“Welkin”

At church yesterday we sang the Christmas carol “Hark the Herald Angels Sing.”

The original words were written in 1739 by Charles Wesley.  Those words do not include a reference to angels.  Rather, the first line of this famous song was: “Hark! How all the welkin rings!” The melody was a solemn tune that was sung slowly.

In case you are wondering, “welkin” is an Old English word that means clouds or heavens.  In a general sense it refers to the sky. It drives home the point that it was not just a small choir of angels making the announcement to the shepherds.  All of creation joined in declaring the Saviour was born.

It was George Whitefield who changed the lyrics to refer to mention the angels singing.  The familiar melody was adopted about 100 years after the hymn was originally written.

Which version do you prefer – “welkin” or “angels”?
Are there other Christmas traditions that have an interesting origin?  Feel free to share it with us.

Praise and Prayer

• The first of the Baozhong Alliance Church Christmas events will be held on Saturday, December 11. Please pray that the weather and other things will not prevent people from attending.  Pray that both students and their parents will be drawn to want to learn more about the meaning of the Christmas story.
• Praise the Lord that the flood waters in Abbotsford are receding.  Many people are discovering whether they have a salvageable house, farm, business, etc. Pray for these families as they grieve their losses and make plans for how to move forward with their lives.  Pray for favor to obtain insurance and relief funds to pay for the needed repairs.