This year, I was a little disenchanted with Christmas. Though normally one of my favorite holidays, I knew this year would be hard because it would be the first Christmas without my grandpa. It will be the last major holiday to celebrate with family and friends before the race. I was already sick of Christmas music by the middle of November-how could I possibly last until December 25?
Then I went ahead and bought Chris Tomlin’s Christmas album-Glory in the Highest. I was listening to Hark! The Herald Angels Sing. Maybe you find this too-sometimes songs are so familiar that you don’t even really listen to the words or think about what you are singing. But at training camp, one of the things they emphasized during worship was only singing the songs if you meant them. So I took a second listen to the song-a deeper listen.
There is so much meaningful theology in this song-so much truth that I am only now beginning to understand.
For example: Glory to the newborn King-peace on earth and mercy mild. God and sinners reconciled. Because Christ came to earth, man and God could be reconciled. Sin was no longer a problem.
Then the second verse, about God being veiled in flesh, as the incarnate Deity, pleased as man with man to dwell, Jesus our Emmanuel (God with us). God came down from heaven to live as a man. But he was pleased with His creation, and therefore would dwell with us, as a living God in the flesh-living with us, dwelling in us.
The third verse: Jesus brings light and life to all He brings, and he was raised with HEALING in His wings. God has the power to heal and to save.
He laid his glory ASIDE to live on earth, to save us so we would no longer have to die. Jesus was born to raise the sons of earth (US) and to give them the second birth necessary to come into salvation. Through his life, death and resurrection, we are saved, rescued, redeemed.
And now we have been saved to bring salvation, we have been changed to bring change.
This new revelation of the truth found in this Christmas song was an answer to prayer. God can be glorified in Christmas-it does not need to be the commercial frenzy.
Let’s keep the focus on Christ in CHRISTmas this year. Amen?
