Pathways Press.com

Written by Laura Metzger from the Village Church. 

 I Wonder as I Wander is an Appalachian carol, first performed in 1933. Folklorist John Jacob Niles composed the song after hearing a fragment of a melody from a young girl in Murphy, North Carolina.  It’s a song of wonder, sung by one who marvels that the Lord of heaven came down for ordinary, broken people.  For me, it captures the holy awe associated with  the season of advent.  Even as we celebrate the wonder of Jesus’ birth, we remember that this Child came “for to die,” that we might live. The singer’s wondering heart becomes my own: Why would the Creator step into His creation? Why would Majesty trade glory for poverty, and life for death? Jesus came not for the perfect, but for the poor in spirit; not for the powerful, but for the wandering. He came for us. This is the miracle of grace. As we look up into the night sky, may we, too, recognize that sacred wonder that God loves us enough to come near and be with us in our ordinary, daily, broken lives.

I wonder as I wander out under the sky, how Jesus the Savior did come for to die. For poor ordinary people like you and like I—I wonder as I wander out under the sky.

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Written by Betty Simm from the Village Church.  She adds: this is from my “103 year old” heart, written last night with no corrections!

“Oh Come All Ye Faithful

Joyful and Triumphant

 Oh Come Ye To Bethlehem”

                                                                                                                                                                           

I hear the call

 It’s a heavenly voice

 Intriguing to one and all.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Sacred music lilts in space

Happy and inspiring

To the whole human race

I want to answer the song

Like a magnet, it pulls me

To join the group, to belong.

It must be God who calls with joy

He says “Come live with me”

To every man, woman, girl, and boy.

My answer is a faithful “YES”

His sacred power ignites me.

By following God, I’m a Holy Success!

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, Christ, the Lord!

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Written by Ruth Grendell of The Village Church.

I enjoy singing the Hymns with the congregation, the choir, and the musicians. There are over 100 Christmas Hymns in our Hymnal that are based on the Scriptures in the Old and New Testaments. They were written by famous composers or are related to Hymn favorites in other countries of the world.  All of them are based on the Scriptures.(see Isaiah 9:49: 1-6)  A 13th-century hymn message that the “Father’s Love Begotten ere the World Began to Be” is so meaningful.” Christ was born in a manger, for there was no place available for Him! The Angel informed the shepherds who rushed to see Him. A Star directed the three Kings (Wise men) from the Orient who brought gifts to Him. Another favorite is: “Break Forth O Power of Satan’s Breaking”! He brought Joy to the World”. Go tell it on the Mountain”. How can I have a favorite one? When I visited Bethlehem, I saw the place they said was where Christ was born. Then, I could only sing “Come into My Heart, Lord Jesus. There is Room there for Thee.”

O come to my heart, Lord Jesus, there is room in my heart for Thee.

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Written by Joanne Melton of The Village Church.

When our children were growing up, a pastor in our church presented The Nativity Story, every Christmas season. A stable was constructed and the manger was set in place.  Costumes were made for Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, the Shepherds, and the Three Wise Men bearing gifts for the Christ child.   The children took their places to begin. A child dressed as an angel carried the star of Bethlehem and placed it over the stable where the baby . The shepherds gathered with their sheep and the Magi kneeled as they presented their gifts.   The lights dimmed, and the star shined brightly above the manger as Mary cuddled the baby Jesus.  The organ began to play, and the children began to sing “Away In a Manger.”  Those precious children singing this beautiful carol always brought tears to my eyes.  And it still does, when I remember those times.

Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, the little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head; the stars in the heavens looked down where He lay, the little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.

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Written by the Pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

At Christmas, the greatest gift — God in flesh — is entrusted to an unmarried girl, possibly a teenager. Mary’s courage in accepting God’s offer is almost beyond our comprehension. As she faced everything to come, including the arduous journey to Bethlehem, she needed that same courage to continue. The angel had promised that the Holy Spirit would come to her, and it is to that same spirit (the Greek words for “breath” and “spirit” are the same) that she cries out to now. Who in your life is looking for courage right now? How can you be a breath from heaven for them?

