Notes of Noel - Let There be Peace

 

Season of Advent - Peace Each week of the season of Advent which leads up to Christmas carries a deep meaning, the final one before Christmas Day is peace. Peace on earth is a line that we so often hear at Christmas, we desire it all of the time but never see it fully realised. (here and now) In the not yet however, in the wonderful reign of Jesus true peace will come, the desire of nations to live together will happen. It's not only about peace on earth, it's also about us as people being at peace within ourselves and peace with others. Jesus came as the great bringer of peace, may we seek to bring peace to situations around us. This is really the key theme of our song this week, as comments on the video say 'this isn't just a Christmas song but one for everyday of the year'.  The fourth song in the Notes of Noel is called (Glory) Let There Be Peace and it's written and performed by Matt Maher, who is a talented songwriter (9 time Grammy nominated) who also produces wonderful visuals alongside his music.  let's read the lyrics.  One star burns in the darkness Shines with the promise, Emmanuel One child born in the stillness Living within us, Emmanuel We're singing glory, glory Let there be peace, let there be peace We're singing glory, glory Let there be peace, let it start in me One voice speaks for the voiceless Hope for the hopeless, Emmanuel One love brings us together Now and forever, Emmanuel We're singing glory, glory Let there be peace, let there be peace We're singing glory, glory Let there be peace, let it start in me Do not be afraid, His love is strong Enough to save us Nothing stands in the way His love is strong enough to lead us Do not be afraid, His love is strong Enough to save us Nothing stands in the way His love is strong enough to lead us (oh, lead us) We're singing glory, (oh, we sing glory) glory Let there be peace (let there be peace), let it start in me Have a listen and watch (Glory) Let there be Peace Let's look at the lyrics:

One star burns in the darkness Shines with the promise, Emmanuel One child born in the stillness Living within us, Emmanuel The star is a symbol that we often think of when our minds turn to Christmas, just last evening our Rose was a star in a little nativity play. The star was prophesied to be part of the scene hundreds of years before the birth of Christ. In Numbers 24:17a it says a 'I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel' One star that arises, shines and lights the way to the promise of the Messiah. This leads on to another prophecy recorded in Isaiah that says he would be called Emmanuel, God with us.  You and I have a name and maybe you have a nickname too but probably not more than one. We have to go by something which is why often the first question asked about a new born is what's the name? The Son of God has so many names mentioned in the Bible. Jesus is the one that springs to mind first as the Angel Gabriel instructed Joseph to name him such, meaning Saviour. The Old Testament uses this beautiful name of Emmanuel, meaning God with us which is exactly who Jesus was, the image of the invisible God as it says in the book of Colossians.  One voice speaks for the voiceless Hope for the hopeless, Emmanuel One love brings us together Now and forever, Emmanuel I really love the words to this verse. He is a voice to those who are voiceless and hope to those who are hopeless. The suffix less means without, someone has less of something than desired or is needed. There are so many who have no voice, they can't be heard among the noise of all that is around them. I love being a champion for Home for Good (Christian charity that aims to provide a home for good for all children in care) because it's a way to raise the profile of children in care who almost always have no voice in their situation. This is a reason why adoption and fostering is so powerful, it gives children both a voice and hope where they had less.  We're singing glory, glory Let there be peace, let there be peace We're singing glory, glory Let there be peace, let it start in me   We join with the angels in singing glory. Glory to God in the highest is what the Bible records as lyrics to the song the angels sang that special night. Have you ever thought what that song would have sounded like? A whole chorus of angels in the sky above the pasture where the shepherds were, we mustn't lose the reality and power of that moment. I expect it's something that you had to be there to get it, we can't know what a majestic sound that would have been. The angelic chorus raising their voice to declare glory to God as the Son of God was being ushered into this earth. Talk about a Christmas carol!  When we think of peace it's usually of wars ceasing and persecution coming to an end. Right now with the invasion of Ukraine, the civil wars in Yemen, Syria, Myanmar, Ethiopia and many other African countries there is so much dis-peace around our globe. This song challenges us though in a different way. It's saying let the peace start in me, let you and me be in peace and live out peace to all those around us. If everyone were to be at peace with themselves and with the Lord, then living out peace with those around us wouldn't be so difficult. Seeing peace on earth come wouldn't be a pipe-dream but rather a reality. We know that when the second advent of Christ comes a true peace will be experienced, but until that time we can desire for peace to start within us.    Do not be afraid, His love is strong Enough to save us Nothing stands in the way His love is strong enough to lead us Do not be afraid, His love is strong Enough to save us The phrase that the Angel Gabriel began his conversations with Zechariah, Mary and Joseph was 'Do not be afraid'. This indicates that they would have likely been afraid, the angel must have been an imposing figure. We need not be afraid of the Lord or his messengers and the Holy Spirit. Why? Our song today gives a few answers.  His love is strong, we see this with the advent of the child, the ultimate gift to earth and sacrifice for men of earth. Nothing stands in the way of the Lord's will happening, even when there is trouble all around and a seeming lack of peace, the Lord is there. Blessing people, bringing healing, crafting the miraculous and providing a way in the darkness for those who are lost. Nothing stands in His way! Nothing stands in the way His love is strong enough to lead us (oh, lead us) Recently in our church, LifeSpring Community Church we have been praying for healing and it's been an awesome thing to be able to report back that a young man who had to go through two brain surgeries is home recovering. Another man was given a 99.9% that a growth was cancer, he came into the 0.01% category as the growth was not cancerous and he is beginning to heal, another person had been given a terrible diagnosis and he has since gone through chemo, had a tumour removed and is recovering. Nothing stands in the way, so we should not be afraid because his love is strong and enough to save.  As mentioned above in our song, let their be peace and may it start in me. This Christmas I pray that you will experience peace from Jesus like never before, an understanding of the love of God for you which brings a level of peace to your mind, heart and body. Maybe this peace will be felt in having better health, a renewed mind or simply being able to handle all that life throws your way this Christmas season.  To enjoy the whole album, it's diverse musically with so many well known carols and Christmas songs done in original style with lovely piano vibes. Simply click this link and you'll find each song from The Advent of Christmas. Matt Maher, The Advent of Christmas

