Christmas in July – Part 3
The idea of Christingles came from a Moravian Church in Germany in 1747. The minister, John de Watteville, gave children at the service a lighted candle with a red ribbon around it. This represented Jesus being the light of the world and the final prayer of that first service was “Lord Jesus, kindle a flame in these children’s hearts, that theirs like Thine become.” The custom went around the world with the church. Missionaries brought the Moravian Church to England in the late 1700s.
The word Christingle could have come from several sources. It might be an English version of Christkindl – meaning little Christ child. It could be a putting together of the words Christmas and ingle which is an old Scots word for fire and so would give it the meaning of Christ Light. Whichever might be the origin, the tradition of Christingle is still part of Advent services in many churches today.
The custom has been popular in the Church of England since 1968. The church that my son and his family attend in Sweden celebrate Christingle as part of their special Children’s Advent service.
Here’s what the different parts of the Christingle represent:
Hymn# 136 - The First Nowell
This traditional carol was penned back in the 17th century as a poem by a now anonymous author. The tune that is now associated with it is an English traditional medley first published in Sandy’s Christmas Carols, 1833.
As with other words associated with Christmas, the meaning behind this carol comes to us from other languages. The word Nowell finds its origin in the Latin natalis [dies] or day of birth. When the word found its way into French, it became Noel without the w and extra l. It came to represent the holy birth of Jesus which was celebrated as Christmas and so it is common to hear Joyeux Noel – Happy Christmas. The Nowell that we find in this hymn is the English derivation from the French but has more commonly come to signify birth. In Irish, the word is nollaig.
If we substitute the word birth where we see nowell, we begin to see that the carol is a celebration of the one born in Bethlehem who really is the first-born Son of God. The first birth would be a literal translation. The first birth the angel did say was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay. Of course, given when the carol was written, it was well accepted that the birth of Jesus took place in the winter and so the shepherds are there on a cold winter’s night that was so deep. Snow probably wasn’t falling when the shepherds heard the angels, but it probably snowed in December in England.
The chorus of Nowell, nowell, nowell, nowell is really a grand birth announcement. “Birth, birth, birth, birth, born is the King of Israel.
Finally, the author wants us all to remember that this first birth, the birth of the Son of God and heralded by angels and a bright shining star is a birth that is worth celebrating even today. So, let us all with one accord sing praises to our heavenly Lord.
Hymn# 149 - Away in a Manger
Away in a Manger is another carol whose origin is unknown. Its first appearance came in 1885 when it was published in the Little Children’s Book for School and Families. It was a Lutheran publication which probably led some people to believe that its author was none other than the founder of the denomination – Martin Luther himself.
Without a doubt, Luther had a strong influence on the faith of the followers of the Lutheran doctrine and one could imagine him finding the words to express his vision of that blessed time of Jesus in the cradle in Bethlehem.
The idyllic vision created by the author of this carol leaves us with such a feeling of peace and hope as we imagine the whole of nature and the universe in perfect harmony. There is nothing on earth that can disturb the bliss experienced there.
The third verse was written by a man named John McFarland. No biographical information is available, but it is recorded that the carol with the inclusion of this verse first appeared in Gabriel’s Vineyard Songs in 1892. The tune that accompanies the carol was written by James Kirkpatrick around the same time.
Hymn# 138 - While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks
This carol was written by a man named Nahum Tate who was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1652 and attended Trinity College graduating with a B.A. in 1672. He found modest success for part of his life but died in poverty in 1715 after taking refuge from his creditors in the Mint in Southwark, London, England.
The carol tells the story of the shepherds’ encounter with the angels and their subsequent visit to the manger in Bethlehem. While the story is not a remarkable retelling, the last verse does shed a different light on the angels’ message.
“All glory be to God on high, and to the earth be peace. Good will henceforth from heaven to earth begin, and never cease!”
The message of the angels was that the birth in Bethlehem was the sign from God that there would no longer be anything to divide earth from heaven. The blessing of God to the earth had been given and would never cease. The gift of peace, of healing and of forgiveness had come from heaven above. This is the reassurance and hope that guided Nahum in his life and that we need to guide us through this time.
Hymn# 139 - Hark the Herald Angels Sing
As with so many of our carols, they began their life as poems, and only later did they become associated with the melodies we know so well. Here is another written by that most famous of hymn writers – Charles Wesley.
Several years after Wesley’s death, the tune Mendelssohn written by no other than Felix Mendelssohn himself became the traditional tune that has endured throughout the centuries. Its present arrangement is by William Cummings.
This carol is a celebration of the angels and their role in heralding the birth of the newborn King, the Prince of Peace, the Son of righteousness who brings light and life to all.
The images created by Wesley certainly give each of us great encouragement for this life and our life beyond!