Christmas Concert 2007

The Glory of Christmas, Orchestra

I am truly happy to see all of you here and I extend a warm welcome to each of you. This is our fifth annual Christmas concert, titled “The Glory of Christmas.”

Christmas truly is a glorious season. There are many reasons this time of the year is so special – we gather with friends and loved ones, we share our blessings with the less fortunate and there are many other family traditions that warm our hearts. But the most important reason is remembering the sacrificial gift that an almighty God bestowed on a spiritually destitute world. When the eternal God became flesh on Christmas night, His everlasting love began to effect the redemption of all mankind. The angels came and announced that Christ the Lord had come as a babe and proclaimed peace and good will to men and glory to God. As we celebrate the Savior’s birth, let us give God the glory of Christmas. As we express our joy and thankfulness to God, we don’t expect applause from men. Please join with us in our joy and attempts to glorify the greatest Giver of Christmas.

You’ll notice on the back of your program the words to “Hark the Herald Angels Sing.” We are going to sing this together as we give the orchestra a chance to find seats in the auditorium and for the string orchestra to get in place. This would also be a good time to make sure you don’t have any potentially embarrassing disturbances on your person – like cell phones, watch alarms, or crying children – that may go off in the next hour or so. Our string orchestra will play “Ding Dong Merrily on High,” which calls on all of us to respond to the birth of the Savior by ringing bells and singing praises to the exalt the newborn King. So let’s stand together and sing the carol “Hark the Herald Angels Sing.”

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, Audience

Ding Dong Merrily on High, String Orchestra

In our secular world of reindeer, santa claus, elves, and snowmen, many may wonder what the beginnings of this celebration is. Why do we do this at this time? When they learn it’s because of the birth of a child, they may wonder…what child? What child greeted by angels’ singing, watched over by shepherds, what child born in a stable where ox and sheep were eating, what child…? Oh, more than a child, He is the Word of God made flesh. He is a babe, but also a Son. He gives us hope in this season, but more than that, He is the only one that can give hope in any season. This is Christ the Lord. So bring Him incense, gold, and myrrh… Come peasant, king, to own Him… The King of kings salvation brings… Let loving hearts enthrone Him! Joy, Joy for Christ is born… the babe, the son of Mary. It’s the birthday of a King

The Birthday of a King, Trumpet Solo

What Child Shall Come?, Mixed Trio

Before our mixed ensemble sings the familiar carol, O Come, All Ye Faithful, the brass ensemble will play Masters In This Hall. This is an old French carol, whose words were written by William Morris sometime before 1860. It is a song of celebration of the promised birth of Christ the Lord. Here are the words to the complete poem…

Masters in this hall, hear ye news today, brought from over sea, and ever I you pray. Nowell, Nowell, Nowell! Nowell sing we clear! Holpen are all folk on earth. Born is God’s Son, so dear. Nowell, Nowell, Nowell! Nowell sing we loud! God today hath all folk raised and cast a down the proud. Going o’er the hills, through the milk-white snow, heard I ewes bleat while the wind did blow. Shepherds many an one sat among the sheep, no man spake more word than they had been asleep. Quoth I, “Fellows mine, why this guise sit ye? Making but dull cheer, shepherds though ye be? Shepherds should of right leap and dance and sing, thus to see ye sit, is a right strange thing.” Quoth these fellows then, “To Bethl’em town we go, to see a mighty lord lie in manger low.” “How name ye this lord, Shepherds?” then said I, “Very God,” they said, “Come from Heaven high.” Then to Bethl’em town we went, two and two, and in a sorry place heard the oxen low. Therein did we see a sweet and goodly may, and a fair old man, upon the straw she lay. And a little child on her arm had she, “Wot ye who this is?” said the hinds to me. Ox and ass him know, kneeling on their knee, wondrous joy had I this little babe to see. This is Christ, the Lord; Masters, be ye glad! Christmas is come in and no folk should be sad.

Masters in this Hall, Brass Ensemble

O Come, All Ye Faithful, Mixed Ensemble

Next we’ll listen to a medley of songs that are brought together with the message the angels brought to the shepherds on the first Christmas night. They brought tidings of great joy. That holy night a king was born in the form of the little baby Jesus. Then our organist and pianist will play the tender melody Infant Holy, Infant Lowly.

Tidings of Great Joy, Violin Solo

Infant Holy, Infant Lowly, Piano/Organ Duet

The spirit of Christmas is easily heard in the music of the song “Sing We Now of Christmas.”  Throughout the song we’re reminded of the tidings that the angels brought on the first Christmas night and encouraged to join with all creation in the joy of the season.

“Go Tell It on the Mountain” is one of the few Christmas, Negro spirituals, This rhythmic tune reminds us of the Savior’s birth and urges us to take up the message of the shepherds who first heard of Christ’s birth from the angels, went to see the newborn babe and then spread the word on the mountain, over the hills, – everywhere, that Jesus, the Christ is born!

