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A Christmas Story – Act 1…

Saturday, December 24th, 2011

A Christmas Story… is a playlist I’ve (re)made from a collection of the best christmas songs and hymns me and my friends could find on Spotify. I arranged the songs to let the lyrics do the telling of the greatest story ever told.

Act 1 – The Angels Come

It Came Upon The Midnight Clear

That glorious song of old, from angels bending near the earth, to touch their harps of gold: ”Peace on the earth, goodwill to men, from heavens all gracious King!” The world in solemn stillness lay to hear the angels sing.

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

“Glory to the newborn King! Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled” Joyful, all ye nations rise, join the triumph of the skies and with the angelic host proclaim: ”Christ is born in Bethlehem”

Joy To The World

Joy to the World, the Savior reigns! Let men their songs employ; While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains, repeat the sounding joy.

God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen

From God our Heavenly Father a blessed angel came; And unto certain shepherds brought tidings of the same: How that in Bethlehem was born the Son of God by Name.

Lo! How A Rose E’er Blooming

Isaiah ’twas foretold it, the Rose I have in mind. So then we behold it, the virgin mother kind. To show God’s love aright, she bore to us a Savior, when half spent was the night.

The First Noel

Born is the King of Israel!

 

As God had promised, Messiah was born. Announced by angels and celebrated by shepards. My favorite bible book, the gospel of John, starts as follows.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

This is what the angels were singing, God had come to earth, Emmanuel had come, God had come to be with us, and with him peace on earth, good will to all men!

The problem with the world…

Sunday, December 11th, 2011

Posting more lyrics from Downhere, my new favorite band. Listen to the song here on YouTube or here on Spotify.

There’s got to be some reason for all this misery
A secret evil corporation somewhere overseas
They’re pulling strings, arranging things, it’s a conspiracy

What about the ones who shape the course of history?
What if we petitioned for one grand apology?
I’ll write to my prime minister, you write your president

Well some would say the devil and his legions
They’ve put us in a headlock of submission
They lost all power over me, a long long time ago

And since I was a kid, you know, I’ve caused a lot of hurt
But no one taught me how to put myself first
It came so very naturally, I’m not a prodigy

Everybody’s wondering how the world could get this way
If God is good, then how it could be filled with so much pain
It’s not the age old mystery we’ve made it out to be
There’s a problem with the world
The problem with the world is me

So I will look no further than a mirror
That’s where the offender hides
So great is my need for a redeemer
I cannot trust myself
So I’ll trust in someone else

I fell for this song at once, simply because it’s message is so close to my favorite Jacques Ellul quote:

If the time comes when despair sees violence as the only possible way, it is because Christians were not what they should have been. If violence is unleashed anywhere at all, the Christians are always to blame. This is the criterion, as it were, of the confession of sin. Always, it is because Christians have not been concerned for the poor, have not defended the cause of the poor before the powerful, have not unswervingly fought the fight for justice, that violence breaks out.

The underlying meaning of the confession that I read aloud every sunday then is this; The problem with the world is me.

The God I thought I knew…

Saturday, December 10th, 2011

Your spirit hovers over my waters
Your love burns longer than the sun
The skies of thunder echo Your wonder
Your praises can’t be over sung
The whole universe is witness
To only a part of what You’ve done

You see my weakness, my pride, my blindness
You wield your power through them all
Of all the mysteries, still, the greatest to me
Is that You’re faithful when I fall
How can I say I know You
When what I know is still so small

Let me rediscover you
And breathe in me Your life anew
Tell me of the God I never knew
And let me rediscover You

Let me cry “Holy, holy, holy!”
Let me awaken to Your majesty
And see a glimmer of Your glory
Let me abide in You

Let me rediscover You
And by Your grace I’ll follow through
Reveal to me the God I thought I knew
Jesus, let me rediscover You.

Great voice, great lyrics, great music! Thanks to my brother, who pointed me to their version of “What Child is This”, I think I’ve found a new band to enjoy.

A Christmas Story – Prologue…

Friday, December 9th, 2011

A Christmas Story… is a playlist I’ve (re)made from a collection of the best christmas songs and hymns me and my friends could find on Spotify. I arranged the songs to let the lyrics do the telling of the greatest story ever told.

Prologue – Advent

O come, O come Emmanuel

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.

Bereden Väg för Herran (Prepare the way, O Zion!)

