A SONG IN THE AIR!

 Praise the Lord for this day He hath made!  Let us rejoice and be glad in it!  Christmas is filled with beautiful music -- you can almost hear the Angels singing again this morning -- "Glory to the new-born King!"  "There's a Song in the Air" this morning, and I trust it will fill and thrill your soul as we look at this lovely carol.

"The author of this carol was a medical Doctor.  Josiah Holland was a native of Massachusetts, and the four verses of the lovely Christmas Carol, There's a Song in the Air, were initially composed for a Sunday School journal as a poetic retelling of the Christmas story.  In 1874, when Holland published a collection of his poetry, he included this Christmas poem but did not consider it one of his finer works.  A Latin professor, Karl P. Harrington, working 25 years after Holland's death, discovered it while compiling a new hymnal for the Methodist Church.

In his research, he read through volumes of poetry and stacks of old hymn collections.  Then he picked up a small volume by a popular 19th century writer named Josiah Holland.  Leafing through the pages, he happened upon a poem based upon the Christmas story.  The verses weren't filled with deep theology, but they communicated a spiritual joy that struck the emotions.  Harrison sat down and began composing a melody, line by line, for Holland's poem.  When he finished, he had helped to create a simple, yet powerful carol that has been sung in churches of all denominations every Christmas for more than a century."  I trust that it will be a blessing to your heart today!

"There's a song in the air!  There's a star in the sky!                                                                                      There's a Mother's deep prayer and a Baby's low cry!                                                                                 And the star rains its fire while the beautiful sing,                                                                                       For the manger of Bethlehem cradles a King!

 There's a tumult of joy o'er the wonderful birth,                                                                                          For the virgin's sweet Boy is the Lord of the earth.                                                                                     Ay!  the star rains its fire while the beautiful sing,                                                                                        For the manger of Bethlehem cradles a King!

In the light of that star lie the ages impearled;                                                                                              And that song from afar has swept over the world.                                                                                       Every hearth is a-flame, and the beautiful sing                                                                                             In the homes of the nations that Jesus is King!

We rejoice in the light, and we echo the song                                                                                               That comes down through the night from the heavenly throng.                                                                    Ay!  we shout to the lovely evangel they bring,                                                                                            And we greet in His cradle our Saviour and King!"