 Breath of heaven hold me together. Be forever near me. Breath of heaven lighten my darkness. Pour over me Your holiness. For You are holy. Breath of heaven.

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Written by Judy Walters from the Village Church.

Buried in my parents’ saved letters and memorabilia I discovered a small, yellowed booklet. “The Christmas Caroler’s Book,” published in 1935, includes 80 pages of Christmas carols and their history. This discovery took me back to my childhood in the 1940’s.  On a cold, sometimes snowy night, many neighbor children joined together to go caroling. Bundled in snow suits, earmuffs, and mittens, we went from house to house, singing carols. Most of them we knew by heart. Many adults came outside to applaud and sing along.  Afterward we gathered in a warm house for a festive celebration, drinking homemade hot chocolate and enjoying old fashioned Christmas cookies. On Christmas Eve. at 11PM our family attended a beautiful Service at the nearby Presbyterian Church. The Scripture Story of Jesus’ birth was told and many carols were sung. On the stroke of midnight, the choirs and congregation broke out in the last song, “JOY to The World!” Until recently, I did not know that my favorite song, originally written by Isaac Watts, was not written for Christmas. Part of “Psalms of David,” published in 1719, it was a paraphrase of Psalm 98. To this day, I feel so thrilled to sing the verses telling us the Lord is come, Let Earth receive her king!  He rules the world, And Wonders of His Love!”

Joy to the world; the Lord is come; Let Earth receive her king; Let ev’ry heart prepare him room, and heav’n and nature sing…He rules the world with truth and grace, and makes the nations prove, the glories of his righteousness, and wonders of his love.

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Written by Julie MacNeil from the Village Church.

I was 5 years old, very shy, and rarely spoke in front of the class. But one December morning in 1950, in my kindergarten classroom, I stepped up to a microphone, and said, “Merry Christmas, Mother and Daddy! I am going to sing a song for you. This is Julie.” I sang “There’s a Song in the Air.” Our teacher, in what was a fairly unusual occurrence at the time, made recordings of the voice of each child in our class and had them made into records, the vinyl variety! They were 78 rpm records, even though they were about the size of a 45. Each record was tucked into a little red envelope, made out of red construction paper and decorated with a Christmas drawing by the kindergarteners, given as gifts to our parents. That record became my mother’s treasure. She played it over and over, until our record player stopped working. It was then put back into its little red envelope with my drawing of Santa, and tucked safely away in her cedar chest, where she kept baby books, baby shoes, curls from my brother’s first haircut, and other treasures from our childhood. I did not hear that record of my childish voice again for many years. It wasn’t until my mother had passed away at age 96, that I opened her cedar chest and saw among her treasures that little faded red construction paper envelope. The record inside was still in one piece. I took it home with me and stored it as safely as I could, but I had no way to play it, until recently when I was able to find a small record player which played all speeds – 33, 45, and 78. The record did not play perfectly, but it brought back that morning in my kindergarten classroom, where I sang my first and only solo! Was it the voice of a budding diva? No, it was the voice of a little girl, singing with all her heart about a mother, and a baby lying in a manger, who would be our Savior. I heard “There’s a Song in the Air” recently in a church service. Memory clutched at my heart, my throat swelled and tears spilled out of my eyes. I will always love that song from a Christmas so long ago, but I don’t think I will ever be able to hear it without a lump in my throat!  Here’s a link to the original recording:  https://youtu.be/0YY2i1kPSCA.

There’s a song in the air! There’s a star in the sky! There’s a mother’s deep prayer and a baby’s low cry! And the star rains its fire while the beautiful sing. For the manger of Bethlehem cradles a King!

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Written by Mary Whittier Johansen from the Village Church.

