Christmas Carol of the Month - February

Of all the Christmas carols, my favorites are the story carols. The carols with verses and choruses are sung most often, and the choruses are easy to remember, but I like to follow the story all the way through. If you omit a verse or two with the other carols, it's usually OK unless it's someone's favorite verse, but if you omit a verse in a story carol, you've just left out part of the story. See if that's not true in
We Three Kings (5 verses)
The First Noel (6 verses)

The carol I picked for February is While Shepherds Watched their Flocks by Night.
It tells the part of the Christmas story that focuses on the angelic announcement of Christ's birth to the shepherds. "We Three Kings" tells the Christmas story from the kings' point of view. "The First Noel" spends one verse on the shepherds, the next four verses on the Wise Men (kings), and the last verse imploring a response from us.

The words to While Shepherds Watched their Flock by Night were written by Nahum Tate who was Poet Laureate in the reign of Queen Ann. He was one of the first to paraphrase scripture into verse to be used in the church. Before that, only scripture was used. His poem was set to a tune by George Friedrich Handel. The first four verses tell the story. The last verse is the praise of the angelic chorus surrounding the announcing angel, but, in my mind, seems appropriate for the shepherds as well upon seeing the infant Savior, Christ the Lord, for themselves.

While shephers watched their flocks by night, all seated on the ground,
The angel of the Lord came down, and glory shone around.

"Fear not!" said he, for mighty dread had seized their troubled mind;
"Glad tidings of great joy I bring to you and all mankind.

"To you in David's town this day is born, of David's line,
The Savior, who is Christ the Lord, and this will be the sign:

"The heavenly Babe you there shall find to human view displayed,
All meanly wrapt in swathing-bands and in a manger laid.

"All glory be to God on high, and to the earth be peace:
Good will henceforth from heaven to men begin and never cease!"

May God's peace be true in your life, too, because of His gift to all mankind.
Paulita