Song Lyrics
Angels We Have Heard on High
[Verse] Angels we have heard on high, Sweetly singing o'er the plains. And the mountains in reply, Echoing their joyous strains.
[Chorus] Gloria in excelsis Deo. Gloria in excelsis Deo.
[Verse] Shepherds why this jubilee. Why your joyous strains prolong. What the gladsome tidings be, Which inspire your heavenly song.
[Verse] Come to Bethlehem and see, Christ whose birth the angels sing. Come adore on bended knee, Christ the Lord the newborn King.
[Verse] See Him in a manger laid, Whom the choirs of angels praise. Mary Joseph lend your aid, While our hearts in love we raise.
O Holy Night
[Verse] O holy night the stars are brightly shining. It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth. Long lay the world in sin and error pining, Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth. A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices. For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn. Fall on your knees. O hear the angel voices. O night divine. O night when Christ was born. O night O holy night. O night divine.
[Verse] Led by the light of faith serenely beaming. With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand. So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming. Here came the wise men from Orient land. The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger. In all our trials born to be our Friend. He knows our need. To our weakness is no stranger. Behold your King. Before Him lowly bend. Behold your King. Before Him lowly bend.
[Verse] Truly He taught us to love one another. His law is love and His gospel is peace. Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother. And in His name all oppression shall cease. Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we. Let all within us praise His holy name. Christ is the Lord. O praise His name forever. His power and glory. Evermore proclaim. His power and glory. Evermore proclaim
Yuletide Carols: Peace
Luke 2:8-15
That night [when Jesus was born] there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Saviour—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” 15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
[v.1] It came upon the midnight clear, that glorious song of old. From angels bending near the earth, to touch their harps of gold. “Peace on the earth, good will to men, from heaven’s all-gracious King.” The world in solemn stillness lay, to hear the angels sing.
[v.2] Still through the cloven skies they come, with peaceful wings unfurled. And still their heavenly music floats o’er all the weary world. Above its sad and lowly plains, they bend on hovering wing. And ever o’er its Babel sounds, the blessed angels sing.
[v.3] Yet with the woes of sin and strife, the world has suffered long. Beneath the angel-strain have rolled, two thousand years of wrong; And man, at war with man hears not, the love-song which they bring. O hush the noise, ye men of strife, and hear the angels sing!
[v.4] And ye, beneath life’s crushing load, whose forms are bending low. Who toil along the climbing way, with painful steps and slow. Look now! for glad and golden hours come swiftly on the wing. O rest beside the weary road, and hear the angels sing!
[v.5] For lo!, the days are hastening on, by prophet bards [poets] foretold. When with the ever-circling years, comes round the age of gold [the coming Kingdom of God]. When peace shall over all the earth. its ancient splendours fling. And the whole world give back the song, which now the angels sing.
Discussion Questions
What thoughts or feelings does this song raise for you?
Can you relate to Edmund Sears’ angst over social strife or personal struggles?
What do you think or feel about the promise of “peace on the earth, goodwill to men”?
Closing Prayer
[A Christmas Blessing - Pete Greig]
May the extraordinary love, by which the Father sent his Son at Christmas, embrace my family and friends, my heart and my home, this day.
And may the beautiful humility, by which Jesus was born in Bethlehem, mark all my attitudes, actions and interactions this day.
And may the irrepressible joy, by which the Spirit conceives and breathes new life, fill me with the holiness of heaven’s happiness, now and forever more.
Amen.