Advent 2024: Mon 2 Dec
What tidings bringest thou?
The Christmas message is presented in this carol as a dialogue between us and a messenger who has come from the scene of the nativity.
We celebrate Christmas in hindsight, having not only the story of Christ’s birth, but also of his life, death, resurrection and glorification. In past times the message of salvation in Christ was not always available to common folk. This messenger who has hot-footed it all the way from Bethlehem is a fanciful creation, but his words bring a sense of immediacy to the story. Mary gets a verse of her own. The last verse is a conversation between her and the new-born, wonder of wonders!
The last verse is a beautiful description of our Lord Jesus. See how the themes it expresses have been taken up in other carols:
A wonder thynge is now befalle; (A great and mighty wonder)
That lorde that formed sterres & sunne, (Hands that flung stars into space)
Heven & earth & angelys alle,
Nowe in mankynde is byginne.
Such wonder tydyngys ye mow here,
A faunt that is not of o yere, (What child is this)
Ever hath y be & shal be ay. – (He is Alpha and Omega, evermore and evermore)
What tydynges bringest thou, messenger,
Of Christes birth this Yoles day? [Yule]
A babe ys born of hye nature,
Is prins of pes & ever shal be.
Of hevene & erthe he hath the cure,
His lordshyp is eternite.
Such wonder tydyngys ye mow here,
That man is made now Godys pere, [equal]
Whom synne hadde made but fendes praye. [Satan’s – the fiend! – prey]
A semely syght hit is to se,
The berde that hath this babe y-borne
Conceyved a lord of hye degre,
A maiden as heo [she] was byforne.
Such wonder tydyngys ye mow here,
That maide & moder is one y-fere,
And alwey lady of hye aray.
This maide began to gretyn here childe,
Saide: “Haile sone, haile fader dere!”
He said: “Haile moder, haile maide mylde.”
This gretynge was in queynt maner. [true!]
Such wonder tydyngys ye mow here,
Here [her] gretynge was in suche maner
Hit [it] turned manys peyne to play.
A wonder thynge is now befalle;
That lorde that formed sterres & sunne,
Heven & earth & angelys alle,
Nowe in mankynde is byginne.
Such wonder tydyngys ye mow here,
A faunt [child] that is not of o yere,
Ever hath y be & shal be ay.
How much of the significance of Jesus’ birth did the Bethlehem shepherds understand?
Paul