Shout for joy
the whole earth,
and everything within.
Rejoice!
For Light has come into the world.
The mountains sing,
the seas resound
to the praise of your name.
Salvation
once promised is here on earth.
The angels' song
rings in the air,
a child has been born.
Hallelujah!
The Saviour of the world is here.
— © John Birch, used with permission.

Prayer

Loving Father, help us to remember the story of Christ's birth,
so that we may share in the song of the angels,
the gladness of the shepherds
and the wisdom of the wise men.
Close the doors of hate and open the door of love in our lives.
Let kindness accompany every gift we give
and good wishes enrich every greeting we exchange.
Deliver us from selfishness by the blessing which Christ alone can bring,
and teach us to be glad with a pure heart,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
—Robert Louis Stevenson.

Psalm 148, set for today, offers examples of the extraordinary variety in ways of psalm singing, even within the Westen churches alone. Here are a few!

Frank Wigglesworth (1918-1996) Psalm 148, for chorus, three flutes and two trombones (1973). Kathy Fink, Elizabeth Brown and Jeanne Wilson, (flutes) Kevin James and David Taylor (trombones). Choir of the Church of Saint Luke in the Fields, dir. David Shuler.

Psalm 148 from the 1912 psalter of the United Presbyterian Church (USA). Tune: Lennox. The Psalm Choir. 6 May 2012.

Psalm 148. Anglican chant. Choir of Bristol Abbey.

Dick Sanderman's tune for Psalm 148, played on a home organ by Han Beverdam.