Notes of Noel - Joy to the World

 

Season of Advent - Joy Each week of the season of Advent which leads up to Christmas carries a deep meaning, the third one is joy. Joy is a strong emotion we celebrate at a birth, you only have to think of the number of birthday parties you've attended, all celebrating the joy of a person's birth. In the Bible it says that the joy of the Lord is our strength, and we should be living our lives with joyful hearts. No wonder one of the keywords of the advent season, the time of waiting for the appearance of Jesus is joy, there must have been so much of that around the stable some 2,000 years ago. Let's get to our song, it wasn't even written as a Christmas song, yet it's hailed as the most popular carol.  The third song in the Notes of Noel was originally a poem by Isaac Watts (When I Survey)  paraphrasing Psalm 98:4-9. Lowell Mason was a key church musician in America and he took some of the original words from a poem he found by Watts, pieced them together with music from Handel (The Messiah) and essentially created Joy to the World as we know it. It was released in 1848 during the Christmas season and quickly became known as a Christmas song even though it was written about the second coming or second advent of Jesus. This is why it doesn't describe the nativity, Mary, Joseph, angels, wise men or what we think of as Christmas imagery.  This version is by For King and Country who are both concerned about the music and the look of their videos, this one is beautiful and peaceful to watch, but before we listen and watch the song,  let's read the lyrics.  Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King; let ev’ry heart prepare him room and heav’n and nature sing, and heav’n and nature sing, and heav’n, and heav’n and nature sing. Joy to the earth, the Saviour reigns! Let men their songs employ, while fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains, repeat the sounding joy, repeat the sounding joy, repeat, repeat the sounding joy. No more let sins and sorrows grow nor thorns infest the ground; he comes to make his blessings flow far as the curse is found, far as the curse is found, far as, far as the curse is found. He rules the world with truth and grace and makes the nations prove the glories of his righteousness and wonders of his love, and wonders of his love, and wonders, wonders of his love. Have a listen and watch Joy to the World Let's look at the lyrics:

As mentioned above this song is a collection of words taken from Psalm 98:4-9 and describe the amazing second coming of Jesus to the world he reigns over. It's obvious the big idea is singing joy because Jesus has has come, no wonder this song is so much fun to sing. Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King; let ev’ry heart prepare him room and heav’n and nature sing, and heav’n and nature sing, and heav’n, and heav’n and nature sing. The song, just like the Bible passage reminds us that the whole of creation joins in the song of joy. All of heaven and nature sing. The Bible says that the stars, sun, moon, rocks, trees, mountains, waters,  and sky all praise the Lord, they all join in the song. This song reminds us that not only people of the earth but all of God's creation yearns to receive the king and prepare space for Him when He comes.  Joy to the earth, the Saviour reigns! Let men their songs employ, while fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains, repeat the sounding joy, repeat the sounding joy, repeat, repeat the sounding joy. Verse two is essentially verse one with different words. Rather than world it's earth, instead of Lord it's Saviour. The men of the earth are to sing, not just the earth, but don't forget that the fields, floods, rocks, hills and plains will carry on singing. After they've sung, they'll repeat that again too.  Joy to the World really is about the world, and how the coming of Jesus will transform the world. There was joy in Bethlehem at the birth, there's joy every time that someone comes to Christ now and there will be unending joy when Christ reigns and rules forevermore in a perfected world.    No more let sins and sorrows grow nor thorns infest the ground; he comes to make his blessings flow far as the curse is found, far as the curse is found, far as, far as the curse is found. The third verse is not always sung, and to be honest it doesn't work as Christmas lyrics either. When Jesus came thorns infested the ground, and they still do. Sorrows definitely still grow, we only need to look at the scars that we as humans and the earth carry, There is imperfection and trouble all around us. You only have to turn on the news (if you dare) to see that trouble is all around, and that imperfection is the order of the day. The curse that this stanza is referring is found in Genesis 3:16-18 where man and woman are cursed because of eating the forbidden fruit. Working the ground will be toil, child birth will be painful and thorns will infest the ground.  Jesus coming again will bring blessing, how far? As far as the above curse is found which is to all men, woman across the whole of the earth. The coming of Jesus will erase the curse and bring perfection to an imperfect world. It's not hard to see why we so triumphantly sing Joy to the World when we hear those familiar downward scaled notes.  He rules the world with truth and grace and makes the nations prove the glories of his righteousness and wonders of his love, and wonders of his love, and wonders, wonders of his love.  When Christ comes again he will rule with truth and grace, right now Christ rules with truth and grace. His truth and grace show the glory of his righteousness, these are massive theological ideas all packed into one verse of one song. Truth, grace, righteousness and love, words brimming with importance and meaning, all of which Jesus embodies. We don't need to wonder about his love for us, it's unconditional and unending. We can however wonder and let our minds wander about the expanse of his love for everyone, the grace he pours upon all people and of course we can only but wonder about how this can happen for all of eternity!  Maybe this Christmas you are struggling, and it's hard to find joy. I get that, as I pen these words finding joy seems like walking uphill in waist deep snow. It's hard, it's possible but it takes so much effort. Maybe you're dancing in the aisles this Christmas season as all has fallen into place, and finding joy is quite simple. Or maybe you're going about your everyday tasks like work, ferrying the kids to and fro, doing the shopping, laundry and cooking. It's just normal and finding joy comes in spurts throughout the regular day.  No matter who you are or how you find yourself may you be able to sing with full gusto 'Joy to the World' and may you find joy within your life because...

