This month I write for the two main groupings among evangelical Christians: those who observe Christmas and those who do not. I wish to recommend a hymn which all of us can use in December. To show the unbiased nature of this column, this is one which did not make it into Praise! or Hymns for Today's Church. Its proper tune was not classy enough for the Anglican Hymn Book and it contains one line which is less than scriptural.
Let us then stand to sing 'Who is he in yonder stall'. An 1866 offering from Ohio by the author of 'Darling Nelly Gray' - though you may not wish to announce it in that way. A hymn with alternating question and answer; responsive, antiphonal if you like. When we sang it earlier this year, it struck me as an ideal example of the art of repetition which I touched on controversially in April. Its model is Psalm 136; for his mercy endureth for ever.
For like that psalm, it tells a story, carefully and regularly punctuated by its refrain. The repeated chorus, with a melody not much more demanding than its elementary verse-tune, but composed for its proper climax, gives us time to reflect on the words of the stanza we have just sung. No one could complain that we repeat too much, or not enough.
