~ all the little things that make each day a miracle ~

Sunday, December 24, 2006

O come, o come, Immanuel!


The Song of the Angels by William Bouguereau 1881

From Heaven above to earth I come,
To bear good news to every home;
Glad tidings of great joy I bring,
Whereof I now will say and sing.

To you, this night, is born a Child
Of Mary, chosen mother mild;
This tender Child of lowly birth,
Shall be the joy of all your earth.

’Tis Christ our God, Who far on high
Had heard your sad and bitter cry;
Himself will your Salvation be,
Himself from sin will make you free.

He brings those blessings long ago
Prepared by God for all below;
That in His heavenly kingdom blest
You may with us forever rest.

These are the tokens ye shall mark,
The swaddling clothes and manger dark;
There shall ye find the young Child laid,
By Whom the heavens and earth were made.

Now let us all, with gladsome cheer,
Follow the shepherds, and draw near
To see this wondrous Gift of God,
Who hath His own dear Son bestowed.

Give heed, my heart, lift up thine eyes!
What is it in yon manger lies?
Who is this Child, so young and fair?
The blessèd Christ Child lieth there!

Welcome to earth, Thou noble Guest,
Through Whom e’en wicked men are blest!
Thou com’st to share our misery,
What can we render, Lord, to Thee!

Ah, Lord, Who hast created all,
How hast Thou made Thee weak and small,
To lie upon the coarse dry grass,
The food of humble ox and ass.

Were earth a thousand times as fair,
Beset with gold and jewels rare,
She yet were far too poor to be
A narrow cradle, Lord, for Thee.

For velvets soft and silken stuff
Thou hast but hay and straw so rough,
Whereon Thou King, so rich and great,
As ’twere Thy heaven, art throned in state.

Thus hath it pleased Thee to make plain
The truth to us, poor fools and vain,
That this world’s honor, wealth and might
Are naught and worthless in Thy sight.

Ah, dearest Jesus, holy Child,
Make Thee a bed, soft, undefiled,
Here in my poor heart’s inmost shrine,
That I may evermore be Thine.

My heart for very joy doth leap,
My lips no more can silence keep,
I too must sing, with joyful tongue,
That sweetest ancient cradle song.

Glory to God in highest Heaven,
Who unto man His Son hath given,
While angels sing, with pious mirth,
A glad New Year to all the earth.

~Martin Luther

11 comments:

Beverly said...

What a beautiful post praising our Saviour. Thank you for once again posting. That is a lovely piece by Martin Luther.

Thanks for the reference to Martin Luther's blog. I shall read it in due time.

A blessed Christmas to you too, Bonnie.

srp said...

Have a Blessed Christmas Bonnie and may God's peace be on you and your whole household.

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful painting.

Merry Christmas, Bonnie.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for sharing this gorgeous painting. Vielle, lute and... what is the third angel playing?

A joyful Christmas to you and yours, Bonnie.

Big Dave T said...

Legend connects Martin Luther with the lighted Christmas tree, I believe.

Going to watch my alma mater Central Michigan play in the Motor City Bowl tonight. It's been a bowl bountiful year for Michigan colleges this Xmas season--CMU, WMU and the mighty U of M. Well, at least for those schools on Santa's "Nice" list :-)

Anonymous said...

Merry Christmas, friend! What did your true love give to you this first and second day of Christmas?

Marie N. said...

I missed Les Petits Bonheurs! Another lovely painting graces your pages.

We had this hymn in church Monday. The children' choir sang several of the verses, the adult choir and the congregation the others.

Gail said...

What a wonderful Christmas surprise!!!! Wishing you a blessed Christmas season!

MSU gal said...

Great post.
Hope your Christmas was as joyous as mine.
Have a very Happy New Year
Spartan Sis!

Anonymous said...

Those are such kind looking angels and Mary seems so intimate with them, like they are best women friends.

Which day of Christmas are you on now? Do you go until Epiphany?

Anonymous said...

I'm a little late to this party. Hope you had a wonderful Christmas and I hope you have a happy new year.

The painting is beautiful!

About Me

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I live on a forested mountain with my beloved husband and our large family. Less is more, except where children are concerned. My favorite pastimes are practicing yoga on my side deck, learning how to improvise on the cello, and boating into the Puget Sound with my sweetheart.