There are those who believe that the Christmas Story is every bit as profound as the Easter Story, despite the tremendous, indeed mind-boggling impact that the Easter Story has had on the development of Christendom and western society through these many ages. The reason that the Christmas Story is as powerful as it is comes from the content of the Christmas account provided in the Bible. Imagine, if you can, that the all-powerful God of the Universe, a Triune God for most of Christendom, has one of its three mystical components, the only begotten Son of God, jetison its nature as a spiritual being and take on the form of a human being. And then imagine that this human being is not sent to us as a King or even a General, but instead as the Son of a poverty-stricken young woman. Then imagine that the God as human being is born into the world, not in plush and clean sparkling surroundings, but instead in a stable of farm animals.
The delivery is accomplished by the woman working with her betrothed husband, who has been told by God's Angel to keep his pride and dignity under wraps and to assume the fatherhood of the child, even though he is not, in fact, the actual father. When the Child is born, he is laid in a manger, which we know is a feeding trough for the animals of the stable. Imagine then that the Angels of the God of the Universe come to Earth to inform humanity of the miraculous birth. But these Angels do not tell the elite and powerful, but instead confine their initial telling to a small number of some of society's most humble and poor men: some shepherds who are in the fields outside of a small town with their sheep. It is these shepherds - who are never identified by name in the Bible - who are the first humans to come to the stable to worship the child. The humble shepherds are accorded the unimaginable privilege of seeing God as man. These shepherds - who for all of time will be envied by other humans - had the unimaginable privilege of first listening to a choir consisting of the angels of heaven singing in unison about the birth of Christ. One can only imagine how that sounded or the effect that it had forever after in the memories of these blessed men.
The most powerful being in the universe is born to and for humanity as the most humble of beings. The poets have some quite rich material at their beck and call. With total credit and thanks to the web site 'Poem Hunter,' (http://www.poemhunter.com/), here are two of those great poets and their Christmas poetry:
A Christmas Carol
by Samuel Taylor Coleridge (21 October 1772 – 25 July 1834)
I.
The shepherds went their hasty way,
And found the lowly stable-shed
Where the Virgin-Mother lay:
And now they checked their eager tread,
For to the Babe, that at her bosom clung,
A Mother's song the Virgin-Mother sung.
II.
They told her how a glorious light,
Streaming from a heavenly throng.
Around them shone, suspending night!
While sweeter than a mother's song,
Blest Angels heralded the Savior's birth,
Glory to God on high! and Peace on Earth.
III.
She listened to the tale divine,
And closer still the Babe she pressed:
And while she cried, the Babe is mine!
The milk rushed faster to her breast:
Joy rose within her, like a summer's morn;
Peace, Peace on Earth! the Prince of Peace is born.
IV.
Thou Mother of the Prince of Peace,
Poor, simple, and of low estate!
That strife should vanish, battle cease,
O why should this thy soul elate?
Sweet Music's loudest note, the Poet's story,
Didst thou ne'er love to hear of fame and glory?
V.
And is not War a youthful king,
A stately Hero clad in mail?
Beneath his footsteps laurels spring;
Him Earth's majestic monarchs hail
Their friends, their playmate! and his bold bright eye
Compels the maiden's love-confessing sigh.
VI.
Tell this in some more courtly scene,
To maids and youths in robes of state!
I am a woman poor and mean,
And wherefore is my soul elate.
War is a ruffian, all with guilt defiled,
That from the aged father's tears his child!
VII.
A murderous fiend, by fiends adored,
He kills the sire and starves the son;
The husband kills, and from her board
Steals all his widow's toil had won;
Plunders God's world of beauty; rends away
All safety from the night, all comfort from the day.
VIII.
Then wisely is my soul elate,
That strife should vanish, battle cease:
I'm poor and of low estate,
The Mother of the Prince of Peace.
Joy rises in me, like a summer's morn:
Peace, Peace on Earth! The Prince of Peace is born!
The Three Kings
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882)
Three Kings came riding from far away,
Melchior and Gaspar and Baltasar;
Three Wise Men out of the East were they,
And they travelled by night and they slept by day,
For their guide was a beautiful, wonderful star.
The star was so beautiful, large, and clear,
That all the other stars of the sky
Became a white mist in the atmosphere,
And by this they knew that the coming was near
Of the Prince foretold in the prophecy.
Three caskets they bore on their saddle-bows,
Three caskets of gold with golden keys;
Their robes were of crimson silk with rows
Of bells and pomegranates and furbelows,
Their turbans like blossoming almond-trees.
And so the Three Kings rode into the West,
Through the dusk of night, over hill and dell,
And sometimes they nodded with beard on breast
And sometimes talked, as they paused to rest,
With the people they met at some wayside well.
"Of the child that is born," said Baltasar,
"Good people, I pray you, tell us the news;
For we in the East have seen his star,
And have ridden fast, and have ridden far,
To find and worship the King of the Jews."
And the people answered, "You ask in vain;
We know of no king but Herod the Great!"
They thought the Wise Men were men insane,
As they spurred their horses across the plain,
Like riders in haste, and who cannot wait.
And when they came to Jerusalem,
Herod the Great, who had heard this thing,
Sent for the Wise Men and questioned them;
And said, "Go down unto Bethlehem,
And bring me tidings of this new king."
