We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

The First Ornaments of Christmas

by The First Ornaments of Christmas

/
  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $7 USD  or more

     

1.
For to us a child is born, To us a son is given, And the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
2.
Once upon a time, Deep in the heavens, Surrounded by planets, There lived a star. A star and an angel Who became decorations God placed a star Guarded by an angel. They appeared Christmas night To announce the coming Savior They appeared as a sign That would help the shepherds find The Christ child. Born to a virgin In a humble manger Born to redeem mankind.
3.
(speaking) Before the first Christmas A star hung all aglow Far in the distance, Like a dim shop window. It was so deep in the sky That no mortal eyes Could tell it was there. And the star thought that nobody cared. When all other stars, On the clearest of nights, Were shining their proudest And being their loudest And seeing whose starlight could Dazzle the crowd first, This far away star Stood like a lone sprocket Whose shape fit no engine, Clock, wheel, or socket. It felt like a drum That would never be beaten, Or like a flower whose blossoms withered Before anyone could see them. Fearing its glimmer would never be known The star gave a shimmer and quivered and groaned. “Alone, I’m alone, and forever alone, No body to see me No body to free me From this baron existence Here in the distance.” But these thoughts had no sooner Crossed the star’s mind When out of the thick darkness Came a small voice, like a chime. But then the voice became vast Like great ringing bells So that the star stood still and listened To what this great voice had to tell. (singing) With a breath of fire Like rushing water God gave the star He gave it a mission, To help free humans From the power of sin. Saying, “You get to be, The star of Bethlehem. You’ll appear as a sign When my son is born unto man. You’ll lead shepherds and wise men Out of desserts and darkness You’re the first ornament of Christmas! You’ll come to rest Over Mary, the virgin And Joseph, the carpenter, her faithful husband. And you’ll shine like a jewel in the crown of creation. And when this tiny blue world passes away You’ll adorn the head of my bride in Revelation, As one of the twelve stars that she’ll wear like a garland. Then God summoned an angel To Guide the star through time Saying, “You are to lead The Bethlehem star And tend to its needs As it journeys afar. Keep it from the evil one, Keep it from danger You are the Christmas guardian Who will defend my manger.
4.
(speaking) With their tasks assigned And their direction aligned The star and the angel traveled through outer space Gliding swiftly at a steady pace. Until far in the distance, A dim twinkle they saw T’was the tiny blue Earth In which stable, manger, and straw Would soon house the birth Of a savior for all. Drawing near to the planet in the stillness ahead The angel turned to the star, And in star language said, “As you see, Earth is close. We are nearly there. We may yet arrive With some time to spare. But onward from here The danger will grow I must go on ahead In order to know That the stable is safe before the family arrives And that we all will be ready if the enemy tries, With minions, dissentions, and false opinions, To use his knowledge of stealth and cunning To try and prevent Christmas from ever coming. These matters have caused me no small apprehension It’s a problem that requires my immediate attention. But, star, stay steady onward Towards that blue world with one moon. And there I will meet you again very soon.” With a flash and a snap The angel flew to Earth like a comet, And sparks trailed in his wake Till he landed upon it. (singing) When the Angel flew down Into the tiny cold town He knew not where to go T’was just beginning to snow. All the town’s people’s doors Were locked very tight. The angel looked round And saw no one else in sight. There were no banners strung high To hail the Christ Child No celebration No celebration No trumpets to sound No glistening crown No gathering crowd crying Victory! No children on shoulders Who’d climbed up to see, Just a plain dreary town Of no special renown Whose people had all gone to sleep. (speaking) The dark windows of Bethlehem town Loomed ominously like a disquieting frown. The gloomy sight could not help but remind The angel that he’d left heaven far, far behind. Was he on the right planet? Had there been some mistake? Why would Christ come here Why, for heaven’s sake? The question had him baffled, bewildered, and befuddled The question buzzed around him So that he winced and struggled But perplexity suddenly turned into surprise When a movement right beside him caught his sharp angel eyes. T’was in the very same thicket of evergreen trees Where the Angel crouched hidden down on his knees, That a white bearded shepherd and his wooly white sheep Sat huddled together keeping warm in a heap. Freezing still as a stone, the Angel tried not to panic. “Surely they’ve seen me,” he thought His mind racing and frantic. Thinking of what in the world he should to do He remained still as could be trying not to move. But then to his dismay He watched one sheep lift its nose As if catching a mysterious scent The sheep turned towards him and rose. Towards him it walked on its tiny sheep toes Making whispery sounds in the powdery snows. The rest of the flock and the shepherd himself Remained oblivious to the Angel, though beside them he knelt. But in moments his presence they’d surely realize If the Angel did nothing. So he needed a disguise. To conceal himself he’d have to do more than just freeze He’d have to transform himself in to the likeness of these. So he waited for the wary sheep before him to blink And in the bat of an eye he morphed from Angel to sheep!
5.
