worship in the city

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.

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Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
Who orderest all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And teach us in her ways to go.

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O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save,
And give them victory over the grave.

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O come, Thou Day-spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.

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O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.

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O come, O come, great Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times once gave the law
In cloud and majesty and awe.

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O come, Thou Root of Jesse’s tree,
An ensign of Thy people be;
Before Thee rulers silent fall;
All peoples on Thy mercy call.

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O come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,
And be Thyself our King of Peace.

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first favorite that comes to mind would have to be something about a rose ere blooming. it makes me think of christmas with my family.

i'll tell you the real reason kirk is working on christmas music already...he could become a daddy anytime soon and doesn't want to get caught unprepared for the worship.

lo, how a Rose e'er blooming
from tender stem hath sprung
of jesse's linage coming
as men of old have sung
it came a flow'ret bright
amidst the cold of winter
when half spent was the night

my favorite secular holiday season song is also the christmas waltz, followed by the christmas song (chestnuts roasting...). darwin told me i'd agree with your taste in music. but i think i like the "skating" song a little better than "christmas time is here," maybe.

i'm going to have to think about which christmas songs i like best.

my least favorite is easily "deck the halls" as rendered by mannheim steamroller. (shudder)

So Ironic that you linked to Ben's new band just after writing about O come Emanuel. I was reminiscing about an arrangement of that tune that Ben did here in Chattanooga last year that was just KILLLER! Lots of open chords, rhythmically loose, and lots of open time for your dad to jam over changes, it was great! Great stuff!

Hmmm...that's a toughy. I'd probably say for the secular songs, "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire", especially if sung by Nat King Cole. For the traditional hymns, I'll go with "Silent Night" and "O Holy Night", even though I have to scream when I sing it because I can't hit the high notes! I also like the song by Bruce Cockburn, which I don't know the name of but I think is called "Merry Christmas", but it has such lines as "I wonder if this Christmas they'll begin to understand, that the baby that they sing about is much more than a man" (or something like that). Do you know what I am talking about??

Oh, and I can't forget about the greatest Christmas song of all time..."It's Christmas Time at New City"!
"...I hope you know the story and know it right,
there were three wise men and they weren't all white..."

Ooh, there are lots of brilliant ones to choose from. For sheer wistfulness, an almost depressing wistfulness, I like "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." As far as carols go, I too love "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" for its yearning and haunting melody that reflects the yearning in the words so well. Other current favorites include "Once in Royal David's City" and "The Friendly Beasts," which I once sang in church with my brother and mother.

For quirky, fantastic versions of these songs from folk-pop troubadour, Sufjan Stevens, and for others of his own penning, go here. The downloads are long, but, provided you like his style, are delightful and very much worth the waiting:

http://www.chattablogs.com/quintus/archives/019666.html

p.s. One of the things I like about Christmas carols is that many of them present such wonderful theology--they present the Gospel. And I joy that that theology is often sung by lips that don't believe it. And I pray that it seeps from the lips down to the heart.

"Oh come oh come Emmanuel" is also my favorite! There is also a song on the WOW Christmas from a few years back called "Sing, Mary, Sing" and another (not on that album) "Mary's Song" (sung by Kelly Price) that I love because they present the birth of Christ from Mary's perspective. The following lyrics from "Mary's Song" get me every time:
Before time my life was chosen
for this miracle performed,
that through me would come a baby
who would one day be my Lord.
But right now he's just a baby
and the world is not so sure,
cause while some bow down to worship
there are some who laugh and scorn.
But there's a will
and there's a purpose
that I know He must fulfill
and the reason why you chose me
very soon will be revealed.
But for now can I just hold Him
and keep him in my arms
and for now can I just hold Him
and keep Him safe from harm
Lord, I'll give Him back to you

Can you imagine giving birth to your own Lord and Savior, yet wanting nothing but to hold and protect him?! Talk about mixed feelings!

