On the 2nd Day of Christmas: The Feast of Stephen

It seems odd that the commemoration of the first martyr falls the day after the birth of the Savior!

Dec. 25: The Savior Comes; Dec. 26: Stephen is martyred!

Lets take the easy road and talk about Stephen. Saints and martyrs are always commemorated on the day they leave this veil of tears and not on the day they enter it. So if Stephen was martyred on Dec. 26, we then commemorate him on that day.

Now, how did we get Christmas on Dec. 25? For that we turn to Dr. Gene Edward Veith's excerpt from Biblical Archaeology Review.

First, some mythbusting. Christians do NOT celebrate Christmas because they christianized a pagan festival.  They had no interest in pagan ritual and were quite content to not participate.

So, why Dec. 25?  The ancient tradition dated the crucifixion on March 25, which in turn, was used to commemorate the Feast of the Annunciation (when Gabriel told Mary she was with child).  Tack on 9 months to Jesus' conception and you get to celebrate His birth on Dec. 25.

Now for some trivia: What Christmas carol doesn't mention the birth of Christ but does mention the Feast of Stephen?

That's right, Good King Wenceslas!

For more about the 12 days of Christmas and the famous king of Bohemia, check out this post from Past Elder.

Christmas: Day 2: In the First Light

Where the Gospel reading for Christmas Eve is Luke 2, the Gospel reading for Christmas Eve is John 1.

In the beginning was the Word,

and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God.

In Him was life,

and the life was the light of men.

The light shines in the darkness

and the darkness has not overcome it.

He was in the world,

and the world was made through Him,

yet the world did not know Him.

He came to his own,

and His own people did not receive him.

But to all who did receive him,

who believed in his name,

he gave the right to become children of God,

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us,

and we have seen His glory,

glory as of the only Son from the Father,

full of grace and truth.

And from His fullness

we have all received grace upon grace.

For the law was given through Moses;

grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

John 1, selected verses (ESV)

All for Hymn Celebrates the 12 Days of Christmas

The secular Christmas begins the day after Thanksgiving and runs through Dec. 25. The Western Church's Christmas begins at sundown on Dec. 24 and runs through sundown on Jan. 5, just before the Magi arrive for the Epiphany season.

All for Hymn will have new posts each morning at 8:00 am EST to celebrate each of the 12 Days of Christmas.

For now, everyone light some candles and dim the lights one last time!

Christmas Day: Gustav Holst

Christmas Day: An Excerpt from Augustine

This excerpt from a sermon by St. Augustine was read towards the end of our Christmas Eve service.

Awake, mankind!

For your sake God has become man.

Awake, you who sleep, rise up from the dead,

and Christ will enlighten you.

I tell you again: for your sake,

God became man.

You would have suffered eternal death,

had he not been born in time.

Never would you have been freed from sinful flesh,

had he not taken on himself the likeness of sinful flesh.

You would have suffered everlasting unhappiness,

had it not been for this mercy.

You would never have returned to life,

had he not shared your death.

You would have been lost

if he had not hastened to your aid.

You would have perished,

had he not come.

Let us then joyfully celebrate

the coming of our salvation and redemption.

Let us celebrate the festive day

on which he who is the great and eternal day

came from the great and endless day of eternity

into our own short day of time.

He has become our justice,

our sanctification,

our redemption,

so that,

as it is written:

Let him who glories glory in the Lord.

Truth, then, has arisen from the earth:

Christ who said, I am the Truth,

was born of the Virgin.

And justice looked down from heaven:

because believing in this new-born child,

man is justified not by himself but by God.

Truth has arisen from the earth:

because the Word was made flesh.

And justice looked down from heaven:

because every good gift

and every perfect gift is from above.

Truth has arisen from the earth:

flesh from Mary.

And justice looked down from heaven:

for man can receive nothing

unless it has been given him from heaven.

Justified by faith,

let us be at peace with God:

for justice and peace have embraced one another

through our Lord Jesus Christ,

for Truth has arisen from the earth.

