Jul, Jul, Strålande Jul
By: Gustav Nordqvist
Peace, peace, wonderful peace,
Peace to the world is given.
Hush’d are the angels, so still is the night;
Then in the East shone a heavenly light.
Join in the chorus His praises sing!
Glory to God, to the new born King.
Peace, peace, wonderful peace.
Peace to the world is given.
Peace, peace, bearer of peace,
All of goodwill receive Him.
Holiest of nights, O most wondrous of days;
Shepherds and kings lift their voices in praise.
—Poem by Edvard Evers
English translation by Norman Luboff
Suomalainen rukouskirja (A Finnish Prayer Book)
By: Einojuhani Rautavaara
I. Tuo’os mettä kielelläsi (Please bring us honey on your tongue)
Virgin Mary, mother, pure and beautiful mother!
Please bring us honey on your tongue, mead in your heart,
medicine for my pain to cure all my troubles!
Grease me with the balms with which you greased your son,
Compress with the compresses with which you compressed your son.
Bring us honey, Virgin Mary, pure and beautiful mother!
II. Saunarukous (A Sauna Prayer)
Virgin Mary, mother, pure and beautiful mother,
Come to the sauna in secret,
To the torturing chamber of the arrows,
Without the door screaming or the hinges squeaking!
Go, steam, to the mosses of the sauna,
Go, pain, to the holes of the stove!
III. Taivahan ilohon (To the Joy of Heaven)
Take us, Lord Jesus, to the joy of heaven!
There we are safe and happy with Jesus.
You do not get there with money nor go with gold:
Without money the trip is fresh and the way is smooth.
—Traditional Finnish poems translated by Reijo Kekkonen
The Song of a Shepherd
By: Rachel DeVore Fogarty
2014 Welcome Christmas Carol Contest Winner
Sleep, Thou little Child of Mary:
Rest Thee now.
Though these hands be rough from shearing
And the plough,
Yet they shall not ever fail Thee,
When the waiting nations hail Thee,
Bringing palms unto their King.
Now—I sing.
Sleep, Thou little Child of Mary,
Hope divine.
If Thou wilt but smile upon me,
I will twine
Blossoms for Thy garlanding.
Thou’rt so little to be King,
God’s Desire!
Not a brier
Shall be left to grieve Thy brow;
Rest Thee now.
Sleep, Thou little Child of Mary.
Some fair day
Wilt Thou, as Thou wert a brother,
Come away
Over hills and over hollow?
All the lambs will up and follow,
Follow but for love of Thee.
Lov’st Thou me?
—Text by Josephine Preston Peabody ( from Christmas
In Legend and Story: A Book For Boys and Girls)
Det är en Ros Utsprungen (There Is a Rose Springing Up)
By: Michael Praetorius, arr. Jan Sandström
Lo, how a Rose e’er blooming from tender stem hath sprung!
Of Jesse’s lineage coming as folk of old have sung.
It came, a floweret bright amid the cold of winter,
When half spent was the night.
Dejlig er den Himmel Blå (Bright and Glorious Is the Sky)
Danish Carol, arr. Philip Brunelle
Bright and glorious is the sky,
Radiant are the heavens high
Where the golden stars were shining
And their rays to earth inclining,
Beckoning us to heaven above.
On that holy Christmas night
Through the darkness beamed a light;
All the stars above were paling,
All their luster slowly failing,
As the Christmas star drew nigh.
Sages from the East afar,
When they saw this wondrous star,
Went to find the King of nations
And to offer their oblations
Unto him as Lord and King.
Guided by the star they found
Him whose praise the ages sound,
We too have a star to guide us
Which forever will provide us
With the light to find our Lord.
—Nikolai Grundtvig, 1783-1872
English from LCA Hymnal, 1955
Guds Son är född
arr. Otto Olsson
God’s Son is born in Bethlehem on this day according
to God’s own pleasure, and became flesh.
From pure favor and grace, he is of great help and
comfort to us, and has redeemed the world from all danger.
Oh heavenly message! Angels and rulers now proclaim
peace on earth, and praise God with your angel tongues, with harps and trombones.
Yes, with your hearts sing praise to the Lord God.
Oh, heartfelt joy!
Now let us all be glad, and with the shepherds be on our way,
and follow the star which the clear light of the word
of our God, evens and smooths out on the road
to the Lord’s holy house.
The wise men from the East, who came from Midian
to Bethlehem,
Disposed of their riches with heartfelt devotion,
and presented their gifts: gold, myrrh, and frankincense.
Let us go and celebrate our Christmas feast;
wishing that Jesus himself would be our guest!
Then we shall not be wrong either in speech or deed
when he will share with us his love and grace.
A wonderful comfort that he who is our Savior shall
some day be our judge,
A wonderful comfort when he shall come in heaven
with power and wonder and give his faithful ones his wages for ever.
—Translation by Stefan Sylvander
Det Finnes en Dyrebar Rose (I Know of a Lovely Flower)
By: Egil Hovland
I know of a lovely flower,
A rose which will never fade.
It blooms in the frost of winter
With blossoms and buds of red.
It bloomed at the foot of Mount Sinai,
In flames that consumed no wood.
The burning bush spoke of God’s promise,
The power of God’s holy word.
