Thirteenth Night
A Christmas Retrospect
in
Poetry and Song
By Trevor Thorn
from the blog http://crossandcosmos.blogspot.com
Part 1. Annunciation and Advent
The Annunciation
Carol
Music for this carol can be found at https://tinyurl.com/4vxdv3py
Go to Nazareth , my great Messenger,
Seek out a maiden pure,
One who hallows all my commandments,
Yearns for the sway of truth
Ask her if she’ll bear my Son;
She will show that she’s the one;
by her ‘Yes’ of deep-hearted willingness,
breathed as a joyful song.
Go to Nazareth my great messenger ,
Seek out the maid’s betrothed;
Tell him Mary’s child’s no unfaithfulness,
Ask him to keep her pure:
For his stepson who’s to come
Is the promised Chosen One
Who fulfils the words of the prophecies
Told down the ages long.
Go to Bethlehem, loving messengers
Move through the census throng
Guard my Son and Mary his mother
After their journey long:
Hover round this unique birth
That will offer peace to earth:
Gather all the help that is needed
To keep them safe from harm.
Go to Joseph now my swift messengers
Warn him they all must flee
Lest his son should be foully massacred
Exiled they now must be.
For the king will act in fear
To keep power, now Christ is here..
Tell him they must all go to Egypt for
Herod’s remaining years.
Sweep across the earth all my Messengers
Follow my Spirit’s lead;
Call this exiled child’s faithful followers
To rise and meet the needs
Of a world that’s lost its way,
Needs the hope of Christmas day.
Christians spread my love, peace and justice to
Fill the whole earth with grace
Advent
Song: Praise The Creator God
Tune: Hills of The North Rejoice
Praise the Creator God,
Lord of the dark night sky.
Myriad of stars we see,
Far more beyond our eye;
Some young, still in their forming stage
And some, about to die from age.
Planets go round most stars,
Gathered by gravity:
Size and their mineral mix
Form their trajectories.
Among this family, spread through space
Earth seems a rare life-giving place.
So let all earth rejoice,
Hills, rivers, ocean’s waves
You’ve heard the advent voice,
You’ve seen Messiah’s ways.
Your great Creator’s trod your soil,
A babe, a man, redeeming all.
Advent Cathedral (Poem)
The darkness of the present age
is gathered in silence
in the deep cavern of the Cathedral’s nave.
Yet, for all the oppression and anxiety,
carried through the great west doors,
there is an anticipation which awaits
the light of a single candle:
then two, then four,
then a shimmering of hopeful flames,
passing tentatively along the rows of those
drawn away from the manic world of Black Friday,
to welcome in that great season of the O’s
A lone soprano voice
thrills in the growing light:
column of purest air reverberates
around, against and amidst
the vast Norman pillars of stone
floated here from far-off Barnack.
They disembarked eight hundred years ago
but the visceral message,
of the now multiple voices,
proclaim a prophecy four times as old.
‘Be comforted, be comforted, my people.’
O how the motley assembly needs to hear that message
as have Advent welcomers in that place,
and in its more modest forbears,
down a millennium and more.
Listen! Listen!
The Saviour comes
to lift the misery, mischief and monotony
you brought with you
through the mighty doors;
and to set you free.
Advent: Waiting, Stillness, Silence.
(Meditation)
Quell my impatience, Lord,
as we enter this time of waiting.
Captivate my soul, so I yearn
to conquer the spirit of the age
which ever strives for the next,
and the next, and the next.
Still me, so I can empty my mind
of the siren voices
that would have me travel with them
this way and that.
To exotic destinations;
to imagined riches;
to perfections of the body;
to extremes of luxury;
to enticements of novelty.
Then, in the silence, Come.
and suffuse my whole being
with the calm of Your presence,
so I may contemplate
the glory of your coming
as a child, as a servant King,
as Redeemer of the world.
Come, Lord Jesus.
Christmas Eve
The Shepherds’ Message (Poem)
I remember, oh how I remember,
that night and the following day:
the angels, the singing, the scurrying
and the sweet smell of clean bedding-hay.
A baby with parents bewildered
at our finding the byre where they’d lodged.
