“The little Lord Jesus no crying he makes,” I’m sure Mary, his mother, would like a word.
Well written Christmas carols carry the individual and the congregation through some or all of our Lord’s advent. Some rise to the level of greatness, like Charles Wesley’s “Hark the Herald Angels Sing,” arguably the greatest text of any hymn, not merely Christmas hymns, in the English language. Then there are the rest. Some of which can be found in our church hymnal.
The 24 hymns and carols in our church hymnal appear in a grouping that begins with the ancient “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” Translated from Latin and set to music in the mid-19th century, the origin may date as early as the 12th century or any time to the 15th century. It is a fitting text and tune to begin Advent singing.
Our hymnal’s collection of Christmas carols finishes with “A Thousand Years Have Come and Gone.” Never heard of it? Me neither.
Thomas Lynch served a small congregation in London in the 1850s – 60s. He authored more than a few hymns for the church and the last Christmas hymn in our church hymnal. Frankly, I am not sure how it made its way into any hymnal.
The poetry of the first three stanzas is unimpressive, like this line in the first verse, “And in the hearts of old and young a joy most joyful stirred.” Not Pulitzer prize writing by my fellow clergyman.
But something happened when he penned stanza four, and while we won’t be singing Lynch’s Christmas hymn anytime soon and I’d bet the house you won’t hear it at a community Christmas concert in New Ulm, the last verse is good, like really good.
For trouble such as men must bear
From childhood to fourscore,
He shared with us, that we might share
His joy for evermore;
And twice a thousand years of grief,
Of conflict, and of sin,
May tell how large the harvest sheaf
His patient love shall win.
In a few lines, Lynch captures our Lord’s intimacy with us in our hardships and pain in a broken world. Lynch reminds us that as our Lord shares our burdens, we share our Lord’s eternal joy. And Lynch declares in the climaxing line that the number receiving Jesus’s salvation only increases with every year of sin.
Christmas hymns have a unique place in our worship and in our spiritual maturing. At once, many of them capture the deep pain of this world while holding out the hope found singularly in the incarnation of Jesus Christ. They aid us in our corporate worship, and they deepen our understanding of what Jesus has done for us.
Christmas carols are built on poetry, not all of it good, but listen carefully to the lines. You might find a present not previously known.
As always, I welcome your feedback and any suggestions you might have for an upcoming Lunchtime Musing.