Hello my friends and welcome back for another service of Cowboy Church.
Today's musical selection begins with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans with the medley Remember Whose Birthday It Is/Happy Birthday, Gentle Saviour. There is no problem at all enjoying all of the presents, decorations and movies that come with Christmas (and no one loves them more than me), but we must always remember that Christmas is all about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and it is important every Christmas to remember what Jesus gave up by coming down from heaven to be a human here on Earth. Most importantly it is important to remember why he did it. He did it because of his love for us and his desire for us to be able to spend eternity in heaven with him. This wonderful recording comes from Roy and Dale's 1967 Christmas album, Christmas is Always.
Next comes The Louvin Brothers with their 1961 recording of It Came Upon a Midnight Clear. The song was written by Edmund H. Sears. This hymn first appeared in Boston's Christian Register, on December 29, 1849 (yes after Christmas). That version has a verse that does not appear in this version, "But with the woes of sin and strife the world has suffered long; Beneath the angel-strain have rolled Two thousand years of wrong; And man, at war with man, hears not the love-song, which they bring: O hush the noise, ye men of strife, and hear the angels sing!" This verse reflects the state if America at the time this song was written. The Civil War was approaching, and Sears found himself concerned with the division in our country. Unlike many Christmas songs, It Came Upon a Midnight Clear is not a song about peace on Earth but rather a plea for it. With the division and anger that is so prevalent today, this is a perfect Christmas song for our time. This song has been put to different tunes over the years and the two most prevalent are Carol (by Richard Storis Willis in 1850) and Noel (by Sir Arthur Sullivan in 1878). Carol is the preferred version of this song in the U.S. and is the Louvin Brothers perform here. The tune had been used for other lyrics dating back to when it was written in 1850, and was first used to accompany, It Came Upon a Midnight Clear in 1878.
This is followed by The Stanley Brothers with Leaning on the Everlasting Arms. This is one of my favorite versions of this classic hymn. The boy's harmony here is simply perfect and the bluegrass stylings of this version seem to fit the lyrics and the singing perfectly.
Afterwards comes Gene Autry with O Little Town of Bethlehem. This lovely rendition comes from an episode of Gene Autry's Melody Ranch radio show that aired on December 22, 1946. The lyrics to this hymn were written by Phillips Brooks in 1865. He wrote the words this hymn after taking a group of Sunday school children on a pilgrimage to Bethlehem. The music was written by Louis H. Redner, the church organist. There was originally another verse to this hymn, "Where children pure and happy pray to the blessed Child. Where misery cries out to thee, son of the undefiled; where charity stands watching and faith holds wide the door, the dark night wakes, the glory breaks, and Christmas comes once more." However, Redner objected to the words "son of the undefiled." Brooks briefly changed the line to "son of mother mild" before dropping the verse all together. This hymn appeared on a small leaflet in 1868 and in The Sunday School Hymnal in 1871.
Now for Martha Mears and The Sons of the Pioneers with a 1944 recording of Jingle Bells. James Lord Pierpont wrote this song in 1857. Despite being known as a Christmas song today, it was originally written with a different holiday in mind. Under its original title, One Horse Open Sleigh this song was written to be used in a Thanksgiving service at a Church where Pierpont was the organist. The song was so well received that it played again at the Church on Christmas day. For a song written to be performed at a Church, the original lyrics were racier than one would think and would be changed so that children's church choirs can perform the song. This version comes from a 1944 episode of the radio show 10-2-4 Ranch.
Nest is Anne Wilson with I Still Believe In Christmas. This original song written by Anne herself comes from her 2022 Christmas EP, The Manger. I hope that none of us ever stop believing in Christmas.
Now for The Carter Family with their 1930 recording of On My Way To Canaan's Land.
After this is Third Day with Christmas Like a Child. Christmas is a time of childlike wonder, where even those who are well past childhood can feel like children once again. This makes it the perfect time to come to Jesus, because as Jesus said, "Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein." So if you have walked away from Jesus and turned your back on him, this time of the year in many ways is perfectly designed for you to come back to our Lord and savior Jesus Christ and if you choose to humble yourself and come as a child, the blessings you will receive are plentiful.
Today's musical selection ends with The Charlie Daniels Band with Christmastime Down South. This is the title song for the band's 1990 Christmas album. This song talks about some of the simple joys that make Christmas extra special. I hope this Christmas we can all take some time out of the hustle and bustle to reflect on all the little blessings God has given us that make life extra special.
This week's movie trailer is for Andrew V. McLaglen's McLintock (1963). This film was made after John Wayne had lost a lot of money and box-office capital with The Almo (1960). John needed a movie that would help him make up for both loses and that came with this film. This movie was a fun comedy that placed Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew in the old west. Since The Quiet Man (1952), John Wayne had been wanting to work with Maureen O'Hara again and this film gave him that chance.
Now for a sermon from S.M. Lockridge about John 3:16.
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Thank you for joining me. Come back next week for another service of Cowboy Church. Happy trails to you until we meet again.
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