"Once in Royal David's City"

The Fourth Sunday of Advent

This is another of my favorite Christmas hymns. It is usually the first hymn sung at the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, which originated in Cambridge, England, in 1918. Traditionally, the first verse is sung by a boy soprano, and then other voices are added in subsequent verses. If you have never heard this sung, try to get a copy of a King's College Choir recording, or listen to the service on a radio station. The classical music station in Denver, KVOD, will broadcast this year's Lessons and Carols (from Cambridge) at 8 a.m. on December 24. It's well worth adding this to one of your Christmas traditions!

"Once in Royal David's City"

Once in royal David's city, Stood a lowly cattle shed,
Where a mother laid her baby, In a manger for His bed;
Mary was that mother mild, Jesus Christ her little child.

He came down to earth from heaven, Who is God and Lord of all,
And His shelter was a stable, And His cradle was a stall;
With the poor, and mean, and lowly, Lived on earth our Savior holy.

And thro' all His wondrous childhood, He would honor and obey,
Love, and watch the lowly maiden, In whose gentle arms He lay;
Christian children all must be, Mild, Obedient, good as He.

For He is our childhood's pattern; Day by day like us He grew;
He was little, weak, and helpless, Tears and smiles like us He knew;
And He feeleth for our sadness, And He shareth in our gladness.

And our eyes at last shall see Him, through His own redeeming love;
For that child so dear and gentle, Is our Lord in heaven above;
And He leads His children on, To the place where He is gone.