Sing We Now Of Christmas / O Come O Come Emmanuel

Two refrains share this Christmas medley. The first half is a carol built on the repeated call to "sing we Noel," with angels "from on high," shepherds invited to "come and see," and a birth in Bethlehem to "a blessed family." Its twin lines, "Christ the King is born" and "Christ the Lord is born," alternate with "Glory to God," so the announcement and the praise answer each other.

The turn comes with a chant of "Emmanuel, Emmanuel," and the song stops narrating and starts naming. Wonderful Counselor, Lord of Life, Lord of All, Prince of Peace, Mighty God, Holy One: the titles stack up, each one describing the child already declared King and Lord. The final section repeats the list with the Emmanuel line doubled, so the closing minutes are almost entirely a litany.

The scripture behind it is plain. Luke 2:11 gives the shepherds' news of a Savior born, Luke 2:14 the glory-to-God response, Isaiah 9:6 supplies the names Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God and Prince of Peace, and Matthew 1:23 translates Emmanuel as "God with us."