This week's featured song is one I hesitated to pick at first.
Why? Well, while I knew it as a beautiful song, I didn't think it focused on the real Christmas story. Then I listened more carefully only to discover that the birth of Immanuel is in reality at the center of the song.
I grew up listening to a lot of Michael W. Smith's catalog. And this is when he's at his best. Arranging a gorgeous musical score and deftly adding in background vocals of choirs to add flourishes that make your hairs stand up on end.
I used to work with a classically trained musician/worship leader who once told me that Smith's scores hold up against anyone as far as their musical beauty and genius. This is one of those songs that makes me believe him. A great Christmas anthem extolling the warmth of the holiday but ultimately calling us to worship.
I like it so much, I'm adding a bonus video of a live performance:
I hate the "Christmas Creep" where stores and businesses begin hawking their Christmas products before the leaves have hit the ground. I have a personal rule that I won't listen to Christmas music until after Thanksgiving.
And while the calendar still says "November", we have made it through Thanksgiving and now I will allow myself to get in the holiday spirit. As part of this, I'll do my best to weekly feature some Christmas songs on Music Mondays. I'm not sure that there will be a theme, but these will be selections that just kind of speak to me. Today's feature is "Light of the World" by Lauren Daigle.
It's a great worship offering honoring Christ and (in the Christmas tradition) inviting him to "O Come Emmanuel".
We tackled Isaiah 7 yesterday as continued to look at the clues or 'whispers of love' that God gave his people in the Old Testament about their coming Messiah.
Isaiah 7 is one of the most scrutinized passages in all of Scripture, especially given it's 'fulfillment' in Matthew 1:18-25. - Who is the virgin? - Who was this child? - Is it exclusively predicting Jesus' birth? - What bearing did it have on the original recipients, especially King Ahaz?
I'm not sure I handled it perfectly, but I am confident our people walked away with a better understanding of the original context and it's relevance to the Christmas story. Beyond that, I am also hopeful that they were able to wrap their arms around the important truth that God is with us.
"Immanuel" was the name that predicted child was to be given. It literally means 'God with us' and I believe it had a symbolic meaning to the original context of Isaiah 7. But I also believe it was pointing ahead to that glorious day when "God became flesh and dwelt among us."
God being with us makes all the difference. When national and global chaos meet the reality that God is with us, we are given a sure hope of all things being worked out in God's plan. When personal troubles are confronted by God with us, we are given comfort and strength to persevere. When spiritual struggles collide with God with us, we are given a clean slate as well as the power of the Spirit to overcome our own frailties.
