Music for the Season

Christmas time is filled with products to delight the senses, elements that evoke the "Christmas spirit." The tongue is warmed by hot cocoa and soft gingerbread men, the eyes catch glimpses of bright reds and greens and the lights that glitter in every home, the nose is tickled by the crisp scents of pine needles and cinnamon candles, we love the feeling of snowflakes on our face and the soft new dress for a Christmas party. But the sense the is most evocative of emotion, memory, and mood is probably the ears.

Take away for one minute the carols, the silver and jingle bells, the laughter and squeals of excitement from the children. Close your ears for a second. Doesn't that change everything?

It is one of the few times of year that Christians have an upper hand in the world. Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Christ, and while mingled with songs of snowmen and reindeer, so many beautiful hymns are played, that tell of the birth as well as the life and purpose of Christ. Three Kings of Orient bearing gifts for a king, priest, and death; a little town in Bethlehem, with shepherds and angels; promises of Emmanuel; holy nights, glorias to God, even a sweet little drummer boy has a gift for the Christ-child. These songs are the timeless ones, they live on in a degenerate and dying world, and even the most secular of artists recognize their timelessness.

Musicians can be quirky, obsessive, and more than a little passionate. Christian should triple the passion and be even more obsessive about music, because it captures the attention, arresting the mind and forcing it to dwell on a picture. That picture is an opportunity to tell the Gospel. It is out there right now, take the "Christmas spirit" and run with it. Sing along the to "What Child is This?" in WalMart. Say Merry Christmas, and smile about it. Talk to people in those long lines about all the wonderful Christmas plans and blessings you have. This is our holiday, so lets claim it. It is our responsibility to spread the Gospel, and Christmas is an open door. We just need to step through it.

Here are a couple videos that may inspire you musically.

Silent Night ~Lindsey Stirling

Carol of the Bells

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