Welcome, today! We've things to say! Here at the blog. Makes you agog!
'Tis time to read, if you're in need. Words filled with hope. Notes played with scope.
Welcome to Tuesday, better than Monday. You're at a place of peace and good cheer.
Songs with new meaning. Ready for streaming. Sing right along with no need to fear.
Welcome! Hi there! Welcome! It is Tuesday!!! Howdy! Greetings! Howdy! It is Tuesday!
Had enough? I'm running out of rhyming words so let's enjoy the real versions of the Christmas Carol Classic:
Need vocals?
This favorite of the season was written in 1914. The music was composed by Ukrainian Mykola Leontovych with words by Peter Wilhousky who also had a Ukrainian heritage. It is based on the Ukrainian Folk Song "Schedryk," a song for the celebration of the coming year. After the Soviet Union took over Ukraine, "Carol of the Bells" soon fell out of popularity. It was introduced to a sold-out crowd at Carnegie Hall for its first performance in the United States on October 5, 1921. Since that time, it has been recorded by a diverse set of popular musicians. Every few years a new iteration of the classic song will come along and soar to the top of request emails (alas, no more radio request lines...) and streaming playlists.
Most versions of the song support the upbeat ostinato, a series of notes repeated continually. This lends to the song's popularity as it becomes easy to remember, while not necessarily easy to sing. With each new arrangement and every variation of "Carol of the Bells," one feels the positive pulsing of the beat as they attempt to catch up to the lyric. Let's face it. This song is really contagious!!!
It is a rare occasion that I have heard an unpleasant bell ringing. I absolutely love the variety of happy sounds that bells make. It is a sound telling the world of something new, perhaps very different. There is even a word that means the ringing of the bells, tintinnabulation. For you Hooked on Phonics folks, [ tin-ti-nab-yuh-ley-shuhn ]
Bells have also been used as a call to arms, attention getters for announcements, or to signify a time of meeting for communities or religious organizations. At one time in many countries' histories, a town crier would use a bell to cry out information from government entities or local goings-on. Alas, this art form was replaced by print media, which has been replaced by digital media, which will be replaced by...
There was a time when many churches even had handbell choirs. If you are fortunate to live in an area where there is such an ensemble, do yourself a favor and go to a concert. Especially a Christmas concert! You won't be disappointed!!!
The Bible says absolutely nothing about bells ringing to announce Jesus' birth. In fact, when Jesus was born it was not a very happy time for God's chosen people. They were inconvenienced by a census, which inevitably meant that taxes were about to go up...(hmmm has that really changed in 2000 years?). They were occupied by a government that looked at them as second-class citizens. And their own religious rulers had reinterpreted scripture in such a way as to make the rabbinical laws (ones of their own making) equal to God's law.
But in the midst of all of this chaos and oppression, came Hope, Peace, and Great Joy!!!
At this point in historical culture, the only people class lower on the social status ladder than a carpenter, Joseph's profession, were the shepherds. Imagine, hanging out in the field, in the dark, listening to the snores of sheep, when an angel appears telling you that everything you know has just changed and everything you had been taught has just been fulfilled. These sacrifice-keepers became witnesses to a taste of heaven as a multitude of angels began praising God. The angels had just told them..."throw cares away, Christmas is here, bringing good cheer, to young and old, meek and the bold." Actually, they told them to not be afraid but to rejoice because the long-awaited Messiah, whom the shepherds would have had at least a cursory knowledge, had arrived in a very unexpected way. All the shepherds needed at this point were bells to announce Jesus' coming. Yet they were too poor for the luxury of such an item, so they did their best to tell everyone they encountered what they had experienced.
"Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the sheepherders were impressed." Luke 2:17-18 The Message
Like clanging bells, the shepherds went about Bethlehem telling the news. And folks listened... Angels were seen! God had been glorified!! Messiah had come!!!
This season, many of us need to unwrap the cloth from around our clappers. We need to be shaken like bells until our joy and excitement about the reason for this season are exclaimed...loudly. We need to take the angel's advice, put away our fear, and rejoice!!! Because as we will see, Jesus did not remain a baby. He did not remain in Bethlehem. But what He did is a word of good cheer that should have us ringing boldly that Christmas is here!!!
'Til Tuesday,
Serving HIM by serving You,
randy
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