December 7: Somerkersfees

Second Week of Advent: Peace
December 7: Somerkersfees (Afrikaans)

At first glance I saw that the song title Somerkersfees meant “Summer Christmas”, and being from Wisconsin, my mind briefly thought, “Are they talking about Christmas in July”, you know, when you put up Christmas-themed decorations in summer? Then, I suddenly realized that this hymn comes from South Africa, which is in the southern hemisphere, south of the equator, and therefore their Christmas, their December 25, happens during their summer.

While we’re praying for a white blanket of Christmas snow for Christmas, this song asks God to Gift us a bright Summer Christmas.

Now, I do love a nice blanket of snow for Christmas, but the idea of kicking back on the beach in the warm sun sounds nice, too. With that said, the same sun that warms their beach is the same sun that we see in December. Not only do we have the same sun in the sky that warms us more in July, and warms South Africa more in December, God also gives us all the same Son who’s birth we celebrate on December 25. The song sings about Christmas coming, and it praises God, giving Him the glory for the advent of Jesus, our “Greatest Christmas Gift”. We prepare to celebrate each Advent season as we are reminded that God has provided for us through a little child, who Isaiah and Micah foretold.

This Advent season, take comfort in knowing that Christ Jesus came to save us from our sin, and just as we celebrate the first Advent, His coming in the flesh at Christmastime, we can look forward to the second Advent when He will come again, raising us new again, just as He rose again, so that we may dwell in eternal peace and comfort with Him.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for sending your Son into the world. Whether warm or cold at Christmastime, we thank you for “Our Greatest Christmas Gift”, our Savior, Christ Jesus. In His name we pray, Amen.

Pastor Craig Van Pay
St. John Lutheran, Luxemburg


Link to Spotify Playlist

Link to YouTube Playlist


Lyrics (Afrikaans):
1. Welkom o stille nag van vrede, 
Onder die suiderkruis,
Wyl stemme uit die ou verlede
Oor sterre velde ruis

KOOR:
Kersfees kom, Kersfees kom –
Gee aan God die eer.
Skenk ons 'n helder Somerkersfees
In hierdie land, o Heer.

2. Hoor jy hoe sag die klokke beier
In eeue-oue taal.
Kyk, selfs die nagtelike swye
Vertel die ou verhaal.

KOOR:

3. Voel jy ook nou sy warm liefde
As ons die dag gedenk,
Toe Hy sy Seun aan ons gegee het –
Ons grootste Kersgeskenk.

TRANSLATION:
1. Welcome o Silent night of Peace
Underneath the Southern Cross
While voices of the distant past
Whisper across the starry fields

CHORUS:
Christmas is coming! Christmas is coming!
Give honor to God
Gift us a bright "Summer-Christmas"
in this land, O Lord

2. Do you hear the bells softly ringing
in an ancient tongue?
Look - even the quiet of the night
tells the old old story

CHORUS:

3. Do you feel His warm love
as we celebrate the day
he gave us His Son - 
Our biggest gift!




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

December 18: Laylat Al-Milad

Image
Fourth Week of Advent: Love December 18: Laylat Al-Milad (Arabic) - Links & Lyrics Below I wonder what the most important part of the Christmas celebration is for you. Before you read on, maybe you’d like to jot down a few things about Christmas that are meaningful for you. Here are a few things that would be on my list:      • The quiet of Christmas Day.      • Singing the favorite Christmas carols.      • The candlelight part of the Christmas Eve service. I think for many of us, Christmas worship would be on our list in some form. Not surprising. The warm sentimentality of Christmas Eve touches my heart every year. And there are times when the prophets remind us that our worship is never for the sake of ourselves and our good feelings, even when the good feelings are true and real. Read Isaiah 1:10-18 for one of the most blistering indictments of worship that exists for its own sake. (Go ahead. I’ll wait.) Ouch. Our religious observances —even Christmas worship — are incomplete
Read more

Christ in Our Carols - Booklet Cover & introduction

Image
  Cover Art:  Good News of Great Joy , copyright© 2022 by Melani Pyke, Niagara Falls, ON. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Introduction Advent ( from the Latin adventus , meaning "coming") begins on the 4th Sunday before Christmas Day, and is often considered a season of anticipation and hope. For many Christians it is not just about waiting for a Savior to be born, but also looking to a time when the Christ will come again, in power and with authority. The traditional emphases for this season are on both the First and Second Coming of Jesus Christ, and our accountability for faithfulness. The devotions this year will focus on Christmas Carols from around the world. Some have made their way into familiar English translations, while others remain in Spanish, French, Latin, Filipino, or German, among others. There will also be a theme that helps set the tone for each of the 4 weeks of these Advent devotions. Christmas Carols often direct us to Godly principles a
Read more

December 22: Gesu Bambino

Image
Fourth Week of Advent: Love December 22: Gesu Bambino (Italian) - Links & Lyrics Below Traditional Advent-Christmas carols come mainly from the nineteenth century and earlier, with relatively few written in recent years. One exception is Gesu Bambino , written by an Italian, Pietro Yon in 1917, with the melody composed by Frederick H. Martens. While this carol does not appear in several denominational hymnals I consulted, you may find it in supplemental song books. However, there is wide use among well-known singers, choral groups, and symphony orchestras.                                    When blossoms flowered ‘mid the snows Upon a winter night, Was born the Child, the Christmas Rose, The King of Love and Light.     Yon’s chorus was patterned on O come All Ye Faithful :                         O come let us adore Him, O come let us adore Him. Something stirred in Brother Yon’s life, inspiring him to share his thoughts on Jesus’ birth. Can it be said of us that s
Read more