The first Noel, the angel did say
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay;
In fields where they lay keeping their sheep,
On a cold winter's night that was so deep.
They looked up and saw a star
Shining in the east, beyond them far,
And to the earth it gave great light,
And so it continued both day and night. [Refrain]
And by the light of that same star
Three Wise Men came from country far;
To seek for a King was their intent,
And to follow the star wherever it went. [Refrain]
This star drew nigh to the northwest,
O'er Bethlehem it took its rest,
And there it did both stop and stay,
Right over the place where Jesus lay. [Refrain]
Then entered in those Wise Men three,
Full rev'rently upon their knee,
And offered there in His presence
Their gold, and myrrh, and frankincense. [Refrain]
Then let us all with one accord
Sing praises to our heav'nly Lord,
That hath made heav'n and earth of naught,
And with His blood mankind hath bought. [Refrain]
Refrain:
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,
Born is the King of Israel.
Author unknown, first printed in 1823
luke 2:1-20
No one knows who wrote “The First Noel.” Davies Gilbert included it in Some Ancient christmas Carols with nine stanzas and that seems to be the first appearance of the carol in print. Nowell is the English spelling, while Noel is French. Both come from the Latin natalis, which means birth. We could quibble about the second stanza implying that the shepherds followed the star … which they didn't do, but the bulk of the hymn is about the wise men. And in some ways the wise men represent us. Foreigners to Israel, whom God delivered the message of salvation to. Then motivated by the overwhelming reality of that message they were motivated to go worship and bring offerings to the savior and King. Stanza 6 calls us to be like the wise men. Let us worship and praise the Lord who created us and then saved us! Merry Christmas!
