The Nativity of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ
Submitted by Dirk Gently on December 23 1999 at 19:46:07
|
Let heaven and earth rejoice prophetically! Let angels and mankind celebrate spiritually! For God has appeared in the flesh from the Virgin to those who sat in darkness and the shadow of death. The shepherds proclaim the miracle; the Wise Men bring gifts from the East. We offer unworthily the angelic song: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace! The expectation of the nations has come to save us from the works of the enemy. Heaven and earth are united today, for Christ is born! Today God has come upon earth, and mankind gone up to heaven. Today, for the sake of mankind, the invisible One is seen in the flesh. Therefore let us glorify him and cry aloud: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace bestowed by your coming, O Saviour: Glory to You! Today in Bethlehem, I hear the angels: Glory to God in the highest! Glory to him whose good pleasure it was that there be peace on earth! The Virgin is now more spacious than the heavens; Light has shone on those in darkness, exalting the lowly who sing the angelic song: Glory to God in the highest! Beholding him who was in God's image and likeness fallen through transgression, Jesus bowed the heavens and came down, without change taking up His dwelling in a Virgin womb: that He might refashion Adam fallen in corruption, and crying out: Glory to your Theophany, my Saviour and my God! Today is born of the Virgin him who holds all creation in the hollow of his hand. He whose essence is untouchable is wrapped in swaddling clothes as a babe. The God who from of old established the heavens lies in a manger. He who showered the people with manna in the wilderness feeds on milk from the breast. The bridegroom of the Church calls the Magi and the Son of the Virgin accepts gifts from them. We worship thy Nativity, O Christ. * * * I don't know who composed those verses, but that's what we'll be singing in my church shortly before midnight on Dec. 24. Byzantine chant takes some getting used to, but it's really powerful when done well. The last stanza is particularly poignant, because the only other time we use the same tune is on Good Friday. Merry Christmas, everyone! Dirk |