9 days 'til Christmas

The Forgotten Carols are something I picked up in college back at BYU. I read the book first, then listened to the CD. I definitely recommend it!

Here is one of my favorite songs from the book/cd. It's about a Shepard boy at the time of Christ's birth.

The flock was more than peaceful.
The night was dark and deep.
The stillness wrapped around me,
And I drifted off to sleep.
And when my friends awoke me,
Oh what a tale they had to tell!

They said the angels told me
About the new-born king.
They had a start to guide them.
They heard the heavens sing.
They said that when they found Him,
They knew they'd never be the same.

Somehow I did believe them
Though everything I knew said I should not believe them.
This story can't be true.
But there was something magic in the air
That made me feel as if I had been there.

I asked a thousand questions.
Their answers startled me.
The more I heard, the more I thought
I knew this could not be.
And then the struggle started--
My head was wrestling with my heart.
Why would a God from heaven
Come to the world this way?
Why in a lowly stable
Would the Messiah lay?
I shook my head and asked them
To tell the story one more time.

And yes, I did believe them
Though I'd not seen a thing.
I did not go to Bethlehem
Or hear the angels sing,
But there was something magic in the air
That made me feel as if I had been there.
I knew that as the world
Moves on through time,
There would be more stories just like mine
About the souls who've chosen to believe
In something that they never go to see.

And do you think you'll join us
Though you've not seen a thing?
You were not there in Bethlehem
Nor heard the angels sing.
But if you feel the spirit in the air,
Then, just like me, you'll know that
He was here...He was here.
The King of kings and Lord of lords was here,
He was here...He was here.
And He will come again, for He was here.

After I read this (in the book), I immediately wondered how I would have reacted to Christ's birth if I were there at that time. I wondered if it would have been enough to hear others' testimonies or if I would have needed to see it to believe it. I had never imagined what it would have been like if I were there at Christ's birth as a witness or to have heard the story second hand from a witness. This gave me a whole new perspective. I thought about the similarities and differences between hearing of Christ's birth then versus now. It's funny, but there aren't very many differences. Both scenarios are very similar especially if you have never heard of Christ before. I have been blessed to be raised in a family in the Gospel. I have been taught about Christ since I was a little one, but I must say. I'd give the world to have witnessed Christ's birth. Thinking about it now brings a tear, amazement, and silence. Words cannot describe what it must have been like.