Photo by Jonathan Knepper on Unsplash
In 1872, Scribner’s Monthly magazine asked poet Christina Rosetti to write a Christmas poem for their publication. In response, Rosetti produced a poem titled “A Christmas Carol,” a piece that when paired with Gustav Holst’s Cranham melody became the carol “In the Bleak Midwinter.” In 1906, “In the Bleak Midwinter” was included in The English Hymnal, and it has been a beloved Christmas hymn ever since.
I have long felt a draw to Rosetti’s poem. The carefully-selected words of her simple poem contain a depth and richness that just feels true. She manages to use the word “snow” five times in a single line without it feeling desperate or redundant. Instead, the repetition launches the singer or reader into a world being buried under flake after flake of winter’s chill. Rosetti pairs the image of a scarce and frozen world with the warmth and intimacy of the newborn Christ in his mother’s arms. This collision of harsh world and comforting love captivated me the first time I read it, and it compels me still.
A few weeks ago, this carol popped into my mind, and I haven’t been able to shake it since. In most of the reading I’ve done about “In the Bleak Midwinter,” writers have suggested that Rosetti created a frigid setting because snow and chill would have been commonplace for winters in England. I wonder, however, if the bleak snow and frozen ground contain within them a reflection on midlife. Rosetti wrote this work at the age of 42. As I reflect on her words today, I am 44 years old, and I find within them a quiet hopefulness for those of us who likely have fewer days in front of us than behind us.
In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter, long ago.
Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him, nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away when He comes to reign.
In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.
Enough for Him, whom cherubim, worship night and day,
Breastful of milk, and a mangerful of hay;
Enough for Him, whom angels fall before,
The ox and ass and camel which adore.
Angels and archangels may have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;
But His mother only, in her maiden bliss,
Worshipped the beloved with a kiss.
What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.
Over the next five weeks, I plan write reflections on each of the stanzas of Rosetti’s poem. Along with these reflections, I will include Advent candle litanies and prayers that may be used at home or in services of worship. You are welcome to use these as part of your Advent this year, though if you use them in worship, written or spoken attribution would be appreciated.
If your home base is anything like mine is at the moment, you might be finding yourself overwhelmed by all the little things that need doing. Maybe you are trying to decide how much (or if) you want to bother decorating for Christmas this year. Perhaps you have to-do lists here and there as you wonder what Thanksgiving dinner will look like, or as you try to keep on top of whatever it is that’s weighing you down.
In my neck of the woods, the temperature is in the 60s. No snow is in sight. Thanksgiving is only a few days away, and it just doesn’t feel like it’s almost Christmas. I’m not feeling the winter chill of “In the Bleak Midwinter,” but I suppose I am feeling a chill in my heart. Or, maybe not a chill…more of a bleakness? An emptiness? An uncertainty about what it looks like to prepare for the coming of hope, and joy, and love, and peace?
Perhaps it is precisely in moments like these when our preparation is most necessary. I’m not talking about the preparation for parties, or gift giving, or all the cooking and baking on the schedule. Rather, I wonder if these bleak seasons are the precise time for preparing for the coming of warmth. Maybe in this moment when I’m not sure there’s a suitable place in my heart for God, I will find that God has already created a place for me. I just need to make the journey, sit down, warm my hands by the fire, and receive.
A Prayer for Setting up the Advent Wreath
Lord, in this circle, I place four candles: the candles of hope, peace, joy, and love. Sometimes, my heart feels bleak. Desolate. Uncertain. These four candles challenge me and encourage me to long for your coming reign. Into the center of these four candles, I place the Christ candle. Though none of these candles are yet lit, I surround them with greenery. I do so like a gardener planting a seed in hostile conditions. May you nourish this small seed through your Holy Spirit so that soon one candle will alight, and then two, and so on, until the day when we have no more need for candles because you will be our Light. In Jesus’ name – Amen.
Resources Consulted:
Text of Christina Rosetti’s “A Christmas Carol”
The Atlantic’s “12 Days of Christmas Songs: In the Bleak Midwinter”
UMC Discipleship’s “A History of Hymns: In the Bleak Midwinter”
Other Advent series you might enjoy:
The Anti-Advent Wreath
The Advent Custom Wreath
Advent Reflections and Prayers
Advent for Uncertain Hearts