December 24: Nativity
♫ Music:
Christmas Eve
The Birth of Jesus Christ
Luke 2: 15-20
When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
That Night
Author Unknown
That night when in the Judean skies
The mystic star dispensed the light,
A blind man moved in his sleep--
And dreamed that he had sight.
That night when shepherds heard the song
Of hosts angelic choiring near
A deaf man stirred in slumber’s spell--
And dreamed that he could hear!
That night when in the cattle stall
Slept Child and mother cheek to jowl,
A cripple turned his twisted limbs--
And dreamed that he was whole.
That night when o’er the newborn Babe
The tender Mary rose to lean,
A loathsome leper smiled in sleep--
And dreamed that he was clean.
That night when to the mother’s breast
The little King was held secure,
A prostitute slept a happy sleep--
And dreamed that she was pure!
That night when in the manger lay
The sanctified who came to save,
A man moved in the sleep of death--
And dreamed there was no grave.
NATIVITY
On the night Jesus was born nothing seemed right. The God of infinite creation was piercing into finite space and time on a spectacular mission to live, love, die and conquer death for His creatures. This divine entrance should have been celebrated as the biggest event of all human history. The coming Messiah would have been expected to be heralded by kings and religious people of power. The cities should have been draped with regal pageantry. Honor should have been the overwhelming emotion of the world’s inhabitants. The anticipation of the Creator’s arrival should have been at a crescendo.
But that’s not how it happened, did it? The little, dusty village of Bethlehem was not an appropriate venue for a coming King. The streets and inns were crowded with too many outsiders angry that they were being forced by Rome to return to pay taxes. The night was cold as the wind blew through from the nearby hills. The juiciest piece of gossip at the village well was that there was a young pregnant unmarried Jewish girl looking for a place to say. Her story was a scandal to all who listened.
With no room in the inn and with no family willing to take her in, Mary and Joseph find shelter from the stares and cold in a place reserved for animals. She endured the pangs of birth alone, without help. Then laid her baby in a feeding trough in that smelly dank stable. It couldn't have been comfortable. The wondrous angelic announcement of nine months ago must have seemed like a false promise. The sadness of not having family around and absence of joy at a birth had to feel desolate.
That's what it looked like. Nothing seemed right. But there was more, much more than the eye could see. In reality this was not a mistake. This is exactly what God had planned. The Messiah came into this family, in this village, at this time in fulfillment of hundreds of years of prophecy. This was His big entrance. God orchestrated a host of angelic beings to appear in the sky to shepherds who were deeply and forever moved. When they came to the stable it was a reminder to Mary that they were not forgotten. God was watching.
As Newell Wyeth’s painting illustrates it was not at all dark. There was light - warm, soft light. There was wonder - in the faces of Mary, Joseph and the shepherds. There was praise - in the voices and hearts of the shepherds who were loudly glorifying God. Then there was peace and confidence - in the heart of Mary. Deep in her heart she knew the truth and magnitude of the moment. She had peace. She had hope. In a moment when it looked like nothing was right, in reality, all was calm, all was bright.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, this Christmas as we sing the familiar carols, hear the familiar readings and ponder the familiar mysteries, give us the gift of pure worship -- that ability which Mary had of attributing to you your true worth, your full value, your inestimable greatness. Teach us to be reverent; yet teach us how to express the love that burns within our hearts as we think of your goodness to us--that you have come to be our light in darkness, our hope in despair, our strength in weakness, our shelter in the storm -- yes, and our eternal Saviour.
Amen.
--- Joyce Huggett
Dan Crane
Missions Pastor
EV Free Church
The Nativity
N.C. Wyeth
Oil on canvas
About the Artist and Artwork
N.C. (Newell Convers) Wyeth (1882-1945) was born in Needham, Massachusetts. His artistic interests were inspired by his mother, and he eventually eschewed a more traditional education for art training. He received tutelage from neighborhood artist Cora Livingston and attended art schools before studying at the Howard Pyle School of Art in Delaware with Pyle himself.
At the start of the 1910s, N.C. Wyeth was hired to provide illustrations for Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island for Charles Scribner's & Sons book publishers. Wyeth went on to continue his work with the company, developing a line that would come to be known as Scribner's Illustrated Classics, including titles like The Boy's King Arthur, The Last of the Mohicans, Drums and The Yearling. Wyeth won acclaim for his style of textured, moody paintings featuring personal vantage points and giving the genre of children's storytelling distinctive realism. His oeuvre contains a wide selection of biblical illustrations.
About the Music #1:
“O Children Come”
Lyrics:
“Hear the cry from Bethlehem,
O children come!
Son of God now born to men,
O children come –
Bring your troubles, bring your fears,
Bring the needs that draw you near,
Find the hope of all the years –
O children come!
O children come!
Peace on earth good will to men,
O children come!
Righteous rule that will not end,
O children come –
Lay down all your bitterness,
Turn from sin’s toil and distress,
Find His grace and perfect rest –
O children come!
O children come!
Where the Father’s grace has walked,
O children come!
Where you see the hurt and lost,
O children come –
Show the mercy shown to you,
Gifts of kindness to renew,
Love from hearts sincere and true –
O children come!
O children come!”
About the Composers & Performers for Music #1:
Keith (b. 1974) and Kristyn Getty (b. 1980) occupy a unique place in the world of music today as preeminent hymn writers. In re-inventing the traditional hymn form, they have created a distinguished catalogue of songs teaching Christian doctrine and crossing genres by connecting the world of traditional and classical composition with contemporary and globally-accessible melodies. These modern hymns are rooted in the traditions of Celtic and English hymnody, handed down to the Northern Ireland-born couple and their long-time writing partner, Stuart Townend. Their best known hymn, “In Christ Alone” (penned by Keith and Stuart, and recorded by Keith and Kristyn) echoes this heritage and has been voted one of the best-loved hymns of all time in the UK.
www.gettymusic.com
About the Featured Performers for Music #1:
Ladysmith Black Mambazo is a male a cappella choral group founded by Joseph Shabalala that sings the intricate rhythms and vocal styles of their native South African musical traditions. Ladysmith Black Mambazo rose to worldwide prominence as a result of singing with American singer/songwriter Paul Simon on his 1986 album entitled Graceland, and have won multiple awards, including four Grammy Awards. Formed in 1960, they became one of South Africa's most prolific recording artists, having recorded over 50 albums, many of which have received gold and platinum disc honors. The vocal group has continued during the past five decades to create music with a spiritual connection that has garnered them international praise and accolades.
http://www.mambazo.com/
About the Music #2:
“Let the Children Come” (Estonian Folk Hymn)
Lyrics:
“Let the children come to me,”
thus Jesus exclaimed,
“I am their shield and crown.
So that they may be saved,
I came into this world as a child.
I summon them so that they may be mine.”
About the Performers Music #2:
The Estonian vocal ensemble Heinavanker is a unique meeting point for musicians active in diverse fields. Since 1996 the group under the direction of composer Margo Kõlar has delved into early sacred music, traditional Estonian runic songs and folk hymns, and music with a contemporary imagination.
http://heinavanker.ee/?page_id=14