Cowboy Christmas. Sing “Go Tell it on the Mountain"
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Transcript of Cowboy Christmas. Sing “Go Tell it on the Mountain"
Cowboy Christmas
Sing “Go Tell it on the Mountain"
Howdy folks and welcome to
a Cowboy Christmas.
This is a story about love between a
fellow and a gal. It's a story about
some sheep herders and a bunch of
angels.
But most importantly it's
about a baby boy.
A baby by the name of Jesus.
Now you don't have to be too bright to figure out that the Christmas we got
today ain’t like the first one.
And to tell you the truth, the way we
celebrate it probably ain’t the way God
intended it.
We go through such a fuss and get in
such a hurry.
By the time Christmas day gets here, we're more nervous than a
cooped up coon dog on a full moon
Friday.
Well, some of us can remember when
things were a little more simple.
We remember when life wasn't so fast
paced, and we longed for the Christmas of yesteryear.
Can anyone tell me where did Christmas go?
It’s not the same one I used to
know.
The lights, the glitter – it’s all so
tragic.
We’ve lost the meaning; we’ve lost the magic…
Take me back to the Christmas of
yesteryear…yesteryear
Do you remember the simple pleasures?
The joy and the laughter, the
timeless treasures?
But now it’s TV specials and advertising.
Office parties and the pressure’s
rising…
Take me back to the Christmas of
yesteryear…..yesteryear
I remember the carols we used to
sing
The peace that the season would
always bring
But now I almost dread to see it
coming
And in my mind I know I’m running…
Back to the Christmas of yesteryear….yesteryear
Interlude
Coming together around the
Christmas tree
Hearing the story of the first
Christmas Eve
I’d close my eyes and away I’d
Travel
As my Daddy opened up his
bible
I could almost hear the angels sing…hear them
sing
Take me back to the Christmas of
yesteryear.Take me back to the Christmas of
yesteryear…yesteryear
Folks we would like ya'll to think back to the first Christmas, a
Christmas about 2,000 yesteryear or
so ago.
The story of the birth of Jesus is a love story. A love
story right out of the mind and heart of
God,
and playing out in the lives of a feller named Joe and his bride to be, a cute
little filly by the name of Mary.
Now Joe was always the nervous, bashful
type, especially around the ladies.
Well he’d just as soon wrestle a
rattlesnake barehanded as he would to talk to
anything wearing a skirt.
When he did try to express himself, his thumb would swell
up like he was stung by a hornet
and he would break out in such a sweat
that you’d think he’d just come in out of a
rainstorm.
So Joe concentrated mainly on his work.
Oh he could make a saw and a hammer sing. He was known for miles around as the carpenter who could change wood
into wonder.
He built all kinds of things. Everything from rocking chairs
to ranch houses, from wooden benches to windmills.
Yes sir, that man loved his work; he
loved his work more than anything. That
is to say until he met Mary.
She had skin creamier than a pan
filled with buttermilk, and a
smile that sparkled like a sunbeam.
He first laid his eyes on her at a barn
raising, where Mary and her mom were fixing a hardy meal
of Bar B Q and baked beans for all the hard workers.
After dinner, she sort of scurried up to him, fetching him a slab of pecan pie
that was big enough for three men.
Well folks, it was a little too sweet for
Joe's usual like of it, but he didn’t let on
to Mary. He polished off every bite and
just kept smiling at her.
For the rest of that afternoon, Mary just fluttered around like a restless butterfly looking for a place
to lite.
And Joe couldn't keep his mind on his
work 'cause he couldn't keep his eyes off of Mary.
Oh my, he was hooked. Folks, he was hooked like a catfish in a shaller
creek.
Well a few weeks later old Joe decided to mosey on over to Mary's folks to talk to them about him
and Mary gettin hitched.
Yes sir he wanted to get hitched to that
girl more than anything.
Well somehow Joe managed to get the
words out. Yeah, you’re right, they
gave their blessings without a problem.
Joe was a real good man. Now they was
all real happy.
They was hugging and laughing and of course, the women was a crying, just like women do at such occasions.
Oh folks, I tell ya, it was a site to see.
Mary and her mom went off to begin to plan a big wedding.
Joe began to build Mary a house and
everything began to slip like a churn full
of butter.
Until the one night in the middle of
March.
Mary had her an unexpected visitor.
But this wasn't no ordinary visitor
folks, this here was a messenger from
God himself. Yes sir, Mary was about to
be visited by an angel.
Angel: Howdy gal the Lord is with
you!
Now folks she was shocked by this. She was as scared as a newborn calf that
was just separated from his mama.
But just before she called her father to bring the shotgun, that angel spoke
again.
Angel: Don't be a feared honey.
God has picked you to do a
special chore.
