O Come All Ye Faithful

O Come All Ye Faithful
Joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem.
Come and behold Him,
Born the King of Angels;
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.

O Sing, choirs of angels,
Sing in exultation,
Sing all ye citizens in heaven above
Glory to God, glory in the Highest;
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.

Ye Lord, we greet Thee,
Born this happy morning,
O Jesus! to Thee be all glory given.
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing;
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.

It is here. Christmas Eve, the Holy Night, the Silent Night. The shepherds are quaking in the cold, not knowing that in a matter of hours an angel is going to give them the greatest news the world has ever known. The wise men have spotted a star and are making preparations to investigate what this crazy act of nature could be. And in a lowly manger, Mary is laboring away, panting through each contraction, wondering when the pain will end. None of them have to wait a moment longer. The King of Angels is born this night in Bethlehem. It is time for the world to stir, for the people to arise, for the triumphant march to begin. 

The weary world doesn't know much of triumph. The broken shepherd, shunned by society, doesn't revel in any major victories. The exiled slave who pours herself out day after day under a bitter ruler knows nothing of conquest. The grieving man who has lost his brothers in battle feels anything but victorious. The weary world has dropped their swords, fallen to their knees and surrendered.

And yet we are called to a triumphant march, a glorious march of rejoicing and exulting. Joyful and triumphant the faithful come, not because they have any cause to be full of joy, not because they have any victory of their own, but because this Baby has brought with Him the victory. He has taken up the sword; He has marched into battle; it is He who has defeated sin and death. We march with our head high because Jesus has vanquished the enemy. It is not our victory, it is His.

But He gives it to us. When this Child King comes, He gives us triumph, He gifts us with joy. We who are anything but faithful day in and day out, are given His faithfulness. We are faithful, we are rejoicing, we are victorious because He has given those things to us. This tiny Baby, ushered into this tumultuous world, brings with Him intangible gifts that we cannot fathom. 

So we greet Thee born this happy morning. It is a happy morning! It is a morning of great joy, of sighs of relief, of handing over the chains, of raising our swords in victory. God has brought us these gifts, and even more profoundly, He has brought the glory of God to live among us. The Word of the Father appears in flesh; we hear the words of God, we feel the depth of His love, we watch the transformational power of His healing. We glimpse right into the heart of God as He lives and breathes among us. All of this comes to us Christmas Eve in Bethlehem. 

Because God comes to us, because He leaves His throne to enter into our pain, because He moves towards us, we ought to respond in kind. As we see Him, as we hear the good news of His arrival, let us come adore Him. Let us move toward Him, let us gather around the Child King, let us marvel at all He brings. 

O come let us adore Him. 

Let us bring Him gifts of our time, of our thoughts. Let us lay at His feet our chains that we so strongly hold on to. Let us tell Him of how we fall short. And then let us delight as we tell Him all the ways He is enough. 

Let us adore Him. Worship Him. Honor Him. Glorify Him. Speak of Him. Pursue Him. Love Him. Prefer Him. Choose Him. Come to Him. Give all of us to Him. 

He is here. Christ the Lord, ruler of heaven and earth, creator of the universe and my beating heart. He is here, He is with us, for this day forth and forevermore. His faithfulness to us is infinite, it knows no bounds, it comes at any cost. His faithfulness to His Father is perfect, it knows no bounds, it comes at the cost of His life. His faithfulness, this breath-taking possession, is ours to behold. So let us gather at the manger in the dead of night, let us marvel at what God has done, and let us adore this precious gift of a Child. He is worth all of our adoration.

 

O Come, O Come Emmanuel

O come, O come, Emmanuel

And ransom captive Israel

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free

Thine own from Satan's tyranny

From depths of Hell Thy people save

And give them victory o'er the grave

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer

Our spirits by Thine advent here

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night

And death's dark shadows put to flight.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Key of David, come,

And open wide our heavenly home;

Make safe the way that leads on high,

And close the path to misery.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,

Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai's height,

In ancient times did'st give the Law,

In cloud, and majesty and awe.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

Imagine this: a woman bound in chains sitting on the ground in a dark hovel. Or perhaps she is not physically bound, but she is tied through oppression to servitude of a harsh and evil master. While she serves extravagant meals to those who hold her in bondage, she eats the same scraps of slop fed to the pigs. Her people, the ones her mother has whispered to her about in the quiet of night, once were a mighty people; an interwoven community of tradition, celebration and law. They knew the love of a God who freed them time and again. These stories of ransom, these grand stories of Egyptians being swallowed by the seas, these stories of God crumbling a city fortress with the marching of his men and the sound of trumpets, these stories of an army of 300 defeating an army of tens of thousands with a loud yell and the shattering of lamps, these are the stories of her heritage. 

But now she is exiled, separated from the people whom these stories herald. Occasionally she meets eyes with a fellow Israelite slave while she's fetching water at the well, but she is terrified to do more than make eye contact. The masters are fierce and they fear this people whom God has favored so greatly in the past. Yet the slave girl wonders if they really have anything to fear. The God whom her mother spoke of has been silent for so long. Is the long-awaited Messiah really coming? All she knows is chains; all she knows is unyielding orders from an unloving master. Is there such a thing as freedom? Should she dare to hope? Hope seems risky. It could result in devastation. But then she thinks what could be more devastating than this fate? It's hard to imagine what could be worse.

