Auld Lang Syne

                                                 Auld Lang Syne

Rober Burns is credited as the author of this song. However, there is a trail of history that attributes the song to being written by others. 

The lyrics were first in the Scots' language. The title is Old Lang Since in English. The words could also be interrupted as Since Long Ago and For Old Times' Sake.

The song does not mention the new year. 

The words were written in 1788 but not published until 1796, after Robert Burns's death. Burns said he heard the song "from an old man's singing." 

Sir Robert Ayton wrote a poem entitled Old Long Syne, published in 1711. Allan Ramsay published a poem in 1720 with the line "Should auld acquaintance be forgot."

William Shield composed the melody for his opera Rosina, performed in 1782. Another version was published in 1792.

In 1799, words and melody appeared together in a Scottish song. In the 19th century, it became a song for the Scottish Hogmanay (New Year's celebration).

Scottish Version                                                                                         English Version

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,                                     Should old acquaintance be forgot,

And never brought to mind?                                                And never brought to mind?

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,                                    Should old acquaintance be forgot,

And auld lang syne?                                                             And old lang syne?

(Chorus)                                                                                (Chorus)

For auld lang syne, my jo,                                                    For auld lang syne, my dear,

For auld lang syne,                                                                 For auld lang syne,

We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,                                           We'll take a cup of kindness yet,

For auld lang syne.                                                              For auld lang syne.

And surely ye'll be your pint-stowp!                                   And surely you'll buy your pint cup!

And surely I'll be mine!                                                     And surely I'll buy mine!

And we'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,                                  And we'll take a cup o' kindness yet,

For auld lang syne.                                                             For auld lang syne.

We twa hae run about the braes                                       We two have run about the slopes,

And pu'd the gowans fine;                                                And picked the daisies fine;

But we've wander'd mony a weary foot                           But we've wandered many a weary foot,

Sin auld lang syne.                                                           Since auld lang syne.

We twa hae paidl'd i' the burn,                                       We two have paddled in the stream,

Frae mornin' sun till dine;                                               From morning sun till dine;

But seas between us braid hae roar'd                               But seas between us broad have roared

Sin auld lang syne.                                                            Since auld lang syne.

And there's a hand, my trusty fiere!                                 And there's a hand my trusty friend!

And gie's a hand o' thine!                                                  And give me a hand o' thine!

And we'll tak a right guid willy waught,                           And we'll take a right good-will draught,

For auld lang syne.                                                             For auld lang syne. 

To start 2025 on a good note, everyone can download ebooks from Project Gutenberg. They have 70,000 ebooks covering children's, fiction, nonfiction, classics, and modern books in all genres. All downloads are free. If you wish, you can make a donation, but none is required. I downloaded Charles Dicken's Bleak House.

I wish for you a very Happy and Blessed New Year and a Happy and Blessed all the days of 2025.

Controversy Over Date of Jesus's Birth

                Picture of an ancient calendar 

                     When was Jesus Born? 

The Bible books of Matthew and Luke do not say what month, day, or year the Savior's birth occurred. Bible scholars tried to determine the facts but could only theorize about possibilities. Individual births were not recorded during this time period, only major events.

Christians started celebrating Christ's birth about 400 years after His birth. Some people thought it was March 28, November 18, or January 6. Some churches use January 6, which is also the day they celebrate the visit by the Wise Men.

Early church scholars thought December 25 should be the day of celebration to influence the people who were enjoying the Roman celebration of Saturnalia and move them away from pagan worship.

Luke records the angels telling the shepherds, "Unto you this day," but does not say the day or month. Some scholars say this indicates the month of March, as the sheep and lambs were in the field with the Spring grass. Some Bible scholars think if the sheep were used in temple sacrifices, they would be in the fields all year.

Matthew says Jesus was born when Herod the Great was king of Jerusalem. Luke says that Quirinius was the governor of Syria and Caesar Augustus was the Roman emperor. Putting all that together, Jesus would have been born between 1 and 10 B.C. 

Notice that it is B.C., before Christ, and not A.D. That may be due to the monk Dionysius Exiguus.

He invented the calendar that counts years of B.C. or A.D. from when he calculated Christ's birth, and he was off by 4 years. 

The shepherds may not have cared what the month, day, or year was, only that it was the day the angels said, "...unto you this day," Their day to meet the Savior. 

As Christians, the day, month, or year is not essential. December 25th is an excellent time to celebrate the birth of God in human form. Hallelujah, Christ is born. 

Messiah

              Advent and the Messiah And                                                 "Libretto" 

George Frideric Handel was born in Germany but later went to Italy to write operas and then to England. This spelling of Frideric is correct. Handel later added the h to the end of his name. 

He became King George I's favorite composer.