Sing We Now of Christmas, Ladies’ Chorus

Go Tell It on the Mountain, Male Chorus

Hopefully, you have enjoyed the music so far, and in a few moments our church choir and orchestra will come and finish the night out for us. While we enjoy music and praising God in this way, there are many other things our church does to help the community around us. Many of you may see our buses going through the neighborhoods each Sunday morning. We provide transportation to church for hundreds of people weekly. Many of the children we bring to church will be participating in our annual children’s Christmas program on the 23^rd, Christmas Sunday morning. Every Thursday evening our church hosts a chapter of Reformers Unanimous. This is a local church based program to help people break the strongholds of addictions in their lives. On a weekly basis, we invite seniors to what we call “Jolly 60’s,” where they can interact with other seniors and participate in various enrichment programs. Also on Thursdays, while teens and adults are learning in classes programmed for them, our Master Clubs program is available for the children to be involved in. During the summer, Camp Fairhaven provides daytime activities, crafts, sports, and swimming to hundreds of children. Along with other activities we also hold church services in nine area nursing homes.

On your program you’ll see the words to “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear.” Let’s stand while we sing this carol and the choirs and orchestra take their places.

It Came Upon the Midnight Clear, Audience

We’ve combined our church, college and high school choirs for our next song. The night of Christ’s birth has been the subject of many Christmas carols. That matchless night was made holy by the coming of the Messiah. “O Holy Night” speaks of that night and is one of the most popular of all Christmas songs.

O Holy Night, Combined Choirs

It would really have been a silent night if it weren’t for the two men who put together the words and music to the song “Silent Night.” The church organ was broken, so the tune had to be simple enough to be played on a classical guitar. The words were also written at the last minute for Christmas services. They are in your program. Please stand and sing this familiar carol with me.

When we finish the orchestra will play a package of Christmas songs and then the choir will sing the Carol of the Bells.

Silent Night, Audience

Christmas Package, Orchestra

Carol of the Bells, Choir

We’ve begun a tradition of playing some selections from the “Messiah,” by George Frideric Handel, each year. “Messiah” is an oratorio that is performed many times during the Christmas season. It was written to tell of the life of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, and its text is taken entirely from Scripture. It is divided into three parts. The most familiar part is the first one, which tells of the prophecy of the Messiah’s coming and the fulfillment of that prophecy when He came at Christmas. The second part tells of Christ’s passion on the cross and his eventual triumph over all the earth. The last part, in which the famous “Hallelujah Chorus” is included, tells of Christ’s work throughout eternity. The “Messiah” is appropriately sung anytime of the year including Easter and, of course, Christmas.

One of more familiar songs in the first section is “For Unto Us.” The text for this song comes from Isaiah 9:6, which says, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” It is significant that the child was born, but the Son (Who existed from eternity) was given. This son and child is the mighty God and the everlasting Father.

For Unto Us, Choir with Orchestra

The “Hallelujah Chorus” tells of Christ’s work throughout eternity when He will reign as King of kings and Lord of lords over heaven and earth forever and ever! When the oratorio was first performed, King George II, suddenly stood up at the beginning of the Hallelujah Chorus. Whatever the king did, everyone else would follow, so everyone stood. There is much conjecture as to why the king stood; some think he was just stretching his legs; he was hard of hearing, so some believe he thought he heard his national anthem; others like to think he stood out of respect for the message of the music; nevertheless, many still stand today whenever the Chorus is sung.

After the Chorus, our keyboard instrumentalists will play a medley of Angels we have heard on high, Carol of the bells, and Silent night.

Hallelujah Chorus, Choir with Orchestra

Christmas Joy, Two Piano and Organ

Our final selection, titled “Canticle of Joy,” or song of joy blends the song “How Great Our Joy” with the popular Christmas carol “Joy to the World.” Isaac Watts wrote Joy to the World with the meaning for the text taken from Psalm 98:4-9.

Let all the earth unto the Lord

          send forth a joyful noise;

Lift up your voice aloud to him,

          sing praises, and rejoice.

With harp, with harp, and voice of psalms,

          unto Jehovah sing:

With trumpets, cornets, gladly sound

          before the Lord the King.

Let seas and all their fullness roar;

          the world, and dwellers there;

Let floods clap hands, and let the hills

          together joy declare

Before the Lord; because he comes,

          to judge the earth comes he:

He’ll judge the world with righteousness,

          his folk with equity.

About 100 years later Lowell Mason took his text and put it to music he had written, which was inspired by songs from Handel’s Messiah. The new tune breathed the Christmas spirit, and even though the text does not come from any of the gospel accounts of Christ’s birth, the truth, that the Lord is come, has inspired many for many years.

Canticle of Joy, Choir with Orchestra

I would like to invite you to fellowship in the foyer of our recreation building where we have coffee, ice cream and other refreshments for sale along with a musical CD of Christmas music our church has produced.

Again, I want to thank you for coming, and I trust you were uplifted by the truths of the season around us. I invite you to worship with us every Sunday, but in particular on the 23rd, when we’ll have a special Christmas Sunday service at 10:30 a.m. which will include a children’s Christmas program. Good night and may we all have a Merry Christmas!

Canticle for Instruments, Orchestra