Dec 19 Oh Little Town of Bethlehem

Dec 19 Oh Little Town of Bethlehem http://musiced.about.com/od/christmasnewyeararticles/qt/christmascarol.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O_Little_Town_of_Bethlehem
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phillips_Brooks
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_Redner

O little town of Bethlehem,
How still we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by;
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting Light;
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee to-night.

O morning stars, together
Proclaim the holy birth!
And praises sing to God the King,
And peace to men on earth.
For Christ is born of Mary,
And gathered all above,
While mortals sleep,
the angels keep
Their watch of wondering love.

How silently, oh how silently,
The wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of his heaven.
No ear may hear his coming,
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive him, still
The dear Christ enters in.

Where children pure and happy
Pray to the blessed Child,
Where misery cries out to thee,
Son of the mother mild;
Where charity stands watching
And faith holds wide the door,
The dark night wakes, the glory breaks,
And Christmas comes once more.

O holy Child of Bethlehem!
Descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin and enter in,
Be born in us to-day.
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us,
Our Lord Emmanuel!

Episcopal priest Phillips Brooks visited the actual town of Bethlehem on Christmas Eve in 1865. He travelled from Jerusalem to Bethlehem on horseback, later writing in his diary this interesting account: “Before dark we rode out of town to the field where they say the shepherds saw the star. It is a fenced piece of ground with a cave in it, in which, strangely enough, they put the shepherds.” Later in the evening, he attended the traditional services in an ancient basilica said to have been built by the Emperor Constantine early in the fourth century, The Church of the Nativity. The service, which lasted from 10 pm to 3 am, made an unforgettable impression on him.

Three years later, as he prepared for Christmas services at his church in Philadelphia, he drew on his Holy Land trip in writing the poem for “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” The song was written especially for the children of his parish. He gave the poem to church organist Lewis Redner and asked him to set it to music. Redner dallied and delayed until it was almost too late for the song to be used that year, telling Brooks that he was “not inspired” yet with music. The night before the children’s choir was to sing the carol in services, Redner finally was able to hear a tune, which he rapidly jotted down so he could get some sleep. In the morning, he harmonized the melody and it was able to be used for that year’s Christmas services.

Craft: skyline silhouette
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/Shootingstar.shtml