linaewen: (Blessing Hold on by juno_magic)
I'm a bit late with this Christmas post, in one sense, but it's only the day after the assigned dated for Christmas -- and in another sense, it actually applies no matter what day it is, so forget what I said about being late. ;-)

I want to share with you a song and a musing -- the musing is one I've shared before, but it bears repeating. The song is definitely one of my favorite songs ever, and is especially thought-provoking at Christmastime.

The Song:

Mary, Did You Know? by Mark Lowry




The Musing:

Christmas for me is about God becoming man. In the daily devotional book I use called "Grace for the Moment" by Max Lucado, there is an appropriate devotional thought for December 25:


It all happened in a most remarkable moment... a moment like no other...
God became a man. Divinity arrived. Heaven opened herself and placed her most precious one in a human womb.
The omnipotent, in one instant, became flesh and blood. The one who was larger than the universe became a microscopic embryo. And he who sustains the world with a word chose to be dependent upon the nourishment of a young girl.
God had come near.


There is a word in Urdu -- majism -- which means something like "become flesh". Ma means "the one who" and jism means "body" -- literally, "the one who is body/flesh." The word is used in the Urdu translation of the Bible to refer to Christ as God made flesh. Yet there are shades of meaning in that word that don't quite translate into English. For me, it is a word that truly seems to capture in a single word (as much as it is possible to capture such a concept) the meaning of the infinite God limiting Himself and entering the world as a child, in order to make it possible for me to find peace. That's what I celebrate at Christmastime, the time when that embodiment is traditionally remembered -- the first part of that greater celebration of the Passion that comes at Eastertime.

"Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death -- even death on a cross!" Philippians 2:6-8

No matter how you celebrate the day or the season, I pray that each one of you -- my dearest friends -- will find a peace that surpasses understanding, which will stay with you every day of the year.

Blessings to you and your loved ones this Christmas season!

linaewen: (Snowy Fence Line by wizzicons)



As my Christmas greeting to my friends, I'd like to share the same song I shared last year at this time -- What Child is This? as performed by The Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Once again, I have been listening to over and over again this season, I really love it -- the words, the music, the passion of the singer, everything!

This song is part of a longer narrated story about a man and his son, so the words have significance in that way -- but to me, the lyrics are significant in and of themselves, as they tell the story of why Christ was born and how our tomorrows can be changed when we look in the face of God.

Here are the lyrics, and below, if I've done it right, is the actual song at Youtube.

Have a blessed holiday, my friends!

WHAT CHILD IS THIS?

WHAT CHILD IS THIS
WHO LAID TO REST
THAT I NOW FIND HERE SLEEPING?
DO ANGELS KEEP THE DREAMS WE SEEK
WHILE OUR HEARTS LIE BLEEDING?

COULD THIS BE CHRIST THE KING
WHOSE EVERY BREATH THE ANGELS BRING?
COULD THIS BE THE FACE OF GOD,
THIS CHILD, THE SON I ONCE CARRIED?

WHAT CHILD IS THIS
WHO IS SO BLESSED
HE CHANGES ALL TOMORROWS?
REPLACING TEARS WITH REBORN YEARS
IN HEARTS ONCE DARK AND HOLLOW

COULD THIS BE CHRIST THE KING
WHOSE EVERY BREATH THE ANGELS BRING?
COULD THIS BE THE FACE OF GOD,
THIS CHILD, THE SON I ONCE CARRIED?

IN THE DEAD OF THE NIGHT
AS HIS LIFE SLIPS AWAY
AS HE READS BY THE LIGHT
OF A STAR FARAWAY

HOLDING ON
HOLDING OFF
HOLDING OUT
HOLDING IN

COULD YOU BE THIS OLD
AND HAVE YOUR LIFE JUST BEGIN?

READING BY THE LIGHT OF A LOST CHRISTMAS DAY
IT BEGINS
READING BY THE LIGHT OF A LOST CHRISTMAS DAY

TELL ME HOW MANY TIMES CAN THIS STORY BE TOLD
AFTER ALL OF THESE YEARS IT SHOULD ALL SOUND SO OLD
BUT IT SOMEHOW RINGS TRUE IN THE BACK OF MY MIND
AS I SEARCH FOR A DREAM THAT WORDS CAN NO LONGER DEFINE

READING BY THE LIGHT OF A LOST CHRISTMAS DAY
AND THE TIME
READING BY THE LIGHT OF A LOST CHRISTMAS DAY

AND THE TIME AND THE YEARS
AND THE TEARS AND THE COST
AND THE HOPES AND THE DREAMS
OF EACH CHILD THAT IS LOST
AND THE WHISPER OF WINGS
IN THE COLD WINTER’S AIR
AS THE SNOW IT COMES DOWN
AND VISIONS APPEAR EVERYWHERE

