A Ministry of:
BIBLE REFERENCE:
But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he
come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
Micah 5:2
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call
his name Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14
Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which
being interpreted is, God with us. Matthew 1:23
And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should
be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every
one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the
city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with
Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were
accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in
swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in
the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of
the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And
the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this [shall be] a sign
unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with
the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth
peace, good will toward men. Luke 2:1-14
But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he
come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
Micah 5:2
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call
his name Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14
Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which
being interpreted is, God with us. Matthew 1:23
And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should
be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every
one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the
city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with
Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were
accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in
swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in
the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of
the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And
the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this [shall be] a sign
unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with
the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth
peace, good will toward men. Luke 2:1-14
Edmund Hamilton Sears - Lyrics
1810-1876
1810-1876
Born: April 6, 1810, Sandisfield, Massachusetts.
Died: January 14, 1876, Weston, Massachusetts.
Died: January 14, 1876, Weston, Massachusetts.
Richard Storrs Willis - Composer
1819-1900
1819-1900
Born: February 10, 1819, Boston, Massachusetts.
Died: May 7, 1900, Detroit, Michigan.
Buried: Elmwood Cemetery, Detroit, Michigan.
Died: May 7, 1900, Detroit, Michigan.
Buried: Elmwood Cemetery, Detroit, Michigan.
HYMN HISTORY:
No Christmas season would b complete without the singing of this beloved carol hymn. Since the text was first
published in 1849, scarcely a hymnal has been printed in which it is not included. It was one of the first carol
hymns ever written by an American writer. The author, Rev. Edmund Hamilton Sears, was born April 6, 1810,
in Sandisfield, Massachusetts. He received his theological training at the Harvard Divinity School, graduating
in 1837. He spent most of the remaining years of his life pastoring small Unitarian Churches at Wayland,
Lancaster, and Weston, Massachusetts.
Many, no doubt, are surprised that a Unitarian could write such a fine text about the events surrounding Christ’
s nativity. It was often said, however, that Sears was more a Unitarian in name than by conviction, and that he
actually believed and preached the deity of Christ from his pulpit. This is particularly evident in his Sermons
and Songs of the Christian Life, a book published one year before his death. He wrote, “Although I was
educated in the Unitarian denomination, I believe and preach the Divinity of Christ.”
Edmund Sears wrote a number of publications throughout his life, including Regeneration, Foregleams of
Immortality, and The Fourth Gospel, the heart of Christ, both of which enjoyed a wide circulation. He authored
only two hymn texts, however, each intended for the Christmas season. His first carol hymn, written while he
was still a student in harvard Divinity School, was “Calm on the Listening Ear of Night.” Though not as popular,
this hymn is included in various hymnals today and is still frequently used. There is a close resemblance
between this text and “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear,” written fifteen years later. Following is the fist stanza
of Edmund Sears’ initial carol hymn:
No Christmas season would b complete without the singing of this beloved carol hymn. Since the text was first
published in 1849, scarcely a hymnal has been printed in which it is not included. It was one of the first carol
hymns ever written by an American writer. The author, Rev. Edmund Hamilton Sears, was born April 6, 1810,
in Sandisfield, Massachusetts. He received his theological training at the Harvard Divinity School, graduating
in 1837. He spent most of the remaining years of his life pastoring small Unitarian Churches at Wayland,
Lancaster, and Weston, Massachusetts.
Many, no doubt, are surprised that a Unitarian could write such a fine text about the events surrounding Christ’
s nativity. It was often said, however, that Sears was more a Unitarian in name than by conviction, and that he
actually believed and preached the deity of Christ from his pulpit. This is particularly evident in his Sermons
and Songs of the Christian Life, a book published one year before his death. He wrote, “Although I was
educated in the Unitarian denomination, I believe and preach the Divinity of Christ.”
Edmund Sears wrote a number of publications throughout his life, including Regeneration, Foregleams of
Immortality, and The Fourth Gospel, the heart of Christ, both of which enjoyed a wide circulation. He authored
only two hymn texts, however, each intended for the Christmas season. His first carol hymn, written while he
was still a student in harvard Divinity School, was “Calm on the Listening Ear of Night.” Though not as popular,
this hymn is included in various hymnals today and is still frequently used. There is a close resemblance
between this text and “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear,” written fifteen years later. Following is the fist stanza
of Edmund Sears’ initial carol hymn:
Calm on the list’ning ear of night comes heaven’s melodious strains,
Where wild Judea stretches forth her silver-mantled plains;
Celestial choirs, from courts above, shed sacred glories there;
And angels, with their sparkling lyres, make music in the air.