When I was ten years old, I received a beautiful hardbound, illustrated book, titled Sing for Christmas.  It was a gift from my cousin, Edwin McNeil and his wife. I was ready and eager to play and sing of silent nights, angels, shepherds and joy.  But O Holy Night was written with five flats, and the vocal music was separated from the accompaniment. That carol became a favorite when our daughters could sing, and I could play in five flats.  Years later, my oldest granddaughter, Anna did the honors.  She sang I Know That My Redeemer Liveth at her grandfather’s celebration of life. Later she sang The Lord’s Prayer when Jack Baca performed my marriage to Fred Johansen at La Costa Glen.  Anna really has the voice of an angel. Now I am blessed with six great grandchildren.  Imagine my surprise this October when my snail mail included a charming Christmas card, O Holy Night.  Joan, age six, mailed it to me. I am GG, great grandmother.  Joan prints her name and mine and draws hearts. She likes to receive my postcards and letters, and I am thrilled she writes to me.  My mother, also Anna, had eight sisters and four brothers.  (Joan has two sisters and 1 brother).  My mother was especially close to Kathryn, Edwin’s mother. Ed, an only child, piloted a plane over the English Channel on D-Day.  He could still recall Sing For Christmas at his 100th birthday.  He died at 102.  I am heartened that my family and many young couples are choosing to have children and raise them to know and love our savior Jesus who came to us as an infant one holy night.  

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 pow’r and glory evermore proclaim! His pow’r and glory evermore proclaim!

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Written by Irene Dickson from The Village Church

There is so much wonderful music in our lives every day, but especially at Christmas when the carols we sing and songs from the holiday movies we watch, evoke warm memories of past times.There are many Christmas carols I love singing and they inevitably bring me to tears. ‘O Holy Night’ is one such song. Another favorite is ‘What Child is This’. They both make me think of that night when Jesus was born in a stable- the calmness, the sense of wonder.One of my favorites is ‘In the Bleak Midwinter’. Hard to imagine such a thing here in San Diego, but the hymn makes me think of a perfect winter scene with lots of snow, a cottage with dim lights at the windows and smoke coming out of the chimney.The hymn describes the scene of Jesus’ birth and makes me think I’m a bystander, wondering what can I do for, or give to a special baby. ‘Yet what I can I give him…. Give my heart’. That’s what Jesus wants us to do – give Him our heart.In addition to the words which were written by Christina Rossetti, I love the music and clearly remember practicing singing the high notes. I even like saying the author’s name, which has stuck with me all those years, and seemed so exotic back then.But most of all, I love the simple message of giving my heart to all those I love. The message of Christmas is love. 

What can I give him, poor as I am? If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb. if I were a wise man I would do my part, yet what I can I give him, give my heart.

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Written by Twyla Arant from The Village Church.

Years ago, I was responsible for choosing music for a carol-sing that took place before

our late service on Christmas Eve at a small Episcopal church. Some familiar carols would be included, but it was also an opportunity to share some of the lesser-known hymns of Christmas. I discovered an American hymn written in 1957 which became a personal favorite. The melody is both warm and haunting, with an interlude between verses that gives time to absorb words just sung. The mood suits the lyrics, from the birth of Christ through His death and resurrection – the fulfillment of Christmas. There is a line of text repeated in every verse that spoke to me: And every stone shall cry. The stones cry out as the sky glows at Jesus’ birth, as He rides into David’s city, as He is pierced, and as He is lifted up to reconcile the worlds. It portrays the whole point of Christmas, remembering that God came as human to save humanity and endured the Passion and rejection and overcame death to give us all eternal life.

A stable lamp is lighted whose glow shall wake the sky; The stars shall bend their voices, and ev’ry stone shall cry and straw like gold shall shine; A barn shall harbor heaven, a stall become a shrine. This child through David’s city shall ride in triumph by; The palm shall strew its branches, and ev’ry stone shall cry though heavy, dull, and dumb, and lie within the roadway to pave His kingdom come. Yet He shall be forsaken and yielded up to die; The sky shall groan and darken, and ev’ry stone shall cry  for stony hearts of men: God’s blood upon the spearhead, God’s love refused again. But now, as at the ending, the low is lifted high; The stars shall bend their voices, and ev’ry stone shall cry  in praises of the Child by whose descent among us the worlds are reconciled.

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