Angels and Shepherds

The highest of the high

And the lowest of the low

Glorious in the sky

And broken here below

Beneath all of the heavens

Above all of the earth

Both wonder now in worship at

His inexpressable worth.

Both passion and compassion

Intermingled here in One

This is the purest gifts of all

Compounded in Godís Son.

Precious purity undefiled

They come to praise the Miracle child.

Declarations of praise

Is all they can know.

Highest of the high

And lowest of the lowÖ

Stunned into silence

Stunned into exaltation

They see the holy evidence

And respond in celebrationÖ

The highest of the high

And the lowest of the low

Glorious in the sky

And broken here below

Beneath all of the heavens

Above all of the earth

Both wonder now in worship at

His inexpressable worth.

Anthony Foster

November 27, 2009

As the Starwheel Turns

On this starry night angels take their flight

And come to sing their story

Sing to all the earth of this blessed birth

A savior come from gloryÖ

As the starwheel turns

Hearts with joy still yearn

They desire to know Godís plan

As the starwheel turns

A new fire now burns

And heís come to be with Man.

Joy to the earth

We have seen his worth

And words we are not finding

That can rightly bless

And our hearts confess

The meaning thatís behind them

Gloria to Our Yahweh!

In this joyous night

A child is born

So laugh and leap with joy

You hearts that mourn

His favor he gave us

And as surely as that star does rise

Dry bones will be reborn

With victory in their eyes.

As sure as the savior reigns

His peace He ordains

His blessedness abideth

In the heavens show

Secrets angels know

One star shall surely guide us

For all the wisdom of heaven is His

And the source of joy

Will show the world what true joy is.

So seek you now his wisdom

Seek you now this child

So you can be completely

Redeemed and reconciled

Tell of the glory, tell of his story

And we will surely hear

With joy in our hearts

And as we hear it

With humble spirit

Will we apprehend

The peace that he imparts

In Bethlehem

The new beginning starts

Dwellingplace

Lord in your green pastures

I will take my rest

Under your tender mercies

I will be completely blessed.

Thy righteousness follows me

All the days of my life

So I will find my dwellingplace

In the midst of this worldís strife.

In all this world throughout all of history

There is a path that is faithful and true

In all this world there is no mystery

Harder and deeper to fathom than you

Lord where you lead there I will follow you

Lord where you lead I will come too

Fall on my knees, there I would wait on you

And Lord I will follow you.

In the holy ground of green pastures

I am wholly found in your grace

Here where mercy streams ever flowing

May your peace cover this place.

Lord be my dwelllingplace

Be my dwellingplace

Abide with me as I hide in You

Lord be my dwellingplace.

Anthony Foster

November 27, 2009

Creche of Grace

Here in this crËche of grace

The heavens have invested glory

Here we can see Godís face

His reality becomes our story

So we seek him now

On our knees in our hearts we bow

Emmanuel rests in this place

Here in the crËche of grace.

Here in this humble stall

Here on our knees we fall

And join the creatures

As they low in awe

The shepherds and their sheep

Standing silent as they hear God weep

Here in a broken world

The silence too must break

The final word comes weeping

And soon he is a sleeping

The incarnate Lord

Now hear Messiahís call

It is the call of tears

As his cry fills the silent night

So clear-so clear.

Here in the crËche of grace

The creator-King is crying

Descended unto this place

Where each day has its dying

And so we see Him now

And yet we wonder how

With incarnate God we stand faced to face

Here in this crËche of grace

Anthony Foster

November 27, 2009

==

And mystery and majesty combine

Here in the manger stall

Power in pure weakness he declares.

He is the God who commands all awe

Here in this cradle, here in this stable

Here in this lowly place we are able

Here we can see Godís face

Here in this manger he is no stranger.

In the wonder of this holy child

Our broken lives are reconciled

With the one who has created all the earth

So we declare his birth

Here in the stable here with his creatures

Heaven has come to us

Here with the shepherds

Here with their lambs

Here is the great I am

For the miracle child is given

So weÝ may be forgiven

And the ancient of all days

We will come to trust

We who are made of dust

Here he bids us all to look inside

Here where heavenís gates are open wide

Anthony Foster

November 28, 2009

Emmanuel Abides

Our creator comes to us

Emmanuel abides

His face he no longer hides

Oh so many years of darkness

Silence in the sanctuary

For we were known as Ichabod

The glory once departed

Now fills the eastern skies

The sea of silence now is parted

You can hear the glorious cries

Gloria to our Jehovah

The heavens are filled with singing

That raises the lowliest man

The outcast and the unclean

Called to his presence to stand!

And here is the wonder

The child is like them

Lowly and hungry

To steel his flesh against the night

To steel our flesh against the night.

He has called us out of darkness

Out of darkness into His marvelous light

He had cast away the power of darkness

We exult in His power and might.

Anthony Foster

November 27, 2009