O Zion, He approaches, Your Lord and King for you. Strew palms where He advances, spread garments in His way. God’s promise never fails, Hosanna sound forever!

Breath of Heaven (Mary’s Song)

I have traveled many moonless nights, cold and weary with a babe inside. I wonder what I’ve done? Holy Father, You have come and chosen me now to carry Your son.

Gläns Över Sjö och Strand (Shine over lakes and land)

Night over our land, night over Zion. In the western sky Orion fades. The tired shepard sleeps, the child in his sweet dreams, awakened by the wonderful chorus of voices. Shine with wonderous light, star in the east.

We Three Kings Of Orient Are

We three kings of Orient are bearing gifts we travel afar. Field and fountain, moor and mountain, following yonder star.

Det Är En Ros Utsprungen (Instrumental version of Lo! How A Rose E’er Blooming)

 

Advent is the coming of the Messiah, the Lord. “A time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the nativity of Jesus at Christmas.” according to Wikipedia. “The season of Advent serves as a reminder both of the original waiting that was done by the Hebrews for the birth of their Messiah as well as the waiting of Christians”… for the Parousia, the second coming of Christ. Then as we wait for Christmas, to celebrate the promises that were fullfilled when Christ was born, we know that He will return again, as was promised, because “God’s promise never fails”.

“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” - Acts 1:11

They’ll know we are christians…

Friday, November 18th, 2011

I was hungry and you drove past my refugee camp with food for your troops.
I was thirsty and you told me you the situation was too insecure to fix the water supply.
I was a stranger and you refused to learn my language or culture.
I was naked and you walked past in your battle armour.
I was sick with preventable diseases and you told me you had to train people to kill so I would be safe.
I was in prison, held without charge and no one could visit me because no one knew where I was or even whether I was alive.

Paraphrases of Matthew 25:42-43 by Simon Moyle, because as the hymn says, they’ll know we are christians by our love?!

We must not forget…

Wednesday, November 9th, 2011

In sad remembrance of the Kristallnacht.
We must not forget, we can never forget.

You, and You only…

Wednesday, October 26th, 2011

You are my vision, O King of my heart
Nothing else satisfies, only You Lord
You are my best thought by day or by night
Waking or sleeping, Your presence, my light

You are my wisdom, You are my true word
I ever with You, and You with me Lord
You’re my great Father, and I’m Your true son
You dwell inside me, together we’re one

You are my battle-shield, sword for the fight
You are my dignity, You’re my delight
You’re my soul’s shelter and You’re my high tower
Come, raise me heavenward, O Power of my power

I don’t want riches or man’s empty praise
You’re my inheritance, now and always
You, and You only, the first in my heart
High King of heaven, my treasure You are

High King of heaven, when victory’s won
May I reach heaven’s joy, O bright heaven’s Son
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall
Still be my vision, O Ruler of all

You did warn me carpenter…

Tuesday, September 6th, 2011

It is so that my transgressions have born a withered fruit
The sun has scorched the rising plans; alas they have no root
The bleached bones of animals bound by leather strips
Dance through the air with laughter as I wield this wicked whip

As You did warn me carpenter, this world has weakened my heart
So easily I disparage, self-seeking the work of my art
And there You have come to me at the moment I bathe in my sorrow
So in love with myself, sought after avoiding tomorrow

Where do You find the love to offer he who betrays You?
And offer to wash my feet as I offer to disobey You
Your beauty does bereave me, and how my words do fail
So faithfully and dutifully I award you with betrayal

The weak and the down trodden fall on broken legs
As I walk past a smile I cast, fervor in my stead
But my bones like plastic, do buckle backward now
I lay in this field by Judas’ bowels and anticipate the plow

I can not be forgiven; my wages will be paid
For those more lovely and admirable is least among the saved
And where would I fit Jesus? What place is left for me?
The price of atonement is more than I’ve found to offer up as my plea

Jesus my heart is all I have to give to You
So weak and so unworthy this simply will not do
No alabaster jar, no diamond in the rough
For Your body that was broken, how can this be enough?

By me You were abandoned, by me You were betrayed
Yet in your arms and in Your heart forever I have stayed
Your glory illuminates my life, and no darkness will descend
For You have loved me forever, and Your love will never end

Showbread with Matthias replaces Judas, featuring my favorite artist Reese Roper. Youtube-link, Spotify-link.