Christmas Meditations: Rose Imagery

Two Christmas songs, one old ("Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming") and one new ("Rose of Bethlehem") use imagery of Christ as a rose. When I was in college, I sang Joseph Martin's Christmas cantata The White Rose with my church choir, and the narration and songs explore this imagery beautifully. (There are four videos that show another church's production of the cantata; as you can guess, if you know anything about my church, we did not have ballerinas perform in our church! If I remember correctly, the narration was changed to make the Christmas story and gospel more clear.)


Anyway, I was wondering if Christ is referred to as a rose in Scripture and/or where this rose imagery came from. I'm making the connections here because I haven't found any research linking these, but this is what I've learned. I've organized the ideas in chronological order.


1) Song of Solomon 2:1 (960-931 B.C.) - "I am a rose of Sharon, and a lily of the valleys" (ESV). Some have interpreted this verse to refer to Christ--possibly influenced by songs discussed later--but that is an error. The speaker of this verse is the Shulammite woman and you'd have to go through some pretty fancy hermeneutical footwork to make this verse apply to Christ. There are no verses that call Jesus the "Rose of Sharon." (Rabbit trail: The song "Lily of the Valley" [Charles W. Fry, 1881] also incorrectly connects this verse to Christ.)


2) "The Legend of the Rose" (unknown date [post-Christ's birth, pre-16th century]) is a story about a shepherdess who had no gift to bring to the Christ Child. An angel turned her tears into a white rose that she gave to Christ.


3) "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming"
This German carol ("Es ist ein Ros ent sprungen") was a work in progress over several hundred years and may have been inspired by "The Legend of the Rose." The first two stanzas were written in German in the late 16th century. They were translated into English by Theodore Baker in 1894. Friedrich Layritz wrote verses 3-4 and they were translated by Harriet Reynolds Krauth in 1875. Verse 5 was translated or written by John C. Mattes in 1914 (cyberhymnal). 

Lo, how a Rose e’er blooming from tender stem hath sprung!

Of Jesse’s lineage coming, as men of old have sung.

It came, a floweret bright, amid the cold of winter,

When half spent was the night.

Isaiah ’twas foretold it, the Rose I have in mind;

With Mary we behold it, the virgin mother kind.

To show God’s love aright, she bore to men a Savior,

When half spent was the night.

The shepherds heard the story proclaimed by angels bright,

How Christ, the Lord of glory was born on earth this night.

To Bethlehem they sped and in the manger found Him,

As angel heralds said.

This Flower, whose fragrance tender with sweetness fills the air,

Dispels with glorious splendor the darkness everywhere;

True Man, yet very God, from sin and death He saves us,

And lightens every load.

O Savior, Child of Mary, who felt our human woe,

O Savior, King of glory, who dost our weakness know;

Bring us at length we pray, to the bright courts of Heaven,

And to the endless day!

4) "Gesu Bambino" was written by Pietro Alessandro Yon in 1917. I've always loved this song; I especially like the "ah's" and the quotation from "O Come, All Ye Faithful."

When blossoms flowered 'mid 

The snows upon a winter night 

Was born the Child the Christmas Rose, 

The King of Love and Light 

The angels sang, the shepherds sang, 

The grateful earth rejoiced

And at His blessed birth the stars 

Their exultation voiced. 

O come let us adore Him, 

O come let us adore Him

O come let us adore Him, 

Christ the Lord. 

Again the heart with rapture glows 

To greet the holy night 

That gave the world it's Christmas Rose, 

It's king of Love and Light 

Let ev'ry voice acclaim His name, 

The grateful chorus swell 

From paradise to earth He came 

That we with Him might dwell 

O come let us adore him, 

O come let us adore Him, 

O come let us adore Him, 

Christ the Lord. 

Ah! O come let us adore Him 

Ah! O come let us adore Him 

Ah! Adore Him, Christ, the Lord. 

5) "Jesus, Rose of Sharon" was written in 1922 by Ida Guirey.

Jesus, Rose of Sharon, bloom within my heart;

Beauties of Thy truth and holiness impart,

That where’er I go my life may shed abroad

Fragrance of the knowledge of the love of God.

(Refrain)

Jesus, blessed Jesus, Rose of Sharon,

Bloom in radiance

And in love within my heart.

Jesus, Rose of Sharon, sweeter far to see

Than the fairest flow’rs of earth could ever be,

Fill my life completely, adding more each day

Of Thy grace divine and purity, I pray.

Jesus, Rose of Sharon, balm for ev’ry ill,

May Thy tender mercy’s healing power distil

For afflicted souls of weary burdened men,

Giving needy mortals health and hope again.

Jesus, Rose of Sharon, bloom forevermore;

Be Thy glory seen on earth from shore to shore,

Till the nations own Thy sov’reignty complete,

Lay their honors down and worship at Thy feet.