This girl is who Emmanuel comes to on Christmas morn so long ago. God comes, just has He has time and again, to ransom His people, to buy their freedom. He has always moved in spectacular ways, astonishing the world with His might and power. So this might and power is what the Israelites expect. They are in exile, separated from their land, their people, their tradition. They are ready for God to smite their oppressors, just as He did in Egypt many years before. They are ready for God to come in might and act on their behalf. And God comes. He comes in might, He comes to smite their enemies, but He doesn't come the way anyone could expect.


God comes to His people not in a pillar of smoke, not in a roaring sea, not in a mighty earthquake, but in a tender God baby. He has come to them. He has come personally. He has come as Emmanuel, to live among them, to conquer from the inside. It is an inside job, this delivering from Satan's tyranny, this saving from Hell, this conquering o'er the grave. God sees the long term need of His people. He knows that He could easily send 10 plagues to Israel's oppressors and free them once again, but their souls would still be in bondage. Satan has a hold on their hearts, our hearts. The curse instigated so many years ago, penetrates deep within us. We are slaves to trying to be God, to trying to know, and rule, and act in the ways we think are best. And each time He frees us, we walk away praising Him, rejoicing in what He has done, only to moments later forget that it is He who has freed us. We are bound to our selfishness, we are bound to the lies Satan told us in the garden so long ago, we are bound to questioning whether God is really as good as He has shown Himself to be.


So God, in His infinite wisdom, knows we need freedom from more than our circumstances. We need freedom from more than our physical chains. We need freedom from more than the consequences of evil in this world. We need freedom from the chains on our soul. We need freedom from the tyranny of needing to please God, needing to prove ourselves to Him. We need freedom from sin and all of its ripple effects. We need freedom from death.


It is our spirits that God comes and cheers with His advent here. His arrival doesn't always look like deliverance from our physical oppression, although we see He longs for that and does heal many who were physically afflicted in His time here on earth. But more than that He disperses the gloomy clouds of night and death's dark shadows take to flight. It is the clouds of our soul that we are delivered from, it is the anguish of being separated from God. For now, Emmanuel is here. God is with us. Whatever physical affliction we suffer, whatever earthly bondage we face, we do not face it alone. He leads us safely on the path on high and closes the path to misery. It is our souls that Rejoice, Rejoice for we know God is with us. It is our hearts that breath a sigh of relief, that breath in the breathe of freedom as we see death no longer have victory over us. It is our spirits that cry out in thankfulness for the gift of of never walking alone. Emmanuel, God with us, how could we not rejoice?

So now we return to our slave girl, still in bondage, still under the cruelty of a terrible master. But now, O now, she knows a Savior has come. He is hidden amongst the other slaves in the house, He has the means to free them all. He brings hope, He brings certainty that this bondage will not be forever. He will lead every one of us out of this evil place and into a land absent of misery! He speaks of this in passing during the day, whispering His truths over her as she scrubs the walls and cleans the toilets. He sings of the freedom in the long, cold nights when she shivers under the freezing reality of her chains. And her soul is free, for she is certain that this Savior has made a way. She hums while she works, her soul certain of a Savior who loves her. She smiles as she serves her masters, for she knows that it is not truly them who rule over her. Her heart rejoices because Emmanuel has come to her. This captive is free, she has been ransomed indeed. Rejoice, rejoice!

Love Has Come

Hurry now wake up your eyes
Time for little ones to see
Daddy's got a big surprise
Hiding there beneath the Christmas tree
How they are like the child in me!
See the wonder in their eyes
Like a fairytale come true
One more time I realize
All the love our lives found in you

Love has come
For the world to know
As the wise men knew
Such a long time ago
And I believe that angels sang
That hope had begun
When the god of glory
Who is full of mercy
Sent his son

If I could have a special dream
Coming true on Christmas morn'
I would want the world to see
How his father smiled when Christ was born
The greatest gift the world has known!
So come on kids, look high and low
For all the toys you've dreamed to find
But I believe you'll never know
A greater joy than Jesus' love inside

Love has come
For the world to know
As the wise men knew
Such a long time ago
And I believe that angels sang
That hope had begun
When the god of glory
Who is full of mercy
Yes, the god of glory
Sent his son

(Repeat)

We are drawing near to Christmas day. Drawing near to presents and stockings brimmed to the full. Drawing near to family and food. Drawing near to tradition and music and joy. It is coming; I feel the anticipation in my soul. And that anticipation is so much greater as I watch the sweet children in my life anticipate this day.

They huddle around the Christmas tree looking at the presents, reading tags, wondering what might be placed beneath that tree that is just for them. There is a countdown going on: How many days until Christmas? Izzy asks. Is it time for Santa to come? Josh wonders. There is excitement, there is joy, and there is wonder. 

One of my absolute favorite moments of Christmas comes when Herb has checked to see if Santa visited, and the children bust loose into the living room. The complete awe on their faces as they realize Santa has brought them what they have asked for is so precious; He has managed to fit it into His sleigh, deliver it down the chimney and even assemble it so that it is ready for them to enjoy. How did he do that?!? they wonder. Like a fairytale come true! It is magical to watch them experience perfect gift giving--something chosen just for them, something they desperately wanted, something for their pure enjoyment. This is the gift delivered on Christmas morn.

What a taste that is of the first Christmas day! The anticipation had been building, the longing intense. How many days until we are delivered? the people wondered. How long until the Savior comes? they asked themselves day after day. Does He know what we need? Does He know what I want? Does He understand what will bring me the greatest joy? And oh how He does! 

