Yea, Lord, We Greet Thee

O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye, to Bethlehem.
Come and behold Him, born the King of angels;

O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.

True God of true God, Light from Light Eternal,
Lo, He shuns not the Virgin’s womb;
Son of the Father, begotten, not created;

O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.

Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation;
O sing, all ye citizens of heaven above!
Glory to God, all glory in the highest;

O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.

See how the shepherds, summoned to His cradle,
Leaving their flocks, draw nigh to gaze;
We too will thither bend our joyful footsteps;

O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.

Lo! star led chieftains, Magi, Christ adoring,
Offer Him incense, gold, and myrrh;
We to the Christ Child bring our hearts’ oblations.

O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.

Child, for us sinners poor and in the manger,
We would embrace Thee, with love and awe;
Who would not love Thee, loving us so dearly?

O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.

Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, born this happy morning;
Jesus, to Thee be glory given;
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing.

O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.

Silent Night

picture taken by missmellifluous

SILENT NIGHT

Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace

Silent night, holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ, the Saviour is born
Christ, the Saviour is born

Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth

Merry Christmas! God bless us, every one!

Immanuel, God with us

Sherry at Semicolon has a wonderful blog entry that you really should go read this Christmas eve day. She is meditating upon the incarnation--the physical arrival of the Son of God, "now in flesh appearing." Impossible! And yet nothing is impossible for God.

God's Minute

December 24

His ears are open unto their prayers.--1 Peter 3:12

AROUND this, our family altar, we come, O God, to seek Thy face. Keep us today, sheltered in the light of Thy countenance. Help us to do only the things that please Thee. At every step may we be conscious that Thou art at our side.

We sseek Thy very best, both for ourselves and for those, our loved ones, absent from our altar of prayer. As parents, may we guide our household aright; as children , may we walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing.

Mid the darkening shadows, keep us walking in the light; may our hearts be garrisoned with peace. Fill us, O God, with the knowledge of Thy will in all wisdom and spiritural understanding; make us fruitful in every good word and work. As we bow around this family altar, O Lord, help us to comprehend the atoning efficacy of Thy death, the keeping power of Thy life, and the blessed hope of Thy coming.

We ask Thy presence with us during the day; we dare not walk alone. The tempter is too subtle, the pleasures of the world too luring, and the lost of riches too strong. Lead us, O Lord, in the train of Thy triumph; make us more than conquerors in Thee.

Amen.

Rev. R. E. Neighbour,
Athens, Georgia

Happy Birthday to Me

Today is my birthday. And not just any birthday. Today I turn 50.

When I was in about the third grade, I remember sitting at my desk and "doing the math." How old will I be in the year 2000? What year will it be when I turn 50? 65? 75? I sat there and looked down at my little girl hands poised over the wide-ruled paper and wondered what they would look like "when I get old." I really did that.

My hands are aging. I've gained more than a few pounds. I see the beginnings of silver in my hair and I don't even want to describe what is happening to my neck! Too often now I am stiff and sore for no apparent reason. I am aging. Even so, when I look in the mirror I am surprised.

My grandmother told me it would be like that. She said that no matter how old you get, inside you will still feel like a young girl. She was right. I have no idea how old the girl inside of me is. She seems ageless and yet she seems to be young. I wonder if that is so because that is my "eternal age"--the age I will experience forever in glory. My grandma thought so.

I haven't posted a picture of myself on my blog yet. I don't like pictures of myself--ask anyone who tries to take one! But today it seems like something I want to do:

I don't know what I'll look like 5, 10, or 25 years from now, nor indeed how many years I yet have on this side of heaven, but "whoever" looks back at me through that mirror will see "me" and I'll still feel young. My grandma said so.