6) Joseph Martin's The Winter Rose (2000). The video can be seen here. The following are the lyrics for the title song.

In the silence of the winter, 

While stars shown high above, 

God sent from heaven's garden, 

A rose to show His love. 

It opened in the dark of night, 

While the world was fast asleep. 

So perfect was its beauty, 

It made the heavens weep. 

The angels paused to wonder, 

Upon that winsome sight. 

And kings and shepherds gathered 

To worship in its light. 

They all breathed in its beauty, 

A precious sweet perfume. 

And in the bleak midwinter 

The Rose began to bloom. 

O let us now remember 

When God put on the thorn. 

And Love restored the garden 

And the Winter Rose was born. 

Oh, Love restored the garden 

And the Winter Rose was born.

7) Selah's "Rose of Bethlehem" was released on October 29, 2002. It was written by Lowell Alexander in 1992.

There's a Rose in Bethlehem

With a beauty quite divine

Perfect in this world of sin

On this silent holy night

There's a fragrance much like hope

That it sends upon the wind

Reaching out to every soul

From a lowly manger's crib

Oh, Rose of Bethlehem

How lovely, pure, and sweet

Born to glorify the Father

Born to wear the thorns for me

There's a Rose in Bethlehem

Colored red like mercy's blood

Tis the flower of our faith

Tis the blossom of God's love 

Though its bloom is fresh with youth

Surely what will be He knows

For a tear of morning dew 

Is rolling down the Rose

Conclusion: While the imagery is appropriate and can be used beautifully to communicate truths about Christ, the image of Christ as a rose is not rooted in Scripture (pun intended). I have no objections to these poems/songs, but the imagery seems to be based either on a misinterpretation of Scripture or an early legend.

Christmas Meditations: Carols

As I've been thinking about Advent, I've also been thinking about Christmas songs with deeper meaning than those describing the circumstances of Christ's birth--though the story certainly is important and many of those songs are beautiful--or the secular Christmas songs which are fun but completely miss the true meaning of Christmas. I know there are modern Christmas songs which have deep theological meaning and which explore the themes of Christ's incarnation, death, resurrection, and second coming, but I want to just look at some of the traditional Christmas carols.

First, four complete Christmas carols in which the gospel is especially clear.

My favorite Christmas carol, "Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus":

Come thou long-expected Jesus, 

Born to set Thy people free; 

From our fears and sins release us, 

Let us find our rest in Thee. 

Israel's strength and consolation, 

Hope of all the earth Thou art; 

Dear Desire of every nation, 

Joy of every longing heart. 

Born Thy people to deliver, 

Born a Child and yet a King. 

Born to reign in us for ever, 

Now Thy gracious kingdom bring. 

By Thine own eternal Spirit 

Rule in all our hearts alone; 

By Thine all-sufficient merit 

Raise us to Thy glorious throne.

I love all of the names for Christ and the allusions to Scripture in "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel":

O come, O come, Emmanuel,

And ransom captive Israel,

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear. 

Rejoice, rejoice! Emmanuel 

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, O come, Thou Lord of Might,

Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai’s height,

In ancient times didst give the law, 

In cloud, and majesty, and awe.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free

Thine own from Satan’s tyranny;

From depths of hell Thy people save 

And give them victory o’er the grave.

O come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer

Our spirits by Thine advent here;

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night, 

And death’s dark shadows put to flight.

O come, Thou Key of David, come,

And open wide our heavenly home;

Make safe the way that leads on high, 

And close the path to misery.

O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,

And order all things, far and nigh;

To us the path of knowledge show, 

And cause us in her ways to go.

O come, Desire of nations, bind

In one the hearts of all mankind;

Bid Thou our sad divisions cease, 

And be Thyself our King of peace.

This Christmas carol advent shows all of the Scripture references alluded to in "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing":

Hark the herald angels sing

"Glory to the newborn King!

Peace on earth and mercy mild

God and sinners reconciled"

Joyful, all ye nations rise

Join the triumph of the skies

With the angelic host proclaim:

"Christ is born in Bethlehem"

Hark! The herald angels sing

"Glory to the newborn King!"

Christ by highest heav'n adored

Christ the everlasting Lord!

Late in time behold Him come

Offspring of a Virgin's womb

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see

Hail the incarnate Deity

Pleased as man with man to dwell

Jesus, our Emmanuel

Hark! The herald angels sing

"Glory to the newborn King!"

Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace!

Hail the Son of Righteousness!

Light and life to all He brings

Ris'n with healing in His wings

Mild He lays His glory by

Born that man no more may die

Born to raise the sons of earth

Born to give them second birth

Hark! The herald angels sing

"Glory to the newborn King!"

"Angels from the Realms of Glory":

Angels from the realms of glory

Wing your flight o’er the earth.