On that Christmas morn, love had come for the world to know, to know the God of glory who was full of mercy. God had fulfilled their greatest longing to be loved, to be pursued, to be known. He had brought them mercy, where they only knew judgment. He brought them His glory, a glimpse of the God who was theirs to keep for all of eternity. He had delivered Himself.

So often we want the gifts of God, we want Him as a means to an end. We want to come in prayer because we need some thing, we want our circumstances changed, we want joy where there is sorrow. And He is a good gift giver, really quite the best. He gives generously without fail. But more than He wants to give you good gifts, He wants to give you Himself. He longs for you to long for Him. Just like in marriage, we don't want our spouse to want us because of the gifts we give them or the things we bring to them, we want them to want us for who we are. God wants us to love Him, regardless of the gifts He gives, for who He is.

In order to show us that, to show us the real love of wanting us, wanting our presence, He gives us Himself on Christmas morn. The Christ Child is the most thoughtful gift, the one we most need, and the one God hopes we will most want. He longs for us to want Him, to love Him, to delight in Him. God, the perfect Gift giver, is not unlike a parent on Christmas morning; He is watching with anticipation not of the gift He will receive, but in delight of the gift He gave. God the Father watches the faces of His children, smiling as He gives the gift of Jesus, knowing with great certainty that this gift of love will delight them. As the perfect Father, He sees what His children love, what they need, what they have asked for and He knows this gift will fulfill all of those things.

The angels singing that night were a small manifestation of the joy brimming in the Father's heart. He has done it! He has given the greatest gift! He has brought the excitement, the joy, the wonder. And His people did wonder: how did He do it?!? How did He get all of these gifts into one tiny baby? How did He fulfill the cry of the heart so completely? It is once again like a fairytale come true. It is magical to watch His people experience such perfect gift-giving.

So this Christmas morn, as we delight in the gifts beneath the tree, as we revel in the faces of our children as they uncover the gifts they've always wanted, as we delight in the magic of the day, may we let our hearts wander to the perfect gift left beneath a stable roof. May our minds imagine a grinning God as He delights in each heart's unwrapping of the greatest Gift. May we be filled with awe at how He knew exactly what we needed and sent it so perfectly wrapped in flesh to our midst. Let us allow the moments of the season to draw our hearts to worship of the greatest Gift. May we not let the opportunities to join with the angels in praise this Christmas morn. The gifts are good, but the Gift-giver is the best.

Christmas Lullaby

Are you far away from home
This dark and lonely night
Tell me what best would help
To ease your mind
Someone to give
Direction for this unfamiliar road
Or one who says, "Follow me and
I will lead you home"

How beautiful
How precious
The Savior of old
To love so
Completely
The loneliest soul
how gently
how tenderly
He says to one and all,
"Child you can follow Me
And I will lead you home
Trust Me and follow Me
And I will lead you home"

Be near me, Lord Jesus
I ask Thee to stay
Close by me forever
And love me I pray
Bless all the dear children
In Thy tender care
And take us to Heaven
To live with Thee there
Take us to Heaven
To live with Thee there

Today is the longest day of the year, which also means it is the longest night. Around the world tonight churches will hold services for those who are grieving or hurting this Christmas, for those who are feeling eclipsed by the darkness of night. While many revel in this season, so many find themselves in despair. While many sing Joy to the World, there are others who can barely muster a Happy Holidays. These dear friends are in a winter of the soul, bitterly cold and in search of any hope in this long, barren season.

This season can be so lonely, so isolating. In the busyness we hardly connect with one another. In the hustle and bustle we forget to listen and truly hear the hurting people around us. As we are surrounded by family, we often forget that there are many who don't have a soul to share the season with. How precious would it be for us to approach the hurting and listen? How beautiful would it be to ask how we can help those deep in their dark and lonely night? Are they looking for direction for the unfamiliar road? Are they in search of someone to guide them, someone who will say follow me, and I will lead you home?

Perhaps it is at the Christmas season most of all that the lonely and hurting desperately need the tiny baby Jesus. Perhaps it is in dark winter, that the light of the Savior might shine the brightest. Perhaps it is time to take the hand of the lonely and hurting and tell them this comforting truth: the Savior of old loves so completely the loneliest soul. Jesus, in His tender and gentle love, came specifically to the lonely. He didn't come to the popular, to the beloved, to the thriving, He came with the hurting in mind. He came because He wanted to dwell with those who were alone. He wanted to be present with those who were hurting.

Jesus comes and takes the hand of the hurting. He goes out into the snow in search of the child shivering in the cold, hungry and lonely and wounded. He wraps the coat around his shoulders, just as Jesus has wrapped Himself in flesh, and He holds this aching kid. He says, you can follow me. Trust me. Follow me. I will lead you to a place where you will always be accepted. I will lead you to a place where you will always be at home.

Jesus has offered this great gift, this immense love. It is now in the hands of the child to trust, to follow, to move into that forever home. The Savior came that we might never be alone, that we might never feel the pang of rejection and unworthiness again. But we have to choose His friendship; we must trust His goodness. It is in the trusting that we can follow Him to the home of warmth and comfort; a home filled with food that always satisfies and water that permanently quenches. 

It is when we embrace the heart of a child, the tender innocence of the sweet lullaby, that we are able to let go of our freezing, dark hovel and follow the good Savior home. It is our nature to love and trust what we know, to choose the chains because the freedom is terrifying. We don't know what the home will be like; it is unpredictable and uncertain. To accept the freedom is vulnerable; it could end in greater anguish. But if the choice is our hovel or a possible mansion, we must risk the disappointment to gain the greater good. And Jesus is that greater good. 