Through Him we have access to that grace

in which we stand,

and our boast is in our hope of God’s glory.

He does not say: “of our glory,”

but of God’s glory:

for justice has not come out of us

but has looked down from heaven.

Therefore he who glories,

let him glory, not in himself,

but in the Lord.

For this reason,

when our Lord was born of the Virgin,

the message of the angelic voices was:

Glory to God in the highest,

and peace to men of good will.

For how could there be peace on earth

unless Truth has arisen from the earth,

that is, unless Christ were born of our flesh?

And he is our peace who made the two into one:

that we might be men of good will,

sweetly linked by the bond of unity.

Let us then rejoice in this grace,

so that our glorying may bear witness

to our good conscience by which we glory,

not in ourselves, but in the Lord.

That is why Scripture says:

He is my glory, the one who lifts up my head.

For what greater grace could God have made

to dawn on us

than to make his only Son become the son of man,

so that a son of man might

in his turn become son of God?

Ask if this were merited;

ask for its reason,

for its justification,

and see whether you will

find any other answer but sheer grace.

Christmas Day: Gelobet Seist Du Jesu Christ

Carl Schalk once said of this hymn, "Now THAT is a Christmas song!" You can follow along in Lutheran Service Book, Hymn 382.

Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ,

Daß du Mensch geboren bist

Von einer Jungfrau, das ist wahr;

Des freuet sich der Engel Schar.

Kyrieleis!

Praised be you, Jesus Christ

that You have been born as a man

from a virgin - this is true -

at which the host of angels rejoices.

Lord, have mercy!

Des ew'gen Vaters einzig Kind

Jetzt man in der Krippen findt,

In unser armes Fleisch und Blut

Verkleidet sich das ewig Gut.

Kyrieleis!

The only Child of the Eternal Father

is now found in the manger,

in our poor flesh and blood

eternal goodness has clothed itself.

Lord, have mercy!

Den aller Welt Kreis nie beschloß,

Der liegt in Marien Schoß;

Er ist ein Kindlein worden klein,

Der alle Ding' erhält allein.

Kyrieleis!

He whom the whole globe of the earth could not enclose

now lies in Mary's bosom;

He has become a little baby

Who alone maintains everything.

Lord, have mercy!

Das ew'ge Licht geht da herein,

Gibt der Welt ein'n neuen Schein;

Es leucht't wohl mitten in der Nacht

Und uns des Lichtes Kinder macht.

Kyrieleis!

The eternal Light enters here,

It gives the world a new splendour;

It shines in the midst of the night

and makes us children of the light.

Lord, have mercy!

Der Sohn des Vaters, Gott von Art,

Ein Gast in der Welt hier ward

Und führt uns aus dem Jammertal,

Er macht uns Erben in sein'm Saal.

Kyrieleis!

The Father's Son, God by nature,

became a guest here in the world,

and leads us from the vale of sorrow

he makes us heirs in his hall.

Lord, have mercy!

Er ist auf Erden kommen arm,

Daß er unser sich erbarm',

Und in dem Himmel machet reich

Und seinen lieben Engeln gleich.

Kyrieleis.

He has come on the earth in poverty

to have compassion on us,

and in heaven He makes us rich

and like his dear angels.

Lord, have mercy!

Das hat er alles uns getan,

Sein' groß' Lieb' zu zeigen an.

Des freu' sich alle Christenheit

Und dank' ihm des in Ewigkeit.

Kyrieleis!

He has done all this for us

to show his great love,

at this all Christendom rejoices

and thanks Him for this in eternity.

Lord, have mercy!

Translation: www.bach-cantatas.com

Christmas Day: The Glory of the Father

The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.

We beheld the glory of the Father,

We beheld the glory of the Father

Full of grace and truth.

In the beginning was the Word;

the Word was with God,

the Word was with God.

In Him was life,

and the life was Light of men.

He came to His own,

and His own,

and His own received Him not.

The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.

We beheld the glory of the Father,

we beheld the glory of the Father

full of grace and truth.

John 1, selected verses