Posts Tagged ‘Incarnation’

A Christmas Story – Epilogue…

Thursday, December 29th, 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.

Epilogue – Love Came Down

O Holy Night

Truly He taught us to love one another, His law is love and His gospel is peace. Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother. And in his name all oppression shall cease. Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we, with all our hearts we praise His holy name.

Love Came Down At Christmas

Love came down at Christmas, Love all lovely, Love divine. Love was born at Christmas, star and angels gave the sign. Love will be our token, Love be yours and love be mine. Love from God to all of us, Love for plea and gift and sign.

He Has Come For Us (God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen)

He has come for us this Jesus, He’s the hope for all mankind. He has come for us the Messiah, Born to give us life.

Go, Tell It On The Mountain

Down in a lowly manger the humble Christ was born. And God sent us salvation that blessèd Christmas morn. Go, tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere. Go, tell it on the mountain, that Jesus Christ is born.

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might. Heaven and earth are full of Your glory. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna, In the highest!

 

Now that our celebration is over, we might still wonder what it was all about. Christmas gets far more attention than its role in the New Testament warrants, as Professor Wright put it in an article I recently read. But it’s the start of the climax of the greatest story ever told I’d say. A story of a broken, lost world, gone so far from the way its creator had planned for it. But not far from its creator. Because, as Wright writes, He is not a god who watches from the distance, and  intervenes from the outside. He  is always present and active within His world. He is always trying to bring it back to him. This is why one time, roughly 2000 years ago, the Creator became flesh, became a human, became a child. In the words of St. Augustine.

He wished to become one of our children in order to make us His Children.

For further reading on the subject of Jesus’ birth, I’d recommend the article by N.T. Wright that I mentioned.

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A Christmas Story – Act 3…

Sunday, December 25th, 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 3 – Mary’s Contemplation

Silent Night 

Son of God, Love’s pure light radiant beams from Thy holy face, With the dawn of redeeming grace. Jesus Lord, at Thy birth, Heaven is coming to earth.

Bethlehem Town

Oh, Mary, Joseph, rest your eyes. Try not to think of the ending. World full of empty, He will die, but tonight He is still just a child. The silent night drifts all away, and the angels are dancing around you. There’s the joy of knowing He’ll save the world, overshadowing the pain that He’ll go through. Have you cursed at the wind? Have you cried to the heavens? Have you fought with this mercy you don’t understand? When the wise men kneel down to kiss the hand of this king they found, in Bethlehem town.

What Child Is This

So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh, come peasant, king to own Him; The King of kings salvation brings, Let loving hearts enthrone Him. This, this is Christ the King, Whom shepherds guard and angels sing; Haste, haste, to bring Him laud, The Babe, the Son of Mary.

Mary Did You Know

Mary did you know that your baby boy, is Lord of all creation? Mary did you know that your baby boy, will one day rule the nations? Did you know that your baby boy, Has come to make you new? This child that you’ve delivered. Did you know that your baby boy, Is heaven’s perfect Lamb? This sleeping child you’re holding is the great I Am!

 

I just love the last song. Almost every time I listen to it, I’m struck with this profound amazement and bewilderment at the last words. The baby is the great “I am”, YHWH, God. As one of my pastors said, the incarnation is the greatest mystery of all. You have to wonder what Mary and Joseph were thinking. Did they know? Did they believe it? Did they understand that this was the child the prophets spoke of, their Messiah, God incarnate?

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness   a light has dawned. You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder. For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,  you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given,  and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. – Isaiah 9:2-7

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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!

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