I too LOVE Christmas music for the wonderful theology. This is probably one of my favorites becauase, like Neil was saying, it gives the gospel.

Mary did you know, that your baby boy
Would one day walk on water?
Mary did you know, that your baby boy
Would save our sons and daughters?
Did you know, that your baby boy
Has come to make you new?
This Child that you delivered,
Will soon deliver you!

Mary did you know, that your baby boy
Will give sight to the blind man?
Mary did you know, that your baby boy
Would calm a storm with His hand?

Did you know, that your baby boy
Has walked where angels trod
And when you kiss your little baby,
You've kissed the face of God?
Oh, Mary did you know?
Mary did you know?

The blind will see, the deaf will hear,
The dead will live again,
The lame will leap, the dumb will speak
Praises of the Lamb?

Mary did you know, that your baby boy
Is Lord of all creation?
Mary did you know, that your baby boy
Will one day rule the nations?

Did you know, that your baby boy
Was Heaven's perfect Lamb?
And this sleeping Child you're holding
Is the Great I AM

Blessings! Tanya

I don't know if it is my favorite, but I really like "In the bleak midwinter". Words by the renowned poet Christina Rossetti and music by the composer Gustav Holst. Rossetti is highly regarded by secular critics for her poetry, and yet she is explicitly Christian, though they are baffled by that side of her work.

Speaking of theology, look at stanza 2: "heaven cannot hold him, nor earth sustain." The incarnation has huge implications for the universe such that Jesus just has to come to earth, yet the earth just can't handle it. Wow. Forget Santa.

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter, long ago.

Our God, heaven cannot hold Him, nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away when He comes to reign.
In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.

Enough for Him, Whom cherubim, worship night and day,
Breastful of milk, and a mangerful of hay;
Enough for Him, Whom angels fall before,
The ox and ass and camel which adore.

Angels and archangels may have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;
But His mother only, in her maiden bliss,
Worshipped the beloved with a kiss.

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.

You can buy the downloadable music at musicnotes.com.

I'd have to say that my favorite Christmas songs progress in catagories...
for most nostalgic: Johnny Mathis' lovely rendition of The Christmas Song. It always brings back warm memories of my first Christmas with real snow in Branson Missouri.

for most spiritual: I don't know why, but the pure simplicity of O Holy Night has always resonated with me in a very profound way. I love that song.

for most commercial: One cannot be holiday shopping without getting that warm, fuzzy feeling when they hear Winter Wonderland...or maybe that's just me.
I can't deny the fact that there are at least a dozen others I truly love hearing at this time of year...because I'm shamelessly enamored with all things Christmas, even the flashy, overpriced merchandise crowding the windows of every store in town.
Oh, and one last one: "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear." Because we mustn't forget the joy of that day and the reason for His coming. That fills me with peace and joy the way nothing else can.

Picking favorites is always so hard for me.
What Child is This?
It Came Upon a Midnight Clear

I think my favorite Christmas song is "Christmas, Baby Please Come Home" with "Happy Christmas (War is Over)" being a close second.

My favorite of the more recent Christmas songs is RelientK's Celebrate the Day
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And with this Christmas wish is missed,
the point I could convey.
If only I could find the words to say
to let You know how much You've touched my life.
Because here is where You're finding me,
in the exact same place as New Year's eve,
and from a lack of my persistency,
we're even less than half as close as I want to be.

And the first time that you opened your eyes,
did you realize that you would be my savior?
And the first breath that left your lips,
did you know that it would change this world forever.

And so this Christmas I'll compare,
the things I felt in prior years.
To what this midnight made so clear,
that you have come to meet me here.
To look back and think that,
this baby would one day save me.
In hope that what You did,
that you were born so I might live.
To look back and think that,
this baby would one day save me.

And I, I celebrate the day,
that you you were born to die,
So I could one day pray for you to save my life.
I pray for you to save my life,
pray for you to save my life.