So lonely and hurting, take my hand, and sing with me this simple child's lullaby. Trust and ask: be near me Lord Jesus, I ask You to stay close by me forever and love me, I pray. Please Jesus, sweet and tender babe, dwell with me always. Never leave my side. Hold my hand, hold me near. Love me forever, even though I'll constantly wander from you. I'm so tempted to go back to the hovel. Please Jesus, draw me back again and again to the mansion. Thank you for loving me, for accepting me, for leading me home. I don't ever want to me alone again; thank you Jesus that I don't have to be. That is the greatest gift. Amen.

Hark the Herald Angels Sing

Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the new born King,
peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!”
Joyful, all ye nations rise,
join the triumph of the skies;
with th’ angelic host proclaim,
“Christ is born in Bethlehem!”
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the new born King!”

Christ, by highest heaven adored;
Christ, the everlasting Lord;
late in time behold him come,
offspring of a virgin’s womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
hail th’ incarnate Deity,
pleased as man with man to dwell,
Jesus, our Emmanuel.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the new born King!”

Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings,
risen with healing in his wings.
Mild he lays his glory by,
born that man no more may die,
born to raise the sons of earth,
born to give us second birth.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the new born King!”

Come, Desire of nations, come,
fix in us thy humble home;
rise, the woman’s conquering Seed,
bruise in us the serpent’s head.
Adam’s likeness, Lord, efface;
stamp thine image in its place.
Second Adam from above,
Reinstate us in thy love.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the new born King!”

Adam’s likeness, Lord, efface,
Stamp Thine image in its place:
Second Adam from above,
Reinstate us in Thy love.
Let us Thee, though lost, regain,
Thee, the Life, the inner man:
O, to all Thyself impart,
Formed in each believing heart.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!”

Glory is an odd word. We can gain glory for doing something brave or noteworthy. We can declare something glorious when we acknowledge its beauty or majesty. We can glory in good things, reveling in the magnificent gifts given to us. Glory can be bestowed upon a king for his riches and power. But the glory of God is something different altogether. In some senses it is a combination of all of these things; a conglomeration of all the good, brave, majestic, gracious, powerful things He has done. However, it is also purely the essence of who God is, whether we experience it and witness it or not. His glory is always there, always present, but at times He reveals it to us. Every day pieces of His glory are revealed in His creation and the work that He is doing, but there are times when that glory is directly unveiled to His people.

The glory of God, the essence of who God is, was unveiled in a unparalleled degree in the person of Jesus Christ. On that day in Bethlehem, veiled in flesh, the Godhead see. While hidden behind the skin of a precious infant, the world saw the glory of God manifest that day. The incarnate deity came on the scene; the King made flesh revealed Himself to this world. Only a few men had ever witnessed glimpses of God's glory; Moses catching a peek at God's back, Isaiah standing before the Lord who is cloaked by angels, Jacob wrestling with a faceless man. These great men of faith experienced the most glory of God that their earthly souls could handle; God graciously allowed them to get a glorious glance, enough to fill them, but not enough to knock them over dead. We, in our broken human form, cannot stand entirely in the glory of God; it is too magnificent, too righteous, too loving, too altogether holy for us to handle. And yet, God in His creativity, sent His glory to dwell among men. He sent the essence of who He is, the pure nature of His character, to live with us.

It is no wonder that the angels cry out Glory to the new born King! The angels have experienced His glory, they have dwelt among it for longer than we can calculate. It has been their most precious companion, their greatest joy, their most intense fear, and the source of incredible awe. So when they spot that exact glory within the Christ Child, it is not surprising that they break out in praise! The glory, the glory of God is THERE! He sent it to them! He sent them ALL of Him! He held nothing back! What an incredible gift! What a good God! Glory to You O Lord! Glory to You! The angels rejoice; they are ecstatic that the men of earth get to know God the way they do. They are amazed that God was pleased, He was pleased, to come and dwell with men, these hateful, hurtful men. They are astonished that He would lay His glory by, set aside the fullness of His heavenly majesty, to come and die for His people. The fullness of God, lay fragile and vulnerable in a manger, and the heavens light up with angels' worship.

There are not enough words to encapsulate the glory of God. He is so many things, so many indescribable things, so many unfathomable things, so many things beyond our comprehension. And yet, I love how thoroughly this song seeks to list His titles of glory.

He is the everlasting Lord--He knows no beginning and no end, and He rules over all time. He is the incarnate Deity--a tangible, living God. He is Jesus, our Emmanuel--a God who tabernacles in our hearts, a God who makes His home with us, a God who is with us always. He is the Prince of Peace--He rules over darkness; He ushers in peace in a world terrorized by evil. He is the Sun of Righteousness--He brings the light of pure goodness and obedience, and gifts it to us with warmth and new life dawning. Jesus is the Desire of Nations--He is what every human heart has longed for; He is the promised Savior of the Jews, but even more than that He is the healing that every nation cries out for; He is our desire. He is the Second Adam--Jesus is the beginning of a new heaven and a new earth; He is the man Adam could never be; He is pure and obedient and loves the Father perfectly. Jesus does what Adam could never do, and then He gifts it to us. These are just a few of the glorious titles of God, just a few ways He manifests His glory.

