Cowboy Church #252

 Hello my friends and welcome back to another service of Cowboy Church. 

Today's musical selection begins with Roy Rogers and The Jimmy Wakely Trio with their 1940 recording of Silent Night. This song was written in 1818 by Josef Mohr and Franz Xaver Gruber. Raised in Salzburg, Mohr became an ordained priest on August 21, 1815. He was then sent to a town just north of Salzburg called Obendorf. That is where he met a schoolteacher named Franz Xaver Gruber, who would later become the organist at Old Saint Nicholas Church in 1816. They were in a need for a song on Christmas Eve, 1818. Mohr presented Gruber with a poem he had written a few years before and Gruber quickly put it to music on his guitar (the organ was broken) and that Christmas Eve the first ever audience heard Silent Night. The tempo of that earlier version was faster paced than the one we know today but it was still very popular with the audience and would soon become a song synonymous with Christmas. 

This is followed by Wilf Carter with The Old Rugged Cross. This recording comes from Wilf's 1964 gospel album, Let's Get Back to the Bible. 

Then comes Connie Smith with O Holy Night.  This hymn was written in 1847. The lyricist for the song was Placide Cappeau. Cappeau was a poet who rarely wrote about Christian subjects, however the local priest asked him to write a poem for Christmas mass. He didn't know what to write so he looked at the story of Jesus' birth in the book of Luke and tried to place himself there. He then asked his friend Adolphe Charles Adams (who had composed over 80 operas) to write some music. This hymn would gain controversy in France, when the church learned of its writers. Cappeau had left the church and joined the socialist party. Adams was not Christian, but rather Jewish. The idea that neither of the writers of a Christian hymn were in fact Christian, upset many church leaders. These church leaders denounced the song and deemed it not fit to sing in a church. Yet despite this the hymn was one of the most popular Christmas songs in France at the time. 

Next is The Sons of the Pioneers with their 1946 recording of Cowboy Camp Meeting. This song was written by Tim Spencer, one of the founding members of the group.  

Afterwards is Johnny Cash with Ringing the Bells for Jim. Though we may think of God's miracles as a thing of the past, he is still performing miracles today. 

Then is Randy Travis with Angels We Have Heard on High. This hymn began as a traditional French carol (Les anges dans nos campagnes) dating back to the 18th century. The English language version of this hymn was written by James Chadwick in 1862. However, this version of the song differs from the original French version. This was a very loose translation and in fact Chadwick would also write some original lyrics not to be found in the French version of this hymn. Because of this the two hymns are often viewed as different songs. This version of the hymn comes from Randy's 2007 Christmas album, Songs of the Season. 

Though I love Christmas music, there are only two singers who I consider the voices of Christmas. These are Bing Crosby and Gene Autry. Today's musical selection ends with Gene Autry singing Merry Christmas Waltz. 

Now for an episode of the Red Ryder radio show. 

Now for a message from Pastor Greg Laurie. 

3 John

1 The elder,

To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth.

2 Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. 3 It gave me great joy when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it. 4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

5 Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters, even though they are strangers to you. 6 They have told the church about your love. Please send them on their way in a manner that honors God. 7 It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans. 8 We ought therefore to show hospitality to such people so that we may work together for the truth.

9 I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not welcome us. 10 So when I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, spreading malicious nonsense about us. Not satisfied with that, he even refuses to welcome other believers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.

11 Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God. 12 Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone—and even by the truth itself. We also speak well of him, and you know that our testimony is true.

13 I have much to write you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink. 14 I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face.

15 Peace to you. The friends here send their greetings. Greet the friends there by name.

Thanks for joining me. Come back next week for another service of Cowboy Church. Happy trails to you until we meet again.