Roger D. Linder: 40 Days: Nativity to Presentation

Artist

Some songs written for FAWM 2023

1. Annunciation
2. Magnificat
3. Fit Gifts
4. Herod's Concern
5. Herod's Request of the Magi
6. Gifts of the Magi
7. Escape To Egypt
8. Herod's Action
9. Return to Israel
10. Home at Last

Annunciation

Gabriel
Mary, Mary
Quite so very
Ordinary
That's the word

Here's some news
Extraordinary
The Child you'll carry
Is the Lord!

Mary
I'm so young
I've never, ever
Slept together
With a man

Beloved Joseph
When he knows it
Will he understand the plan?

Where shall I be
Come tomorrow
Full of sorrow?
Or with joy?

My life will be so
Upside down
Will it be worth it
For this boy?

I'm so curious
He'll be furious!
Will he leave me on my own?

I have no doubt
I'll be thrown out
I won't be living in his home

Gabriel
Don't be afraid
The plan we've made
Forevermore
You'll be called blessed

He'll be disgruntled
Then be humbled
Then accept it
Won't protest

I have prepared him
He will come
from anger
then to understand

The news will shock him
Rock him
They'll be talk
But from his home you won't be banned.

Don't let it stop you
Live your life
As if there's nothing
To be feared

You may not think
You'll be accepted
But to the world
You'll be revered.

In time you'll then be
Fit to travel
Somewhere else 
To give the birth

The savior of the
World will soon be
Present on this
Very Earth

Magnificat

Everything my soul can say, magnifies the Lord
And my spirit's lifted up, rejoicing at his Word

He has showered me with blessings, lowly though I am
I am his servant, doubly blessed, to give birth to the Lamb

Great things for me, I have no doubt, the Mighty One has given
His holy name within my heart, my life is further driven

For those who fear Him will receive, an overflow of mercy
For fathers, sons and those beyond, there is no controversy

His strength is shown by His great deeds, His arm is wrapped around them
The proud are scattered far apart, as leaves torn from the tree stem

The powerful and haughty have been brought down from their thrones
The lowly ones are now raised up, as life comes from dry bones

Hungry now have had their fill, rich are sent away
Life has come to Israel, on this very day

Mercy now is in our view, remember it, don't weep
Promise made to our forebears, forever now to keep

Fit Gifts

We have looked at the stars and determined their courses
The task for us now is to check with our sources
We're being influenced by very strong forces
Let's gather the camels and saddle the horses

The gifts we will gather include frankincense
Its fragrance is sweet and is sometimes intense
Its value is high, so it seems to make sense
Gift fit for a king, we shall spare no expense

But gold is so precious, and rarer to find
From lands far away it is currently mined
Such treasure we'll carry, it will be refined
Gift fit for the savior of all of mankind

The offer of myrrh and its bitter perfume
Is fit as a third gift, we all must assume
Within all our parcels we must reserve room
Gift fit so to complement incense's fume

Thus we ride to Jerusalem seeking the king
With these gifts here in hand and all else which we bring
And we'll fall down and worship him, songs we will sing
For this moment, the infinite, ultimate thing

Herod's Concern

Herod
This 
Dm
news I've 
Gm
heard is 
Dm
botherin' 
Am
me
The 
Dm
whole town's 
Gm
in a 
Dm
fuss
If 
Dm
what I've 
Gm
heard was 
Dm
meant to 
Am
be
'Twill 
Dm
be the 
Am
end of 
Dm
us

I'll 
Gm
call the 
Dm
priests, those 
Gm
of the 
Dm
law
And 
Gm
ask them 
Dm
straight a
Gm
way
This 
Gm
so-called 
Dm
King for 
Gm
those in 
Dm
awe
We'll 
Am
deal with him to
Dm
day!

And 
Dm
where, I 
Gm
say, do 
Dm
tell me 
Am
now
This 
Dm
child was 
Gm
to be 
Dm
born?
I'll 
Dm
have your 
Gm
heads, if 
Dm
you don't 
Am
know
Why 
Dm
wasn't 
Am
I fore
Dm
warned?