Such a very strange place for Messiah
to be born, for the purpose of God.
When we left as the new day was breaking
there were people who work at first light,
and we realised we should not keep secret
the wonders we’d witnessed that night.
So we, who live mainly in silence,
to detect sounds of lion, wolf or thief,
found our tongues running wild with our message,
of a child bringing goodwill and peace.
By the time we got back to the hillside,
we'd been stopped any number of times,
for the story had travelled like wildfire,
even faster than tales about crimes!
For some it was just as the prophets
had foretold - of God coming to earth:
to others a nonsense - but useful
to gossip and boost their self-worth
It was strange how a group of mere shepherds,
‘outsiders’ in ordinary times,
became sought after, visited, talked-of,
for our witness of Yahweh’s sublime
way of breaking the news of Messiah
throughout Bethlem's valleys and hills.
In no time it was voiced in Jerusalem,
stirring hearts, both for good and for ill.
Carol of The Good News
(Luke 2 17-18)
(Can be sung to any 87.87 tune: suggested by author - LOVE DIVINE)
Gather round me all you people,
I’ve a wondrous tale to tell;
heard it from my trusted cousins,
told by shepherds round a well.
It was just a few days since, those
shepherds watching flocks by night
on the hills surrounding Bethl’em,
Saw a startling, dazzling light.
There were angels, calling, singing
urging them ‘Go into town,
where a new-born in a manger
is The promised Holy One’.
So, let’s tell this story widely,
prophecies attest its truth.
Come! Make every hill and valley
ring with joy at our glad news.
At Bethlehem, in Borrowed Cattle Stall (Song)
Tune: similar to Plaisir D’Amour with fanfare
Music for this song can be found at
At Bethlehem, in borrowed cattle stall,
Jesus, the Son of God, was born for all.
Born to a maid, obedient and mild,
A babe, a gift of heaven, a tiny child
But he’s
Wonderful, Counsellor,
The mighty King of peace
He is Lord, He is God and
His reign shall never cease.
To shepherds poor, upon a stony hill
An angel told of this babe who made heaven thrill.
And as he spoke, there came a glorious light,
An angel choir transformed the starry night
For the
Wonderful, Counsellor,
The mighty King of peace
He is Lord, He is God and
His reign shall never cease.
O holy child, who changed the world by your birth,
Look down in tenderness on this sad earth.
And where your love is rashly cast aside
Come enter in again and there abide.
For You’re
Wonderful, Counsellor,
The mighty King of peace
You are Lord, You are God and
Your reign shall never cease.
An Angel Told Shepherds with Great, Great Joy (Children’s song)
An angel told shepherds with great, great joy
Messiah’s come to earth as a baby boy.
You’ll find him in a stable now
Borrowing the manger of an innkeeper’s cow.
Children count loudly – or silently - One,two,three,four
Then suddenly an angel crowd
Appeared in the night and sang out loud:
‘Glory to God’ and ‘Peace on earth’,
‘We’re celebrating Jesus’ birth’.
Children count loudly – or silently - One,two,three,four
He has come to earth to save us all
And he’s truly lying in a stable stall.
Children count loudly – or silently - One,two,three,four
He came to earth for you and me
Though we finally nailed him to a tree.
But then he rose up from the grave
That we from sin could all be saved.
Children count loudly – or silently - One,two,three,four
(Second part of tune)
So that is why the angels sang
To shepherds who to Bethlehem ran.
Part 2
Christmas Day
Before the creation, The Word was with God.
(The Christmas Gospel - paraphrased;
John 1.1-14)
Recommended Tune: To God Be The Glory.
Before the creation, The Word was with God,
It knew God, it was God, together they trod;
He fashioned a Cosmos, He created light,
And here on this planet, he shaped human life
Light of love, light of life, which the darkness abhors,
Light of love, light of life, ‘tis the light of the Lord
The light which John heralds, the true light of all,
The light of the Godhead which never can pall.
John came as a witness, that all might believe
And turn from their evil, their God to receive;
Though we in our folly, our maker ignore,
Salvation is ours if we kneel and adore
Light of love, light of life, which the darkness abhors,
Light of love, light of life, ‘tis the light of the Lord
So come to the stable, this child is The Word,
Adore Him! Adore Him, The Saviour, our Lord.