He was asked to write a piece for a fundraising concert in Dublin, Ireland. The concert would benefit three charities, two hospitals, and a jail.

It was to be an Easter celebration. Handel, it is said, wrote the entire work from August 22 to September 14, 1741. He hardly slept or ate. His servant would bring him his morning food and find him crying. The original manuscript has tear stains and can be seen in the Coram Foundation in London. 

The words are from his friend Charles Jennens, who used Old and New Testament verses. They cover the life of Christ from His birth to death and resurrection. The word Libretto means book of words for operas, etc. 

The first concert was advertised, and the notice asked the gentlemen not to wear their swords (forty-inch swords were used for fashionable dress) and the ladies not to wear their hoops in their fancy dresses. It was feared there would not be enough room for everyone at the theatre. They were correct. It was a huge success. 

Handel conducted the orchestra and singers. There are believed to have been less than twenty singers, and the instruments differed in his day. 

During his lifetime, he conducted or played an instrument and always for charity, every year. 

Today, the parts dealing with Christ's birth and the Hallelujah Chorus are played and sung for Advent.

Messiah means "anointed one" from the Hebrew word Mashiah, and Christ is the Greek word for Mashiah.

It is believed that Messiah has been performed at least once somewhere every year. 

I listen to the Advent part of Messiah on a78 record. I'm sure a live concert would be more powerful.

Whether you celebrate Advent or not, the Messiah music is a joy to hear. 

Blessed Advent to you all. 

Advent

What is Advent? Where did it come from?

The word Advent comes from the Latin word adventus. It is four weeks of preparation for the Christmas celebration and the second coming of Jesus. In the Eastern Churches, the Nativity Fast starts 40 days before Christmas. 

The first record of the Nativity Fast was during Bishop Perpetuus of Tours (462-490), and the Council of Tours mentioned an Advent in 567.

The traditional color for Advent is violet, but Protestant denominations use blue or purple. The fourth Sunday is rose-colored Vestments and candles.

Christian homes use a wreath with four candles, three violet and one rose color. However, some use white candles.

The tradition began in the 19th century but was rooted in the 16th. In the 16th, the wreath was made of fir tree branches with 24 candles to represent the 24 days before Christmas. That became awkward, so it was changed to four candles for four weeks.

The first candle symbolizes hope, the second is for peace, the third is for joy, and the last candle is for love.

The Advent calendar has 24 openings, so one can be opened each day beginning December 1.  Tradition says the calendar idea began in Munich, Germany, in the 19th century. A mother grew tired of her children's endless questions, "How long before Christmas?" The first commercial calendars were printed in Germany in 1851.

My Psalm

                                                        My  Psalm 

Some years back, I felt Thanksgiving was lost in all the Christmas thoughts. So, I looked at the Psalms and found one to model my own Psalm.  Here it is.

O give thanks to the Lord Almighty for knowing each person I love, and the best way to bless them for His steadfast love endures forever.

O give thanks to the God of Heaven for knowing what I need before I know it and blessing me with what is best for me; His steadfast love for me endures forever.

O give thanks to my Heavenly Father for being involved in my life and the lives of my loved ones, for his steadfast love endures forever.

O give thanks to the Lord of Lords for knowing the governments of each nation and what needs to be done in each country to solve the problems, for His steadfast love for all endures forever.

O give thanks to the Holy Spirit of God for raising up courageous people to investigate and work for what is morally right, for His steadfast love endures forever.

O give thanks to the God of Heaven for showing me what I can do to help others, for His steadfast love endures forever.

O give thanks to the Heavenly Father for being involved and blessing the lives of all who call upon Him for His steadfast love endures forever.

O give thanks to the righteous God who never turns his back on me when I sin but provides me with a way through faith in his Holy Son to become righteous in his sight, for His steadfast love endures forever.

O give thanks to the God Of Plenty who makes sure I have enough of what I need for His steadfast love endures forever.

O give thanks to the All-Powerful, Almighty, Wonderful God, who reminds me my problems are small compared to others and that He is in charge of everything when handed over to Him, for His steadfast love endures forever.

As we enter Thanksgiving Day, let us remember we should give thanks each day.

                         Happy Thanksgiving!

                        And a Blessed One! 

Thanksgiving Hymns

                                                 Thanksgiving Hymns

Thanksgiving seems to get lost in the Christmas festivities. So, I thought I would bring some Thanksgiving Hymns and their authors to mind. 

The last verse of All Creatures of Our God and King follows.

Let all things their Creator bless,

And worship Him in humbleness,

O praise Him! Alleluia!

Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son, 

And praise the Spirit, Three in One!

