"It's Christmas Time" - City on a Hill

This is one of the best Christmas songs released not too long ago. It brings together some of the most memorable carols combined with beautiful melodies. You can listen to it here, here, and here.




Lyrics In the city on the hill
Hear the bells chime
Peace on earth good will
Its Christmas time

Glad tidings we will bring
of Christ the new born king
And with the angels sing at Christmas time

Its Christmas time
Its Christmas time
Its Christmas time
Its Christmas time
Its Christmas time

In a town of Bethlehem
See the stars shine
Fall down and worship Him
It's Christmas time
Glad tidings we will bring
of Christ the new born king
And with the angels sing at Christmas time

Glo...ooo...ooo...ooo..ria
In exelcis Deo...
Glo...ho...ho...oo..ria

In the city on the hill
Hear the bells chime
(Peace on earth)
Peace on earth good will
(Its Christmas time)
Its Christmas time
Glad tidings we will bring
of Christ the new born king
And with the angels sing at Christmas time

Glad tidings we will bring
of Christ the new born king
And with the angels sing at Christmas time

Its Christmas time (10x)

In the city on the hill
Gloo..ooo..ooo...ooo...ria..
Its Christmas time

BookPastor >> "The Feast of Christmas" (Joseph F. Kelly)

TITLE: The Feast of Christmas
AUTHOR: Joseph Kelly
PUBLISHER: Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2010, (126 pages).

Christmas is just around the corner. Unlike the season of Lent where there is an emphasis on fasting, when it comes to the Advent and Christmastide, feasting is more the nature of the celebrations. With the modern symbols of the Christmas and the commercialization of this meaningful end of the year event invading the Church, even Christians can be confused about the true meaning and symbols of Christmas. What does turkey has to do with Christmas? How does Christmas trees and lighting fit into the picture? Do the Early Church celebrate Christmas at all? What about the Middle Ages? What is the origins of Christmas? How do we make sense of what is religious and what is secular when it comes to the Christmas season? One of the ways to understand this is to look back at history and let the unfolding events of the past guide and teach us on the true meaning of Christmas.

This is where this book comes in. Beginning with "Christianity without Christmas," Kelly looks at the tensions throughout history between the religious and secular thought surrounding Christmas. Though most of the Western world had selected December 25th as the day for Christmas, no one really knows exactly how and when that happened. The Russian Orthodox Church chose January 7th as their Christmas Day. The best estimates was that December 25th was chosen sometime in AD335 in Rome with the title "dies natalis Christi" (birth day of Christ). In fact, the early Christians do not pay much attention to Christmas at all. Only the gospels of Matthew and Luke recorded the Christ birth events which Kelly attributes to the anticipation of the world coming to an end quickly at that time. The gospel of Mark bypasses the birth narrative and hurriedly tells of Jesus works and ministry. The reason why Matthew and Luke included the birth narrative is to emphasize the fact that God recognized Jesus as His Son, and that the birth of Christ was a direct fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies. Matthew focuses on the similarities between Moses and Jesus on how their lives were in danger at very early age. While Matthew writes to Jews, Luke focuses on Gentiles. Matthew's genealogy traces back to Abraham while Luke goes all the way to Adam. Luke meticulously records the birth narratives both before and after the birth of Christ, which makes the gospel of Luke a favourite Advent sermon choice. The feasting for Christmas is linked to the fabulous feast and spread of the Roman culture, where the secular Romans celebrated the pagan festival called Saturnalia, between Dec 17-23. This involved much eating, drinking, and celebrating. This would influence the way Christmas will be celebrated.

Beautiful Rendition of "All is Well"

This is my favourite Christmas song this year.



All is well all is well
Angels and men rejoice
For tonight darkness fell
Into the dawn of love's light
Sing A-le
Sing Alleluia
All is well all is well
Let there be peace on earth
Christ is come go and tell
That He is in the manger
Sing A-le
Sing Alleluia

All is well all is well
Lift up your voices and sing
Born is now Emmanuel
Born is our Lord and Savior
Sing Alleluia
Sing Alleluia
All is well

Words: Michael W. Smith

Midweek Meditation: "Christmas Love"

"Charity means nothing else but to love God for Himself above all creatures, and to love one's fellowmen for God's sake as one loves oneself." (From the Cloud of Unknowing)

Midweek Meditation: "Christmas Peace"

Peace comes not from the absence of trouble but from the presence of God.

In Christ's peace,

conrade

"Count Your Blessings" (Ali Matthews)

Worry and weariness go hand in hand. Indeed, worry has a way of draining our energies by doing nothing. Like a rocking chair, worry makes us move back and forth, but the truth is, we go nowhere worrying on a rocking chair. As we enter into the last month of the year, many people will be wondering what happened to the year. It was not too long ago that people were wishing one another "Merry Christmas" and a "Happy New Year!" "Happy Holidays" are also commonly used nowadays. I have been hearing of friends who are also going through hard times. Some due to illness, others due to financial struggles. Still, there are others who worry about things at work, relationships at home, and directions in life. Continuing the reflective mood through the Advent season, here is another song by Ali Matthews, that urges us not to let worry get the better of us. The original has been performed by Bing Crosby's "Count Your Blessings (Instead Your Sheep)

For those of us who worry a lot, may this bring some moments of relief. Maybe, it can help you rest better.




Words for "Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep)"

When I'm worried and I can't sleep
I count my blessings instead of sheep
And I fall asleep counting my blessings
When my bankroll is getting small
I think of when I had none at all
And I fall asleep counting my blessings

I think about a nursery and I picture curly heads
And one by one I count them as they slumber in their beds
If you're worried and you can't sleep
Just count your blessings instead of sheep
And you'll fall asleep counting your blessings

I think about a nursery and I picture curly heads
And one by one I count them as they slumber in their beds
If you're worried and you can't sleep
Just count your blessings instead of sheep
And you'll fall asleep counting your blessings




conrade

"Love Came Down At Christmas" (Ali Matthews)

Each year, around late November, some radio stations will be playing Christmas carols and songs non-stop. I like the mood it creates. With the daylight getting shorter, and the dark getting longer, plus the shivering cold temperatures, having something warm to think and to feel about helps immensely. One of my favourite radio stations is Praise 106.5 FM that serves the Lynden, Bellingham, and Vancouver BC area. In the age of the Internet, anyone anywhere in the world with an Internet connection can listen in. This morning, this song captured my attention. It is one of the newer Christmas songs to be released. Indeed, Christmas is more than simply giving and receiving of gifts. It is about love that came down at Christmas. Written by Georgina Rossetti, it is sung by award winning Canadian song writer, Ali Matthews. Great song.




conrade