Slideshow image

The next few sanitizers will deal with a theme of Christmas, a theme leading on to Epiphany. I asked for your favorite Christmas carols and heard from several people. I will try to write about all of them. Jean Thomas suggested this carol, one she likes, number 61 in our hymnbook. It was unknown to me, but I am glad to know of it now. I think you will be too.

It comes from the seventeenth century in Canada and was written by a Jesuit missionary to the Huron people. His name is Jean de Brebuef. What is so beautiful about this Christmas carol is that it takes our beloved Bible story and recasts it using the cultural objects of the Huron tribe centuries ago in place of the images of the story we treasure but which are peculiar to ancient Israel.

Here is the carol:
'Twas in the moon of winter-time
When all the birds had fled,
That mighty Gitchi Manitou
Sent angel choirs instead;
Before their light the stars grew dim,
And wandering hunters heard the hymn:
"Jesus your King is born, Jesus is born,
In excelsis gloria."

Within a lodge of broken bark
The tender Babe was found,
A ragged robe of rabbit skin
Enwrapp'd His beauty round;
But as the hunter braves drew nigh,
The angel song rang loud and high...
"Jesus your King is born, Jesus is born,
In excelsis gloria."

The earliest moon of wintertime
Is not so round and fair
As was the ring of glory
On the helpless infant there.
The chiefs from far before him knelt
With gifts of fox and beaver pelt.
"Jesus your King is born, Jesus is born,
In excelsis gloria."

O children of the forest free,
O sons of Manitou,
The Holy Child of earth and heaven
Is born today for you.
Come kneel before the radiant Boy
Who brings you beauty, peace and joy.
"Jesus your King is born, Jesus is born,
In excelsis gloria."

The version in our hymnbook has only three verses, combining phrases from this longer version.

Notice what has happened here. Hunters have taken the place of the shepherds. The stable is now a “lodge of broken bark.” The swaddling cloths have been replaced by a “ragged rabbit skin.” Chiefs from far away stand in for the Wise Men from the East. Their gifts are now fox and beaver pelt.[1]

The endearing thing about this hymn is how it takes the story we love so deeply and makes it accessible to a culture that would not be so engaged about shepherds in the field, Magi from the East, or expensive gifts being gold, frankincense and myrrh. Jean de Brebuef brought the story right into the wigwam, teepee and lodge house of the indigenous people. Finally, Gitchi Manitou is the Algonquin name for God.

Something else needs to be said. The simple tune to which the song is sung has a range that could easily be played on the flute of the native tribes.

This hymn is treasured by the church in Canada where it is popular every Christmas. It is easy to see why, isn’t it? The love that came down at Christmas was for all people. The Huron’s living on the other side of the world would not hear the good news for fifteen hundred more years after ancient Israel did.

The story has a sad ending. The Hurons engaged in a protracted war with the Iroquois. Many Huron lost their lives and Jean de Brebuef also lost his life in the wars. That did not eradicate this beautiful hymn, which somehow survived the slaughter.

You have to love the first words: 'Twas in the moon of winter-time
When all the birds had fled,
That mighty Gitchi Manitou
Sent angel choirs instead;”
The hymn is truly a reminder of the Christmas message: “O children of the forest free,
O sons of Manitou,
The Holy Child of earth and heaven
Is born today for you.
Come kneel before the radiant Boy
Who brings you beauty, peace and joy. Jesus your King is born, Jesus is born,
In excelsis gloria."
While we modern people are hardly “children of the forest free,” it nevertheless lifts our hearts that for those people, just like for us the holy child of earth and heaven is born for us.

One parting thought. The Christian Church owes a tremendous debt to the Jesuits. Founded in the sixteenth century by Ignatius Loyola, the Jesuits have been sent to the world’s most remote places and in often unbearable conditions to preach and live the gospel. Many died as martyrs. The Jesuits are still a powerful organization in our day and it is noteworthy that our good neighbor, Father Hank Hilton at St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church is a member of the order.

Please pray with me. “Lord, God, missionaries in the past have gone where few of us would be courageous enough to go. They brought the gospel with love and imagination. Make us brave and imaginative to bring the gospel to life where and when we are today. For the sake of your Son Jesus who came where and when we were that we might live forever. In his name we pray. Amen.”

________________________________________
[1] Much of the information here is from the UMC, Discipleship Ministries | History of Hymns: “'Twas in the Moon of… (umcdiscipleship.org)