Ye who sang creations story

Now proclaim Messiah’s birth. 

Come and worship, come and worship, come and worship,

Worship Christ the newborn King. 

Shepherds in the fields abiding

Watching o’er your flocks by night.

God with man is now residing

Yonder shines the infant light 

Saints before the altar bending,

Watching long in hope and fear.

Suddenly the Lord descending

in His temple shall appear. 

Below are selections from some Christmas carols that emphasize the gospel and Christ's return. I've included just the pertinent parts of the carols here and I've provided links to the complete lyrics.

From "O, Little Town of Bethlehem":

How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given! 

So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His heaven. 

No ear may hear His coming, but in this world of sin, 

Where meek souls will receive Him still, the dear Christ enters in.

From "O Holy Night":

O holy night! The stars are brightly shining. 

It is the night of the dear Savior's birth. 

Long lay the world in sin and error pining, 

Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.

The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger, 

In all our trials born to be our Friend. 

He knows our need, to our weakness is no stranger. 

Behold your King, before Him lowly bend.

From "Joy to the World":

Joy to the world! The Lord is come. 

Let earth receive her King.

Let every heart prepare Him room, 

And heaven and nature sing.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,

nor thorns infest the ground;

He comes to make His blessing flow

far as the curse is found.

From "Silent Night":

Christ the Savior, is born!

Christ the Savior, is born!

Son of God, love’s pure light

Radiant beams from thy holy face,

With the dawn of redeeming grace,

Jesus, Lord, at thy birth.

Jesus, Lord, at thy birth.

From "Go, Tell It on the Mountain":

Down in a lowly manger

Our humble Christ was born

And God sent us salvation,

That blessed Christmas morn:

Go, Tell It On The Mountain,

Over the hills and everywhere;

Go, Tell It On The Mountain

That Jesus Christ is born.

From "What Child is this?":

Nails, spear shall pierce Him through,

The cross be borne for me, for you.

The King of kings, salvation brings, 

Let loving hearts enthrone Him.

From "We Three Kings":

Myrrh is mine: Its bitter perfume

Breaths a life of gathering gloom.

Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding dying,

Sealed in the stone-cold tomb. 

 

Glorious now behold Him arise,

King and God and Sacrifice.

Alleluia, alleluia!

Sounds through the earth and skies. 

Books I read in September and October 2009

Since school started, I haven't been able to read as much as I would like. 

I've been reading from several Christian Living books, but haven't finished any of them yet. :-(

Christian Living books I've been reading:

Winning the Inner War by Irwin Lutzer

We're reading this book for the HBBC class I'm auditing. It's a great book. Hopefully, I'll be done reading it by the end of the semester. . . I haven't been doing a such a great job at keeping up with homework assignments!

Vintage Jesus by Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears
I've only read a few chapters of this book, but so far it has been a great book. I wasn't prepared for this to be a book of solid doctrine (I really didn't know much about Driscoll before starting this, but I expected something along the lines of The Jesus I Never Knew by Philip Yancey. I was pleasantly surprised. I'll write more when I finish it.  

Culture Shift by Al Mohler

Again, I haven't finished this, but so far, I've really enjoyed this book and have learned a lot.

Toward Jerusalem by Amy Carmichael
This collection of Christian poetry by missionary Amy Carmichael expresses the timeless truths of God's Word and life lessons in beautiful poetry. 
















Listed below are some novels I've read:

At Home in Holly Springs: A Father Tim Novel by Jan Karon
I love the Mitford series and this first book of the new series about Father Tim's childhood and young adult years was no disappointment. I enjoyed this book as much as the others, if not more, because she gives the back story to events merely alluded to in the Mitford series.

Saint by Ted Dekker
This is an awesome book! I loved it! I watched The Bourne Ultimatum the same day I read this book and there were some interesting similarities--it was a good pairing of book and movie.

Showdown by Ted Dekker
This book was a bit gruesome in places, but has an incredible redemption story. It fills in important details of the Circle Trilogy. I wouldn't have understood Green if I hadn't read this book first. 

Plague Maker by Tim Downs
Tim Downs just keeps getting better and better! I love this book. The plot moves quickly and the story line is intriguing. I was glad the Nick Polchack made an appearance in this book, but I liked the new character, Nathan Donovan, he introduced.














Non-fiction:

A Leap of Faith by Queen Noor
I'd been wanting to read this for a long time and I'm so glad I finally did. I learned so much about the Middle East conflicts. It was helpful to read about the wars and conflicts from a Muslim perspective, since I grew up always hearing the Judeo-Christian perspective. This is a well-written, engaging memoir by the American-born queen of Jordan.