The song also gives us just a taste of the glorious works of Jesus. He brings life and light to all--He brings hope and new life in the midst of immense darkness. Jesus is ris'n with healing in His wings--with a ministry filled with physical healing of so many hurting men and women, we just get a taste of the deep healing He brings to our souls, to our aching, weary souls. Jesus was born that man no more may die--His life, His death, His purpose on this earth was to deliver us from the sting of sin and death; man may live forevermore because of Jesus; death no longer has any power over us. Adam's likeness, Lord efface, stamp Thy image in its place--the glory and righteousness of the Lord Jesus will wipe out our sinfulness, our likeness to Adam, and instead we will be clothed in the righteousness of God. We will not only be image bearers, but we will be indwelled with God; we will be God bearers, true carriers of the glory of God. Reinstate us in Thy love. Let us Thee, though lost, regain, Thee, the Life, the inner man--in the glorious work of Jesus, we are made one again with the Father; we are reconciled to a God who loved us deeply and whom we deeply scorned. Jesus reunites us with the God we were always supposed to have and with the sonship we were always meant to enjoy. Jesus is God the redeemer.

All His ways towards us are perfect. All of who He is and what He has done is beautiful and majestic, holy and righteous, just and merciful, gracious and loving. The Glory of God, this concept we cannot quite grasp, nor do we have the words to articulate, comes to us veiled in flesh that Christmas morn. God gives us all of Him; He gives us the perfect picture of His character and heart for His people. We are limited, and so we may not fully understand all that He is, nor will we be able to complete the glorious image of God. But we have seen enough of His glory to fall to our knees in wonder and praise. Just like the angels we sing Glory to the newborn King because God's glory has come to dwell among us. His glory is here, and we are in awe of all that we see.

Go Tell It on the Mountain

While shepherds kept their watching
Over silent flocks by night,
Behold throughout the heavens,
There shone a holy light:
Go, Tell It On The Mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere;
Go, Tell It On The Mountain
That Jesus Christ is born.

The shepherds feared and trembled
When lo! above the earth
Rang out the angel chorus
That hailed our Saviour's birth:
Go, Tell It On The Mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere;
Go, Tell It On The Mountain
That Jesus Christ is born.

Down in a lowly manger
Our humble Christ was born
And God send us salvation,
That blessed Christmas morn:
Go, Tell It On The Mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere;
Go, Tell It On The Mountain
That Jesus Christ is born.

When I am a seeker,
I seek both night and day;
I seek the Lord to help me,
And He shows me the way:
Go, Tell It On The Mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere;
Go, Tell It On The Mountain
That Jesus Christ is born.

He made me a watchman
Upon the city wall,
And if I am a Christian,
I am the least of all.
Go, Tell It On The Mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere;
Go, Tell It On The Mountain
That Jesus Christ is born.

When we think of the shepherds, I'm sure most of us conjure the image of a docile man carrying a lamb. We picture softness, beauty, gentleness. The shepherds of art throughout history have reflected the words of Jesus, I am the good Shepherd. The good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. But within that same passage we see the shepherd fighting off wolves, using his staff to protect his own. The shepherds were men of strength; protectors, warriors, willing to sacrifice blood and limb to save the wandering sheep.

They were also the lowliest of men. Known for their vulgar, often corrupt ways, these men were seen as the unseemly of society. Thieves and gamblers these men were the social outcasts, looked down upon by the community. They were so despised and untrustworthy that they were even prohibited from bearing witness in court. It was to these shepherds, to these outcasts, to these sinners that God chose to herald His greatest news.

And these tough guys were frightened as the angel appeared. They feared and trembled at the sight of just the one angel. We don't see it recorded, but we can only imagine how much more awe-struck fear came up on them when the chorus broke out. It was in that complete and total terror that these men heard the great news. They stood in awe of the mighty power of God; they stood amazed that the promised Savior had come. And I'm quite certain that they stood amazed that God would choose to tell them. Why would He tell us? they might mutter as they make haste to the manger. Our word isn't even credible enough in court. Who will believe us?

But despite their fear, despite their shock, despite their insecurity, they hightail it out of the fields to go check out what the angels said. They leave their sheep, they leave their livelihood, and scripture says they hurried off to see the Savior Baby. We know this frenzied hurry, the one where you have just found out such amazing news that you cannot wait to tell the world. You got into the school you've been dreaming of, you are pregnant, you've met the most amazing man! You have to tell someone, anyone! Shout it from the rooftops, or a more modern take, post it on Facebook post haste! There is an urgency in us when we have good news; we can't help but take it to the world.

The shepherds did just that. First they go and validate the good news, and Mary is so grateful they did. She treasures their words in her heart. But as soon as they've worshiped the Christ Child, they are in the town square stopping everyone, sharing the good news of their Savior. They tell it on the mountain, over the hills, everywhere. They have just seen angels! And what the angels proclaimed was true! They saw it with their own eyes! The Savior is really here! And He's a baby!

Do you wonder, as I do, if anyone believed them? Do you wonder, as I do, if a queue formed outside of the stables after the shepherds shared their testimony? Do you wonder, as I do, if the shepherds even led some people right to Jesus? Was anyone buying it? Did people come and stare just as they did once Jesus began His ministry? We don't get to know. We don't get to know if the word of the shepherds made any difference. We don't get to know if the people were changed as the shepherds were that night.

Because the shepherds were profoundly changed. The God of the universe had revealed His plans to them, to them, the least of all. God chose to come to the outcast; He chose their rugged, sinful hearts as the first site of transformation and redemption. Jesus, after all, had not come to well, He had come to the sick. I love the last verse of this song; I honestly had never heard the words before tonight, but they are so profoundly humbling and powerful: He made me a watchman upon the city wall, and if I am a Christian, I am the least of all.

