My memory may not serve me well, and I tried to look this up on the Internet, but I think that the first time I remember hearing this carol was in a production of Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol. I seem to remember a street scene with carolers, but the melody and lyrics have stuck with me ever since.
"Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming"
Lo, how a Rose e'er blooming from tender stem hath sprung!
Of Jesse's lineage coming, as men of old have sung.
It came, a floweret bright, amid the cold of winter,
When half spent was the night.
Isaiah 'twas foretold it, the Rose I have in mind;
Mary we behold it, the Virgin Mother kind.
To show God's love aright, she bore to us a Savior,
When half spent was the night.
The shepherds heard the story proclaimed by angels bright,
How Christ, the Lord of glory was born on earth this night.
To Bethlehem they sped and in the manger they found Him,
As angel heralds said.
This Flower, whose fragrance tender with sweetness fills the air,
Dispels with glorious splendor the darkness everywhere;
True man, yet very God, from sin and death He saves us,
And lightens every load.
Of Jesse's lineage coming, as men of old have sung.
It came, a floweret bright, amid the cold of winter,
When half spent was the night.
Isaiah 'twas foretold it, the Rose I have in mind;
Mary we behold it, the Virgin Mother kind.
To show God's love aright, she bore to us a Savior,
When half spent was the night.
The shepherds heard the story proclaimed by angels bright,
How Christ, the Lord of glory was born on earth this night.
To Bethlehem they sped and in the manger they found Him,
As angel heralds said.
This Flower, whose fragrance tender with sweetness fills the air,
Dispels with glorious splendor the darkness everywhere;
True man, yet very God, from sin and death He saves us,
And lightens every load.
Listen to the carol here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g458-jXkbpU
As I read the words, over and over again, I see again the Christmas Story, the fitting prelude to the earthly life of Jesus Christ, the true meaning of the season and the One that abides with us still.
Sure, I am sentimental, and I love Christmas with family and friends, with all the music and lights, but I am struck with the simplicity and grandeur of the message:
God Loves Us, You and Me
As an added bonus to this morning, I discovered, as I looked through the various web sites, a lady with a remarkable voice in a rendition of the carol: Frederica Von Stade…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qI7hwHaYK_c&spfreload=10
Watch and Listen….it will bless your day, too
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