FAVOURITE CAROL

One of my favourite carols is “Infant Holy, Infant Lowly” - and when I used to sing in a choir, it always put a smile on my face if ever we sang this, although it’s not sung very much as a congregational carol.  

I have a recording, but only on tape, of me singing this over 40 years ago when with Norman Charlton, the Minister of Immanuel Church, accompanied by Danny Jones on the organ, we had a programme of requests on Hospital Radio for patients in the local hospital.

"Infant Holy, Infant Lowly" is thought to be a very old Polish carol, published in about 1908 and speaks of the stable scene - with the baby Jesus lying in a manger bed with the animals nearby. It also speaks of the hillside where shepherds heard the story from the angels and rejoiced with great joy.

That’s what this frenetic activity is all about - not just the cards and the presents and all the hype surrounding Christmas, but the fact that “Christ the babe is Lord of all.”

I found this version on Youtube - enjoy it with me.

Infant holy, infant lowly, 
For His bed a cattle stall; 
Oxen lowing, little knowing 
Christ, the babe, is Lord of all. 
Swift are winging, angels singing, 
Noels ringing, tidings bringing: 
Christ the babe is Lord of all. 

Flocks were sleeping, shepherds keeping 
Vigil till the morning new 
Saw the glory, heard the story, 
Tidings of a gospel true. 
Thus rejoicing, free from sorrow, 
Praises voicing greet the morrow: 
Christ the babe was born for you.

P.S.  I stayed up until after midnight last night, so that I could take this photograph and use it for today - it’s a Nativity scene that I coloured last year and which is on our back door.