Meditation on Approaching the Manger.
We look towards your cradle, Lord Jesus and at ourselves, people of your bountiful creation. How many of us would find our way to Bethlehem?
There would be those of us who would not heed the message of the angels; we would demand proof first.
Some would spend much time talking about the journey but would never make a start.
There would be those of us who could not find time for such a venture; and those who would start but be diverted by distractions on the way.
On arrival, some would not enter such a dirty place because it offended their sensibilities.
And if we did make our way into the stable, some would be too proud to kneel before a pauper-child.
O God of the manger, help me to find and follow the way and worship.
Give me then, gracious God, the simple faith of the shepherds; the obedience of Mary; the patience of Joseph and the determination of the Eastern sages to find the truth of the incarnation.
Give me Christ-like willingness to dare to touch and experience all human conditions; determination to worship you wherever I may be; actions which follow the Godly intentions you implant and a humility that imitates that of the kings.
Deliver me, compassionate God, from the massive carelessnesses that afflict so many of us in the western world in our futile search for "a better quality of life": That, can only come from one source: and that Source was laid within a cradle in Bethlehem.
The Crib and The Cosmos
(A meditation)
Give yourself time
to ponder God's power
poured into space
to hang
the denizens of the universe
in their appointed place.
Kneel before Christ's crib;
ponder his powerlessness:
a naked, new-born arrival,
dependent on a maiden's milk
for his survival.
Ponder this contrast -
such utter paradox:
yet maybe we can, with its aid,
comprehend a part
of God's
unfathomable heart.
Deepest humility.
A Poem/Carol.
Music for this carol can be found at https://tinyurl.com/2p9ymjw7
CLICK HERE FOR DIRECT ACCESS
Deepest humility,
Child come to earth for me,
small, Holy stranger
laid in a manger;
earth’s hope lies here;
Jesus, my dear.
Mary embraces you
child of the promise true;
labour forgotten
as God’s begotten
lies in the stall;
Jesus, my all.
Joseph bewildered stands
wond’ring how God’s great plan
can grow from here;
his family dear,
gravely beset
by Herod’s threat.
So then as fugitives
they flee that Christ might live.
Lordship aside
as Egypt provides
a place to hide,
long prophesied.
The Christ-child: Eternity is Blessed
(a poem)
In a stable, startlingly,
lies the creator of the Universe,
cradled in a maiden’s arms.
Through this Jewish mother’s kisses
eternity is blessed
with her time-bound outpouring of human love.
O how she would have kissed and hugged
her little miracle boy;
that blessed gift of the Divine.
Just as exquisitely as most new mothers
long to express
the cosmic love
that wells up from the very heart
of the firmament of heaven.
Part 3: Early Days After Christmas
This Manger’s Well Made
(Carol - in which Joseph thinks of the future of the family business)
or
Stable Talk
Music for this song can be found at
.
1.‘This manger’s well made’,
said Joseph to Mary,
‘Its joints are a joy
to a carpenter’s eye’.
‘I hope that our son
will be skilled with timber,
so neighbours we serve
will be e’er satisfied.
‘Oh Joseph love,
you are so wise and good.
yet our son will, perhaps,
work with far more than wood.’
2. ‘That crook there is shaped
with skill and perception;
‘tis made for a shepherd
who’ll both dare and save’.
‘I’ll show our son how
sheep are protected,
so shepherds will ask him,
to shape them good staves.
Oh Joseph love etc
3. This yoke is a work
of marvellous honing.
It never will chafe:
the ox scarce need a goad.
Our son must learn ways
of both beast and ploughman,
then contour his yokes
to ease burdensome loads’.
Oh Joseph love etc.
4. ‘I‘ll teach him the strengths,
Of timber, dear Mary,
show him all the things
he must and must not do’.
‘Like ne’er make a cross
for fierce Roman soldiers,
Nor sell them our wood
To hang slave, thief or Jew.’
‘Oh Joseph love,
you are so wise and good.
Yes, our son when time comes
Will be smitten by wood.
