Writers
through the ages have understood that titles are important to catch the eye of
the readers, to give people a clue to content and a hunger to learn more. This
being the Advent season, let’s look to see how well the hymn writers
accomplished their task in telling the story of Jesus.
I went through my hymnal and
chose titles to cover the Nativity story. I started from the very beginning.
No, not Do-Re-Mi. (Sorry, this
musician couldn’t resist the pun.)
The Promise
John 1:14 in the King James Version specifically declares Jesus is “begotten
of the Father,” and God’s plan for mankind started before there was any human
on earth. The 13th century melody with lyrics that date previous to
that—4th century!—“Of the
Father’s Love Begotten,” is a call of praise to the Trinity, glorious and
eternal.
“O Come, O Come Emmanuel” is
an 18th century hymn reminding us of God’s promise: the Son of God
will appear and save His people. Not only does the hymn plead with Christ to
come, but it looks further to the future when He will come again to reign over
us in peace.
The Promise is fulfilled! Celebration that Christ is born. Handel set
Isaac Watts’s poem to music to proclaim the good news in “Joy to the World!”
The Person
With the birth of Jesus, the familiar Nativity tableau is set. Enter
the shepherds. “While Shepherds Watched
Their Flocks” tells us immediately something was going to happen. The
shepherds were just minding their own business doing their jobs which included
working at night.
Then angels appeared. “Hark the
Herald Angels Sing” immediately signifies the angels have an announcement.
And since they don’t ordinarily appear to people this must be quite a proclamation!
They announce the identity of the newborn King, they announce His
purpose, and they reveal to the shepherds where they can find Him: in “(O)Little Town of Bethlehem.”
After such an amazing event, the shepherds hurry to follow the angels’
directions, and sure enough, they find the Baby lying in a manger. What does
the title, “How Great Our Joy?” tell
us? The shepherds worship and are filled with joy. I’ve always wondered if the
entire town of Bethlehem was aware of the miracle within twenty-four hours as
the shepherds spread the news.
The Purpose
While we add the presence of “We
Three Kings” to our nativity scenes, in reality, the shepherds were long
gone, angels were not visible, and Mary, Joseph, and Jesus had moved into a
house by the time the magi arrived. The first line of the hymn states that these
kings were from the Orient, and they came to worship this new King, which
immediately lets the world know that this King did not come to save only the Jewish people. He came for every human
being in the world.
Philippians 2:7-8 describes how Jesus made Himself into the likeness of
a man, humbling Himself out of obedience to the Father, and sacrificing Himself
for us, gutter scum that we are. In five stanzas, “Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne” tells the story of the above
scriptures.
And finally, "O Come, All Ye Faithful." The title is a command, and it identifies those who are to obey.
This is why Jesus came to earth. He invites all to join the family God. He
calls upon us to encourage others in the hope of a wondrous eternity.
So I encourage all who read this today: Come. Let us adore Him.
Linda Sammaritan writes realistic fiction, mostly for kids
ages ten to fourteen. She is currently working on a middle grade trilogy, World Without Sound, based on her own
experiences growing up with a deaf sister.
Linda had always figured she’d teach middle-graders until
school authorities presented her with a retirement wheelchair at the overripe
age of eighty-five. However, God changed those plans when He gave her a growing
passion for writing fiction. In May of 2016, she blew goodbye kisses to her
students and dedicated her work hours to learning the craft. She still visits
the school and teaches creative writing workshops.
Where Linda can be found on the web: www.lindasammaritan.com
