I did not post a sermon this week because our choir presented a special Christmas concert on Sunday. It was a delightful celebration of the message of Christ’s Advent.
The theme was “Christmas Around the World.” We heard songs from Europe, Asia, the Caribbean, and elsewhere. Our church has a special relationship with the Filipino Christian Fellowship that meets at our site to worship and study the Bible. The group joins us each Sunday for a joint worship service. This year they joined our choir for part of the concert, singing what was a new song to most of us.
The Fellowship choir presented a Christmas song popular in the Philippines, especially since the nation suffered such damage in recent days. It's called Tuloy Na Tuloy Parin Ang Pasko. They sang in Tagalog, providing a written translation for us to follow.
The first stanza of the song, says:
When Christmas comes, it makes me wonder why,
Everyone’s is irritable being caught up with the holiday rush.
Not so sure about giving, when life is challenging;
Will there be caroling and Noche Buena (Christmas Eve Feast)?
When there’s lack and money is barely enough, it’s embarrassing
to bail out again on the gift your god-children expect this Christmas.
I found the second verse a little whimsical, especially since ham is not one of my favorite foods and I’m allergic to shrimp.
Last year was a lot better’ The spread had ham and all the good stuff.
New Year celebration might get dropped for reason now that life is so tough. I guess instead of that juicy ham, we’ll just settle for that salty shrimp paste (a mixture of ground shrimp and krill—look it up, I did).
When Pastor Manuel Badar explained the song, he referred to the resilience of the Filipino people how they would come back. And, of course, as we might expect from the people of the only Christian nation in Asia, the true foundation of hope is in the One who’s birth is celebrated at Christmas. The refrain of the song goes:
But come what may, as long as love rules the day,
It’s enough to know Jesus is with us. Christmas will go on.
The “new song” is really an echo of an old song, one that included the words “Peace on earth….” What may be the oldest Christmas carol in English is “The First Nowell.” There’s a debate online about the word “nowell.” Many believe it comes from the French word Noel or Christmas. Others insist the word is of English origin and represents an abbreviation for “Now all is well.” I’d like that to be true but I’m not sure history supports the claim. Anyway, while the linguistics may be shaky, the theology behind the idea is pretty solid.
Christ’s birth gives a new perspective to everything. Whether we face tough times or good times, His birth reminds us of God’s faithfulness and love.
