Saturday, December 10, 2011

Stars Were Gleaming

I love this song so much, so when it's finally the right year to teach it I get really excited.  This year (after approval) I started teaching the song with two extra verses that were written by Elder Spencer J. Condie (emeritus and currently serving as the Nauvoo Temple President).  I am not sure exactly when he wrote them, I have had them since about 1991, I remember that he told me that he felt like there should be additional words about Christ.  I wish I were half as eloquent as he was when he told me.  Here they are (don't judge me for my punctuation errors!):

In the stable we are able,
to behold the infant there.
Baby Jesus, Mary sees us
as she give him tender care.
Every nation hears salvation,
in sublimest contemplation
for he is the Son of God!

He will heal us and reveal us
all his Heavenly Father's light.
He will know us, he will show us,
he will lead us through the night.
Always blessing, sins redressing,
every tongue will be confessing,
that he is the Son of God!

With this song, all four verses, There was Starlight on the Hillside, and Shine On, we are ready to sing in Sacrament meeting, all songs about light. The light that leads to Christ, the light of Christ, and the light we can share with others.  Merry Christmas!

Jan. 8, 2015
I had a question last Christmas asking for authenticity to confirm that Spencer J. Condie wrote the two verses above.  If your bishop or primary presidency needs authentication send me an email and I will make sure that you can get that.  Sadly, it doesn't seem like enough to take my word for it.  Elder Condie and family lived on Tannenweg at the same time we did.  They lived on the same side of the street as we did and were two houses down.

4 comments:

  1. Wow! Thank you for sharing these lyrics. VERY Special! I may have to do a "Christmas in July" next year because I don't know if I can wait until next December. Beautiful.

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  2. How funny. I'm teaching this song to my primary to sing in our sacrament meeting on Christmas. That's kind of cool that there are two other verses.

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  3. what did you use to teach the kids this song. Did you use visuals of some kind? I just got called again as the primary chorister.

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  4. I have the words written on a poster. It's nothing fancy or there would be a picture. I've been using the poster for several years, so all my kids have seen it before.

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