(Waddaya mean, posting a Christmas hymn on the second day of March?)
Two reasons. First, this was the first hymn that popped into my head today. And second: I almost totally missed this past Christmas, and I wasn’t all that far from dying. Certainly I had no strength to do up a Christmas tree.
I hope and pray we’ll all be well by the time Christmas rolls around again.
I’d hate to miss another one.
Joshua Aaron sings O Come, O Come Emmanuel at the City of David in Jerusalem. Traditional plus modern instruments give the ancient carol a unique sound.
(No carol contest entries this morning.)
I’m just dying for Christmas this year. It can’t come soon enough or stay around long enough for me. Well, we’ve had a lot of hard traveling this year.
So, here’s an early taste of Christmas–Gesu Bambino, sung by Luciano Pavarotti and Joan Osborne. Brings a tear to my eye.
I would like it to be said of me that “he knew how to keep Christmas.” And Easter, too.
And so we come to Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, by Charles Wesley in 1739, sung by Amy Grant.
If Christ is not born, the world cannot be saved.
And if Christ be not risen, as St. Paul explained, then we can’t be risen, either.
Hence a Christmas hymn in September.
Well, I told you’d I’d post one or two Christmas hymns a month, year-round. That goes for Easter, too–so don’t be afraid to request it.
O Holy Night, by the Voice of Eden Choir Masters Assn., India: featuring soloist Deborah Blesse. The Lord has certainly blessed her with a voice!
(See, I told you: nooze-free weekend, especially Sunday.)
I’ve said there is no wrong time for a Christmas hymn, so let’s enjoy one today–On This Day Earth Shall Ring, sung by the congregation of the First Presbyterian Church in Beaver Falls, PA. This hymn goes back to 1582, when it was sung in Latin and known as Personent Hodie.
We’re going to keep on doing Easter hymns, too.
I thought I might be too sick to post this–but no way! This is just out of this world.
Requested by Susan, Angels We Have Heard On High, sung by Dan Vasc with a full orchestra behind him. It stirred my soul!
Remember–from now on, hymns for Christmas and Easter are never out of season here! Request them to your hearts’ content.
Well, I’ve tried everything else. They’ve cut me off from half my readership (maybe more), WordPress denies there’s any problem, and there seems to be jack-all nothing I can do about it… So I guess I can do pretty much anything that occurs to me: when you open the blog with one view–yes, just one–on your Home Page, you just can’t do much worse.
I propose, for the rest of the year, to post at least one Christmas hymn and one Easter hymn every month, until Christmas comes around again. It might look like of odd in July or August… but it may be the Lord will like that kind of oddness.
And again, why not? It wouldn’t hurt to have these two most special holidays in mind all throughout the year.
It’s never too early for a Christmas hymns; at least, not around here, it isn’t.
Requested by Susan: O, Holy Night, performed by the Celtic Trio backed up by an Irish choir.
There has never been a time when we didn’t need our Savior.
Another entry for our Christmas Carol Contest, requested by Joshua–I Wonder As I Wander, sung by Simon Khorolskiye. And where does he find that scenery! Background sets by God the Father, Creator of heaven and earth.