Where wild Judea stretches forth her silver-mantled plains;
Celestial choirs, from courts above, shed sacred glories there;
And angels, with their sparkling lyres, make music in the air.
“It Came Upon the Midnight Clear” was first published in the Christian Register, on December 29, 1849. It is
generally considered to be one of the first hymn carol to emphasize the social implications of the angels’
message–that of achieving peace and god will toward our fellowman in the midst of social difficulty. The writing
of this text occurred at a time in American history when there was much unrest. There was the foreboding of
the tensions between the North and South, which finally erupted a decade later in the Civil War. In New
England, there was such social upheaval as a result of the industrial revolution there. It was also the time of
the frantic “forty-niner” gold rush to California. This hymn text, then, addresses these concerns–it is for those
who are “beneath the crushing load,” and urges us to listen once again to the singing of the angels. The final
stanza is the great verse of hopeful optimism–the golden age... “when peace shall over all the earth its ancient
splendors flng, and the whole world gives back the song, which is now the angels sing.”
The tune for this carol hymn, “Carol,” was contributed by a rather well-known American musician of the
nineteenth century, Richard Storrs Willis. Willis was born on February 10, 1819, in Boston, Massachusetts,
and died on May 7, 1900, in Detroit, Michigan. Part of his musical training included six years of composition
study in Germany, where he became an intimate friend of Felix Mendelssohn, who was greatly interested in his
compositions. After Willis’ return to the United States, in 1848, he served as a music critic for the New York
Tribune and several other newspapers. His own publications included Church Chorals and Choir and Lute
(1883). Willis’ tune “Carol,” was originally used for another hymn text, “See Israel’s Gentle Shepherd Stand.”
which was an adaptation of Stud No. 23 in his collection, Church Chorals and Choir Studies, published in
1850. This is the same collection that also contained the first translated appearance of the old German hymn,
“Fairest Lord Jesus!” Richard Wilis’ tune “Carol” has proven to be a worthy melodic vehicle for Edmund Sears’
text as generations around the world continue to sing and enjoy this carol each Christmas season.
generally considered to be one of the first hymn carol to emphasize the social implications of the angels’
message–that of achieving peace and god will toward our fellowman in the midst of social difficulty. The writing
of this text occurred at a time in American history when there was much unrest. There was the foreboding of
the tensions between the North and South, which finally erupted a decade later in the Civil War. In New
England, there was such social upheaval as a result of the industrial revolution there. It was also the time of
the frantic “forty-niner” gold rush to California. This hymn text, then, addresses these concerns–it is for those
who are “beneath the crushing load,” and urges us to listen once again to the singing of the angels. The final
stanza is the great verse of hopeful optimism–the golden age... “when peace shall over all the earth its ancient
splendors flng, and the whole world gives back the song, which is now the angels sing.”
The tune for this carol hymn, “Carol,” was contributed by a rather well-known American musician of the
nineteenth century, Richard Storrs Willis. Willis was born on February 10, 1819, in Boston, Massachusetts,
and died on May 7, 1900, in Detroit, Michigan. Part of his musical training included six years of composition
study in Germany, where he became an intimate friend of Felix Mendelssohn, who was greatly interested in his
compositions. After Willis’ return to the United States, in 1848, he served as a music critic for the New York
Tribune and several other newspapers. His own publications included Church Chorals and Choir and Lute
(1883). Willis’ tune “Carol,” was originally used for another hymn text, “See Israel’s Gentle Shepherd Stand.”
which was an adaptation of Stud No. 23 in his collection, Church Chorals and Choir Studies, published in
1850. This is the same collection that also contained the first translated appearance of the old German hymn,
“Fairest Lord Jesus!” Richard Wilis’ tune “Carol” has proven to be a worthy melodic vehicle for Edmund Sears’
text as generations around the world continue to sing and enjoy this carol each Christmas season.
| 101 More Hymn Stories by Kenneth W. Osbeck |
| A CHRISTMAS HYMN |
“What babe newborn is this that in a manger cries?