(singing) And so the Angel pretended To be a mere sheep. Into the flock his disguise blended And the shepherd didn’t know. And they started walking home. Down through the fields they went towards the road. The road bore no travelers. And so they journeyed alone. And that’s when they heard it A soft, sweet cry The Angel turned then, To look behind He saw a man A man and his wife Approaching far on a hill And instantly he knew who they were They were Christ’s parents on Earth The shepherd saw them too The woman was crying She seemed to be in pain She looked very pregnant And then her husband explained, Joseph, he explained. “Shepherd, Shepherd, you’re an answer to prayer. We’ve been looking in Bethlehem but found no shelter there? Do you know, a place we could go, somewhere close, close by? As you can see, Mary’s in labor. My name’s Joseph and Mary is my wife.”
6.
(singing) “Surely you can come with me I’ll take you to my place. There Mary can lie comfortably, It isn’t far away. It’s not a home of luxury, But you won’t need to pay It’s a stable full of animals and hay. Is that ok? It’s a stable full of animals and hay.” (speaking) So with him Mary and Joseph went Over a hill into the stable. The Shepherd had several torches lit And made a bed out of a table And once the couple had settled in And the Shepherd had helped them all he could He went outside to count his sheep But found he had more sheep than he should. When counting and recounting them Made their number neither greater nor lesser He paused and noticed, on the ground, There lay a large, peculiar, white feather. Then another and another he saw And following the feathers, like a trail The trail of feathers led him to One sheep with a timid tucked tail “Oh, there you are, you stray lost sheep. You are no sheep of mine.” He then reached down to stroke its head But wool, he did not find. Wool he’d seen on every sheep, Every other sheep he’d met. However, where wool would be on this one, Somehow feathers had grown instead. As if to voice the shock he felt, From within the stable issued forth Mary’s cry And tearing his eyes away from the feathery sheep The shepherd turned to go inside. But even as he turned away The sheep before him began to change Into something not quite natural, something very strange. It was as if the sheep had hidden folds unraveling, Like layers peeling back and then again together gathering “What are you strange sheep, if neither beast nor man you be? I do not mean you any harm If you mean no harm towards my friends, nor me.” But even as the shepherd stood muttering astounded He watched as the sheep then sprouted wings, Which left him all the more confounded. Then another and another wing And then there came an ethereal light. Swept with feeling overwhelmed The shepherd knelt covering his eyes For a moment he felt his heart would drown Between the brightness of light and Mary’s cries. It was a voice that filled his ears with a pleasant ringing. Then opening his eyes he saw, it was an angel singing. (singing) They looked up and saw a star Shining in the East beyond them far And to the earth it gave great light And so it continued both day and night. Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel Born is the King of Israel!” “The First Noel, the Angels did say Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay In fields where they lay keeping their sheep On a cold winter's night that was so deep. Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel Born is the King of Israel! (speaking) And through the hills their carol rang, With the tones of mankind and angles blending, The first sounds of Christmas cheer they sang At our Christmas season’s first beginning But this shepherd and angel weren’t the only ones Who knew that on this very night The couple within the stable had brought forth The Messiah as prophesied The Messiah, God in human flesh, who’d come To set heaven and earth to rights. In the hills, there were other wary eyes a’watching, Eyes prowling, sneaking, scowling, and stalking. Eyes of a wicked King Who greeted Christ with defiance, And This King with an evil serpent had made An unholy alliance. They knew Christ was coming And both tried to deny it, They knew Christ was coming, And neither of them liked it.
7.
(singing) Once there was an evil King Who hated Christmas He hated Christmas He heard of Christ, the king of the Jews Then ordered all baby boys killed under the age of two He said, “Why do the people always look right past They look right past me, To some “messiah” in Nazareth What about their king? The ‘Virgin’ Mary? Oh please! We all know she’s lying! The ‘Virgin’ Mary? Oh please! We all know she’s lying! Once there was an evil dragon. Who hated Christmas He hated Christmas And when he heard of the First Noel, He was furious, Just furious. He said, “This world’s a sinner’s paradise, It needs no savior. Sin has opened up men’s eyes, To misbehavior. All it took was telling a few lies To become the prince of darkness. Now God has really messed up this time, He’s done Himself in. By making Himself a helpless child, It’s like He’s letting me win. I’ll devour Him right, right when He is born. So that Christmas will end Before it has begun. And if they want a messiah Then I’m the closest thing. If they want a Messiah, Then I’m the closest thing!” (speaking) Even as the Angel and the Shepherd stood gazing At the Bethlehem star above the fields a’blazing A shadow on the horizon eclipsed the moon with black It was a dragon launching towards the star to attack Streams of red fire flowed from the dragon’s mouth Shooting fire at the star the dragon tried to blow it out He tried to make it burn with such excessive heat That the star burned out prematurely falling in defeat But upon seeing the dragon, the Angel was quick to react With sword and shield flying fast The Angel drove the Dragon back, But just before the Dragon had fully retreated, He blew one last flaming breath at the Star With such force that it receded Blown off course away from earth The Star went tumbling out of sight Satisfied, the Dragon turned away Back down to earth he turned his flight Seeing the Star over the stable Had given the Dragon an awful thrill For now he knew where to find the baby Whom this night he meant to kill. But upon landing before the stable ready to rage and raid, The Dragon halted in his haste For the path was blocked