Skip to main content

Day 6, Singing thru Christmas

Luke 1:46-47 
46  Mary responded, “Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.
47  How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!

  Zephaniah 3:17 
17  For the LORD your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” 


Last night my wife attended our Grandson's Christmas concert.  I smiled watching and listening to my two Grandsons who, among their classmates, sang various children's holiday songs.  Even as the program ended with Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer I felt myself following along inside with the words that go back all the way to my own childhood.

Of course, Christmas has its own library of music.  Adults remember "White Christmas", "Winter Wonderland", "Silver Bells", "The Carol of the Bells, and on and on we can go.  We sing some Christmas hymns during Christmas:  "O Come, All Ye Faithful", "Silent Night", "Angels We Have Heard on High", "Joy to the World", and of course, "O Holy Night". 

Sadly though, not many Christians are aware of the centuries of Christmas music that had been prepared for worship centered around Christ's birth.. Some of them come with deep theological reflection and speak a language of Biblical knowledge lacking in much music called praise today.

Music is the universal language of worship.  I remember a man who once told me, "If you'd cut out the music you could shorten the service by 30 minutes"... Obviously, he didn't understand either the place of music in worship.  The passage of scripture above from Zephaniah reminds us that even God sings...and his singing calms our fears.

Jonathan Edwards once wrote a book called "Religious Affections".  In it he says that in conversion a person is changed from their indifference to God and Christ, to one, who by the power of the Spirit is moved to want to love and honor Christ with their heart, soul, and mind. 

My friend, Sing...Sing and worship.  Never mind that you sing out of tune, or that you don't have a lovely voice...Sing, and rejoice that God also is singing over you.

Peace



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Loving Well

As Jesus came to  his last hours on the earth, he spent them with his disciples - a show of his dedication to their special relationship with him.  If it were me and I knew this was my last night, I might want to take time to talk about what's important, and what they must remember....and perhaps it would be about doctrine, or beliefs, faith, etc.  Jesus goes a different direction: John 13:1-17 (NIV) 1 It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love. 2 The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured w...
Post a Comment
Read more

Betrayed by Failed Expectations

No one names their children Judas.  No other name is more recognized as anathema than his name.    It's hard to sort out what to do with Judas.  He walked with Jesus, learned from him, saw the miracles, knew what Jesus was up to early on.  Yet when it came down to it he betrayed Jesus. What's perhaps more amazing is that it doesn't surprise Jesus at all. John 13:18-32 (NIV) 18 "I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill the scripture: 'He who shares my bread has lifted up his heel against me.' 19 "I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am He. 20 I tell you the truth, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me." 21 After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, "I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me." 22 His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Joy to the World - Help is On the Way

It’s the first day of Advent– while you prepare for Worship this morning at church take a minute to ask God to direct you through this season that you might be prepared to “receive your King”. In the first week of Advent we celebrate the PROMISE of His Coming. His promise is based on our need. We were made in his image, but there is emptiness in our soul that is the result of the Fallen nature of sin. But why did Jesus come? What in his coming announces God's heart? His desire for us to know and experience? 10 BUT THE ANGEL SAID TO THEM, "DO NOT BE AFRAID; FOR BEHOLD, I BRING YOU GOOD NEWS OF GREAT JOY WHICH WILL BE FOR ALL THE PEOPLE; 11 FOR TODAY IN THE CITY OF DAVID THERE HAS BEEN BORN FOR YOU A SAVIOR, WHO IS CHRIST THE LORD. GREAT JOY! Did you know that God is Joyful? 1 CHRONICLES 16:23-27 (NASB) 23 SING TO THE LORD, ALL THE EARTH; PROCLAIM GOOD TIDINGS OF HIS SALVATION FROM DAY TO DAY. 24 TELL OF HIS GLORY AMONG THE NATIONS, HIS WONDERFUL DEEDS AMONG ALL THE PEOPLES....
46 comments
Read more