Carols are everywhere at Christmas - on the street, TV, Radio, in shops, in our homes, in churches. They provide the background soundtrack to what has become a consumer driven, largely secular, reason to eat & drink too much & overspend money many don't have. I suspect we have stopped actually listening to the words most of us know. We mostly certainly ignore their meaning.
Away In a Manger - "no crib for His bed"....."Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care"
Do You Hear What I Hear - "A Child, a Child shivers in the cold".....Pray for peace, people everywhere!"
God Rest Ye Merry,
Gentlemen - "Save us all from Satan's power when we were gone astray....And with true love and brotherhood each other now embrace"
Hark! The Herald Angels
Sing - "Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled. Joyful, all ye nations rise"
I Heard the Bells on
Christmas Day - "Peace on earth, good will to men....There is no peace on earth, I said, For hate is strong and mocks the song. The wrong shall fail, the right prevail"
It Came Upon The Midnight
Clear - "Peace on the earth, good will to men....with the woes of sin and strife the world has suffered long. 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" (drowned out by the clamour of the disposessed & marginalised)
Joy To The World - "No more will sin and sorrow grow, Nor thorns infest the ground; He rules the world with truth and grace."
O Holy Night - "Long lay the world in sin and error pining, Till He appeared. The weary world rejoices, For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn. His law is love and his gospel is peace. Chains shall he break for the slave is our brother and in his name all opression shall cease"( A difficult message in this Winter of Discontent)
O Little Town of Bethlehem - "Peace to men on earth. In this world of sin meek souls will receive Him still. Misery cries out to thee, charity stands watching"
Once In Royal David's City - "With the poor and meek and lowly, lived on earth our Savior holy"
The repeating message is clear. We just have to hear it and act accordingly, whether we are religious or not. If we don't each work for peace, love & brotherhood, if we don't each work towards redemption & forgiveness rather than judgement, if we opress & hate & treat people as of less value than we are, how can we sing the Carols & celebrate Christmas?
More importantly how can we break the cycle & bring our children up to be kind & loving human beings? It isn't all about what's under the Christmas tree. Our very humanity is at stake.
No comments:
Post a Comment