Prairie Christmas Cantata by Erik Mychal Anderson - MCC Renaissance Feast 12/6/25

Prairie Christmas Cantata by Erik Mychal Anderson

I. In The Prairie 0:00
II. Alleluia I 2:43
III. Rancher’s Prayer 4:06
IV. Creation & The Nativity 9:16
V. The Real Santa 12:34
VI. Alleluia II 15:26
VII. They Stood The Test 18:15

Performed by the Minot Chamber Chorale, December 6, 2025 for their Renaissance Feast


I. In The Prairie

You are in my heart

Introduction by Mya Temanson
In the desert, in the prairie,
A sea of stars stand in awe.
A baby is born on the longest, coldest night.
 
As you sing to your baby,
Your mother sings to you:
Here out on the prairie,
Oh, Little One,
I love you.
 
Let us sing for the winter,
The snow on the prairie,
The cold desert nights.
Let us sing for the miracle of life,
Hard-won and gentle still.
Let us sing for friendship and Christmas.

Liturgical text
Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to people
of good will.

II. Alleluia I
Alleluia
Amen

III. Snow (Rancher’s Prayer)

SNOW by Mya Temanson

Dear Lord,
My warm-blooded cattle
May not make the night.
 
Ice
Crystals slash
Numbing cheeks.
Swirl into searching eyes.
The only sound:
A snaking wind.
It burrows through clothes,
Through hide,
Past flesh,
Piercing bone.
 
Dear Lord,
My cattle—
Keep us safe.
The snowfall is thickening.

Liturgical text
“Let us pray”

Lord, in your mercy.
Hear our prayer.

The Lord be with you.
And with your spirit.
Lift up our hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right and just.

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts.
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name
of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.

Rancher’s Prayer by Ethel Frye

It’s been a long time Lord
But I had to talk to you now
This weather is so bad
I’d shore hate to lose a cow

I’m asking for the little critters
don’t let them be born in a snowstorm
Let the weather be better
at least about the norm

I’d like those little ones
to be born alive and well
and may they be fat and sassy
when it’s time to sell

and there is one more thing Lord
I guess you already know
let the buyers bid high
cause I shore need the dough

IV. Creation & The Nativity

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
‭‭John‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭2‬:‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“and [Mary] gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger
‭‭Luke‬ ‭2‬:‭7‬ NIV‬‬

Jesus Christ, the Lord

“The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭2‬:‭20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

V. The Real Santa

The Real Santa by Ethel Frye

Before the Christmas season
many years ago
we ordered all our presents
from the catalog of Sears and Roe

We got a letter explaining
that they believed
everything would be here
by Christmas Eve.

A snowstorm blew in
all the roads were blocked with snow
Things were looking mighty grim
when a knock sounded at the door

There stood our brother-in-law
with a pack on his back
and all our presents
were peeking out of the sack

He said “they plowed the road and I walked in from there”
We gave him a big hug
Our faces wet with many a tear

He looked like our brother-in-law
but he was in disguise
I knew he was the real Santa
by the twinkle in his eyes

VI. Alleluia II
Alleluia
Amen

VII. They Stood The Test

They Stood The Test by Ethel Frye

On a snowy March night
I first knew life
Mother‘s only help was my dad
and a neighbor‘s wife
My home was a log cabin
a homestead on the prairie
The snow drifts were high
The winds were wild and free

My mother was from Texas
My father was from Ohio
How they changed to meet
I guess I’ll never know
They must have had a dream
way out here in the west
where everything was different
and they stood the test