God With Us
Into this world, this day did come Jesu Christ, both God and man,
Lord and Servant in one person, born of the blessed virgin Mary.
I pray you, be merry and sing with me In worship of Christ’s Nativity.
He that was rich, without any need, Appeared in this world in right poor weed,
To make us that were poor indeed, Rich without any need, truly.
I pray you, be merry and sing with me In worship of Christ’s Nativity.
A stable was His chamber; a cratch was His bed;
He had not a pillow to lay under His head With maiden’s milk that babe was fed,
In poor clothes was lapped the Lord Almighty.
I pray you, be merry and sing with me In worship of Christ’s Nativity.
A noble lesson here is us taught, To set all worldly riches at naught,
But pray we that we may be thither brought, Where riches is everlastingly.
I pray you, be merry and sing with me In worship of Christ’s Nativity.
16th century Balliol College, Oxford MS 354
All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
“Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and they shall name him Emmanuel,”
which means, “God is with us.”
Matthew 1:22-23