If I am a Christian, I am the least of all. If God's good news has fallen upon me and transformed me that can only mean that I am the least of these. Jesus came for the sick, so if I know Him then I must be desperately sick. He came to the harlot and the thief and the tax collector, so I must be counted among them. In order to know the absolute transformational love of the Savior, we must first know the absolute depravity of our own souls. Without the humility of bowing our knees, of admitting our brokenness and sin, we cannot understand why a Savior is necessary. Jesus comes to the shepherds and the prostitutes and the tax collectors because they are painfully aware of how broken they are. It doesn't take any detective work to see it; they know they need a Savior. And thus, the arrival of this Savior is the best news they have ever heard. The weight of their brokenness has ended; it is no longer upon them to try and fix it. Jesus came to do that, and that is the best news they have ever known!

So they go tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born. They tell every person they meet. It's the first thing they blurt out of their mouths at a dinner party, and at the market place, and at the next family gathering. They cannot help but share this incredible news. God sent us salvation that blessed Christmas morn! This our story, this is our good news. It is with fear and with trembling that we go and share of the greatest love our hearts have ever known. It is with certainty that we will be laughed at by some; after all, who are we to speak truth? It is with the unknown outcome of how people will respond--will they brush us off and move on or will they queue up at the manger? We just don't know. But regardless of their response, we must let the good news of great joy that will be for all people pour forth from us. We must because the good news has come to a bunch of lowly shepherds and we are counted among them. He chose us as recipients of His good news. That kind of love and confidence begs us to go. And go we must.

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

I thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head:
"There is no peace on earth," I said,
"For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men."

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men."

Till, ringing singing, on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime,
Of peace on earth, good will to men!

I was talking with my sweet friend Kate tonight about this advent blog project, and she told me this is her favorite Christmas song. While it's certainly one I've heard before, I hadn't really heard the words or absorbed them (which is so fitting, since that is exactly what this song is about). So I hurried home and looked up the lyrics to this beautiful Christmas poem, and promptly fell in love.

We sing these Christmas carols (even though the bells are often replaced by electric guitars in our modern tomes) and hearts fill with joy. I look around at faces in the church as the old, familiar tunes are played, and there is an almost Pavlovian response--the song begins and warmth and joy and peace spread across the faces of many. And it's not just in church, we wander department stores and see person after person mouthing the words or humming along to O Holy Night. But do they really hear the words? Are they aware of what they are singing?

And for some, just as Longfellow pens in this poem, the message of peace on earth, good will to man feels like a sham. They sing the words with a bitter taste in their mouths. How could it be that we sing of peace when war in raging all around us? How can we sing of love's pure light when hate and enmity it so strong between races and parties in our country? We call fraud as these songs carol the promises of a God who touts these virtuous qualities in a world so completely torn apart.

We are a despairing people. We hang our heads in fear and sadness of the cruelties of this world. We bemoan the heartaches and burdens of our every day lives. There isn't a day that passes when we don't know sorrow or disappointment, when we don't look about and wish things were different somehow. So how dare these carols ring out peace and good will! They mock our very existence, the tortured world we know.

But then we see Longfellow listen to the music with new ears. He isn't just humming along with the tune or mumbling the words while he pens another Christmas card, now He is listening, truly listening to the music. The truths are less superficial; they no longer mock, but instead reverberate to the deepest longings of the soul. He hears the carols cry out to him, God is not dead, nor does He sleep. God hasn't gone silent on this watch. He hasn't ignored our groanings or lost sight of our pain. He isn't oblivious to the war raging or the hate spat from people to people.

Instead the bells remind him that here is the God who lives, who breathes, who cries, who sees. God does sleep, but not as an absent God, but as an active God made flesh. He sleeps because He has come to us in vulnerability. He sleeps because He has become like us. His sleep reveals a God fully awake to our pain and struggle.

And in His wakeful action the wrong shall fail, the right prevail. Evil will not ultimately triumph, good will win, just as our longing hearts so desire. Just as every story ever written has at its core the longing for good to win out, for evil to be defeated, so in the greatest story every told, good will prevail. All that's wrong shall be made right; all that's torn shall be mended; all that's defiled shall be made pure. This is the happy ending we've been looking for, and it is not a superficial fairy tale resolution. Jesus brings the greatest happily ever after, for it is happily forever after. His right will prevail, for all eternity. There will be peace on earth, good will to men, always and forever.

So Longfellow's whole mood shifts in the last stanza. Where once he was melancholy, He is now jubilant. Where once he was despairing, now he has hope. The songs no longer bear the dirge of a life that will never be, instead they carry the hope of the life that is to come. They don't just carry the hope, they are ringing, singing, a voice, a chime, a chant sublime. The bells exude the hope of the Christmas story. The night has turned to day, the wailing of mourning has turned to joyous celebration. Where the bells were once tiresome, now they bring restoration.

This is what the gospel does. It takes a broken person, wearied by the evils of this world--a person embittered by the circumstances that surround her, a person disillusioned with the promises of a God who seems to be sleeping on that job--and the gospel, the good news of a God Child born to save us all, changes everything. The gospel turns night to day, turns mourning to praise, turns despair to unfailing hope. The gospel changes the tune we sing; the gospel changes our story line. We see how God has always been for us; has been for us so much that He took on flesh, has been for us so much that He experienced the war, the hatred, the despair, has been for us so much that He died to end that curse upon us. Our story is now one of a person loved so immensely that God came to bring peace, to bring joy, to bring good will back again.

