Hello OCBC family,
“So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12).
Another year is passing by, and a new year is coming to us. A new year brings many opportunities, new resolutions, new plans. But our goal should be that this coming year must be dedicated to the Lord.

“Another year is dawning:
Dear Father, let it be,
In working or in waiting,
Another year with Thee;
Another year of progress,
Another year of praise,
Another year of proving
Thy presence all the days.”

This poem was written by Frances R. Havergal, a daughter of William Henry Havergal, clergyman of the Anglican church, hymnwriter, composer, and her brother, Henry East Havergal, was a priest of the Anglican church and an organist, so Frances was under the influence of spiritual disciplines and music from a very early age.

She wrote several hymns, and the most well know hymn by her is “Take My Life and Let It Be.” Her religious view and theology were Calvinist, and you can read this influence in her hymns.

“Another year of mercies,
Of faithfulness and grace;
Another year of gladness
In the shining of Thy face;
Another year of leaning
Upon Thy loving breast;
Another year of trusting,
Of quiet, happy rest.”

In this particular hymn, Frances put her trust in the Lord alone, and this became so real for her, because she wrote this poem for the beginning of 1874, and few months after, a publishing house in America, with a promise for her to be part of the authors of this company, sent her a letter saying that this publishing company had gone bankrupt in the Stock Marker crash of 1873. Frances, nevertheless, still trusted in the Lord.

This remind me of the words of Paul in the book of Romans, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28).

“Another year of service,
Of witness for Thy love;
Another year of training
For holier work above.
Another year is dawning:
Dear Father, let it be,
On earth or else in heaven,
Another year for Thee.”

Sing this hymn during this season of New Year, and if you don’t know the melody, just use the melody of the very well know hymn “The Church’s One Foundation.”

May the Lord bless you in 2026.
​
In His service,
Israel
 

Hello OCBC family,
“And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” (Matthew 2:11).

“Adeste Fideles laeti triumphantes,
Veníte, veníte in Bethlehem.
Natum vidéte, Regem Angelorum:
Veníte adoremus,
Veníte adoremus
Veníte adoremus Dóminum.”

Are you familiar with these lyrics? Perhaps not, at least in Latin, but in English, these words are the first stanza of the very familiar and very loved Christmas hymn, “O Come, All Ye Faithful.”

“O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem!
Come, and behold Him, born the King of angels!
O come, let us adore Him;
O come, let us adore Him;
O come, let us adore Him, Christ, the Lord!”

This hymn is a good picture of what the shepherds in Bethlehem, and then the Magi from Orient, had in their heart: to come and see the newborn King and to adore Him.

The author of this hymn is John Francis Wade, an English Roman Catholic layman, musician by training. In 1745, he left England because of the persecution against Catholic people, and he lived in Frances and Portugal. He supported himself teaching music, and making illustrations to sheet music, real pieces of art. While in exile, he wrote this powerful hymn, four stanzas in Latin. He also composed a familiar melody.

Catholics were able to return to England; at that time, Wade passed away, but people brought Wade’s hymn and it became popular. Frederick Oakeley, an Anglican minister heard this hymn and made a translation into English. The original title was, “Ye Faithful, approach Ye” but he didn’t like this first attempt, and the second version was simpler and more vigoroso, “O Come, All Ye Faithful, Joyful and Triumphant.”

From the original text, in the majority of hymnals, they translated just three stanzas, but in our current hymnal, “Hymns of Grace” it includes the stanza that focuses on the mystery of Incarnation.

“Deum de Deo, lumen de lúmine,
gestant puellae viscera
Deum verum, genitum non factum.”
“God of God, Light of Light eternal,
Lo, He abhors not the virgin's womb;
Very God, begotten not created.”

In this Christmas season, let's not focus only on gifts, time with family, food, and fellowship, which are all very good things to do at this time of year, but let's focus on the King of Angels, who, being immortal, clothed himself in mortal form to live a life without sin and die for our sins.

“Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, born this happy morning;
Jesus, to Thee be all glory giv'n!
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing!
O come, let us adore Him;
O come, let us adore Him;
O come, let us adore Him, Christ, the Lord!”
​
In His service,
Israel

Hello OCBC family,
“For He is coming to judge the earth. With righteousness He shall judge the world, and the peoples with equity.” (Psalm 98:9).
“Joy to the World” is not a Christmas hymn. This sentence might be a little hard to believe for many people, but the reality is that this lovely hymn never talks about Jesus’ birth. Yes, the first phrase says,  “Joy to the world! the Lord is come” but the background of this hymn is Psalm 98, which is about the second coming of the Lord.

Nevertheless, this hymn is good to be sung during Christmas time, any time of the year, like Easter season, but also it can be used as a missionary hymn.
Who is the author of “Joy to the World”? Many of you know about the author, Isaac Watts. The son of a schoolmaster from Southampton. Isaac Watts was born on July 17, 1674, and he was a very smart child, starting to learn Latin when he was four years old, and able to write fine poems when he was seven.

During this time, churches in Britain, especially churches in Scotland, sang just the Psalms for their worship services, and Watts become dissatisfied with the quality of singing, and he felt that the churches have a limitation only singing these Psalms, so he “invented” the English hymn.

Now, let us make clear that Watts did not neglect the Psalms, in fact he created a particular hymnal where he translated, interpreted and paraphrased the Old Testament Psalm through the eyes  of New Testament faith. The name of this collection was “The Psalms of David Imitated in the Language of the New Testament” and “Joy to the World” was part of this collection, like “O God Our Help in Ages Past” (Psalm 90).

“Joy to the world! the Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King;
Let ev'ry heart prepare Him room,
And heav'n and nature sing,
And heav'n and nature sing,
And heav'n, and heav'n and nature sing.

Joy to the earth! the Savior reigns;
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.”

The melody is a work from Lowell Mason, and for many years people thought that the composer George F. Handel wrote the melody, but this is wrong. Lowell Mason, a musician born in Massachusetts in 1792, called the “Father of American church music” used parts of Handel’s famous oratorio “Messiah” to compose the melody for “Joy to the World.” The firth phrase of “Joy to the World” is from the choral piece “Lift up Your  Heads” a setting of Psalm 24, and the second part of “Joy to the World” uses the tenor solo called “Comfort Ye My People” a setting of Isaiah 40.

“No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders of His love.”

So, during this Christmas season, sing this hymn and praise the Lord, because, after all, our Messiah has come to save us, and one day he is coming back to take us home.

In His service,
Israel

Hello OCBC family.

“I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever; with my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations.” (Psalm 89:1).
If you are familiar with the book of Psalms, you know that the whole book of Psalms is divided into 5 books, and Psalm 89 is the last psalm of the Book 3 of the psaltery.

The author of this Psalm is Ethan the Ezrahite, a Levite leader and possibly one of the head musicians in the temple.
The theme of the psalm is about God’s promise to preserve David’s descendants. And this promise is fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who will reign for all eternity.

The hymn that I am bringing to you today is the hymn called, “My Song Forever Shall Record” based on this psalm.

“My song forever shall record
the tender mercies of the LORD;
Thy faithfulness will I proclaim,
and every age shall know Thy name.
I sing of mercies that endure,
forever builded firm and sure,
of faithfulness that never dies,
established changeless in the skies.”

Who is the author of this hymn? We don’t know. Many hymnals just say, “based on Psalm 89.” At this point this is more than enough to sing this part of God’s word. Just enjoy the promises of God to be found in this psalm, and in Jesus, the one and only real King.

“With blessing is the nation crowned
whose people know the joyful sound;
they in the light, O Lord, shall live,
the light your face and favor give.
All glory unto God we yield,
who is our constant help and shield;
all praise and honor we will bring
to you, the Holy One, our King.”

And Psalm 89:52, being the final verse of Book 3 of Psalms, ended with a doxology.

“Blessed be the Lord forevermore! Amen and Amen.”

​
In His service,
Israel.