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!
Once again this December, Andrew Peterson (along with Ben Shive, Andy Gullahorn, Jill Phillips, Andrew Osenga, Jason Gray, Gabe Scott, Todd Bragg, Paul Eckberg, Claire Indie, and Cason Cooley) will be hitting the road for the Behold the Lamb of God tour.
I've never seen the show, but the album Behold the Lamb of God is a favorite of mine year 'round, not just at Christmas! If you can make it to any of the following shows, I highly recommend it. Click here and here to access some previous posts that include music from the show.
A couple weeks ago, I blogged about Andrew Peterson's Behold the Lamb of God. Today I want to share one of my favorite songs from the album, entitled So Long, Moses. It deals with the longings and desires of Israel over the course of centuries leading up to the coming of Christ, and the fact that the perceived foolishness of God is far better than the wisdom of men.
What I love so much about this song is the fact that it does such a good job at capturing my heart. God has a perfect plan, but I consistently and stubbornly think that my plan is better. I want what I want. I should want what God wants...it is better by far!
Not only is it a great song with a great message, but the video below is quite skillfully made. Please check it out. It's worth your time.
Since 2000, each December Andrew Peterson and friends have toured the country, playing songs from his album, Behold the Lamb of God. As Peterson puts it, the album tells the TRUE tall tale of the coming of Christ. To give you a little bit of a feel for the album, here are two of the songs from it, performed live at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium in 2004. The first, Matthew's Begats, is a fun diddy about the genealogy of Christ. The second one, Labor of Love, is a more subdued, realistic look at what it might have been like for Mary and Joseph on the night that Christ was born.
If you would like to hear the music from the whole album as well as see the lyrics, click here and then click on "OPEN PLAYER." I hope this will motivate you to go check them out this December at one of their tour stops listed below. If you (sadly, like me) can't make it to any of the performances, then buy the 10th Anniversary 2-disc set which includes both the original recordings as well as live performances. It is one of my favorite albums, Christmas music or otherwise, and I couldn't agree more with the Dallas Morning News which wrote the following about the original album:
If you buy only one Christmas CD this year let it be this one. No doubt, Mr. Peterson is one of the finest singer/songwriters in Christian music. On “Behold” he is joined by some of the other best of the best, including Fernando Ortega, Derek Webb, Jill Phillips and Sandra McCracken. The result is an organic album that relies on strength of writing faithful to Scripture, expert musicianship on everything from piano to hammered dulcimer and vocals that are pure and honest. What you will hear is a new classic in the making.
I first became aware of Andrew Peterson when Kevin DeYoung posted a couple of entries regarding Behold the Lamb of God, a concert that Peterson does during the Advent season telling the Christmas story. I purchased the album and have thoroughly enjoyed it both musically and thematically, especially appreciating the emphasis that Peterson places on the Old Testament, the fact that the whole Bible is telling one big story, and that this story is that of Christ Jesus.
I've since become familiar with more of Peterson's music, all of which I've really enjoyed. He has a new album, Counting Stars, which will be released on July 27. I look forward to getting it and commend Peterson's music to you. Below is a the official video for one of the album's songs, Dancing In the Minefields. It's a beautiful song about the highs and lows of marriage with the reminder that marriage "is harder than we dreamed, but I believe that's what the promise is for."
I first became aware of Andrew Peterson when Kevin DeYoung posted a couple of entries regarding Behold the Lamb of God, a concert that Peterson does during the Advent season telling the Christmas story. I purchased the album and have thoroughly enjoyed it both musically and thematically, especially appreciating the emphasis that Peterson places on the Old Testament, the fact that the whole Bible is telling one big story, and that this story is that of Christ Jesus.
, which will be released on July 27. I look forward to getting it and commend Peterson's music to you. Below is a the official video for one of the album's songs, Dancing In the Minefields. It's a beautiful song about the highs and lows of marriage with the reminder that marriage "is harder than we dreamed, but I believe that's what the promise is for."