When we hear the bells of Christmas, the loud, deep bells of the Christmas story singing over our hearts, we cannot help but be transformed. Our dirge is now a dance, our hymn now a rock song. The loud, deep bells of the Christmas story revolve our world from night to day. We now know the God who brought peace on earth, goodwill to men, and He is better than we could have ever imagined.

Welcome to Our World

Tears are falling, hearts are breaking
How we need to hear from God
You've been promised, we've been waiting
Welcome Holy Child
Welcome Holy Child

Hope that You don't mind our manger
How I wish we would have known
But long awaited Holy Stranger
Make Yourself at home
Please make Yourself at home

Bring Your peace into our violence
Bid our hungry souls be filled
Word now breaking Heaven's silence
Welcome to our world
Welcome to our world

Fragile finger sent to heal us
Tender brow prepared for them
Tiny heart whose blood will save us
Unto us is born
Unto us is born

So wrap our injured flesh around You
Breathe our air and walk our sod
Rob our sin and make us holy
Perfect Son of God
Perfect Son of God

Welcome to our world

Welcome--a greeting which invites us in, a greeting in which we feel our presence is not only tolerated but desired. Welcome--a friendly salutation to someone outside, an inviting reception to enter from a place on the outskirts into our humble abode. Welcome--an exclamation of joy upon seeing someone we have long missed. It is with great joy on Christmas day that we exclaim Welcome! to our Savior. He is who we have waited for, watched for, pined for, and on Christmas night, He was born to us.

I can picture Mary, after hours of arduous labor, hearing the cry of her sweet baby boy. In some ways pregnancy and labor are fitting analogies for the longing we as a people have had in our hearts for the arrival of a Savior. We know He will come someday, but we aren't exactly sure when. We are overjoyed with the prospect of the new life growing within us, but we are uncomfortable with the painful changes that come as we wait and our bodies groan. We know that there will be great anguish before there is great joy, and yet we long for the pain to start so that we can know the life that waits for us on the other side. As Mary struggles through contractions, groans under the weight of the child working to break free, she cannot wait for the torment to end. Finally she hears the cry of a baby Jesus, and she reaches out to hold Him. As she takes Him in her arms, she whispers as so many mothers have, Welcome to the world, little One. I've been waiting for You to arrive. I'm so glad you are here.

It wasn't just Mary who was so glad to welcome the Holy Child. Every heart in this world groaned under the weight of sin, the heaviness of the curse upon us. Tears are falling, hearts are breaking. I feel this anguish. More than once this holiday season I have cried out in loneliness, in longing for healed marriages, in overwhelming sadness for war-torn families. I've shed tears as I've remembered the little ones who perished at Sandy Hook; I've felt my heart break as I've looked into the little faces of Syrian children in need of shelter and protection. This world is broken, shattered into a million pieces. How we need to hear from God, how we long for it! Where are you God? Why have you left us in this mess? I can't imagine the hopelessness the people felt before the Christ Child. They knew an end would come, but they didn't know when or how, and as they watched the world torn asunder, all they could do was trust in the promises made by God. How thankful I am to live in a time when I have the joy of trusting in the God who came to this world.

How thankful I am to trust a God who came and wrapped His holy body in our injured flesh, who breathed our air and walked our sod. How thankful I am to know the Perfect Son of God came with His fragile finger to heal us, and offered His tender brow to wear a crown of thorns. The tender beating heart of the Babe lying in the manger, beat until it could beat no more as blood spilled out on the cross. This suffering Savior, this tender child who would bleed on our behalf, stands as proof that God has not left us wondering where He is. This Christ Child is evidence that God is here, He has suffered with us, He has born the pain and sin and sorrow. He came as a tender, vulnerable, precious child so that we might see that we are not alone in our vulnerability.

We are held by a God wrapped in our injured flesh. He sees the violence of our world, He experiences it being hurled at Him as whips lash His back and nails pierce Him through, and He brings peace. Jesus feels the hunger of an a stomach aching for food, the chill of a night spent without a home, and He satisfies our need. He is the Word made flesh, and it is His word that assures us that our God is not silent. Jesus knows intimately the pain of crying out to God and feeling as if He stands silent. Now Jesus even understands the longing in the silence. 

It is with grateful hearts that we welcome this Holy Stranger. We cry out Welcome! because our hearts have been longing for just this. We have been longing to be known, to be understood, to be seen, to be healed. And here, in this precious Baby, all of those gifts have arrived. After the groaning and anguish of laboring in this sinful world, we whisper with Mary Welcome to our world little One. We have been waiting for You.

We Three Kings

We three kings of Orient are
Bearing gifts we traverse afar
Field and fountain, moor and mountain
Following yonder star

Chorus:
O Star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to thy Perfect Light

Born a King on Bethlehem’s plain
Gold I bring to crown Him again
King forever, ceasing never
Over us all to reign

(Chorus)

Frankincense to offer have I
Incense owns a Deity nigh
Prayer and praising, all men raising
Worship Him, God most high

(Chorus)

Myrrh is mine, its bitter perfume
Breathes of life of gathering gloom
Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying
Sealed in the stone-cold tomb

(Chorus)

Glorious now behold Him arise
King and God and Sacrifice
Alleluia, Alleluia
Earth to heav’n replies

(Chorus)

When I was in high school, we would raise money during the Christmas season by caroling at a variety of venues. It was completely wonderful! I loved going from person to person, table to table, taking requests and singing their favorite songs. Requests varied from the usual Christmas tunes, to some pretty obscure hymns. But because of this I know almost all of the verses to most Christmas songs. We Three Kings is no exception. I’m quite certain the general population could sing the first verse, the chorus and the last verse, but it’s the middle verses that carry the incredible truths of the gifts borne by these wise men on that holy night in Bethlehem.

