Behind the Song: Deep River
Deep River is an African-American spiritual with unknown origins. The song was first printed in the 1876, The Story of the Jubilee Singers: With Their Songs, by J. B. T. Marsh. In 1917, Harry T.…
Behind the Hymn: Hold the Fort
Ira Sankey wrote “Mr. Bliss said to me once, not long before his death, that he hoped that he would not be known to posterity only as the author of Hold the Fort, for he…
Behind the Hymn: No One Understand Like Jesus
Do you ever have days when your heart is heavy? Do you feel no one cares? We all have times when we are lost, floundering, struggling to understand the difficult times, feel lonely and all…
Behind the Hymn: A Great and Mighty Wonder
A great and mighty wonder is a little-known Christmas Carol. The hymn is German in origin. The hymn was written by St. Germanus I. He was born in Constantinople of a patrician family in 634…
Eyewitness to Christmas: The Wise Men Returns Home
The Wise Men have worshiped at the feet of the Christ child or baby Jesus. They then bestow three gifts to him of gold, frankincense and myrrh. When they leave, they probably planned to head…
Behind the Christmas Song: As with Gladness Men of Old
As with Gladness Men of Old is considered an Epiphany hymn more than a Christmas hymn. William Chatterton Dix wrote the hymn on January 6, 1859 while recovering from an extended illness. He was bed…
Eyewitness to Christmas: The Wise Men Worship the Christ Child
After a long journey, the wise men have finally arrived at their destination. Can you imagine the commotion as they ride up and tie their camels to the hitching posts? “We may well imagine their…
Behind the Christmas Carol: There’s A Star in the East
There’s A Star in the East is a Christmas Carol. Reginald Heber is credited with writing the song. He was in 1783 England and named after his father. He professed his admiration of the hymns…
Behind the Christmas Song: Bethlehem Morning
Bethlehem Morning was written by Morris Chapman. The song was made popular by Sandi Patty. Chapman was born in Mississippi in 1940. He served as pastor to several churches in Texas before becoming CEO of…
Behind the Christmas Song: Jesus, Oh What a Wonderful Child
The song is a traditional spiritual of African American origin. The origin of the song is unknown. One source claims sister Margaret Allison of the Angelic Gospel Singers, a 1950s performing group, wrote the song.…
Eyewitness to Christmas: The Wise Men Follow the Star
The Wise Men have met with King Herod and been sent on their way to Bethlehem, where prophecy foretold of the Christ child’s birth. The journey to Bethlehem was only six or seven miles from…
The Three Gifts of Christmas: Gifts Christ Offers Us
As we wrap up this series, we’ve discussed the gifts the Wise Men brought the Christ child, the three gifts Christ gives us and the three gifts we can give to Christ. As we wrap…
Behind the Christmas Song: The Gift Goes On
The Gift Goes On was written by Claire Cloninger and Ron Harris. Brenton-Benson Music and Lillenas Publishing published the song in 1974. The song was made popular by Sandi Patty. We are reminded through the…
Eyewitness to Christmas: Wise Men Secret Meeting With King Herod
Last time, we discussed the Wise Men’s query about the newborn. King Herod receives word of their arrival and is nervous. Matthew Henry says, “Herod was now an old man, and had reigned thirty-five years;…
The Three Gifts of Christmas: Gifts We Can Give to Jesus
We have been discussing the gifts of Christmas. So far, we’ve discussed the three gifts of the wise men and the three gifts Jesus gives to us. While Jesus gives us three gifts for Christmas,…
Behind the Christmas Carol: Lo, How a Rose E’re Blooming
Lo, How a Rose E’re Blooming is a Christmas carol of German origin. The carol was originally known as “Es ist ein Ros entsprungen” which means a rose has sprung up. The rose in the…
Eyewitness to Christmas: Wise Men Remind of The Prophecy Foretold
Last time, we talked about the Wise Men journey to find the newborn, King of the Jews. They did not question, but believed. They expect to find everyone worshipping this child, but arrive to discover…
The Three Gifts of Christmas: Gifts Christ Gives
Last week, we discussed the gifts the Wise Men brought to the Christ Child and the meaning behind these gifts. However, these are not the only gifts of Christmas. There is a much greater gift.…
Behind the Christmas Carol: While by My Sheep I Watched at Night
While by My Sheep was a traditional German carol by Nach Friedrich von Spee. The hymn was written in 1623 and known as Als ich bei meinen Schafen wacht. Hugo Jüngst arranged the text to…
Eyewitness to Christmas: Wise Men Follow a Star
Last time, we took a look at who the wise men were. Matthew does not tell us how many wise men there were or their names. However, Armenian tradition identifies the “Magi of Bethlehem” as…