Review: The Marvel of This Night
Waking, sleeping, I am with you, you are my own.
In my love's baptismal river
I have made you mine forever.
Go, my children, with my blessing, you are my own.
Go, my children, sins forgiven, at peace and pure,
Here you learned how much I love you, what I can cure;
Here you heard my dear Son's story,
Here you touched him, saw his glory.
Go, my children, sins forgiven, at peace and pure.
Go, my children, fed and nourished, closer to me;
Grow in love and love by serving, joyful and free.
Here my Spirit's power filled you,
Here his tender comfort stilled you;
Go, my children, fed and nourished, closer to me, joyful and free.
I the Lord will bless and keep you, and give you peace.
I the Lord will smile upon you, and give you peace;
I the Lord will be your Father,
Savior, Comforter and Brother;
Go, my children, I will keep you, and give you peace.
The playoff between the adult and children's choirs is amazing. In some cases, the children's choir is appropriate in carrying the song, as it does in "Someone Special." This song alone becomes a children's Christmas service as the verses trace the events of that first Christmas.
There are no traditional, well-known Christmas carols on this album. But be honest, do you really need another CD with the same Christmas carols on them? What this CD adds is breadth and depth to the Christmas carol pantheon and expands some very joyful carols to add to our rich Christmas heritage, not only as Christians and Americans but also as Lutherans who originally returned singing to the laity in the church. "Before the Marvel of This Night," "Someone Special," and "Go, My Children, With My Blessing" were favorites of mine before I bought this CD (at Northwestern Publishing House in Milwaukee). This CD has quickly become a favorite at the Christmas season.
CD from Concordia
cassette from Concordia
As I listened to this CD and wrote this review, it occurred to me that the art of the carol has slipped in the last century.
In the 1800's many carols were written with Christ as the focus. "Silent Night" is just one of those carols from that era that is a classic.
But the twentieth century saw a disturbing trend. Jesus was lost as the focus of the season. He was soon usurped
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