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 men on 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 Emmanuel!
— Words: Bishop Phillips Brooks (1835-1893), 1868.
Have a great Christmas!
P.S. Fun fact: Philips Brooks visited Bethlehem at Christmas time and was deeply impacted by the awe-inspiring experience. He wrote this hymn two years later.
P.P.S. This rendition is a bit different. I like it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RThp_uSHs40
P.P.P.S. Full disclosure: In case you really are starting to think I’m mad as a hatter…
I didn’t actually write anything on Christmas Day. I’m on holiday when you’re reading this… and I wrote these emails a few days prior so they’d still go out to my hordes of adoring fans as expected.
Heck… I’m not THAT in love with daily email that I’d ditch my family and be tied to my laptop on Chrismas Day.
And if you ARE reading any of my emails on Christmas Day… erm… stop it!
I know they’re simply awesome… but you ARE allowed to read two in one day. I’ll let you do it… just this once.
Instead: go and eat pumpkin pie. Or something else that’s Christmassy and delicious.
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Chris Milham