13th December

Brian Gordon

Carol of the Bells

“One seems to hear, words of good cheer, from everywhere, filling the air”

I heard this carol sung in the Ukrainian language in 2023. It was sung as a solo by a 7 year old Ukrainian girl who had moved to Bramhall. Angelically sung to a room full of pensioners in a care home, the room was still to her singing words. Originally written as a Ukrainian song, the words tell of a swallow flying into a house to proclaim the plentiful year that the family will have. It is a song of hope for the future, as we remember Christ coming as a baby, bringing hope to the world.

Carol of the Bells is actually based on an old folk melody written early in the 20th Century, with lyrics that had nothing to do with bells or Christmas cheer. While this carol was not written with a gospel intention, as we hear it and sing it, we can reflect on how we, like the bells in the carol, can carry our ‘joyful tone’ that is the good news of Jesus to those we meet.

The Christmas season is a season of good news and a reminder of the hope to the world, brought through the birth of Jesus Christ. Although not rich in lyrics pulled from Scripture, “Carol of the Bells” reminds us about the important need for hope during the Christmas season.

At this time of the year, perhaps we do hear words of good cheer from others, wishing us a good time. How full are those words of secular thoughts and feelings - lacking in the good news of the love and hope of Christ whose birth we celebrate.

“We have a hope which is steadfast and certain!” (Wendy Churchill)