The Blessed Dawn of Christmas Day

 Another one of my favorites from Harry Connick Jr.:



The blessed dawn of Christmas day
As honestly as children pray
The warmth that melts the eve away
The holiness of alpenglow

I rose to join the glorious morn
Whose calm and splendor would adorn
The virgin mother's infant born
The blessed dawn of Christmas day

The hearts of sinners reconciled
Amid the ancient morrow mild
Exalt the birth of Mary's child
The blessed dawn of Christmas day

I pray one day my heart will see
The light of God's eternity
And know that Jesus died for me
Now close, my eyes
So I may rise
At blessed dawn of Christmas day

Songwriters
CONNICK, HARRY JR

Published by
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing

Read more: Harry Connick, Jr. - The Blessed Dawn Of Christmas Day Lyrics | MetroLyrics

I Pray on Christmas

I pray on Christmas
That the Lord will see me through
I pray on Christmas
He'll show me what to do

I pray on Christmas
He'll help me understand
And I pray on Christmas
He'll take me by the hand

I pray on Christmas
That the sick will soon be strong
I pray on Christmas
The lord will hear my song

I pray on Christmas
That God will lead the way
And I pray on Christmas
He'll get me through another day

I pray on Christmas
I pray on Christmas
I pray on Christmas
He'll get me through another day

I pray on Christmas
All our problems gonna be worked out
I pray on Christmas
God'll show us what love's about

I pray on Christmas
To do your will each day
And I pray on Christmas
That I'll be with you in heaven some day

I pray on Christmas 

Oh, the sick will soon be strong
I pray on Christmas
The lord will hear my song

I pray on Christmas

That God will lead the way
And I pray I really pray on Christmas
He'll get me through another day
He'll get me through another day...

Songwriters
CONNICK, HARRY JR

Published by
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing

Read more: Harry Connick, Jr. - I Pray On Christmas Lyrics | MetroLyrics

Growth Pains

This Sunday in church, we sang a new hymn. Actually, it's not a new hymn, per se, just a new hymn for our congregation. Its words were written almost 250 years ago by John Newton (who also wrote Amazing Grace and many other hymns).

In an age where so many in the church seem to promise nothing but smiles and happiness for those who follow Jesus, our own experiences can quickly disavow us of such thinking. Sanctification is a struggle and the march to humble holiness is a long, hard, and (at times) painful one. For this reason, hymns like this one are necessary. I know it speaks to my experience. Perhaps it speaks to yours as well.

Straight No Chaser...The Twelve Days of Christmas

Here's another of the songs I try to share each Christmas. It's a different take on a familiar tune...and it's a whole lot of fun!

Frozen, Freedom and the Gospel

If you (like me) have a pre-teen daughter, you have perhaps seen the Disney movie Frozen. Almost certainly you have heard your daughter sing the movie's hit song, Let It Go (performed above by Idina Menzel).

Trevin Wax offered some great thoughts on the movie and the song in a post today at his Kingdom People blog. He points out:

Thousands of little girls across the country are singing this song – a manifesto of sorts, a call to cast off restraint, rebel against unrealistic expectations and instead be true to whatever you feel most deeply inside. What’s ironic is that the movie’s storyline goes against the message of this song. When the princess decides to “let it go,” she brings terrible evil into the world. The fallout from her actions is devastating. “No right, no wrong, no rules for me” is the sin that isolates the princess and freezes her kingdom.

He goes on...

 A popular idea in our culture is that there are only two ways to live:

1. Through authenticity, expressed in rebellion against cultural constraints
2. Through an ordered life, expressed in rule-keeping

Neither of these paths are the way to true fulfillment though.Wax concludes,

Christianity teaches explicitly what Frozen only hints at: salvation comes not through self-discovery or self-restraint, but through self-sacrifice.

All across the country, little girls are singing about self-discovery. Let’s make sure that after they see the film, they are given songs about self-sacrifice.

 Read the whole post here.

I Need Thee Every Hour...A Capella

I heard this yesterday really enjoyed it. All the parts are sung by one man, Sam Robson. His voice sounds really good with, well, his voice. Check out other a capella arrangements by Robson here.

I Think My Boyfriend's a Calvinst

This song by a young lady named Jacki McLeod is, in my opinion, absolutely fantastic.

He won't buy me roses

None of those daffodils

He just buys me TULIPS

To explain the way he feels

He said, "I treasure the Pslams, 
On my heart they are engraved.

