Merry Christmas!!!

O 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;
Oh rest beside the weary road
And hear the angels sing.

-Edward Hamilton Sears, "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear"

Ideo (Therefore)

On this day earth shall ring
With the song children sing
To the Son, Christ the King,
Born on earth to save us;
Him the Father gave us.
Ideo gloria in excelsis Deo!

His the doom, ours the mirth,
When he came down to earth;
Bethlehem saw his birth;
Ox and ass, beside him,
From the cold would hide him.
Ideo gloria in excelsis Deo!

God's bright star, o'er his head,
Wise men three to him led;
Kneel they low by his bed,
Lay their gifts before him,
Praise him and adore him.
Ideo gloria in excelsis Deo!

On this day angels sing;
With their song earth shall ring,
Praising Christ, heaven's King,
Born on earth to save us;
Peace and love he gave us.
Ideo gloria in excelsis Deo!

-Piae Contiones

All the Way My Savior Leads Me

All the way my Savior leads me;
What have I to ask beside?
Can I doubt his tender mercy,
Who through life has been my guide?
Heavenly peace, divinest comfort,
Here by faith in him to dwell;
For I know, whate'er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well.

All the way my Savior leads me,
Cheers each winding path I tread,
Gives me grace for ev'ry trial,
Feeds me with the living bread.
Though my weary steps may falter,
And my soul athirst may be,
Gushing from the rock before me,
Lo, a spring of joy I see!

All the way my Savior leads me—
O the fullness of his love!
Perfect rest to me is promised
In my Father's house above:
When my spirit, clothed, immortal,
Wings its flight to realms of day,
This my song through endless ages:
Jesus led me all the way.

-Fanny Crosby

At the Name of Jesus

At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow
every tongue confess him King of glory now;
'tis the Father's pleasure we should call him Lord,
who from the beginning was the mighty Word.

At his voice creation sprang at once to sight:
all the angel faces, all the hosts of light,
thrones and dominations, stars upon their way,
all the heavenly order in their great array.

Humbled for a season, to receive a name
from the lips of sinners, unto whom he came;
faithfully he bore it spotless to the last,
brought it back victorious when from death he passed;

bore it up triumphant with its human light,
through all ranks of creatures, to the central height
to the throne of Godhead, to the Father's breast;
filled it with the glory of that perfect rest.

In your hearts enthrone him; there let him subdue
all that is not holy, all that is not true.
crown him as your Captain in temptation's hour;
let his will enfold you in its light and power.

Brothers, this Lord Jesus shall return again,
with his Father's glory, with his angel train;
for all wreaths of empire meet upon his brow,
and our hearts confess him King of glory now.

Name him brothers, name him, with love strong as death
but with awe and wonder, and with baited breath;
he is God the Saviour, he is Christ the Lord,
ever to be worshiped, trusted and adored.

-Caroline M. Noel

Make a Joyful Noise

Now shall my inward joys arise,
And burst into a song;
Almighty love inspires my heart,
And pleasure tunes my tongue.

-Isaac Watts

O Love That Will Not Let Me Go

O Love that will not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.

O Light that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.

O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.

O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.

-George Matheson

Of the Father's Love Begotten

Of the Father’s love begotten
Ere the world began to be
He is alpha and omega
He the source, the ending he
Of the things that are, that have been
And that future years shall see
Evermore and evermore

Oh ye heights of Heaven adore him
Angel hosts his praises sing
Clouds, dominions bow before him
And extol our God and King
Let no tongue on earth be silent
Every voice in concert ring
Evermore and evermore

Christ to thee with God the Father
And O Holy Ghost, to thee
Hymn and chant with high thanksgiving
And unwearied praises be
Honor, glory and dominion
And eternal victory
Evermore and evermore

-Marcus Aurelius Clemens Prudentius (348-413)

O Come, O Come Emmanuel

O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, thou Dayspring, come and cheer
Our spirits by thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

-Latin, 12th century; trans. John Mason Neale, 1851.

This Is My Father's World

This is my Father's world, and to my list'ning ears,
All nature sings, and round me rings the music of the spheres
This is my Father's world: I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas; his hand the wonders wrought.

This is my Father's world, the birds their carols raise,
The morning light, the lily white, declare their Maker's praise.
This is my Father's world: he shines in all that's fair;
In the rustling grass I hear him pass, he speaks to me everywhere.

This is my Father's world, O let me ne'er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the Ruler yet.
This is my Father's world: The battle is not done;
Jesus who died shall be satisfied, and earth and heav'n be one.

-Maltbie D. Babcock

It Is Finished!

"It is finished!" Sinners hear it;
'Tis the dying Victor's cry;
"It is finished!" Angels bear it,
Bear the joyful truth on high:
"It is finished!" Tell it through the earth and sky!
"It is finished!" Tell it through the earth and sky!

Justice, from her awful station,
Bars the sinner's peace no more;
Justice views with approbation
What the Savior did and bore;
Grace and mercy now display their boundless store.
Grace and mercy now display their boundless store.

"It is finished!" All is over;
Yes, the cup of wrath is drained;
Such the truth these words discover;
Thus the vict'ry was obtained;
'Tis a vict'ry none but Jesus could have gained.
'Tis a vict'ry none but Jesus could have gained.

Crown the mighty Conqueror, crown him,
Who his people's foes o'ercame!
In the highest heaven enthrone him!
Men and angels sound his fame!
Great his glory! Jesus bears a matchless name.
Great his glory! Jesus bears a matchless name.

-Thomas Kelly, Gadsby Hymnal #982

Be Thou My Vision

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art
Thou my best thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, and I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise,
Thou mine inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High king of heaven, my treasure Thou art.

High king of heaven, my victory won,
May I reach heaven's joys, O bright heaven's sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my vision, O ruler of all.

Praise the Savior, Ye Who Know Him!

Praise the Savior, ye who know Him!
Who can tell how much we owe Him?
Gladly let us render to Him
All we are and have.

Jesus is the Name that charms us;
He for conflict fits and arms us;
Nothing moves and nothing harms us
While he trust in Him.

Trust in Him, ye saints, forever--
He is faithful, changing never;
Neither force nor guile can sever
Those He loves from Him.

Keep us, Lord, O keep us cleaving
To Thyself, and still believing;
Till the hour of our receiving
Promised joys with Thee.

Then we shall be where we would be;
Then we shall be what we should be;
Things that are not now, nor could be,
Soon shall be our own.

-Thomas Kelly

Songs of Ocean

Lord, the water floods have lifted,
Ocean floods have lift their roar;
Now they pause where they have drifted,
Now they burst upon the shore.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
For the ocean's sounding store.

With all tones of waters blending,
Glorious is the breaking deep;
Glorious, beauteous without ending,
God Who reigns on heav'ns high steep.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Songs of ocean never sleep.

-John Keble, "God, the Lord, a King Remaineth"