by a strange blockade. Before the stable stood the shepherd With his sturdy sheep And although faced by this Dragon, Their courage they managed to keep. Hissing in condescension the Dragon breathed inward Then outward with deadly force he blew But just in time the Angel flew in between the two, This time with planted feet, his shield Again bore the Dragon’s wrath The Angel parried several blows As the Dragon wildly attacked The hideous strength of his tail And his snapping jaws And the crushing weight of his iron claws Scraped and screeched But never breeched The Angel’s anointed arms And through the fight. All in vain the Dragon strained While listening to Mary’s labor pains Then from assailing the Angel, The dragon retracted. He wanted to try a different angle That involved a different tactic. Until now the Dragon had not spoken Not since he’d crawled up out of the earth But seeing the Angel’s shield could not be broken He thought he might win the fight with words So with a forked tongue, he spoke them.
8.
(singing) Angel, you have heard it said before Cut the snake off at its head if you want it dead And that’s just what we, we are both trying to do here You’re sure this baby is the real king? His nature is beyond our reckoning. Can humanity and divinity be blended into a real thing? Angel who, who are you, to tell me that I’m being foolish? Angel why do you think this baby has the right to rule me? Dragon, if you really don’t believe In the greatness of this child’s deity Then why disrupt, why disrupt this Christmas Eve? With you it’s just the same old story When threatened by God’s greater majesty You long to prove that God is really someone weak And yes, as for this child tonight, One day He will be crucified But it’s not, it’s not yet time First He’ll lead a human life (The Shepherd Talking) And you will be beaten By a little lamb Even you raging dragon Must heed the Father’s plan (speaking) From behind the stable, the star arose Having absorbed the dragon’s fire All the brighter it glowed Blinding the dragon, and giving the Angel the chance To strike one of the dragon’s giant toes, So that he was thrown off balance Howling in pain, the dragon limped from where he stood Then he turned and left the stable He’d been driven off that night for good Gravity had sling-shotted the star round the earth So that after tumbling away It reappeared over Christ’s birth. It came to rest again over the stable And throughout the country could be seen Hanging like a lamp over a giant evergreen.
9.
(speaking) Then in the warmth of the stable Where the Christ Child lay Wrapped in swaddling clothes In a manger of hay Into the face of God’s Son Mary and Joseph peacefully gazed. Hand in hand and in awe Softly, to Him, they sang. (singing) “Joseph look, Look at our sweet son--He’s heaven’s gift! See His eyes and His countenance so innocent! Born in this world, a world so corrupt What will they do to Him when he grows up?” Then Joseph said, with confidence, “Mary, God knows all of this. And I am convinced That no matter what, Jesus exists As the answer for us. And my baby boy Will be such a great King That no evil plots against Him Will ever succeed “Joseph look, Look at our sweet son--He’s heaven’s gift! See His eyes and His countenance so innocent! Born in this world, a world so corrupt What will they do to Him when he grows up?” Then Joseph said, with confidence, “Mary, God knows all of this. And I am convinced That no matter what, Jesus exists As the answer for us. And my baby boy Will be such a great King That no evil plots against Him Will ever succeed Oh Come all ye faithful Joyful and triumphant Come all ye citizens of heaven above Come and behold Him Born the King of angels Oh come let us adore Him Oh come let us adore Him Oh come let us adore Him Christ the Lord. (speaking, Luke 2:8-14) And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them: Fear not for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will to men on whom His favor rests. (singing) And my baby boy Will be such a great king That no evil plots against him Will ever succeed
10.
(speaking) Soon all throughout the land word spread That Jesus Messiah had come Bringing peace and healing to a broken world Word of this reached far beyond Judea into the East And among those who heard were three Wise Men They had also seen the star And came to welcome Jesus to the world. (singing) From the East there There came Three Great Wise Men They heard of Jesus And so they came to worship him They came from afar Followed the star Through deserts and darkness and daylight They rode They came bearing gifts To give to their prince Who’d be King of All Kings By divine Ordinance Gold and frankincense and mirth they brought him Gold and frankincense and Mirth they offered at his feet From the East there There came Three Great Wise Men They heard of Jesus And so they came to worship him Upon arriving they met Herod, the King Who saw their fine gifts And treated them kindly “Greetings my Wise men, Come let us be friends. What brings you so far from the east to my lands?” “Herod, Herod, you must have seen it The star there hovering over Bethlehem! We believe the Messiah Has been born As the prophets of old told us Hallelujah!” Wise men slow down now I know you’re smart And maybe your right Then again maybe not But it’s no matter. Whom ever you meet Beneath that star, won’t you bring him to me? (speaking) Although Herod, too was a wise man, The wise men were wiser men. And they did not trust him. They went to Jesus and gave their gifts and then went home and told others that the Messiah lives.
11.
(singing) Joy to the world The Lord has come Lion of Judah Emmanuel Let heaven and nature sing Let heaven and nature sing Let heaven and nature sing No more let sin and sorrow grow He comes to make His blessings flow As far as the curse of sin is found As far as the curse is found Because He rules the World with truth and grace And makes the nations prove His righteousness Repeat the sounding joy Every man, every woman, girl and boy Repeat the sounding joy It’s Christmas time, Let our praises rise to the King Hallelujah!