Summer Reading

I always come up with a huge list of books to read, but then I go to the library and just pick up whatever looks good. Here's what I'm planning on reading in the next few weeks. For the flight, I'm packing: 1. The MacArthur Study Bible and a notebook 2. Essential Virtues by Jim Berg 3. Let Me Be a Woman by Elizabeth Elliot 4. A novel, to be chosen randomly from my bookshelf before I walk out the door. I'm open to suggestions. For Bible study, edification, or professional development: 1. The God of Comfort by Hannah Whitehall Smith 2. Mountain Breezes by Amy Carmichael 3. A Chance to Die by Elizabeth Elliot 4. Esther: It's Tough Being a Woman by Beth Moore 5. Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing by Mignon Fogarty 6. The Ode Less Traveled by Stephen Fry 7. Glencoe Literature: British Literature For fun: 1. Plague Maker by Tim Downs 2. Redwall by Brian Jacques 3. Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer 4. Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian by Rick Riordan 5. Reread The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis So what are you reading this summer? Any recommendations?

The Bread of Life

On Sunday after the morning service, I wrote a poem based on Pastor's sermon from John 6:35: "I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." I was honored that he read it during the evening service to transition from his sermon on covenants to the Lord's Supper. Decadent Desserts or Heart-Healthy Bread? By Natalie Cary Are you hungry? Soul famished? Longing for Something more? This world offers Dunkin Donuts— Tasty treats of power and pleasure, Pastries of pleasing platitudes, Sugary sweet philosophies— Hedonistically masking the hurt, Spartanly reveling in the pain. Some churches promote sugar substitutes— Slick sermons, emotional songs, plastic smiles. Are you hungry? Soul famished? Longing for Something more? Jesus Christ offers wholesome bread— Heavenly Manna that saves and satisfies, Supply of sustaining grace, Exquisite, eternal Word— Freely forgiving the sin, Lovingly restoring the soul. The Bread of Life nourishes the heart— Supernatural sustenance, timeless Truth, daily delight. Are you hungry? Soul famished? Longing for Something more? “Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance.” “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you.”

New Poem

This poem has been brewing in my head for a long time and I finally wrote it down last night. I hope it is an encouragement to you. At the least, I spent a profitable 3 hours or so pondering the nature of God. My poetic inspiration came from the Old English techniques of kenning (metaphoric compounds) and alliteration (rather than rhyme and meter) and Gerard Manley Hopkins' beautifully compact poems expressing deep truths about God. I wanted the poem to be tightly constructed and for the pace to be slow, because it's intended to make the reader stop and think about the character of the Trinity. Since God has so many astounding characteristics, I didn't want to repeat any words, which made process a little more difficult, but more rewarding. The scriptural inspiration is obvious, but I specifically drew on sermons Pastor Herron has preached in the last two years and on concepts about God that I've been thinking and reading about. I'm a little bit nervous about exposing my poor poem to the world, because I don't do this very often, but I hope it is a help to you. Almighty Maker, Holy Creator Creative Designer, Universe Shaper Galaxy Spreader, Star Hanger Planet Placer, Earth Former Atom Holder, Soul Sustainer Sovereign Lord rules over all. Merciful Savior, Grace Giver Law Completer, Prophecy Fulfiller Cross Bearer, Sin Taker Satan Defeater, Death Destroyer God Reconciler, Heavenly Mediator Incarnate Jesus sent for men. Life Instiller, Gift Bestower Guilt Deliverer, Sorrow Comforter Peace Bringer, Joy Supplier Heart Healer, Hope Provider Patient Teacher, Word Illuminator Blessed Spirit, live in me.

Impressions of the beach

I'm no poet, but someday, I'd like to write about the beautiful morning I spent at the beach. A couple of friends and I ran for a while and then found a favorite spot on the beach to read our Bibles and spend time with the Lord. What a refreshing way to spend the morning! When I came home, my soul was still and I didn't want that special time with God to stop, so I read my Bible for another hour. The papers could wait!

Leaning against a smooth, hard palm tree in the shade of another
Constantly adjusting my position for the coral rocks and ants
Bothersome flies
Palm trees as far as the eye can see on either side of me
The sun filtering through the brittle brown leaves and the wind rippling through the husky, stiff fronds
Dry wind whips sand into my eyes
Patches of rocks and rough sand
Wild, green growth forging its way to the sea
Aqua-green splashes on the shore
Rust-brown coral barrier
Peaceful lagoon
Waves crashing on the reef
Deep blue stretching out to the horizon, where it meets the pale blue sky with pinky-purple tones
Purple-grey clouds etched with dark blue-grey
Wispy white clouds casting faint shadows on the sea
Distant land in dusky grey hidden by splashes of salt sea mist
Far off city feels like another world
High-rise hotels and gourmet restaurants don't belong here
Just me, my God, a Bible and pen, and a tree to lean on
All is peace and rest, quiet in my soul
The gentle lulling roar of the ocean, the soft breeze, filtered sunlight, and lazy clouds--all remind me God loves me.
He is here.