Editor’s note: "The First Noel" richly celebrates the birth of Christ, echoing the angelic proclamation in Luke 2:10-11:
I bring you good news of great joy... a Savior has been born.
As Advent begins today, let’s be reminded of John 1:14,
The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
This carol invites us to reflect on God's immense love, marvel at the humble arrival of our Savior, and join the heavenly chorus in worshiping the newborn King with gratitude, joy, and awe. Sing it with worship today!
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So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into Heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” — Luke 2:15
The first noel the angel did say
Was to certain poor shepherds
in fields as they lay —
In fields where they lay
keeping their sheep,
On a cold winter’s night
that was so deep.
Chorus:
Noel, noel, noel, noel,
Born is the King of Israel.
They looked up and saw a star
Shining in the east,
beyond them far;
And to the earth it gave great light,
And so it continued
both day and night.
Chorus
This star drew nigh
to the northwest,
O’er Bethlehem it took its rest;
And there it did
both stop and stay,
Right over the place
where Jesus lay.
Chorus
The First Noel” is one of the oldest Christmas ballads still sung today, one of the few surviving early Christmas carols that can be considered a folk song. Its anonymous writer understood the wonder of Christ’s birth and probably drew from the stories he had been told about that holy night, since most people living in those times were illiterate.
The way the sentences are structured indicates that it was written by a man with no formal language training. But the spirit found in “The First Noel” more than makes up for its lack of literacy. That spirit, and the Viking tradition of the Yule log adopted by Christians in the Middle Ages, likely ensured the survival of the old carol.
“The First Noel” was sung each year by many English peasants as they lit the Yule log. Families that burned a Yule log each year believed that good luck would befall their household. Both “The First Noel” and the Christmas Yule log tradition found their way to France in the 1400s, where it was supposedly introduced to the French people by British minstrels. Like the English, the common people of France embraced the music and the message. However, for the first three hundred years of its existence, the song was not a part of church services. The clergy disdained carols like “The First Noel,” so these songs became the holiday tradition of the people, with unwritten words and music.
“The First Noel” finally was published by William Sandys in his book on Christmas folk songs in 1833.
A lawyer by trade, Sandys loved music and spent his spare time collecting both French and English folk songs. By the mid-1800s, when the Church of England began to use new songs during services, “The First Noel” found universal acclaim.
Today this song remains one of the most loved carols of all time. While the tradition of the Yule log has all but died out, the message of “The First Noel” still burns brightly.
Excerpted with permission from O Holy Night by Ace Collins, copyright Andrew Collins.
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Your Turn
On this first day of Advent, let’s pause and reflect on the Christ Child born in Bethlehem out of God’s unfathomable love for us! ~ Devotionals Daily