Sing Something Simple 2 - Away in a Christingle

Lots of Christingle songs are very long - and set to very bouncy (sometimes stompy) tunes.  Now I know everyone does Christingle differently - but for the last few years I've combined it with a crib service, twice, on Christmas Eve.  I don't know about you but when we've just revealed the nativity, arrived with awe and wonder at the manger - stompy and bouncy aren't the mood I'm after.  We used to light our candles, turn down the lights and sing "Hope of Heaven".  The grown ups didn't know it the first year we used it.  I could feel the wave of disgruntlement as I played the intro on the piano and they turned to look at words they didn't know.  The thing was, the children at our local Infant School had learned it. It was quite a thing as the children began to sing their hearts out.  You can find that here https://shop.childrenssociety.org.uk/digital-christingle-hymns-songs.html 

After a few years though the school's Christmas repertoire changed - and on the basis that I didn't want to be the only one singing the Christingle song, I couldn't find one online I liked, and I wanted to give the disgruntled some familiarity back - I wrote this to sing to Away in a Manger. 

Christingles are shining they show us the way

to understand all God is doing today.

They light up our darkness and teach us to give

that the blessings we know can help everyone live.

 

The world is the orange, creation God gave

for us to take care of and nurture and save.

The fruit and the sweets all good things the earth gives

to share all together so everyone lives.

 

The ribbon is Jesus, the life that he gave

He loves us so much he came back from the grave.

His love is a challenge to care for the poor

to pray and act always if we can do more.

 

Christingles are shining they show us the way

to understand all God is doing today.

They light up our darkness and teach us to give

that the blessings we have can help everyone live.