You are going to give birth to a special boy,
a boy who will rule this range
and all the other ranges with a love like ain’t nobody ever seen before.
Mary: Well how can this be when I
ain’t ever let a man even touch
me.
Angel: Honey, nothings too hard for God. Why look
at Elizabeth.
She is going to have a baby after all these years. So
don't you fret. The Holy Spirit will take care of
everything.
Well Mary was still in shock for sure, but she knew that God or Yahweh would take good care of
her.
Mary: I am the Lord's servant. If in that’s what you want Lord, that all
right with me.
Well folks, make no mistakes about it,
that girl was young. She was a little
innocent and maybe a little bit simple but
she had gift.
Well needless to say she was plum full of excitement the next day when she went
to break the wonderful news to
Joe.
Of course Joe was a little bit surprised.
Mary: I AM GOING TO HAVE A BABY!
Joe: You're WHAT?
Oh folks, it didn't matter how Mary tried to explain
herself.
Joe just looked at her like she had
been grazing on loco wheat.
Folks he was hurt deep, real deep. He
keep shaking his head back and forth like an old bull that had just got bested by a young one.
He was way confused and
scared. What would everybody else
think?
What was he to do?
Mary didn’t know what to think now.
Does he even love me anymore?
(Mary)Yahweh,
He thinks I’m crazy Who can blame him?It sounds crazy to
me too
(Mary)I thought that we had a love that
could last through anything
(Mary)But tell me,
What’s a girl like me to do?
Yahweh?
(Joseph)I’ve Loved her for
so long now.
We’ve made so many plans.
(Joseph)We’d always be
together.
I just don’t understand.
(Joseph)I thought that we had a love that
could last through anything
(Joseph)But tell me,
What’s a man like me to do?
Yahweh?
(Mary) Yahweh
(Joseph) Will this hurt last her
forever?
(Mary) My heart is heavy
(Joseph) What will her friends and
parents say?
(Mary) It feels like..
(Joseph) I’ll try to keep this quiet.
(Mary) I’m losing the best part of
me.
(Joseph) I could send her far away.
(Mary and Joseph)I never thought I’d have to face such loneliness,
(Mary and Joseph)And the pain of losing the one I
love…… (Mary)Yahweh…
(Joe) Yahweh
(Mary and Joseph)Here I am, more
than a little confused.
I take my stand with you.
(Mary and Joseph)You’ve always
been my strength and my rock of
salvation,
(Mary) Your promise is at
hand.
(Joseph) I just don’t
understand.
(Mary) Yahweh….
(Mary)
Yahweh…
(Joseph)
Perhaps I’ll find another.
(Mary) I feel so lonely,
(Joseph)Though I can’t imagine where.
(Mary)But, I know that
(Joseph)This emptiness
inside me
(Mary)You won’t
abandon me
(Joseph)Is almost more than I can bare.
(Mary and Joseph)As you made a
road in the wilderness
(Mary)I know that you will make a way
for me…. Yahweh
Yahweh…. Yahweh…
I’ll trust you, Yahweh….Yahweh……
Well folks, the next morning, after
tossing and turning all night long,
Joe decided that he was going to take
Mary some place or at least send her
some place where she could get some
help.
He didn't want her to face the shame of
having a baby without a husband,
and he didn't want to hear that the
woman he loved, was touched in the
head.
We all know how small towns can
talk.
So he decided to pack her up and
send her off to the hill country to be with her cousin
Elizabeth.
As he watched the stage pull out of town he felt a lump the size of a silver dollar swell up in his throat. Oh folks he was heart
broken.
He trudged home and he picked at his
supper till it got cold. How he
dreaded spending another night
tossing and turning.
But before he knew it, he was fast
asleep. And then when he got to the deepest part of that
sleep,
like a baby with a full belly, something
incredible happened.
Something that would forever
change the lives of Joe and Mary, not to mention the lives of
you and me.
I was sleeping real heavy when
a light shot through the room.
I hid under the covers.
Man, I thought that I was doomed.
Was it something that I’d eaten?
Was I seein’ me a ghost?
Then the light spoke out, I stood up in the midst of a heavenly host.
He said Joe (Joe)Joe (Joe)
Sit down son you’d better take
this slow!
I know that it sounds crazy
I know that it sounds odd
But you my friend’ve been chosen to raise the son of God
I stared in disbelief
my jaw scraped on the floor
I covered up my ears
I didn’t want to hear no more
But the angel said Don’t be afraid,
take Mary as your wife
For the child that she is carrying is the way the truth
the life
He said Joe (Joe)
Joe (Joe)
Sit down son you’d better take
this slow!
I know that it sounds crazy
I know that it sounds odd
But you my friend’ve been chosen to raise the son of God
I shouted Hallelujah, ‘cause I was so
relieved.
