Susan gets our day started with her request for this beautiful German hymn, Es Ist Ein Ros’ Entsprungen, performed at Ely Cathedral by the Gesualdo Six.
This is one of those hymns that many of us “know” without knowing its title. You’ve probably heard it before.
I cannot vouch for the integrity of this video: although, heck, it was taken by security cameras in an office, so how could it be fake?
We have one of these elves for our tree, passed on to me by my Grammy. I don’t know how old it is, but I suspect it must be part of the first generation of Elf on the Shelf. He’s been on our Christmas tree every year for 40 years, and we’ve never caught him moving about. His descendants seem to be less cautious.
This request from Susan starts our blogging day today: Do You Hear What I Hear?, by Home Free. They’re in some kind of ice cave, somewhere.
But don’t young hang out in an ice cave today! Come out and join our Christmas Carol Contest.
From The Little Drummer Boy, Guy Penrod segues right into We Three Kings: requested by Jeremy. We’re getting our carol contest back on track!
This rates a Wow, don’t you think? Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, performed by Amy Grant: requested by SlimJim. You don’t want to skip this one! Turn up the volume–Christ is born in Bethlehem!
If God has granted my prayers and lifted my illness, I’m just now on my way to Christmas shopping and you’re listening to this–Good Christian Men, Rejoice, sung by the Robert Shaw Chorale.
Well, I still feel like roadkill, but at least I’m still here. In fact, I’m going to try to do a spot of Christmas shopping, courtesy of five hours’ sleep instead of no hours. And today my teeth fit back together.
Thank you all for your prayers. I feel like I’ve passed a crisis point and will start to get better now.
Sorry about no Newswithviews column this week, but I just couldn’t manage it.
Our first annual Christmas Carol Contest started off with a bang, but there hasn’t been a new leader since Dec. 3, when O Holy Night got 25 views. No entries today.
All right, I’ll up the ante. The winner will get an autographed copy of The Temptation, hot off the press, when it comes out. I don’t know exactly when that’ll be, but everything seems to be just about ready.
How do you win? If the Christmas hymn that you request on a given day winds up with the most views on a day, that’s how you win. Somehow this was exciting when we started it.
But anyhow, if we’re proclaiming the birth of Christ in song, we’re all winning.
I don’t understand the language, but what does that matter? Pavarotti sings directly to the heart. It would move the heart of a statue. And the message of the hymn, the proclamation that Jesus Christ is born, is the heart’s best nourishment.
Ah, here it is, Joshua’s other hymn–All Praise to You, by GLAD.
The other night Patty said something that set off my imagination. What was it like for those shepherds to whom the heavenly host appeared in the sky, to announce the birth of the Messiah? Really, can you imagine being there for that?