Christmas Blog

This year we asked some of our staff and students what their favourite Christmas carol and favourite Christmas related verses were and why. Here’s what they said:

 

Carols

Andrew Burke:

Come Thou Long Expected Jesus is my favourite. Why it is my favourite? I think it beautifully captures the longing for Christ's coming and the deep hope that is found in His arrival, bringing peace, freedom and opening the way of salvation. "She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." (Matt. 1:21)

 

David Luke

Once in Royal David’s City is my favourite carol. It captures the wonder of the incarnation:

‘He came down to earth from heaven

Who is God and Lord of all.’

 

It also captures something of the Lord’s humility:

 ‘And His shelter was a stable

And His cradle was a stall

With the poor, and mean, and lowly

Lived on earth, our Savior holy.’

 

I find the climax of the carol very moving as it reminds us that:

‘And our eyes at last shall see Him

Through His own redeeming love

Not in that poor lowly stable

With the oxen standing by

We shall see but in heaven

Set as God's right hand on high.’

 

Graeme Thompson

My favourite carol is Away in a Manger. I love the simplicity and the truth especially of the last verse:

‘Be near me, Lord Jesus
I ask You to stay
Close by me forever
And love me I pray

Bless all the dear children
In Your tender care
And fit us for heaven
To live with You there’

 I also like it because of its local connection, it was written by William Kirkpatrick who was from Ballygawley!

 

Verses

Peter Firth

I like Simeon’s proclamation because it summarises the true message of Christmas.

Luke 2:28-32 “he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, “Lord, now you are letting your servant  depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”

 

Debbie McLaughlin

Matthew 1:21 is my favourite Christmas related verse. “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

This verse always stands out to me because of the exact details that Joseph was told. Mary was going to have a son, his name would be Jesus and he was told exactly what Jesus was going to do. He was going to be the Saviour of the world–the only One who could save us from our sins. From Jesus entering the world in human form as a baby, his death on a cross to rising from the dead to bring us new life!

 

Debbie Leslie

My current favourite verse concerning the incarnation is John 1:5. I like it best in the NLT, "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it."

Jesus came as the giver of spiritual light and life. For the Christian going through a dark period, we know that this time will pass, because the darkness will never be able to extinguish the light or the life that He gave to us.