I’d doubted Mary’s story
but now I could believe
And just before he left me
the angel spoke again
You call this boy child Jesus
‘cause he’ll save folks from their
sin
He said Joe (Joe)Joe (Joe)
Sit down son you’d better take
this slow!
I know that it sounds crazy
I know that it sounds odd
But you my friend’ve been chosen to raise the son of God
When I awakened from this
strange and blessed dream
I had a holy fire burning in
me, so it seemed
And with God’s reassurance I
knew that I could do
every single thing that His angel
told me to
I said I’ll go (go)I’ll go (go)
I take her as my wife Lord I will not tell you no
I don’t know why you’ve chosen us for this big job
but we will do our very best now to raise the son of
God
we will do our very best now to
raise….
the son of God
Well folks, the next morning bright and early, as soon he
could see, Joe let out for the hill country
to fetch Mary back.
He brought her home to that house that he built, and they got hitched.
The two of them settled down and the weeks passed.
Everything just finally seemed like it
was settling down for this couple.
Well, just to show that some things
never change, the government came
up with yet another way to collect more cotton picking taxes.
It seemed like the government of the territory decided that nobody was
paying their taxes proper like.
The only way they could make sure
they were getting all the money they
could get, was to make everybody go
back to their hometown and
register.
Now I know that doesn't make much
sense to you and me, but folks we are
talking about the government.
Joe didn't want to go back to his
hometown with Mary being so close to having her baby, and Mary didn't want Joe making
that trip by himself.
So the two of them decided they would try to wait it out and see if she wouldn't
have that baby before the registration deadline.
But they were running out of time.
They decided to start their journey. Joe had to go next
door to his neighbor and borrow a
donkey.
And then the two of them set out for
Bethlehem. Now it was about
time for that baby to make it’s
appearance into the world.
And there weren't nothing that they could do about it.
Walk softly, little donkey
The sunset’s beginning to dim
Walk softly, little donkey
‘till you find rest in Bethlehem
This journey’s not easy on Mary so please won’t you Carefully choose every step that you take on the
pathway
Walk softly, little donkey
Walk softly, little donkey
The dusk is beginning to fall
Walk softly, little donkey
You carry the hope of us all
The angels are guarding each
step that you take And this journey you make is the
journey of a lifetime
Walk softly, little donkey
interlude
Walk softly, little donkey
The night wind’s beginning to blow
Walk softly, little donkey
We’ve got such a long way to go.
The Spirit of God chose this mother
to be and she carries the seed
which was spoken by prophets of old
Walk softly, little donkey
Walk softly, little donkey (Repeat
and fade)
Well folks when they got to Bethlehem
they found out that the place was noisier than a county fair.
But because they waited so long to
make their journey, there weren't any
beds in Bethlehem.
Folks was a sleeping everywhere. In doorways, on
stairwells, some even on tops of
tables.
Anywhere they could find them a
place to stretch out.
Now there was one man who told Joe that there was a new owner at the hotel in town and
that he might have a room left.
So Joe and Mary made their way
down that crowded, dusty, dirty street to
the hotel where they
met the new owner.
He was a real nice fella, but he was not
much help. He didn’t have a room for them to
stay in.
I’ve been keeping this inn down in Bethlehem since
BC 26
But I’ve never seen so many of them, and I’m in
an awful fix
O Caesar Augustus is taxing
us all, and everybody’s got
to go home
To register their wives and all of their kids and
every single thing that they own
I’ve got the census takin’
blues, from my head down to my
shoes
My wife says “Come on hon
we’ll make it” But I don’t think I can
take it.
We ran out of towels three
hours ago, and we don’t have any
more room.
But the people keep comin’ so I’ve come down with the census
takin’ blues
We’ve all been pullin’ 24 hour
days
And my maid says she’s gonna
quit
She keeps on a beggin’ me for a
raise, and the bellboys have already split
I sent a couple families down to Saul’s Hotel but he says he’s out
of room too
And somebody stole all the
Gideon Scrolls and I don’t know what
I’m gonna do
I’ve got the census takin’
blues, from my head down to my
shoes
My wife says “Come on hon
we’ll make it” But I don’t think I can
take it.
We ran out of towels three
hours ago, and we don’t have any
more room.
But the people keep comin’ so I’ve come down with the census
takin’ blues
interlude
When the census is over I’m gonna
close up
Take myself a trip to the sea
Gonna drop off my family at my
mother-in-law’s
And go fishin’ in Galilee
But for now here’s a couple
expecting a child and they’re
looking for a place to stay
So they’ll have to settle for the
stable out back
And a bed that’s make out of hay
I’ve got the census takin’
blues, from my head down to my
shoes
My wife says “Come on hon
we’ll make it” But I don’t think I can
take it.
