For those overseas, it may seem a bit strange, but, in Australia, Christmas is the biggest holiday of the year. It’s traditionally a time when people take time off work and celebrate. (For our US readers, think something like Thanksgiving.) Sadly, the celebrations often have little to do with the birth of our Saviour; please pray for our nation.
All of this is to say that The Sola Panel is going to go into a brief recess over the Christmas-New Year period. Today will be the last post until we return, bigger and better (well, at least, bigger, given the prevalence of eating at Christmas) on the 12th of January.
Thank you to all who have read us regularly this year, who have contributed to the discussions or who have just dropped in occasionally to see what’s going on. We’re looking forward to continuing to write about life and ministry soaked in God’s word in 2009. Until we return, I thought those reading might like to share their favourite Christmas carols. I have been reminded again recently about how profoundly Christian the good carols are. To kick us off, mine is Hark the Herald Angels Sing (it’s worth reading the words through slowly). Talk to you all again in 2009.
Merry Christmas and a happy New Year from the Sola Panel team.
Hark the herald angels sing
“Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled”
Joyful, all ye nations rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With the angelic host proclaim:
“Christ is born in Bethlehem”
Hark! The herald angels sing
“Glory to the newborn King!”Christ by highest heav’n adored
Christ the everlasting Lord!
Late in time behold Him come
Offspring of a Virgin’s womb
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see
Hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with man to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel
Hark! The herald angels sing
“Glory to the newborn King!”Hail the heav’n-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings
Ris‘ ’n with healing in His wings
Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Hark! The herald angels sing
“Glory to the newborn King!”(Charles Wesley, Hymns and Sacred Poems, 1739.)
O Holy Night
You already posted my favorite Christmas carol. I’ll dare to post one that I wrote some years back. It’s public domain, so can be used any way you want. It can be sung to the tune “Dix” (usually used for “For the Beauty of the Earth” or “As with Gladness Men of Old”).
Come and see the promised One,
Both of God and Man the Son;
Christ, for whom great kings did wait,
Now appears in lowly state.
He whom heaven’s hosts adored
Now becomes our infant Lord.
Born a prophet, he will show
Just the way that we should go.
Born a priest_, he will give
His own life so we can live.
Born a king_, he will reign
O’er the earth as his domain.
Come and see him now a man
Living out God’s perfect plan.
Hear him calling, “Leave your sin.
Come to Me and enter in.”
Lord, with all our hearts we come.
May your work in us be done.
Then, like Jesus, we will say
Words of life and truth today.
Then, like him, we’ll intercede
When we see someone in need.
Victors over Satan’s strife,
We, like Christ, will reign in life.
Grimmo—do you think that Christmas isn’t that big here in the US??
Hi Justin,
No, I understand it’s big. Just got the vibe from my American friends that thanksgiving was bigger, and I reckon in Oz, Christmas is our biggest holiday. I probably am trying too hard to translate between cultures!
Happy new year by the way.
Grimmo.
Hey Grimmo,
There is probably more pressure to return home during Thanksgiving.
But there is more lead up and Hoo Haa around Christmas, for obvious reasons. Christmas is *huge* here in NYC.
You have a good one, friend.
Justin.
Whoa, do I believe what I see?
A love job for Charles Wesley, the quintessential Arminian on a staunch Calvanist website!
Keep up the intra-faith dialogue fella’s!
Cheers, and HNY09.