Before the English popularized the practice of singing Christmas carols, before Martin Luther wrote “From Heaven Above to Earth I Come,” even before St. Francis created the first crèche, the Church celebrated the story of the incarnation of the savior in chant. One of those ancient chants was written in Latin by Aurelius Prudentius around the year 405 and begins “Of the Father’s love begotten, ere the worlds began to be” and continues on to tell the story and sing the praises of Jesus Christ in a hauntingly beautiful melody. Although it is not the sort of music easy to sing while Christmas caroling, this chant is still heard in concert halls and churches and on the radio at this time of year.
The birth of any child is a story of love. There is the love of a man and a woman that began the process that led to the birth. There is the story of the intense bond between a mother and her child, a love quite unlike any other. But the birth of Jesus is a unique love story. It is the story of a God who loves people like you and me despite our many flaws and imperfections and, at times, our open rebellion against the God who created us. The Gospel according to St. John does not contain the story of the birth of Jesus but it does contain the verse that most perfectly summarizes what the stories about Jesus’ birth in Matthew and Luke mean: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that whoever believes in him may not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) Christmas is the time to revel in the love of God, a love that is wholly undeserved which makes it all the more precious.
People in love love to give gifts. Many people this year have searched for just the right gift to put under the tree to show just how much they love the recipient of the gift. A young man shows his love for his bride-to-be with the gift of an engagement ring, which, in turn, is a sign of an even greater gift, the pledge of lifelong love and faithfulness which is made on their wedding day. The gift of Jesus, born in Bethlehem, is both the sign and the reality of God’s love. In 1st John 4:9 it says, “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins.” The song of the angels, the chatter of the shepherds, and the reverence of the wise men are all in response to what God did to show his great love, as are the carols sung in Christian churches late on the night of December 24 or early on the morning of December 25 each year.
There is another Christmas hymn not sung so often and no longer in very many hymnals that was written by Christina Rossetti in the 19th century. It is simple and elegant and gets to the point of Christmas:
Love came down at Christmas,
Love all lovely, Love divine;
Love was born at Christmas,
Star and angels gave the sign.
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