Merry Christmas

I am a calendar celebrator when it comes to holidays.  I don't think it's because I am a little "Type A", but more so that I love to cherish each holiday to the fullest.  For example, I refuse to step foot in any Halloween aisle when the kids are still on summer break.  I don't break out my Scentsy fall scents if the calendar reads any date earlier than September 22nd, or 23rd.  Pumpkin pie, apple cider, and turkey aren't melded with the flavors of campfire hot dogs and s'mores. 

Thanksgiving oftentimes gets overlooked because consumer Christmas radiates through the speakers of department stores and the "Garden Center" morphs into a Christmas "paradise" while we are purchasing our back-to-school items.  Blow-up snowmen, life-sized snow globes, beer drinking Santa Clauses, Elves singing "Grandma Got Ran Over by a Reindeer" and more can be found.  Which brings me to my next point.  

This year, I broke out of my shell because I kind of had to.  My husband and I joined our church choir in October and at that point in time we were understandably working on Christmas pieces.  Tomorrow evening is our Christmas concert and tea.  Months of preparation before December 1st rolls around.  I'll admit that up until a couple of weeks ago, I was just singing the words.  I was working on notes, trying to perfect the harmonies, circling crescendos, tempo changes, and trying to remember what p, f, pf, fp, etc. stood for. 

After getting more comfortable with the music, I couldn't help but hear the words.

There are two songs in our set that I have a hard time singing without getting choked up.  "The Little Drummer Boy" is one of them.  How many hundreds (?) of times have we sang this song?  Have we taken in the words, or are we just singing it because it is fun, easy, and we know it by memory?

The drummer boy was called to see the newborn King.  He wanted to honor Him, but had nothing to bring because he was poor.  So, he asked Mary if he could play for them.  She nodded.  He played his BEST for Him and He smiled at him.  All we need to do is humble ourselves before God and give Him our best.  He loves us unconditionally, no matter what we have to offer.

The next song is called "He Came Down."  It is written by Geron Davis, the same guy who wrote "Holy Ground."  I'm not a huge fan of how the chorus is set up, but our soloist has so much passion in her voice when she sings the verses and that's what gets me every time.  I searched for a video of this song, but came across some funky disco song and a Bill Gaither song.  Anyway, it talks about how He could have done so many things for Himself and not for us.
Here are some examples...
He could have called a thousand angels to surround Himself with praise.
He could have chosen not to leave His throne on high.
He could have pointed to His miracles as evidence of Grace.
He could have come in robes of splendor, instead of swaddling clothes.
He could have said how much He loves us with just words.
He could have offered up a sacrifice that's less than what He chose, and gave us only what our sin deserved.
Instead, He came down so we could have eternal life!

Remember the reason for the season!

I am obviously finishing this post after our concert and after Christmas.  Our concert went well.  I actually got choked up a couple of times during the songs.  I hope you had a very Merry Christmas and were able to capture many beloved memories with friends and family.  I am on an Internet hiatus, so I'll be back to posting on Monday.