Tonight I decided to relax and avoid the hustle and bustle of the holidays by spending a quiet night alone, making ornaments and listening to my favorite artist sing my favorite Christmas CD of all time, which is "Behold the Lamb of God, the True Tall Tale of the Coming of Christ" by Andrew Peterson. It's not a typical Christmas CD by any means, instead it's a musical snapshot of the Israelites sung by a man who has the ability to weave words together in a profoundly moving way.
I was pondering the chorus to the first song, "Gather 'Round Ye Children, Come" and was struck again by how amazing the sacrifice of Christ truly was and still is today.
"So sing out with joy for the brave little boy
Who was God, but he made himself nothing
He gave up his pride and He came here to die
Like a man"
Then I listened again to the words of my favorite song, "Passover Us". This song is rich with symbolism and is a retelling of the original Passover tied to the ultimate Passover found in the salvation offered through the sacrifice of Christ.
"Lord, let your judgment Passover us
Lord, let your love hover near
Don't let your sweet mercy Passover us
Let this blood cover over us here."
Can you really fathom how miraculous it was that within the heart of a baby beat the very heart of God incarnate? That one brave little boy grew into an amazingly compassionate yet fierce rebel who rocked the foundations of the world with his love and radical ideas? That the sacrifice of that boy turned man allowed judgment to Passover all who would believe? In all honesty I will admit that there are times when I cannot grasp it, but I can tell you that I love that brave little boy and the man he grew to be.
Since there is no way I can improve on what has already been so perfectly written, I will close by saying that if you are craving something to bring your heart's focus back to truth and beauty and love, you should listen to this CD. http://www.andrewpeterson.com/
I was pondering the chorus to the first song, "Gather 'Round Ye Children, Come" and was struck again by how amazing the sacrifice of Christ truly was and still is today.
"So sing out with joy for the brave little boy
Who was God, but he made himself nothing
He gave up his pride and He came here to die
Like a man"
Then I listened again to the words of my favorite song, "Passover Us". This song is rich with symbolism and is a retelling of the original Passover tied to the ultimate Passover found in the salvation offered through the sacrifice of Christ.
"Lord, let your judgment Passover us
Lord, let your love hover near
Don't let your sweet mercy Passover us
Let this blood cover over us here."
Can you really fathom how miraculous it was that within the heart of a baby beat the very heart of God incarnate? That one brave little boy grew into an amazingly compassionate yet fierce rebel who rocked the foundations of the world with his love and radical ideas? That the sacrifice of that boy turned man allowed judgment to Passover all who would believe? In all honesty I will admit that there are times when I cannot grasp it, but I can tell you that I love that brave little boy and the man he grew to be.
Since there is no way I can improve on what has already been so perfectly written, I will close by saying that if you are craving something to bring your heart's focus back to truth and beauty and love, you should listen to this CD. http://www.andrewpeterson.com/
