faithMile

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDCnHJ5QqK4[/youtube]

The Coventry Carol – Alison Moyet

This is a beautiful, haunting Christmas ballad, but not a pretty or happy one. It tells of a story that is associated with Christmas, but foreshadows Christ’s death as well. In the Christmas story, wise men go to greet the newborn Christ, but King Herod also wants to greet him. Only Herod’s greeting is not to honor the child, but to kill him. Herod doesn’t know which child is the foretold messiah, so he decides to slaughter all newborn males under the age of two in the kingdom. This carol tells that story from the point of view of the mothers of those children.

Of course, Herod’s men don’t find Jesus, and so Mary doesn’t join in the mourning chorus of women. However, three decades later she will have occasion to join these women and say goodbye. I wonder if some of the people in the audience at the crucifixion who were yelling to crucify Christ were yelling not in anger, but in pain. Perhaps they realized that he was the one Herod was searching for when he killed their children. Maybe they wanted to see a miracle in order to know that their sons did not die in vain. Maybe they really hoped that he would save himself from the cross and justify their loss. And so they yelled “crucify him” because if their sons had to die, then so did Mary’s. Or save himself and prove who he was.

And perhaps, over the next week, when news of Christ’s missing body and sightings of him trickled through the town, these mothers were finally comforted.

Click here for the Coventry Carol wikipedia page, with history of the song itself.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F44d2IzCrKo[/youtube]

Carol of the Bells – Monique Daniels

What if you could combine the cheerfulness of Christmas with the dazzle of Independence Day? They did!

The Holdmans are an artistic bunch. They live in Pleasant Grove, Utah and their non-Christmas endeavors include photography and stained-glass making. What they are most famous for, however, are their annual Christmas displays.

This one happens to be my favorite, but you can see the rest at their website and on their Facebook page.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMTl9LWkXFA[/youtube]

Do You Hear What I Hear – Whitney Houston

This song is one I consider a classic, but it’s actually quite recent as far as Christmas Carols go. It was written in 1962 by a husband and wife team, and part of the inspiration was the Cuban Missile Crisis. The song was written in a part as a plea for peace.

I love the storyline of the song. It’s like a holy game of telephone. The night wind speaks to a lamb about a special star. The next verse, which is where Whitney’s version starts, has the lamb telling the boy about a beautiful song. The boy then goes and tells the king about a child and suggests they bring him gifts. Finally, the king proclaims the child’s destiny of hope to the people.

This version showcases Whitney Houston at her best, adding one more beautiful voice to carry the message.

Lyrics courtesy of Cowboy Lyrics:

Said the night wind to the little lamb
Do you see what I see
Way up in the sky little lamb
Do you see what I see
A star, a star
Dancing in the night
With a tail as big as a kite
With a tail as big as a kite

Said the little lamb to the shepard boy
Do you hear what I hear
Ringing through the sky shepard boy
Do you hear what I hear
A song, a song
High above the tree
With a voice as big as the sea
With a voice as big as the sea

Said the shepard boy to the mighty king
Do you know what I know
In your palace wall mighty king
Do you know what I know
A child, a child
Shivers in the cold
Let us bring him silver and gold
Let us bring him silver and gold

Said the king to the people everywhere
Listen to what I say
Pray for peace people everywhere
Listen to what I say
The child, the child
Sleeping in the night
He will bring us goodness and light
He will bring us goodness and light

The child, the child
Sleeping in the night
He will bring us goodness and light

Song Wikipedia Page