Near on her lowly bed his happy mother lies.
Oh, see the air is shaken with white and heavenly wings–
This is the Lord of all the earth, this is the KING OF KINGS!”
Near on her lowly bed his happy mother lies.
Oh, see the air is shaken with white and heavenly wings–
This is the Lord of all the earth, this is the KING OF KINGS!”
| R. W. Gilder |
It came upon the midnight clear,
That glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth,
To touch their harps of gold;
“Peace on the earth, good will to men,
From Heaven’s all gracious King.”
The world in solemn stillness lay,
To hear the angels sing.
Still through the cloven skies they come
With peaceful wings unfurled,
And still their heavenly music floats
O’er all the weary world;
Above its sad and lowly plains,
They bend on hovering wing,
And ever over its Babel sounds
The blessèd angels sing.
Yet with the woes of sin and strife
The world has suffered long;
Beneath the angel strain have rolled
Two thousand years of wrong;
And man, at war with man, hears not
The love-song which they bring;
O hush the noise, ye men of strife
And hear the angels sing.
And ye, beneath life’s crushing load,
Whose forms are bending low,
Who toil along the climbing way
With painful steps and slow,
Look now! for glad and golden hours
Come swiftly on the wing.
O rest beside the weary road,
And hear the angels sing!
For lo! the days are hastening on,
By prophet-bards foretold,
When with the ever circling years
Comes round the age of gold;
When peace shall over all the earth
Its ancient splendors fling,
And the whole world send back the song
Which now the angels sing.
That glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth,
To touch their harps of gold;
“Peace on the earth, good will to men,
From Heaven’s all gracious King.”
The world in solemn stillness lay,
To hear the angels sing.
Still through the cloven skies they come
With peaceful wings unfurled,
And still their heavenly music floats
O’er all the weary world;
Above its sad and lowly plains,
They bend on hovering wing,
And ever over its Babel sounds
The blessèd angels sing.
Yet with the woes of sin and strife
The world has suffered long;
Beneath the angel strain have rolled
Two thousand years of wrong;
And man, at war with man, hears not
The love-song which they bring;
O hush the noise, ye men of strife
And hear the angels sing.
And ye, beneath life’s crushing load,
Whose forms are bending low,
Who toil along the climbing way
With painful steps and slow,
Look now! for glad and golden hours
Come swiftly on the wing.
O rest beside the weary road,
And hear the angels sing!
For lo! the days are hastening on,
By prophet-bards foretold,
When with the ever circling years
Comes round the age of gold;
When peace shall over all the earth
Its ancient splendors fling,
And the whole world send back the song
Which now the angels sing.
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Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Jesus left the splendor of heaven, to suffer the shame of the cross for my sins and yours. I am reminded of a
song whose chorus says, If that isn't love, then heaven is a myth. There's no feeling like this, if that isn't love.
John 3:16 tells us, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth
in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." During this Christmas season we as Christians have the
wonderful opportunity to tell others of the Savior who was born in a stable and how by His sinless life and His
death on the cross made a way to have eternal life. Give the gift of life this year by sharing with someone
God's gift to man. We pray that this Christmas your thoughts will be drawn to a greater appreciation to the
sacrifice that Christ made at Calvary. Please visit our Christmas Hymns Page and enjoy the hymns.
Yours in Christ, Tom & Myra
Jesus left the splendor of heaven, to suffer the shame of the cross for my sins and yours. I am reminded of a
song whose chorus says, If that isn't love, then heaven is a myth. There's no feeling like this, if that isn't love.
John 3:16 tells us, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth
in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." During this Christmas season we as Christians have the
wonderful opportunity to tell others of the Savior who was born in a stable and how by His sinless life and His
death on the cross made a way to have eternal life. Give the gift of life this year by sharing with someone
God's gift to man. We pray that this Christmas your thoughts will be drawn to a greater appreciation to the
sacrifice that Christ made at Calvary. Please visit our Christmas Hymns Page and enjoy the hymns.
Yours in Christ, Tom & Myra