"In 
Gm
Bethle
Dm
hem," the 
Gm
chief priest 
Dm
cried
In 
Gm
great fear 
Dm
for his 
Gm
life 
He 
Gm
knew Her
Dm
od would 
Gm
have him 
Dm
tried
His 
Am
neck saved from the 
Dm
knife

But 
Dm
Bethle
Gm
hem? It's 
Dm
just so 
Am
small
It 
Dm
matters 
Gm
not the 
Dm
least
A 
Dm
"ruler!" 
Gm
they who 
Dm
have such 
Am
gall
These 
Dm
trav'lers 
Am
from the 
Dm
East

The 
Gm
prophets 
Dm
speak in 
Gm
their own 
Dm
way 
That 
Gm
he's the 
Dm
one fore
Gm
told
We 
Gm
read the 
Dm
scriptures 
Gm
on this 
Dm
day
The 
Am
truth we now be
Dm
hold

Herod's Request of the Magi

To Herod's men
Bring me those men, the so-called sages
It's time for me to flip the pages
Gather intel, justification
Motives hidden, seeking negation

I can't be sitting, must do something
This fabled king is just a young thing
Can't be allowed to go on living
These men, their lies, are all misgiven

This star of mystery must be found
These men I need to be brought around
But don't reveal my sinister plan
Unwittingly they'll be middlemen

To the sages
So now I hear you seek the star child
I must admit it has me beguiled
In Bethlehem it is sink or swim
I must know now of the likes of him

When you find him, quickly back to me
For I am offering my decree
That I may fall down on bended knee
And worship him, the tiny baby

Gifts of the Magi

Now that we've left the king
And have all the gifts we bring
The star gives us hope to cling
To the path ahead

Let us be on our way
The star is our guide today
We'll bow to our knees and pray
In thanks for signs we've read

While the star is still aglow
It lights the way for us to go
And when it stops, we'll have arrived
We'll see the child, so on we drive

Ho! See the place up there
The star has begun to flare
We know now the place is where
We've come to worship him

Bow down before the Lord
This child is to be adored
Our efforts are our reward
The gifts we bring are giv'n

But a warning has been brought
For the child that we have sought
There is danger for his life
Certain it will lead to strife

Hence, we are headed East
But Herod's threats haven't ceased
The man is truly a beast
He seeks the death of all

This journey is o'er for us
Accomplishment done, and thus
It's Herod's feigned righteousness
That's certainly his fall

In the future, lives are lost
Child must be saved, at any cost
World's at stake, the view is dim
The whole world's fate now rests with him

Escape To Egypt

Angel
I'm going to throw this out to you
The child's impending death is due
And Herod is the fiend who will
Send many men to find and kill

There's no way to stop this man
Get away far as you can
Egypt seems the place to be
Gather all for you must flee

Joseph
It's been revealed within a dream
Young Jesus is part of a scheme
And though he's only two years old
His death has truly been foretold

To Egypt we must make our way
No time to to hesitate this day
No time to take too much with us
Just grab the child, don't make a fuss

We'll fly by night to flee this threat
We will escape this danger yet
We'll find ourselves a nomad group
And beg to join them in their troop

Silently, we'll whisk away
Move by night, and not by day
Many miles to travel still
Safety insured by God's will

Herod's Action

Herod
Can't abide this aberration
Lose my focus on the nation
Full of righteous indignation
I must hatch another plan

We must kill the little children
Don't care if there are a million
Let the streets run with vermilion
Mow them down where they now stand

Find the helpless, find the weak
Slaughter innocents, those we seek
Use the news from what we've learned
Let no stone be left unturned

Arm yourselves with sword and sharp blade
Let them weep for those we have slayed
Those who flee, set up a blockade
Let no one escape my wrath

Off to Bethlehem and quickly
Don't spare healthy or the sickly
I will check, don't try to trick me
Make it flow, a real bloodbath

Kill the boys but spare the girls
Let them hold their precious pearls
Shed no tears for those who die
I shall not weep at their goodbye

Return to Israel

Get up, let’s go it’s time to leave
Just grab your bags, there’s a reprieve 
The king is dead it’s safe to to ride 
I’ll be with you right by your side 

The danger that had come to bear
You’ll find that it’s no longer there 
So make your way to Israel
We’ll get you there and never fail

Ride day or night, or take your time 
Won’t cost a nickel or a dime 
The sand is hot the streams are cool
Oases stops will have a pool

The child is always under watch 
There is no danger, there’s no catch
You’ll find the path an easy one
Just hit the road and get ‘er done

Home at Last

The time has come to finally go home
There's no longer a need for us to roam
The child we've nurtured has surely grown
But it is for certain, can't be on his own

Herod is dead, his body wastes
But his own son still rules
If we return to our old town, 
It's likely we'd be the fools

A dream has awakened
The path is now clear
We alter our plans
We don't live in fear

We can't risk the child
We will go elsewhere
To Galilee, Nazareth
Should be safe there

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