This hymn was written by Francis of Assisi (1182-1226) and translated by William H. Draper (1855-1933)

He was a soldier in his early years, and later resolved to imitate the life of Christ. He renounced his wealth and founded the Franciscan Order of Friars. The order became itinerant evangelists, preaching and helping the poor of Italy. He wrote sixty hymns of praise and worship and encouraged church music.

It is believed this hymn was written during the last months of his life when he was suffering intense pain and almost blind.

One writer (I don't know who) said of Saint Francis, "with smiles he met the friendless, fed the poor, and freed a trapped bird and led home a child. Although he spoke no word, his text, God's love, the town did not forget."

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                                 This is My Father's World

The last verse is:

this is my Father's world,

O let me ne'er forget

That though the wrong seems oft so strong,

God is the ruler yet.

This is my Father's world:

The battle is not done'

Jesus who died shall be satisfied,

and earth and heav'n be one.

Written by Maltbie Davenport Babcock (1858-1901). He was an outstanding baseball pitcher and a champion swimmer. He became the pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Lockport, New York. Before he left he would tell the church staff, "I am going out to see my Father's world.  From the top of the hill, he would run two miles to a deep ravine where forty different species of birds could be found. Then he would run back to the church.

He loved music and he played the organ, piano, and the violin.

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                                      Now Thank We All Our God

Now thank we all our God

With heart and hands and voices,

Who wondrous things hath done,

In whom His world rejoices,

Who, from our mother's arms

Hath blessed us on our way

With countless gift of love,

and still is ours today.

whom earth and heaven adore'

For thus it was, is now,

And shall be evermore. Amen.

This hymn was written by Martin Rinkart (1586-1649)

He was the pastor in the city of Eilenberg. The city was surrounded by a wall. During the Thirty Years War, refugees fled to Eilenberg. Soon the city was overrun by the people seeking safety. Hunger and plagues were  throughout all areas of the town..  In 1637 Martin Rinkart conducted funerals for five thousand people, including his wife.  In one verse he prays, "Guide us when perplexed,". So he is not praying about minor problems.

He reminded us that we can thank God even during the most difficult times.

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                        Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee

This hymn was written by Henry Van Dyke (1852-1933)

He wanted this hymn to be sung by people who "are not afraid that any truth of science will destroy their religion or that any revolution on earth will overthrow the kingdom of heaven."

The third verse is:

thou are giving and forgiving,

Ever blessing, ever blest,

Wellspring of the joy of living,

Ocean depth of happy rest!

Thou our Father, Christ our brother,

All who live in love are Thine;

teach us how to love each other,

Lift us to the joy divine.

Hopefully this blog will help you to remember God's blessings on all. 

 

Presidental Election

                       The Presidential Election of 1876

Now that our Presidential Election 2024 is over, I wanted to look back in history.

In 1876, Rutherford B. Hayes, a Republican, and Samuel J. Tilden, a Democrat, had electoral votes counted, and neither had a majority of votes as they came in.  Louisiana, South Carolina, and Florida together had 19 electoral votes, but their votes were disputed as not accurate. 

Charges flew back and forth between the two parties. Congress created a special commission to decide the election.  Five members came from the Senate -three Republicans and two Democrats. Five members came from the House, three Democrats and two Republicans, five from the Supreme Court, two Democrats and two Republicans, and one independent judge.

The panel said the South Carolina and Louisiana votes would go to Hayes. Then, they began investigating Florida's votes. 

The Florida election officials went to Tilden's people and said that if they were paid two hundred thousand dollars, they could ensure that the commission would award the electoral votes to Mr. Tilden. 

What to do?

Mr. Tilden refused the offer.

All the electoral votes went to Mr. Hayes, who won the presidency.

Mr. Tilden won with 247,000 more popular votes than Hays, but now, Florida's electoral votes went to Hayes. The electoral votes ended 185 to 184. Rutherford B. Hayes became our 19th President because Tilden was honest.  It was not considered if Hayes was presented the same offer as Mr. Tilden. 

Mr. Hayes served in the Civil War, was elected to Congress, and was governor of Ohio twice.

Pages 123-124 of Shocking Secrets of American History by Bill Coate

The moral of the story is that if Tilden had agreed to pay the $200,000, history would have found out, and he would be forever remembered as a crook and usurper of the White House. He is now remembered as an honorable man. 

With the President comes a First Lady. Lucy Ware Webb Hayes was a descendant of the Puritans of New England. She graduated from Wesleyan College, the first women's college.

She worked tirelessly for women suffrage and an ardent crusader for better living conditions for the poor.

She would not allow liquor to be served at the White House, and she was known as the Lemonade Lady. The Women's Christian Temperance Union gave the White House a full-length portrait of Mrs. Hayes in ruby-colored velvet holding American Beauty Roses.

First Ladies of the White House by Gertrude Zeth Brooks Pages 56,57,58.