O little town of Bethlehem

100 St. Louis. 8. 6. 8. 6. 7. 6. 8. 6.

1 O little town of Bethlehem,
   how still we see thee lie!
   Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
   the silent stars go by.
   Yet in thy dark streets shineth
   the everlasting light;
   the hopes and fears of all the years
   are met in thee tonight.

2 For Christ is born of Mary;
   and, gathered all above,
   while mortals sleep, the angels keep
   their watch of wond'ring love.
   O morning stars, together
   proclaim the holy birth,
   and praises sing to God the King,
   and peace to men on earth.

3 How silently, how silently,
   the wondrous gift is giv'n!
   So God imparts to human hearts
   the blessings of His heav'n.
   No ear may hear His coming,
   but in this world of sin,
   where meek souls will receive Him still,
   the dear Christ enters in.

4 O holy Child of Bethlehem,
   descend to us, we pray;
   cast out our sin and enter in;
   be born in us today.
   We hear the Christmas angels,
   the great glad tidings tell;
   O come to us, abide with us,
   our Lord Emmanuel!
                         Philip Brooks
                         The Methodist Hymnal 1939 edition

<idle musing>
I've always liked this carol. It seems to speak to the way that God so often works, quietly and mostly unobserved. The angelic host knows what's going on, but humans just blindly bluster along—well most humans. But a few "meek souls will receive Him still," and he will will "cast out our sin and enter in."

Interestingly, this carol was written by Brooks for a Sunday School class based on his visit to Bethlehem two years earlier.
</idle musing>