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Stables
Hymn composed by
Peter MayerContextual information
Peter writes, “The Christmas story of the birth of Jesus was always a precious one to me growing up. In the song ‘Stables,’ the stable becomes a metaphor for a place waiting for love to come. It can be overwhelming to think about how many such places there are in this world. I hope we can recognize the stables in our own lives and communities where love is needed the most.”
Peter writes, “The Christmas story of the birth of Jesus was always a precious one to me growing up. In the song ‘Stables,’ the stable becomes a metaphor for a place waiting for love to come. It can be overwhelming to think about how many such places there are in this world. I hope we can recognize the stables in our own lives and communities where love is needed the most.”
Tune Name
[Stables]
Tune Name
Text Meter
Irregular
10.9.10.9
Composer
Peter MayerHymn Arranger
Composer Background information
Peter Mayer (he/him) is a UU and a full-time singer/songwriter who performs in acoustic music venues and churches around the country. He has released eleven albums and numerous singles as well. He lives in Stillwater, MN with his wife and two daughters.
Spiritual tags
Other tags
Lyricist Background information
Peter Mayer (he/him) is a full-time singer/songwriter and a UU who travels and performs in acoustic venues and churches across the United States. He has released 11 albums of his work, and many singles as well. He lives in Stillwater, MN with his wife and two daughters.
Arranger Background information
Arranger Website LinkLyrics
In Bethlehem a manger waits,
Long ago and so today,
Where hatred-weary people pray
Love will come and lay there.
And so do countless stables stand
In hearts as harsh as desert lands,
Rough shelters in the wind and sand
That love may come and stay there:
Love that opens fists of hate,
Heaps up gold on beggars’ plates;
Love that shows a kindly face
To enemies and strangers.
And the walls of stables tremble so
When the winds of fear and judgment blow;
For a stable hopes in love alone
And knows that love’s the answer.
O Love, the prophet’s only word,
The only lesson left to learn,
The only end of heaven’s work,
And the only road that goes there.
Love that sees with mercy’s eyes
Holds its arms out open wide,
Threads its loom with separate lives,
And weaves them all together.
So may the lamps of stables glow
Brightly that their light may go
For miles in the darkness, so
Love will find its way there.
Resources
Music XML and MEI and MIDI and Musescore files