Scripture Verse

Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. Luke 2:10

Introduction

portrait
Franklin L. Sheppard
(1852–1930)

Words: Ca­ro­lyn W. Gil­lette, 1999.

Music: Ter­ra Be­ata tra­di­tion­al Eng­lish tune. Ar­ranged by Frank­lin L. Shep­pard in his Al­le­lu­ia, 1915 (🔊 pdf nwc).

portrait
Carolyn W. Gillette (1961–)

Lyrics

Fear not! the an­gel said,
God’s joy is in the air!
Now go to Beth­le­hem and see
A new­born ba­by there.
A Sav­ior, yet a child!
So young, and yet the Lord!

God’s grace as­tounds,
God’s love sur­rounds
This sin­ful, hurt­ing world.

Fear not, you hun­gry child,
You home­less re­fu­gee,
You bat­tered woman, bur­dened down—
God came to set you free.
For God’s own Son was poor;
He cried and suf­fered, too.
God’s grace as­tounds;
God’s love ab­ounds
For peo­ple just like you.

Fear not when quest­ions come:
How can I know God’s way?
Do my pos­sess­ions weigh me down?
Can God change me tod­ay?
For Je­sus came to be
True bread that sa­tis­fies;
And in his birth,
God touched the earth.
Christ saves, for­gives, and guides.

Fear not, you church of Christ,
Distracted and dis­tressed,
For long ago in trou­bled times,
Christ came, and we were blest.
Our Prince of Peace is born—
Our light, our life, our song!
In him we see our un­ity,
In him God makes us strong.