READING BY THE LIGHT OF A LOST CHRISTMAS DAY
IN THE AIR
READING BY THE LIGHT OF A LOST CHRISTMAS DAY

IN THE DEAD OF THE NIGHT
AS HIS LIFE SLIPS AWAY
AS HE READS BY THE LIGHT
OF A STAR FARAWAY

HOLDING ON
HOLDING OFF
HOLDING OUT
HOLDING IN

COULD YOU BE THIS OLD
AND HAVE YOUR LIFE JUST BEGIN

READING BY THE LIGHT OF A LOST CHRISTMAS DAY
IT BEGINS
READING BY THE LIGHT OF A LOST CHRISTMAS DAY
IT BEGINS
READING BY THE LIGHT OF A LOST CHRISTMAS DAY
IT BEGINS
READING BY THE LIGHT OF A LOST CHRISTMAS DAY
IT BEGINS



linaewen: (In Good Hands)

As my Christmas greeting to my friends, I'd like to share the song I have been listening to over and over again this season, performed by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. This song is part of a longer narrated story about a man and his son, so the words have significance in that way -- but to me, the lyrics are significant in and of themselves, as they tell the story of why Christ was born and how our tomorrows can be changed when we look in the face of God.

The file can be found here, so you can listen to it, as well as read the words: What Child is This?

WHAT CHILD IS THIS?

WHAT CHILD IS THIS
WHO LAID TO REST
THAT I NOW FIND HERE SLEEPING?
DO ANGELS KEEP THE DREAMS WE SEEK
WHILE OUR HEARTS LIE BLEEDING?

COULD THIS BE CHRIST THE KING
WHOSE EVERY BREATH THE ANGELS BRING?
COULD THIS BE THE FACE OF GOD,
THIS CHILD, THE SON I ONCE CARRIED?

WHAT CHILD IS THIS
WHO IS SO BLESSED
HE CHANGES ALL TOMORROWS?
REPLACING TEARS WITH REBORN YEARS
IN HEARTS ONCE DARK AND HOLLOW

COULD THIS BE CHRIST THE KING
WHOSE EVERY BREATH THE ANGELS BRING?
COULD THIS BE THE FACE OF GOD,
THIS CHILD, THE SON I ONCE CARRIED?

IN THE DEAD OF THE NIGHT
AS HIS LIFE SLIPS AWAY
AS HE READS BY THE LIGHT
OF A STAR FARAWAY

HOLDING ON
HOLDING OFF
HOLDING OUT
HOLDING IN

COULD YOU BE THIS OLD
AND HAVE YOUR LIFE JUST BEGIN?

READING BY THE LIGHT OF A LOST CHRISTMAS DAY
IT BEGINS
READING BY THE LIGHT OF A LOST CHRISTMAS DAY

TELL ME HOW MANY TIMES CAN THIS STORY BE TOLD
AFTER ALL OF THESE YEARS IT SHOULD ALL SOUND SO OLD
BUT IT SOMEHOW RINGS TRUE IN THE BACK OF MY MIND
AS I SEARCH FOR A DREAM THAT WORDS CAN NO LONGER DEFINE

READING BY THE LIGHT OF A LOST CHRISTMAS DAY
AND THE TIME
READING BY THE LIGHT OF A LOST CHRISTMAS DAY

AND THE TIME AND THE YEARS
AND THE TEARS AND THE COST
AND THE HOPES AND THE DREAMS
OF EACH CHILD THAT IS LOST
AND THE WHISPER OF WINGS
IN THE COLD WINTER’S AIR
AS THE SNOW IT COMES DOWN
AND VISIONS APPEAR EVERYWHERE

READING BY THE LIGHT OF A LOST CHRISTMAS DAY
IN THE AIR
READING BY THE LIGHT OF A LOST CHRISTMAS DAY

IN THE DEAD OF THE NIGHT
AS HIS LIFE SLIPS AWAY
AS HE READS BY THE LIGHT
OF A STAR FARAWAY

HOLDING ON
HOLDING OFF
HOLDING OUT
HOLDING IN

COULD YOU BE THIS OLD
AND HAVE YOUR LIFE JUST BEGIN

READING BY THE LIGHT OF A LOST CHRISTMAS DAY
IT BEGINS
READING BY THE LIGHT OF A LOST CHRISTMAS DAY
IT BEGINS
READING BY THE LIGHT OF A LOST CHRISTMAS DAY
IT BEGINS
READING BY THE LIGHT OF A LOST CHRISTMAS DAY
IT BEGINS

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