For the final week of Advent Song Reflections, we will be using Scripture and Carols from a traditional Lessons and Carols service. The reading will be posted in full, followed by a carol, followed by a thought or quote to ponder, and then finishing with reflection questions.
You are encouraged to read the text slowly and prayerfully. This week is a time to truly enter into the wonder and joy of the incarnation, and it is our prayer that these texts and carols help you do just that.
Reading for Tuesday: Micah 5:2-4 (NRSV)
But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah,
who are one of the little clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to rule in Israel,
whose origin is from of old,
from ancient days.
Therefore he shall give them up until the time
when she who is in labor has brought forth;
then the rest of his kindred shall return
to the people of Israel.
And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great
to the ends of the earth;
Carol: O Little Town of Bethlehem
This tune is associated with different tunes depending on where you live, so we are including both
TUNE: ST. LOUIS
TUNE: FOREST GREEN
O little town of Bethlehem,
how still we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
the silent stars go by;
yet in thy dark streets shineth
the everlasting light.
The hopes and fears of all the years
are met in thee tonight.
For Christ is born of Mary,
and, gathered all above
while mortals sleep, the angels keep
their watch of wond’ring love.
O morning stars, together
proclaim the holy birth,
and praises sing to God the King
and peace to all the earth.
How silently, how silently,
the wondrous gift is giv’n!
So God imparts to human hearts
the blessings of his heav’n.
No ear may hear his coming,
but in this world of sin,
where meek souls will receive him, still
the dear Christ enters in.
O holy Child of Bethlehem,
descend to us, we pray,
cast out our sin and enter in,
be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels
the great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us,
our Lord Immanuel!
"Micah’s people saw so much greed and deception in high places. Could they believe with him that 'the arc of the moral universe bends toward justice'? Could they believe that 'the one of peace,' whose only weapon is gentleness, would win for them security and safety, when they experienced so much violence around them? Could they believe that someone from little, out-of-the-way Bethlehem would be 'great to the ends of the earth'? Can we?"--Stephen B. Boyd
When you consider the humble circumstances of Christ’s birth, what does that tell you about God’s plan of salvation and his kingdom? Phillips Brooks, writer of “O Little Town of Bethlehem” draws a comparison between humble Bethlehem and our own “meek souls” seeking to receive Christ—how have you experienced “the dear Christ” meeting you in your own humility? Spend some time in prayer for the church of Jesus Christ, that we would hold on to that “meekness of soul” that enables us to be fully used by God.