Sing this to the Shaker tune used for Sidney Carter’s ‘Lord of the Dance'
Over plains of Arabia one crystal night,
the native stars were dimmed by an
unexpected light
which pierced the darkness and drew the
gaze
of sages, familiar with the heavenly maze.
They swiftly consulted all their scrolls of
lore,
to try and understand what this vivid star
was for.
The voice of Isaiah called across the years
of the light to come when The Great King
appears.
Chorus
Look! Look! A
star of Jubilee!
Glory on high,
and on earth, peace be,
through the
birth of a child, a holy refugee
Come from
heaven, to live amo~ngst you and me.
‘If a king has been born whom a star
proclaims
it seems we are summoned to give the child
acclaim
Let’s follow the star - for it moves in the
skies:
it will surely lead to where this great
king lies'.
With gifts of incense and myrrh and gold,
They followed the tracks made by caravans
of old.
By the star to Judea they were clearly
drawn;
In Herod’s palace, they assumed Christ
born.
Chorus
‘There is no baby here who is born to be
king’.
Stated priests and scribes, then fell to
wondering
if the Son of David, the Promise of old
had been born in Bethlehem, as Micah foretold.
God warned the sages, ‘Go home a diff’rent
way,’
as Herod sent troops into Bethlehem to slay
ev’ry baby boy under two years old:
and Joseph, of this terror, in a dream was
told.
Chorus
In haste the fam’ly left under cover of
night,
into Egypt, the Holy refugees took flight:
In a while they could cast aside their
fear,
When an angel, with news of Herod’s death,
appeared.
Chorus
May the child who was born in a stable bare
give us grace so that we might often be
aware
of the millions we force his homelessness
to share
Look! Look! A
star of Jubilee!
Glory on high,
and on earth, peace be,
through the
birth of a child, a holy refugee
come from heaven, to live amo~ngst you and
me.
Other contemporary carols/ Christmas hymns on this site are as follows (with links)
An Angel Told Shepherds With Great, Great Joy (A children’s counting carol)
Go To Nazareth my Great Messenger
Vivid Winter’s Morn (A carol in ‘Rock’ mode)
Other contemporary carols/ Christmas hymns on this site are as follows (with links)
An Angel Told Shepherds With Great, Great Joy (A children’s counting carol)
Before the Creation, the Word was with God (The Chriistmas Gospel sung to ‘To God be the Glory)
In Bethlehem, with Borrowed Cattle Stall (Sung to Plaisir D’Amour, French folksong tune with fanfare for Isaiah’s proclamation)Go To Nazareth my Great Messenger
Vivid Winter’s Morn (A carol in ‘Rock’ mode)