John 1:16-18 (NLT) From his abundance we have all
received one gracious blessing after another.
For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness
came through Jesus Christ. No one has
ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s
heart. He has revealed God to us.
Today’s hymn is dedicated to our Canadian brothers and
sisters. The "Huron Carol" (or "Twas in the Moon of
Wintertime" in our UM Hymnal) is Canada’s oldest Christmas song. It was
written in 1642 by Jean de Brébeuf, a Jesuit missionary at Sainte-Marie among
the Hurons in Canada. Brébeuf wrote the
lyrics in the native language of the Huron/Wendat people; the song's original
Huron title is translated "Jesus, He is Born". The song's now popular melody is derived from
a traditional French folk song, "Une Jeune Pucelle" ("A Young
Maid"). The well-known English lyrics were written in 1926 by Jesse Edgar
Middleton.
One of the things very noticeable about the lyrics of the
modern English version is they contain biblically inaccurate details. Jesus is born in a “lodge of broken bark,” wrapped
in a “ragged robe of rabbit skin,” and it is hunters, not shepherds who come to
see him. The “Chiefs,” not wise men,
bring him gifts of fox and beaver pelts.
And perhaps most controversial is the mighty “Gitchi Manitou”
(translation “Great God”) is who sends the angels to tell of Jesus birth. For all of these details, I have never liked
the song.
However, it wasn’t until this year that I was made aware that
the 1926 Middleton lyrics are not at all faithful to the original song written
by the devoted missionary nearly 400 years ago.
Upon reading them, I was moved by a missionary’s heart to convey his
faith in Christ in a completely foreign culture. He learned their Wendat language and composed
the song to help the people he loved and served understand his reverence for
Jesus. Here is an actual English
translation of his lyrics:
“Have courage, you who are
humans. Jesus, He is born.
Behold, it has fled, the spirit
who had us as prisoner.
Do not listen to it, as it
corrupts our minds, the spirit of our thoughts.
They are spirits, coming with a
message for us, the sky people.
They are coming to say, 'Come
on, be on top of life, rejoice!'
'Mary has just given birth,
come on, rejoice.'
'Three have left for such a
place; they are men of great matter.'
'A star that has just appeared
over the horizon leads them there.'
'He will seize the path, a star
that leads them there.'
As they arrived there, where He
was born, Jesus.
The star was at the point of
stopping, He was not far past it.
Having found someone for them,
He says, 'Come here.'
Behold, they have arrived there
and have seen Jesus.
They praised a name many times saying,
'Hurray, He is good in nature.'
They greeted Him with respect,
Oiling His scalp many times,
saying, 'Hurray!'
'We will give to Him honour to
His name.'
'Let us oil His scalp many
times, show reverence for Him,
As He comes to be compassionate
with us.'
It is providential that you
love us, and think
'I should make them part of My
family.”
I find the French missionary’s
lyrics pretty faithful to the biblical story.
In fact, it is more faithful to the Bible than many other popular
Christmas carols we sing every year. The
link I included for the song today is an attempt to recapture the spirit of Brébeuf’s
original lyrics. The singer is Crystal
Shawanda, a popular Canadian artist with roots to Canada’s First Nation
peoples, the people the song was originally written for. I love this version and I hope you do too.
Question: Who helped understand the significance of
Jesus’s birth for the first time?
Prayer: Great God of all people, thank you for people
who help us understand and deepen our faith.
Amen.
Prayer Focus: Pray for missionaries all over the world
looking for creative ways to communicate the faith in foreign cultures
Song: Jesous
Ahathonhia (Huron Carol) - Sultans of String feat. Crystal Shawanda
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