December 3: Carol of the Bells

First Week of Advent: Hope

December 3: Carol of the Bells/Shchedryk (Ukrainian) - Links & Lyrics Below

"For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen?" Romans 8:24

Within church communities, Advent is a time of anticipating and preparing for the coming of Christ Jesus. For children, the entire month of December can often be about expectantly waiting for the next great thing - a break from school, time with family, gifts under the tree on Christmas Day, staying up extra-late on New Year’s Eve.

Carol of the Bells and Shchedryk, the Ukrainian folk chant it was derived from, are full of that same hopeful anticipation for the future.

Shchedryk, which can be translated as “bountiful,” is a new year’s melody that tells the tale of a swallow flying into a home to predict a wonderful coming year for the family.

Throughout Carol of the Bells, the lyrics encourage listeners to embrace the added goodwill and joy found during Christmastime - what more is there to celebrate than the birth and the return of Jesus?

We cannot see into our futures - we don’t know how we will be blessed in the coming year.
We don’t know every passerby - and yet we share smiles, quick but meaningful holiday well-wishes.

We continue to look forward. We continue to share holiday joy. We continue to trust in Jesus. We continue to hope.

Have you taken the time to lean into the anticipatory hope of Advent?

Dori Arbter
Director of Children, Youth, and Families
Bay View Lutheran, Sturgeon Bay


Link to Spotify Playlist

Link to YouTube Playlist

Hark! how the bells
Sweet silver bells
All seem to say
"Throw cares away."
Christmas is here
Bringing good cheer
To young and old
Meek and the bold

Ding, dong, ding, dong
That is their song
With joyful ring
All caroling
One seems to hear
Words of good cheer
From ev'rywhere
Filling the air

Oh how they pound
Raising the sound
O'er hill and dale
Telling their tale
Joyf'ly they ring
While people sing
Songs of good cheer
Christmas is here
Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas
Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas

On, on they send
On without end
Their joyful tone
To ev'ry home


Shchedryk, shchedryk, a shchedrivka (New Year's Carol)

A little swallow flew (into the household)
And started to twitter
To summon the master
"Come out, come out, O master (of the household)
Look at the sheep pen
There the ewes are nestling
And the lambkin have been born
Your goods (livestock) are great
You will have a lot of money, (by selling them)
Your goods (livestock) are great
You will have a lot of money, (by selling them)
If not money, then chaff: (from all the grain you will harvest)
You have a dark-eyebrowed (beautiful) wife"
Shchedryk, shchedryk, a shchedrivka
A little swallow flew

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