about

The First Ornaments of Christmas is a live multimedia project from the brain/hand/pen/voice of Bentonville, AR Resident Bryce Napier and a surrounding group of artists. Defying easy categorization, the creators jokingly call it a Christmas-indie-classical-multimedia-rock-opera. In the live setting, the 11-piece band performs with narrative breaks between 11 songs. At the same time, animated footage plays on projectors overhead, illustrating the story being sung.

‘First Ornaments’ is a Christmas feast for the eyes and ears, helping viewers imagine the Christmas story like never before. Parents, children, art students, and music enthusiasts alike enjoy the beautifully-designed characters, the bright colors, and the imaginative sounds. The project was performed live 3 times in 2011, 6 times in 2012, and 2 times in 2013.

Winter 2015 upcoming shows:
November 28 at 8pm - Jones Center; Springdale, AR (at the conclusion of the Springdale Christmas Parade)
December 10th at 7pm - Samaritan House Fellowship; Springdale, AR
December 16th at 6:30pm - Fellowship Bible Church; Rogers, AR
December 18th at 7pm - New Heights Church Warehouse; Fayetteville, AR

Need more info? Head to facebook.com/firstornamentsofchristmas.

credits

released November 15, 2012

Recorded August 2012 at Insomniac Studios in Fayetteville, AR by Adam Putman.
Produced and mixed by Adam Putman.
Mastered by Mike Piacentini at West West Side Music in Tenafly, NJ.
Executive produced by Greg Heger.
All songs and narration written by Bryce Napier.
All music ©2012 Bryce Napier.

First Ornaments of Christmas: Trevor Bates (guitar), Cameron Heger (drums, percussion), Bryce Napier (vocals, piano, guitar), Toby Wills (bass)

Additional performers: Alden Napier (narration), Heather Napier (vocals), Adam Putman (percussion, snare)

Animation by Kyle McCarthy.
Concept and illustrations by Bryce Napier.
Additional illustrations by Craig Ford.
Case, disc, and liner note design by Joel Storie.

Thanks:
Thanks to God the Father, Jesus the Son of God, and the Holy Spirit of God; Fellowship Bible Church of Northwest Arkansas; our supportive friends, families, and fans; Andrea; Elly; Susanna; Adam. Special thanks to Greg Heger, for his humbling encouragement, support, and investment.

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

The First Ornaments of Christmas Fayetteville, Arkansas

The First Ornaments of Christmas is a live multimedia project from the brain/hand/pen/voice of Rogers, AR resident Bryce Napier. A re-imagining of the Christmas story told through live music, narration, and animated footage, the project was performed in Northwest Arkansas in December 2011 and 2012. ... more

contact / help

Contact The First Ornaments of Christmas

Streaming and
Download help

Redeem code

Report this album or account

The First Ornaments of Christmas recommends:

If you like The First Ornaments of Christmas, you may also like: