CHRISTMAS SEASON RELEASES
Let's Sing "Carols with Justice!"
O Little Town of Bethlehem
When lives of humble service preach
The Good News to the poor,
When troubled minds or bodies find
A welcome at our door,
When healing hearts and hands lift
The lowly from the dust,
Then ring the bells and sing Noels:
For Christ is born in us.
(new words by John Becker)
Most people love to sing Christmas "old favorites." New stanzas give a strong element of justice to familiar traditional carols.
"Our new collection of favorite Christmas carols appeals for social justice, care of Creation, and discipleship through simpler living," said Gerald Iversen of Simple Living Works!.
"Jesus' birth has taken on much cultural significance as a celebration of good will, warm feelings and excessive consumerism. These stanzas help to connect his birth with our real life discipleship," Iversen said.
"Carols with Justice" is ideal to use in the car, during group caroling, in homes, at church, etc. The booklet includes the music for accompaniment or singing in parts by choirs or for fun.
The collection is available as text, audio or a video sing-along at SimpleLivingWorks.org >> Archives. The texts can be copied without royalty. Selections from the collection can be used in worship bulletins, newsletters, holiday cards and letters.
The 3-in-1 CD includes sung versions of all 15 carols, accompaniment tracks for solo our group singing, and a text file to project the words on a screen or print them on a songsheet. A pageant based on the carols, "What Does JESUS Want for Christmas?" is available as text and audio.
"This project has not been without its dissenters. Some folks object to us 'tinkering' with beloved carols. These are not parodies," Iversen said. "We provide the first traditional stanza for each carol. Then we add freshly written stanzas in contemporary English."
These are classic sacred carols like "Silent Night" and "Joy to the World," not popular or contemporary" songs. Humorous and pointed poems and parodies are also on the website. Click on Archives: Whose Birthday?: Bonus.
For other resources appropriate for reevaluation of Christmas and for simpler living all year visit SimpleLivingWorks.org >> Archives. For more information contact SimpleLivingWorks@yahoo.com..
Visit SimpleLivingWorks.org. For hundreds of inspiring articles, click Archives, then Articles.
A free copy of the popular "Ten Tips for a Simpler, More Meaningful Christmas" is available upon request on paper. Or, on the website, click on Archives >> Ten Tips.
Our mission is "equipping people of faith to challenge consumerism, live justly and celebrate responsibly." Since 1973, Alternatives has promoted responsible living and celebrating through resources for Advent and Christmas, Lent and Easter, weddings and other celebrations, some in Spanish.
"Carols with Justice" is partially funded by New Road Map Foundation: www.NewRoadMap.org. #####
Editors: For more information, contact Gerald Iversen. * If you would like to REPRINT any resources, do so under the Creative Commons attribution, non-commercial, share-and-share-alike license.
NOTE: A wealth of free material is on-line for easy downloading at SimpleLivingWorks.org. Click on News. For many inspiring articles, click on Archives.
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This page last updated 1 October 2013 (originally 8 November 2004)
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MISSION: Equipping people of faith to challenge consumerism, live justly and celebrate responsibly // An all volunteer educational organization.