We ran out of towels three
hours ago, and we don’t have any
more room.
But the people keep comin’ so I’ve come down with the census
takin’ blues
I’ve got the census……….the
census takin’ blues
So Mary and Joe had to bed down in a
barn. Well Joe did his best to make things
comfortable for Mary.
He broke open a fresh bale of hay
and spread it out for her to lay down on.
And oh how he hoped and prayed that this would not be the night that baby would come into this world.
It would just be awful to bring the
baby into this world in such surroundings
but sure enough, Jesus decided to be born that very night.
But you know what, Joe didn't worry
about a thing. Mary did fine just fine and
after a few hours there He was.
The Savior of the world, just like God
had promised.
Oh he didn't look much like a Savior to the innkeepers
wife. She had been a part of many births
and she couldn't see anything special about this baby.
Except maybe where the baby was
born. It's not everyday where a baby is born in a stable you know.
But Mary and Joe did and after a spell, Joe took that little fella
and wrapped him up in a blanket.
A lot of ya'll know how proud a new
papa can be. Oh he wanted to run out in the street shouting
Hallelujah to everybody that he saw, but he didn't.
Now Joe wasn't the only proud papa that
night. There was another one that
was just as proud.
After all, Jesus was God’s son. He
wanted to boast and brag on Jesus too.
Just out of town about a mile or two, on a hillside, there
were dying embers of a camp fire,
where a group a sheep herders were getting ready to bed down for the night.
Now sheep herders weren't much cared for on ranch land. Not in those days
anyway.
But that is where God did His
bragging. He told those sheep herders about His wonderful
son.
So some people would think it was kind of strange that God
would choose to reveal the birth of His son to
a group of sheep herders before He did
anybody else.
But then again most folks would find it
kind of strange that God would let His
one and only son be born in a stable, too.
Angels, Angels, Angels
Late one night on the edge of town
A group of men sat huddled round
The fire and the conversation long
since gone
One boy drifted off to sleep
Took one more glance down
toward the sheep
Just a few more hours till the
dawn
But all at once a light cut through
the darkness The shepherds shook in wonder
and in fear
But little did they know their fear would soon be changed to joy
With the glorious words they soon would hear……
from the
Angels, Angels, Angels
Behold, I have good news to
share
The angels said to the shepherds
there
The Savior’s born in Bethlehem
tonight
And this will be a sign to ya’ll
You’ll find the Christ in a cattle
stall Lying in a feed trough wrapped
up tight
The shepherds watched the sky
grow even brighter
A mighty choir of angels joined
right in.
They sang glory to God in the highest
Peace on the earth to all men
Angels, Angels, Angels
Interlude
Angels, Angels, Angels
The shepherds left their flocks
behind
They ran to town in record time
They searched each barn and
stable one by one
They found him just as it was told
And shared the news with the young and old
They told the world that they had found God’s
Son
They couldn’t keep their joy
locked up inside them
They sang the song the angels taught to them
They sang glory to God in the highest
Peace on the earth to all men
They couldn’t keep their joy
locked up inside them
They sang the song the angels taught to them
They sang glory to God in the highest
Peace on the earth to all men
Angels, Angels, Angels
The sheep herders came just as fast as
they could to see the baby.
Mary began to wonder to herself if those sheep herders really understand all they had heard and all they had seen.
And then she began to wonder if she
really understood it herself. Folks, does anybody? Do you?
Did the shepherds know when they
saw this babe
Was there any way that they
could understand
That this infant child in this
manger
Had come to pay sin’s price for
every man
Did they know He’d walk on
water
Did they know that He would
feed 5,000 men
Did they know He’d heal the lame ones?
That He’d touch the blind and
make them see again?
Did the shepherds know when they
saw this babe
Was there any way that they
could understand
That this infant child in this
manger
Had come to pay sin’s price for
every man
Did they know He was the Savior
That He’d hang upon a cross at
Calvary
Did they know He’d be raised from the dead.
That He’ll come again to reign in
majesty?
Oh, won’t you look again you
precious shepherds.
Come join the angels.
Sing unto the Lord.
For here at last is our Salvation
Here is Jesus Christ the Living
Word
Oh, won’t you look again you
precious shepherds.
Come join the angels.
Sing unto the Lord.
For here at last is our Salvation.
Here is Jesus Christ the Living
Word
Did the shepherds know when they
saw this babe
Was there any way that they
could understand
That this infant child in this
manger
Had come to pay sin’s price for
every man
Did the shepherds know?
Do you know how special He is?
In our world today, we stay so busy with the rush of what this
world has made Christmas to be.
The gifts, the parties, the rush….
Sing “Silent Night!”