December 19 

On Christmas Night All Christians Sing 

TEXT: Traditional English Carol

This text is known in Great Britain as “Sussex Carol.” It was first published in 1864 by Luke Wadding, a seventeenth-century Irish bishop. It is not known whether he wrote it or merely copied it from an earlier writing. The text was rediscovered over 200 years later by musicologists in England who were studying the folk music of Great Britain. Cecil Sharp (1859–1924), the leader of the folklore revival in England, is responsible for finding, writing down, and preserving much of the folk music and traditional dances of that culture. Here, he restored and kept for us one of the most joyous of Christmas poems.

TUNE: English Folk Tune

Adapted by Ralph Vaughan Williams

The tune is also a folk song from England. The famous musicologist and composer of the early twentieth century, Ralph Vaughan Williams, heard the song sung by Harriet Verrall at Monk’s Gate in Sussex, England. He wrote it down, arranged it, and published it in 1919, under the name SUSSEX CAROL. It is a favorite carol in Great Britain and is regularly used at Cambridge in the King’s College Service of Nine Lessons and Carols.

As you sing this hymn … have you noticed a recurring theme in so many carols of Christmas? Gladness, joy, merriment! Often, even without words, the tunes convey these emotions. SUSSEX CAROL sparkles with joy and the “news of great mirth.” So the text appropriately asks, “Why should all on earth be sad, since our Redeemer made us glad?”

Sometimes people find Christmas to be a difficult time because they are lonely or have painful memories that still cause grief, especially if there has been a recent loss of a loved one. Many people say their stress level increases during the holiday season, commonly due to lack of time and money, commercialism, the pressures of gift-giving, and family gatherings.

If you are in this place, these rich carols will offer hope. The third stanza of this hymn says that by the grace of God, the results of sin can be replaced with “life and health.” Depression too can put us in a place of emotional darkness. But the fourth stanza, quoting John 1:5, declares that Jesus is light for darkness: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 8:12 says “whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Turn to “Christmas in the Bible,” #31. These truths in poetry have provided encouragement and joy to hundreds of thousands of people before you. May they also speak life and light to you this very day.

If you are singing this carol as a family or in a group, you may add to the joyous experience by dividing into two groups. One group sings the first phrase, and the other echoes the repeated phrase. Then both groups sing together the last two phrases of each stanza. Employ a quicker tempo in order to experience the joyful mood of the carol text. And remember, be glad—not sad!