Every year I scour the internet and popular music streaming apps for new Christmas music. Something refreshing that brings that magical Christmas tingle, ya know? I'll even settle for acoustic versions of common holiday hymns and carols - I'm pretty sure I have about 12 different versions of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. And every year I am mostly disappointed. Most of the newer songs released by current artists are essentially reinvented versions of Last Christmas: holiday love gone wrong and maybe, just maybe, Santa can solve my romantic issues. And even though Santa Tell Me is an absolute jam, my love of Christmas music is heavily reliant on those songs that sprinkle some magic on the season.
Some common examples?
Some not as common examples?
If you're familiar with any of the songs above, then you'll notice that a Christmas song doesn't necessarily have to be about the bible's account to be magical for me. That's sort of the odd and wonderful thing about Christmas. There's magic in the snow and nostalgia, the lights and the trees. There's magic in being with family and even in the scents of the season. There's magic in reflecting on the end of a year, how you've changed, and how you haven't. There's magic in hoping for something beyond what we can see; maybe Santa, maybe a world with far less struggle and heartache, maybe a Savior born to ease our burdens, heal our brokenness, and change our hearts. Truly the most wonderful time.
About a month ago, I found myself on this annual crusade of mine to find something, anything, new to add to my Christmas playlists that would give me those magical Christmas tingles. And, at least to me, I struck gold. Scrolling mindlessly through Instagram reels during a bout of pregnancy insomnia one night, I stumbled upon a video posted by Sovereign Grace Music. That video led me to listen to the entire song, which you can listen to right here:
Magical. Christmas. Tingles. Right?
Even if you didn't get them, I sure did and still do. The whole album is great, but this song in particular touched me. The most magical part of this Christmas season is not only that it celebrates the birth of the Savior, but that it also celebrates the purpose of His birth. Instead of merely being a time to come and adore Him, Christmas can also be such a beautiful time to heed His call found in Matthew 11:28:
All. Come unto me all you that labor and are heavy laden. Not only the faithful, not only those having a good day, not only those who attended church this week, or those who have said their prayers and read from the Bible today. All.
How refreshing, how redeeming that this beautiful song beckons to the unfaithful. I can admit that I make an honest effort to be faithful to God and His teachings; but with that admission comes another: I fail constantly. So how fitting that these musicians have taken the popular Christmas hymn beckoning to the faithful and made it far more inclusive. I mean, are we not all sinners? Are we not all prone to this spiritual wandering? Are we not all the unfaithful? While teaching seminary, a common struggle I noticed among students was this fear of messing up in the eyes of the Lord. Sin or weakness caused them to hide from God and distance themselves from Him. These fears caused amazing teenagers who boldly proclaimed their belief in the Savior of the world to also doubt that they were included in that world worth saving. They would desire to grow closer to God, but think that they were unworthy to approach the mercy seat. And as I've been away from these incredible teens for a couple months now, I've noticed that those same fears permeate the hearts of people of all ages and all walks of life. All.
To my past students and to anyone else that has read this far, allow me to speak to those fears. Christ is not speaking to the flawless in Matthew 11. He is not speaking to the perfectly faithful, nor to those who have never and will never know doubt. Sin and doubt and struggle and weakness were all factored into the plan, your plan. Hence why a Savior was also factored in - for all. All people, all sin, all struggle.
And so, as we seek to add some Christmas magic to our lives this year by seeing the lights, decorating the gingerbread houses, or searching for new Christmas music (all of which I would 10/10 recommend), may we also make some time to come unto Him. As we bring Him our gifts of trying to be a little kinder, a little gentler, a little more patient, a little more like Him, may we not leave behind what He has asked for all along: our burdens, our struggles, our fears, our brokenness. Oh, come, let us adore Him; the child so humbly born, the man who so perfectly lived, and the Savior mercifully given. And while we are at it, let us also believe Him. The one who says to us all:
Come with your sin, with your doubts and your questions. Come with your past and with your present. Come with your weaknesses and shortcomings. Come with your tears and your fallen hands, your profanities and your clenched fists. Come with your worries about the bills and your concern for your brother. Come with your addiction and come with your loss of employment. Come with your struggle to forgive and your resistance to apologize. Come with your stress about school and your offense to something someone said. Come with your desire to no longer be so alone and come with your plea to know how to set boundaries. Come with your constant insecurities and come with your crippling anxiety. Come with your unhappiness. Come with the unfairness. Come with it all. Come to repent, to be made new; or maybe just to sit and ugly cry for a while. Come to receive advice from Wonderful Counsellor, courage from the Mighty God, and ultimate rest from the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). Whoever, wherever, whatever your labor: come. All.
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