But there's room for your name too, 
In a special spot I've saved."

"Can I ask you on a date...
Even though you're totally depraved?"

I think my boyfriend's a Calvinist;

He's always reading an NKJV

I think my boyfriend's a Calvinist;

Quoting Romans 8:28-30.

I think my boyfriend's a Calvinist;

But ultimately, 
It doesn't matter -

I didn't choose him, he chose me.

He said, "All I'm looking for is a godly woman,

I don't care if she's not pretty."

And considering your complexion,

It's a good thing I believe 
In unconditional election."

He said, "perseverance of the Saints is well illustrated 
By the way I put up with you constant complaining."

I said, "You're an epistemological, presuppositional, and post-millennial Covenantal Calvinist, also a theonomist, superlapsarian, and Reformed Presbyterian, but never an Arminian..." 
Don't say I am complicated!

He said, "Babe I'm sorry, 
I'll tell you something true."

"You're so unblemished, 
I could sacrifice you."

I think my boyfriend's a Calvinist;

He's got a tattoo that says "I heart RC Sproul"

I think my boyfriend's a Calvinist;

He made me burn my NIV Bible

I think my boyfriend's a Calvinist;

But ultimately, 
It doesn't matter -

I didn't choose him, he chose me. 

He said, "I wish I was the Holy Spirit 

So I could be inside your heart."

He said, "God told us to multiply, 
So baby, let's start!"

One day he said, "I love you Grace". 

I said, "My name is Jacki, you fool."

He said, "Are you sure your name isn't Grace?
Because you're irresistible."  

And that's what I knew, that...

My boyfriend's a Calvinist;

Il parles français comme Jean Calvin.

I know my boyfriend's a Calvinist;

Born in August like St Augustine.

I know my boyfriend's a Calvinist;

But ultimately, 
It doesn't matter -

I didn't choose him, he chose me. 

(HT: Jason Helpoulos)

You'll Find Your Way

Being the father of a young man who is growing up so very quickly, this beautiful song is just as quickly becoming one of my favorites from Andrew Peterson...

Who is this Jesus?

Who is this Jesus whose birth we celebrate? He is the King! But he is no ordinary king.

I've shared this video of So Long Moses before. It's from Andrew Peterson's Behold the Lamb of God, and I think it does an amazing job of capturing how we are often looking for the wrong things in Christ. May it serve as a corrective to my heart and yours this Christmas, as we celebrate the birth of our King!

Friday Fun...Tim Hawkins and Christmas Songs

I've shared this one before, but it's a pretty good one for the Christmas season, especially after today's post in the Carols of Christmas series...

Indelible Grace VI: Joy Beyond The Sorrow

I recently received the newest offering from the folks at Indelible Grace. It is entitled Indelible Grace VI: Joy Beyond The Sorrow and is exactly what fans of IG have come to expect: Rich theological content from hymnists such as John Newton, William Cowper, Horatius Bonar and Martin Luther set to newer tunes. Click here to read a review of the album from talented musician and fellow-pastor, Zac Hicks.

One of the things I have always appreciated about Indelible Grace is their recognition that the Christian life is not all "ups," but also inevitably includes many "downs." As the title suggests, this album deals largely with the fact that our hope for the former is largely what sustains us through the latter. 

The title Joy Beyond The Sorrow actually comes from the lyrics of one of Bonar's hymns on the album, Until the Day Break. Its lyrics are among my favorite on the album and they do a good job of capturing the spirit of the album as a whole.

Until The Day Break by Horatius Bonar

For the vision of the Bridegroom
Waits the well-beloved Bride,
Severed only for a season
From her Well-beloved's side.

For the hour when morn ascendeth,
And the shadows disappear,
For the signs of heavenly glory,
She is waiting, waiting here!

Morn of morns, it comes at last,
All the gloom of ages past.
For the day of days the brightest
She is waiting, waiting here!

For the coming of the Bridegroom,
Whom, though yet unseen, we love;
For the King of saints, returning
In His glory from above;

For the shout that shakes the prison,
For the trumpet loud and clear,
 For the voice of the archangel,
She is waiting, waiting here!

Morn of morns, it comes at last,
All the gloom of ages past.
For the day of days the brightest
She is waiting, waiting here!

For the light beyond the darkness,
When the reign of sin is done,
When the storm has ceased its raging,
And the haven has been won;

For the joy beyond the sorrow,
Joy of the eternal year,
For the resurrection splendor,
She is waiting, waiting here!