So they rode away; and the star stood still,
The only one in the gray of morn
Yes, it stopped, it stood still of its own free will,
Right over Bethlehem on the hill,
The city of David where Christ was born.
And the Three Kings rode through the gate and the guard,
Through the silent street, till their horses turned
And neighed as they entered the great inn-yard;
But the windows were closed, and the doors were barred,
And only a light in the stable burned.
And cradled there in the scented hay,
In the air made sweet by the breath of kine,
The little child in the manger lay,
The child, that would be king one day
Of a kingdom not human but divine.
His mother Mary of Nazareth
Sat watching beside his place of rest,
Watching the even flow of his breath,
For the joy of life and the terror of death
Were mingled together in her breast.
They laid their offerings at his feet:
The gold was their tribute to a King,
The frankincense, with its odor sweet,
Was for the Priest, the Paraclete,
The myrrh for the body's burying.
And the mother wondered and bowed her head,
And sat as still as a statue of stone;
Her heart was troubled yet comforted,
Remembering what the Angel had said
Of an endless reign and of David's throne.
Then the Kings rode out of the city gate,
With a clatter of hoofs in proud array;
But they went not back to Herod the Great,
For they knew his malice and feared his hate,
And returned to their homes by another way.
_________________________________________________________________________
Those of you who have read Parts 1 and 2 of the Real Christmas Story have realized that it is merely a verbatim reprinting of the actual account of the Christmas Story from the Bible. Each of the two parts have included a portion of the telling from both St. Matthew and St. Luke. In St. Luke, we have, so far, learned about Zeccariah and Elizabeth, the parents of John the Baptist. The Arch-Angel Gabriel appeared to Zeccariah as he was inside the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, burning incense in connection with his duty as a Jewish Priest. Gabriel informed Zeccariah that he and Elizabeth would have a son who would be a great man and an active and profound servant of the Lord God. John's duty would be to prepare Israel for the coming of Christ. But Zeccariah could hardly believe the Angel's words because both he and Elizabeth were well past the age when parenting is possible, and on top of this, Elizabeth is barren. The Angel informs Zeccariah that he will be struck dumb for doubting the words he was sent by God to deliver. From St. Matthew we have learned that Christ's Earthly Father, Joseph, was a righteous man who resolved to quietly divorce his betrothed wife, Mary, after he learned that Mary was pregnant and he was not the father. But in a dream, and angel informs Joseph that he should not hesitate to take Mary as his wife. The child that Mary carries in her womb was placed there miraculously by the Holy Spirit, the angel tells Joseph. Joseph obeys God and acts as Mary's husband, even though he and Mary did not consumate their marraige until after the birth of Christ. We have also learned about the coming of the Magi. The Bible tells us that the so-called Wise Men or Kings came from "the east" to Jerusalem, following a miraculous Star. In Jerusalem they are questioned and brought before the king, Herod, who attempts to learn the whereabouts of this future king. Now here is Part 3 of this Holy Story:
From the Gospel of St. Luke, Chapter 1, beginning with Verse 39: In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah, Verse 40: and she entered the house of Zeccariah and greeted Elizabeth. Verse 41: And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit Verse 42: and she exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! Verse 43: And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? Verse 44: For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy. Verse 45: And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord." Verse 46: And Mary said,
"My soul magnifies the Lord,
Verse 47: and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
Verse 48: for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden.
For behold, henceforth all generations
will call me blessed;
Verse 49: for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
Verse 50: And his mercy is on those who fear him
from generation to generation.
Verse 51: He has shown strength with his arm,
he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts,
Verse 52: he has put down the mighty from their thrones,
and exalted those of low degree;
Verse 53: he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent empty away.
Verse 54: He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
Verse 55: as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his posterity for ever."
Verse 56: And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her home.
From the Gospel of St. Matthew, Chapter 2, beginning with Verse 7: Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star appeared; Verse 8: 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." Verse 9: When they had heard the king they went their way; and lo, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was. Verse 10: When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy; Verse 11: and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. Verse 12: And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
Verse 13: Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there till I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him." Verse 14: And he rose and took the child and his mother by night, and departed to Egypt, Verse 15: and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, "Out of Egypt have I called my son."
Verse 16: Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, was in a furious rage, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time which he had ascertained from the wise men. Verse 17: Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:
Verse 18: "A voice was heard in Ramah,
wailing and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be consoled,
because they were no more."
Part 4 of the Real Christmas Story will be printed in the next post of Credible and Incisive.
One of my favorite Christmas Carols is O Holy Night. According to the British web site 'Carols.org (www.carols.org.uk/ba32-o-holy-night.htm), "the words and lyrics of the old carol 'O Holy Night' were written by Placide Cappeau de Roquemaure in 1847. Cappeau was a wine seller by trade but was asked by the parish priest to write a poem for Christmas. He obliged and wrote the beautiful words of the hymn. He then realised that it should have music to accompany the words and he approached his friend Adolphe Charles Adams(1803-1856). He agreed and the music for the poem was therefore composed by Adolphe Charles Adams. Adolphe had attended the Paris conservatoire and forged a brilliant career as a composer. It was translated into English by John Sullivan Dwight (1812-1893)." The tune is magnificent and the words powerful and inspiring. I have always found the third verse to be the most powerful of all. Here are those lyrics, again with full credit to Carols.org:
O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!
Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
O'er the world a star is sweetly gleaming,
Now come the wisemen from out of the Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friends.
He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!
Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
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