,
Star of Bethlehem (speculative poem)
No supernova that. It left no trace.
A comet? No, for such must have been seen
by literate watchers of the night-time scene
in lands far from and near that stall of grace.
Alignment or conjunction?
They'd bestir astrologers
to go and greet a king, long prophesied,
who made past scriptures ring
with Peace, Truth, Justice.
Cause to travel far.
Far, far indeed; perhaps some twenty moons or so,
of rivers, sandstorms, hills and plain
and local brigandry.
With pointer wild,
mysteriously guiding them to God's own Son.
And with Godly genius, YAHWEH ordained that sign
To be his hallmark of the Saviour Child.
Mysterious Visitor (Poem)
Two millennia ago,
you, the Creator of the Universe
slipped silently onto this little earth.
You, the Almighty King
chose the most humble,
the most improbable birth.
An unmarried mother bore you
humanly pure and so poor,
that you,
who fashioned everything
were lain on a bed of straw;
sharing with stinking cattle,
among grubby sheep,
you, the omnipotent
lay defenceless asleep.
Born to a Nazarene,
so, despised from the start,
you, the source of all goodness
would upturn values
many hold dear in their heart.
Humility, poverty, chastity,
those were the marks of your birth.
Come Jesus, now come again
and bring fresh renewal to earth.
Gifts of The Magi
(Three Sonnets)
Sonnet 1 - A Sage Sonnet 2 - Joseph
Sonnet - 3 An Angel.
Sage
Between us all, we needed to be sure
that we could eat and provender our beasts,
on strange impetuous journey, with a star
leading to one who will be King and priest.
Not one of us knew where this star might lead,
so being charged to plan our wherewithal
as I was, felt a puzzle, guessing needs
and dangers, such as being held in thrall.
So, gold a ‘must’; by each of us agreed,
to deal with tribes with goods or skills to sell;
but gold is heavy, risky too, once seen.
Ah! fragrant resins can be traded well.
And, Lightweight! Frankincense and Myrrh, with gold,
might make apt gifts for one by star foretold.
Joseph
An angel warned, we needed to depart,
for frenzied Herod in a rage would kill
our first-born child. Flee where? How should we start?
Rely on Yahweh’s wise and sovereign will?.
Think now! We’ve gold; for all immediate needs
from anyone with vital goods to sell;
but gold is heavy, risky too, once seen.
Oh! fragrant resins can be traded well.
So we are blessed; those unexpected gifts
give us the means to leave here instantly,
to face a fearful flight, which needs be swift,
with God’s provision, timed just perfectly.
Yes! Incense, myrrh and gold will pay our way,
Such fitting gifts for this horrendous day.
Angel
I come with news of journeys safely made,
Sages returned. The refugees now far
from violent thugs in puppet Herod’s pay.
Assassins those, blood lusting, groomed for war,
and death of innnocents, with ‘Crush by rape’
presumed in edict, ‘Slaughter Beth’lem’s heirs’.
While I’m dream-urging Joseph to escape,
my distraught comrades weep for those now snared.
So flies the family, with gifts concealed
their lifeline: infused too with meanings deep.
Incense, a precious sign of God revealed
who, in their child, spans all the starry sweep.
Gold for the kingship of God’s only Son,
myrrh for his tomb – and your salvation won.
Part 5: The Future for God’s World
Make Us Good Stewards, Lord,
(Song can be sung to Little Cornard)
Make us good stewards, Lord,
Of this your earthly home.
Help us be resolute
In curbing damage done
By fossil fuels and plastic waste,
And other ways earth is defaced.
Help us encourage hope
That the world can achieve
Limits to harm caused by
products to which we cleave,
that strip the world of minerals rare,
and plunder water without care.
Give to your people, Lord,
Zeal so we might protest,
when justice is denied
by wealth’s voracious quests
That ransack earth, afflict the poor,
as greedy profiteers make more.
Cosmic Doxology (87.87.D)
Suggested Tune: Blaenwern
All material in this collection is © Trevor Thorn other than some of the tunes which have different composers as shown. If anything from this booklet is used in a worship setting it may be used free of charge though an acknowledgement of source would be appreciated.