Morn of morns, it comes at last,
All the gloom of ages past.
For the day of days the brightest
She is waiting, waiting here!

Click here for more information or to purchase the album.

Carols of Christmas...Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus

Here's a little different take on the traditional Advent hymn, Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus from Sandra McCracken and Derek Webb.



Click here to see other posts in the Carols of Christmas series.

Carols of Christmas...Labor of Love

Jill Phillips singing Labor of Love from Andrew Peterson's Behold the Lamb of God.



Click here to see other posts in the Carols of Christmas series.

Is That Song Theologically Incorrect or Just Theologically Incomplete?

I saw a great post on worship today from Zac Hicks calling on us to distinguish between those songs that are theologically incorrect, and those which are theologically incomplete. As Zac points out, "Sometimes in our zeal for truth, we blur that line and dismiss songs with a prophetic kibosh, branding them with the scarlet letter of "bad theology" when the truth is that they are not wrong, just incomplete."

Far too often this is more a reflection of our biases than our gospel fidelity. Zac argues that by differentiating between theologically incorrect and the theologically incomplete, we can guard ourselves from this, understanding that whatever songs we sing in worship, we need to use them in their proper doxological context.

He goes on to elaborate on the benefits of making this distinction:

The incomplete-wrong distinction opens up new possibilities for engaging songs that seemed to be ruled out before.  It becomes more about weight and balance within a whole service (or within a whole series of services).  This distinction also allows us to assume a more humble posture with our brothers and sisters from traditions which differ from ours (and God knows we could use more humility!) without compromising on what we feel is solid, biblical truth.  It seizes on 1 Corinthians 13's encouragement that, within the body of Christ, "love hopes all things."  So before you dismiss a song outright because you believe it's "wrong" (which it still might be), stop and ask yourself if this song wouldn't be more "right" when given its full doxological context. 

Click here to read the whole post, and if you are involved in the planning of worship services, I strongly recommend that you to regularly visit Zac's blog.

New Album from the Gettys

Of all the people writing new hymns for the church, Keith & Kristyn Getty are among my favorites. Their new album, Hymns for the Christian Life is available today.




(HT: David Crabb)

Friday Fun...The Human Jukebox

(HT: Vitamin Z)

Friday Fun...Call Me Maybe

From the faculty and staff at Grand Blanc East Middle school where my son is a 7th grader...

Stephen Curtis Chapman Christmas Album

When I was in college, my roommate and I went with my girlfriend (now my wife of 17 years) and her roommate to see Stephen Curtis Chapman in concert. We traveled from the University of Missouri in Columbia to the State Fairgrounds in Sedalia by means of a Buick Regal that was almost as old as we were.

It was truly an adventure as we blew out a tire, almost blew the engine, and had a great night listening to and singing along with a man who to this day is one of my favorite Christian musicians.
 
I saw today that on October 16th Chapman is going to release a new Christmas album entitled Joy. It will include seven Christmas classics as well as six new songs that he wrote for the album. Click here for more information about the album, and for information about the 12 Gifts of Christmas Tour, you can click here.

How the Doxology Shapes Us

Far too often I talk to people who base the quality of a church's worship solely upon the type of music they sing on a Sunday morning. There are those who argue that the music and atmosphere of church should be similar to that of a rock concert, while still others can't even imagine calling it "worship" if it doesn't include a pipe organ.

In a world that is full of voices saying all kinds of things about what worship is (and isn't) or should (and should not) be, Zac Hicks is one of my favorites. The subtitle of his blog is "Seeking cultural relevance, biblical depth, historical engagement, & theological reflection in worship," and he somehow actually finds a way to bring these diverse yet admirable goals together!

Zac will certainly never be accused of being a member of the "organ only" club, but he still maintains a high view of the history of worship and the value of traditional liturgy. Today's blog entry was no exception as he extols the benefits of singing the ancient words of the Doxology as part of our worship. I love the way he begins:

One drop of water on a rock has little effect, but a steady dripping will eventually wear a hole into a seemingly impenetrable stone.Singing the Doxology every week is like getting a steady drip of life-giving Trinitarian water over hardened hearts.

So true. So profound. Click here to read the whole post, and gain a sense of how singing the Doxology can shape not only our worship, but our very selves.

Friday Fun...Now That's Doing It His Way

I don't know what exactly to make of this, but when I saw it, it sure put a smile on my face!



(HT: Vitamin Z)