If all you know is the first verse and chorus, you might think this song is mostly about the star. The star of wonder, star of night, star with royal beauty bright. And it is a wondrous star. As I talked about in a previous blog, this star pierced an inky darkness. This star, like the Creator of the stars just born in a manger down the way, brought the brightness of hope to a wounded world. This star, so remarkable in its appearance as to prompt the wise men to leave everything to follow it, was one of many signs that there was a shift in the world that night. The star shone, the Perfect Light came into the world, and the darkness was vanquished. This star served as a marker in the natural world that the curse upon this earth would come to an end. God marked His mighty work to redeem, not only the lost souls but the tormented earth under the curse of fallen man. With this star, God brought hope to even the rocks crying out His praise. And God, in His goodness, spoke to these wise men who watched the natural world so carefully, and called them to worship the God who loved His creation even more than they did.

The first king brought the Christ Child gold, this precious metal so coveted among men. To the lowly manger (or perhaps the humble home of Mary and Joseph—the timeline is fuzzy for these wise men), the first wise man brought a gift befitting a King. Gold, the emblem of wealth, of fortune, of power, of might. This gift marks Jesus as the powerful King that He is. He will forever reign, ceasing never. His reign will be over all of Creation. He will reign in the hearts of men, guiding them in truth and love. He will reign over all of the earth, righting every wrong, setting all things right. He will be a King who leads His people to victory over evil. He will be a King who judges righteously. He will be a King full of compassion, forgiving all debts. His Kingdom will be one of joy, of peace, of unity, of love. The first wise man brings gold befitting a king, but he has no idea that he brings his gift to the greatest King to ever live.

The second wise man brings frankincense, an incense used in worship services. Here we see the wise man acknowledge that the Christ Child is not only a mighty, just King, but He is also a perfect Priest. Jesus comes to serve as our great High Priest, as an intercessor between us and God. Where once the Jews might approach the priest with their requests for God or their desperate need for forgiveness from God, we now need only come to Jesus. He builds a bridge between fallen man and Holy God. His presence, Immanuel, now is with us. We can go directly to the God of the universe, no earthly priest necessary. Because we wear the righteousness of Jesus, we can stand in the presence of the Holy God and make known our requests and lay bare our sin. The wise man brings incense to the Christ Child because Jesus now presides over our ever-ongoing worship services. We can bring the sweet aroma of praise to Jesus whenever, wherever, because He has come to dwell with us. In His arrival on this earth, Jesus ushers in a new era of worship. We can worship with Jesus as the only High Priest, no temple, no sacrifice, not even incense is necessary. The wise man brings the last aroma offering to the Lord, for now our lives and our faith and our ongoing worship bring the sweet aroma of praise to the Lord.

Finally, we see that the third gift is the bitter perfume of myrrh. This gift does not seem fitting at all for the birth of a King. Myrrh, bearing the aroma of death, is used to embalm those who have passed. With each waft of perfume, Mary calls to mind the deaths of those who’ve gone before. The scent is the scent of sighing—the exhale of a heavy heart, of sorrow—the ache deep within that knows no cure, of bleeding—the river of life pouring out of a man, of dying—the end of joy and life and vigor. This smell doesn’t belong with my newborn babe, Mary thinks. This is the scent of a funeral, not a bris. Why bring me the aroma of a stone-cold tomb? We, of course, know what Mary could not. This final gift signifies the trajectory of the life of this Boy King, this High Priest. He is determined, face set, for the hill at Calvary. The tomb would be His home for three days, while the world mourned the beloved Prophet. But in this aroma, we also know the resurrection of the Savior. It is this smell that Mary Magdalene will inhale as she steps into an empty tomb full of discarded rags. This is the perfume she would have used to embalm the Savior, but He is not there! This third gift, this myrrh, carries the powerful hope that comes through death and dying. This myrrh signifies the end of death for us all. Even this myrrh shall be redeemed; as God removes the sting of death, embalming won’t even be necessary. The myrrh shall have a new purpose. It shall be a life-giving aroma, just as it was marked on that day when the perfume was laid at the feet of the Christ Child.

All of these gifts lead us to the last verse, where the Kings beg the Christ Child to arise into His new roles—King, and God (Immanuel), and Sacrifice. With these gifts the wise men christen the Holy Babe with meaning, with purpose. These gifts reveal the path of a baby too small to even stand or speak. The wise men and their precious gifts, almost serve as prophecies for the life to come for this Infant Holy. And as they prophesy, laying the gifts at the feet of Jesus, they raise their voice in praise. They kneel in awe of the mighty things this Child will do. They kneel in awe of His power and stature, of His ever-present presence of the Holy One, of His willing sacrifice for His people. They kneel, not knowing the magnitude of what this Christ Child will do, but in humble anticipation of the incredible God they know sent them.

These wise men respond to the Star of Wonder with equal praise. Just as the skies break forth their Alleluia, so do these humble men from so far away. We will never understand the scope of what God is doing or how He is going to accomplish it, but like the wise men, we can come, stand in awe of all that we see, and break forth in praise. Praise God, our King, our Priest, our Sacrifice.