then flit not from this heavenly Boy.

Words by Robert Southwell, music by Benjamin Britten

This Little Babe is sung allegro and animato in four, six and eight parts, fugal- with all the parts starting and stopping at different places (like much of the Messiah). When we sang this carol, it was both my favorite and most difficult piece. Try saying "the crib his trench, haystalks his stakes" three times very fast.

Aproaching Christmas

Lesson Six
St. Luke tells of the birth of Jesus
Text: Luke 2: 1, 3-7

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.
And all went to be registered, each to his own town.

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.

And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.

And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.


Lesson Seven
The shepherds go to the manger
Text: Luke 2: 8-16

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear.

And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Sarior who is Christ the Lord.

And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger."

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest,and on earth peace among thosewith whom he is pleased!"

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another,

"Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us."

And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.

Sussex Carol
On Christmas night, all Christians sing
To hear the news the angels bring
On Christmas night, all Christians sing
To hear the news the angels bring
News of great joy, news of great mirth,
News of our merciful King's birth.

Then why should men on earth be so sad
Since our Redeemer made us glad?
Then why should men on earth be so sad
Since our Redeemer made us glad?
When from our sin he set us free
All for to gain our liberty?

When sin departs before his grace
Then life and health come in its place.
When sin departs before his grace
Then life and health come in its place.
Angels and men with joy may sing
All for to see the newborn King.
All out of darkness, we have light
Which made the angels sing this night.

All out of darkness, we have light
which made the angels sing this night:
"Glory to God and peace to men
Now and forever more, Amen."

English traditional carol
Song of Praise
The First Noel

The first Noel, the angel did say,
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay;
In fields where they lay keeping their sheep,
On a cold winter's night that was so deep.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel, born is the King of Israel!

They looked up and saw a star shining in the east, beyond them far,
And to the earth it gave great light,
And so it continued both day and night.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel, born is the King of Israel!

This star drew nigh to the northwest,
o'er Bethlehem it took its rest,
And there it did both stop and stay,
right over the place where Jesus lay.
Then let us all, with one accord,
sing praises to our heav'nly Lord,
That hath made heav'n and earth of naught,
And with his blood mankind has bought.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,
born is the King of Israel!

English Traditional Carol

Lessons and Carols-- Lessons Four and Five

Lesson Four

The peace that Christ will bring is foreshadowed.

Text: Isaiah 11:1-3a, 4a, 6-9

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.

And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord...

but with righteousness he shall judge the poor...

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them.

The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den.

They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

Lesson Five

The angel Gabriel salutes the virgin Mary.
Text: Luke 1:26-35, 38

In the sixth month [of Elizabeth's pregnancy] the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary.

And he came to her and said, "Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!"

But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.

And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of hiskingdom there will be no end."

And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?"

And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you,and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy--the Son of God."

And Mary said, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word."

And the angel departed from her.

And the Glory

And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed
and all flesh shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
(Isaiah 40:5)
from Handel's Messiah

Lesson Three
The prophet foretells the coming of the Savior.

Text: Isaiah 9:2, 6, 7

"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness , on them has light shined.For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this."

Thanks be to God.



Song of Praise:
Joy Has Dawned

Joy has dawned upon the world,
Promised from creation;
God's salvation, now unfurled,
Hope for every nation!
with fanfares from above,
Not with scenes of glory,
But a humble gift of love--
Jesus, born of Mary.

Sounds of wonder fill the sky
With the songs of angels,
As the mighty Prince of Life
Shelters in a stable.
Hands that set each star in place,
Shaped the earth in darkness,
Laid against his mother's breast--
Vulnerable and helpless.

Shepherds bow before the Lamb
Gazing at the glory.
Gifts of men from distant lands
Prophesy the story.
Gold, a King is born today;
Incense, God is with us;
Myrrh, his death will make a way
and, by his blood, he'll win us.

Son of Adam, Son of heaven,
Given as a ransom.
Reconciling God and man--
Christ our mighty Champion!
What a Savior , what a firiend,
What a glorious mystery!
Once a babe in Bethlehem--
Now the Lord of history!


Keith Getty & Stuart Townsend,
c. 2004


You will notice that Joy Has Dawned is a new song, written in 2004. I like that the hymns can be changed from year to year. I am a big fan of Getty and Townsend's music. They write interesting yet singable tunes and the words, the words are always right on and meaningful.

Even so, I usually start to hum bars from The Messiah as we are reading Isaiah 9, especially as we get to "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace".

And here is a natural Christmas tree, Southern California style: sycamore tree with hanging balls, one leaf ornament and a bird clipped to the top branch.

Lessons One and Two and a Christmas Carol

Nine Lessons and Carols is a performance that was started in 1880 in Truro, England and has been sung and read every year since, somewhere. King's College Choir in Cambridge is famous for its performance each year.

Call to Worship

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 is God and Lord of all,

And His shelter was a stable and His cradle was a stall.

With the poor and mean and lowly, lived on earth our Savior holy.

Jesus is our childhood's pattern; day by day, like us, He grew.

He was little, weak and helpless; tears and smiles, like us, He knew.

And He feeleth for our sadness and He shareth in our gladness.

And our eyes, at last shall see Him through His own redeeming love;

For that Child so dear and gentle is our Lord in heaven above.

And He leads His children on to the place where He has gone.

Henry Gauntlett & Cecil Alexander (c) public domain

Lesson One

God tells sinful Adam that he has lost the life of Paradise and that his seed will bruise the serpent's head.

Text: Genesis 3:8-15; 17-19

Adam Lay YboundenAdam lay ybounden, bounden in a bond.

Four thousand winter thought he not too long.

And all was for an apple, an apple that he took,As cleckes finden writtein in their book.

Ne had the apple taken been, the apple taken been,

Ne had never our Savior, our Redeemer abeen.

Blessed be the time our freedom gained was,

Therefore, we moun singen, Deo gracias!

Words anon, 15th century

The music to this second song was written for the 15th century words by Boris Ord, 1957.

Lesson Two

God promises to faithful Abraham, that in his seed, shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.

Text: Genesis 22:15-18"And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, "By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice."

I took out my hymnal this afternoon and played Christmas songs for The New Boy to keep him occupied. I think he has an ear for music. He sat quietly and played in his Pack-n-Play (fondly nicknamed The Prison Cell) and listened to me playing and singing.