The Songs Matter

Hey there! It's been a while since we have had a chat. I hope you are well.

This morning I got up early and came down from the mountain for some much needed time to myself. Of course, it started here at one of my favorite places.

Back when I lived in civilization I came here often to sit, read and write. It's been months and I'm tickled pink to be back. And if you haven't tried the orange scone at Panera, do yourself a favor, drop everything and go get one right now!

I had to pull over a few times this morning to capture the beauty of God's creation. I've been whining to God for days that we need snow. Locals tell me it will come. I know this, but I'm talking December snow. The scenery is still gorgeous.

When I ride alone, I listen to music kind of loud. Ok, very loud. The reason of course is so that I can sing along and not ruin it. Did I ever tell you I sound exactly like Karen Carpenter when the volume is just right? Oh that Christmas cd. It's a wonder it still plays from all the use.

I love the variety of Christmas music. From the silly to the sacred, they all have their place.  As the songs played today, some tears fell. Nothing like singing "Go Tell it on the Mountain" as you are driving through the Adirondacks. You should try it.
Like every year when taking inventory of the past twelve months, I know we have so much to celebrate and be glad for. Almost every morning these last few weeks  tears of thanks well up because last year our Christmas, our lives, were so very different. We were hoping for hope, praying for hope, waiting for hope. It's not easy to wait. I've yet to meet anyone who doesn't say, "I'm not a patient person. I hate to wait." You are not alone.

Maybe you are waiting right now. May I encourage you? God is faithful. He truly does reward those who hope in Him and wait for Him. He is near even if it doesn't feel like it.

The sacred Christmas songs are so rich and generous in faith-filled, glorious statements and sentiments. Have you noticed? Must be I'm getting older and I think more about these things. I remember my mother who came to faith later in life saying her first year as a believer at Christmas was so different than all those before. The words of familiar songs sung from memory year after year took on new meaning. I totally get this. We mustn't let the familiarity shadow the beauty and depth of the lyrics.

Every December it seems to happen to me now. Beautiful, powerful phrases pop out and all I can do is worship Him.

I think we can all agree that we are living in fearful days. Sin is everywhere. Senseless violence. Intentional terror. Sickness. Unknown futures.

The cultural climate was the same at the time of the first Advent of Jesus.

Long lay the world in sin and error pining

His people were up to their eyeballs in the 'law'. Weary. Desperate to hear God's voice after a 400 year silence. No peace. Then the baby came.

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices.

 Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth

His law is love and His gospel is peace.

From this year's Advent devotional: "The central theme of Christmas can be boiled down to three words...God With Us."

God sent His Son to us.
Jesus came to us.
He wanted to be with us.
He loved and loves us.

This kind of love is demonstrative in nature. God loved us enough to give us His Son. Jesus loved us enough to be given. Both knew there would be a terrible price to be paid. Both knew the rejection and violent death Jesus would suffer.

Probably the hardest part of that for me to fully understand is that they both knew what kind of people Jesus would come to save.

The undeserving
The unaware
The unbelieving

In all honesty, I would not give either of my beloved sons for people like that.

But God did. And Jesus came down here. To us. Has your soul felt its worth yet?

I like the way The Message puts John 1:14

The Word became flesh and blood,
    and moved into the neighborhood.
We saw the glory with our own eyes,
    the one-of-a-kind glory,
    like Father, like Son,
Generous inside and out,
    true from start to finish.

This is the message of Christmas. Reminds me of one of my favorite, now 'old school' Christmas songs by Bryan Duncan. I beg you, if you have never heard it (or haven't since the 90's) and like me can't resist a high tenor, to click here and listen.  It will be the best 4 minutes of your day.

One day an infant's cry
In a troubled land
Joined the heavenly hosts on high
In peace, good will to man

(Chorus)
God's thoughts and ways are not our own
And I can't understand
Why He wrapped His love in flesh and blood
And he took the form of man

And Jesus' lowly birth brought riches to the earth
Lord of heaven coming down, risking human birth

(Chorus)

Every heart that knows His name
Lift your voice and sing
To the praise of God With Us
This Child, Redeemer, King

There's never been a greater love
Since the world began
God the Father sent His Son
And we held Him in our hand

He wrapped His love in flesh and blood
And took the form of man
We held Him in our hands....

If your heart knows His name, lift your voice and sing today. I never can sing "we held Him in our hands" without choking. That's because this is real. Jesus came to save us from our sins.

"When the Father gave His only begotten Son, He gave Him to die. That's the kind of love the Father has. It is a giving love. It gives His most precious treasure - His Son.

Meditate on that this Advent. It was a very costly love. A very powerful love. A very rugged, painful love. The meaning of Chrsitmas is the celebration of this love. 'God so loved..'  And wonder of wonders, God gives this clostly love to an undeserving world of sinners, like us."

He came near to us, friends. He is still near - to you. He still loves - you. 

My favorite lyric this year: the hopes and fears of all the years are met in Thee tonight. Truth. Let that comfort you. 

I hope you know that and can feel it this Christmas. Because without that gigantic truth and reality, what's the point of all the rest of Christmas?

So enjoy and rock out to all the songs, but make room for these classics. If you let them, they'll speak deep richness into your Christmas - and the whole year through.


Quotes from John Piper's The Dawning of Indestructible Joy