Christmas time and all the carols. What a joy to revisit them this time of year. So often, when I go caroling with a group we will often ask those we visit which carol is their favorite. “Oh, gee, I love them all,” is the usual reply. I have found what the listeners really enjoy more than a particular carol is the fact that someone has remembered them and taken the time to visit. The singing is just icing on the cake. I love them all as well. Recalling how angels sang ‘glory to the newborn King’ and how they sang those words when it ‘came upon a midnight clear’ on a ‘Silent Night,’ always bring such delight. We incorporate all these beautiful songs in our Christmas worship. A friend once recalled how we ought to sing so many of them in the midyear as a reminder. That had me thinking of one particular carol. It isn’t so much a traditional carol as it is an African-American spiritual. It is ‘Go Tell It on the Mountain.’ The Christian music of African-American slaves was remarkable. When we consider that many of the composers of those spirituals could not read or write, it is amazing that many of them survived to the present day. These songs were sung by a largely uneducated people, longing for freedom, suffering incredible humiliation and cruelty. Yet they managed to remain strong through the power of the Holy Spirit, and sing robustly the praise of the Lord. The songs were sung to inspire one another as they worked side by side in farm fields, labored side by side on chain gangs, and worshiped side by side in small churches. In most of our hymnals, the lyrics of this spiritual song mention shepherds watching over their flocks at night, when suddenly a holy light appeared and an angel chorus hailed the birth of Christ. Wonderful lyrics, yes, but in studying the history of the song there are words that have been excluded over the years. These lyrics were part of the chorus that originally rang across cotton fields: “When I was a seeker, I sought both night and day. I asked the Lord to help me, and he showed me the way.” Imagine the power of those words to a people who suffered in cruelty and slavery. In the midst of that persecution, they could sing that Christ showed them to way to true salvation. Even more than that, they sang that this salvation should be shouted from the mountain tops. As we progress into a new year, may we by mindful of an unknown slave who revealed his own prayers and faith in this song. He gave little thought that the inspiration he felt would touch millions around the world. It would seem that this humble man told the news not merely on a mountain top, but “over the hills and everywhere.” For some readers, this Christmas season may have overtones of grief, despair, or fear that cloud the celebration. But as that unknown balladeer sang in some long-ago field many years ago, may you ask the Lord to help you. He will show the way. His Way is shared in worship services each and every week. If you are seeking, I invite you to a house of worship to join other seekers. Merry Christmas.