It blossomed in Bethlehem’s winter,
It blossomed in Nazareth’s spring.
It bloomed on the crown of Jesus,
Cruel Golgotha’s Lord and King.
It blossoms today here among us,
Its fragrance a balm for all
Who suffer the pain and the anguish
Of life’s bitter thorns and gall.
O rose, burning there in winter,
In sorrow and cold and pain
O emblem of life made holy!
God’s Love is your only name.
—Text by Svein Ellingsen
English Text by Gracia Grindal
The Holly and the Ivy
arr. Ola Gjeilo
The holly and the ivy,
When they are both full grown;
Of all the trees that are in the wood
The holly bears the crown.
Chorus:
O the rising of the sun and the running of the deer,
The playing of the merry organ, sweet singing of the choir.
The holly bears a blossom
As white as lily flower,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
To be our sweet Savior.
The holly bears a berry
As red as any blood,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
To do poor sinners good.
The holly bears a prickle
As sharp as any thorn;
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
To be our sweet Savior.
The holly bears a bark
As bitter as any gall;
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
On Christmas day in the morn.
The holly and the ivy
Now both are full well grown,
Of all the trees that are in the wood,
The holly bears the crown.
Corpus Christe Carol
By: Agneta Sköld
Lully lullay, lully lullay,
The falcon hath borne my mate away.
He bare him up, he bare him down,
He bare him into an orchard brown.
And in that orchard there was a hall,
That was hanged with purple and pall.
And in that hall there was a bed,
And it was hanged with gold so red.
And on this bed there lieth a knight
His wound is bleeding day and night.
By his bedside kneeleth a maid
And she weepeth both night and day.
By his bedside standeth a stone,
Corpus Christi written thereon.
—Old English carol
Cradle Hymn
By: Kim André Arnesen
Hush! my dear, lie still and slumber,
Holy angels guard thy bed!
Heavenly blessings without number
Gently falling on thy head.
See the kindly shepherds round Him,
Telling wonders from the sky!
When they sought Him, there they found Him,
With His Virgin mother by.
See the lovely babe a-dressing;
Lovely infant, how He smiled!
When He wept, the mother’s blessing
Soothed and hush’d the holy child.
May’st thou live to know and fear Him,
Trust and love Him all thy days;
Then go dwell for ever near Him,
See His face, and sing His praise!
—Text by Isaac Watts
From Heaven High
By: Martin Luther, arr. Gunnar Idenstam
From heaven high to earth I come,
To bring good news to every one!
Glad tidings of great joy I bring,
To all the world, and gladly sing:
To you this night is born a child
Of Mary chosen virgin mild;
This newborn child of lowly birth,
Shall be the joy of all the earth.
How glad we’ll be to find it so!
With all the shepherds let us go
To see what God for us has done
In sending us God’s own dear Son.
Welcome to earth, O noble Guest,
Through whom this sinful world is blest!
You turned not from our needs away!
How can our thanks such love repay?
To God who sent us Christ the Lord
Be glory, laud and honor poured.
Let all the choir of Heav’n rejoice;
The new ring in with heart and voice.
Julvisa
By: Sven-David Sandström
Give me no brilliance, no gold, no splendor in holy Christmastime.
Give me God’s honor, angels’ guard, and peace over the earth.
Give me a feast which gladdens most the king I have asked to be a guest!
Give me no brilliance, no gold, no splendor, give me an angels’ guard.
Give me a home on created earth, an evergreen with children in rounds,
An evening in light with the Lord’s word, and darkness there about.
Give me a nest, a conscience best with glad trust, hope and faith.
Give me a home on created earth and light of the word of the Lord.
To high, to low, to rich, to poor, come holy Christmas peace.
Come childlike, glad, come warm of heart in the world’s winter time.
The only one who does not change, my Lord and my King, come!
To high, to low, to rich, to poor, come glad and warm of heart.
—Zacharias Topelius (1887) Translation by Stefan Sylvander
Miles and Miles
By: Justin Merritt
2014 Welcome Christmas Carol Contest Winner
The dead of winter on the road
Miles and miles from home
The desert dust stings my eyes
Miles and miles to go
Miles and miles and miles and miles
Miles before I sleep
Miles and miles and miles and miles
On this Christmas eve
Now nine long months have come and gone
Miles and miles from home
Can’t wait to see my first born son
Miles and miles to go
My baby will be born tonight
Miles and miles from home
Who will give me shelter here?
Miles and miles to go
We have to flee to save our child
Miles and miles from home
God only knows when we’ll return
Miles and miles to go
Still they cry in Bethlehem
Miles and miles from home
Mothers comfort little ones
Miles and miles to go
Ringen i Klockor (Ring You Bells)
arr. Gunnar Idenstam
Ring you bells, yes, ring in the midnight hour.
Glimmer, you stars, like the star eyes of angels glimmer.
Peace comes to earth with the word of heaven.
Glory to God in the highest.
Christmas is come with lights to trembling hearts.
Down over the child in the crib the angels now hover.
The child from God brings us holy commands.
Glory to God in the highest.
Sing and play and cheer and clap your hands,
All children of the earth’s many lands.
Born today is the child, pleasing to God.
Glory to God in the highest!
—Translation by Stefan Sylvander