To enjoy the whole album, it's a wonderful journey both musically and cinematically simply click on this link and you'll find each song from A Drummer Boy Christmas.

For King and Country, Drummer Boy Christmas Album

A Path Through Chapter 7 - Refuge and a Judge

 

There's a path, let's follow it It has been great to begin down the path of the Psalms, there is so much to open up through these songs of old. Today it's chapter four which is a prayer and request to God from David.    We'll break down this chapter, have some songs together, and hear from our guest speaker. This week our guest is a friend of mine who attended Kings Bible College when we did in 2006/2007. It's  Paul Meathrel who is the leader of Chipping Norton Communtiy Church in Oxfordshire. He'll be looking at chapter 7 for us, so lets... get on the path

Psalm 7  A shiggaion of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning Cush, a Benjamite.     Lord my God, I take refuge in you; save and deliver me from all who pursue me, 2 or they will tear me apart like a lion and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me. 3 Lord my God, if I have done this and there is guilt on my hands 4 if I have repaid my ally with evil or without cause have robbed my foe 5 then let my enemy pursue and overtake me; let him trample my life to the ground and make me sleep in the dust. 6 Arise, Lord, in your anger; rise up against the rage of my enemies.     Awake, my God; decree justice. 7 Let the assembled peoples gather around you, while you sit enthroned over them on high.  8     Let the Lord judge the peoples. Vindicate me, Lord, according to my righteousness, according to my integrity, O Most High. 9 Bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure you, the righteous God who probes minds and hearts. 10 My shield is God Most High, who saves the upright in heart. 11 God is a righteous judge, a God who displays his wrath every day. 12 If he does not relent, he will sharpen his sword; he will bend and string his bow. 13 He has prepared his deadly weapons; he makes ready his flaming arrows.  14 Whoever is pregnant with evil conceives trouble and gives birth to disillusionment. 15 Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out falls into the pit they have made. 16 The trouble they cause recoils on them; their violence comes down on their own heads. 17 I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness;     I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High.

Refuge and rescue.  These are two words that David sings throughout his songs. He knows God is his only refuge and that He is the only one who can rescue. Let's step on the path today by singing and declaring that 'You Alone can Rescue' by Matt Redman.

David knew where he could hide. Though he looked for the most hidden cave, and a well-camouflaged space he knew where the refuge was found. Whether it was hiding from pursuers or even a wild animal he found his refuge and safety in God. In our chapter today we again find David being pursued, if not physically through hurtful words. It is unclear the exact setting of the meditation that David sang. There is little known about Cush other than he was a Benjamite. It's likely that Cush was a partisan or friend of Saul, possibly even a name for Saul, who was going after David. Maybe he was a henchman out on the hunt, or he may have been another person who was spreading rumour and hateful words towards David. Either way David looked to God as his refuge and rescue. He did this through singing a shiggaion to the Lord. It's hard to know the full meaning of the word, the easiest way to understand it is a song of trouble and comfort. It's the only place in the Psalms where David or an author wrote a shiggaion. That leads me to believe that it was different from other songs, maybe one more meditative or deeper emotionally. Let's have our hearts open as we look further at this shiggaion.

If. If I have done this, if I have repaid my ally. We see in these words from verse three that David isn't claiming to be perfect, he is leaving space that he could part of the problem with his enemies. It sounds to me like you and I are much like David. We too aren't perfect. It's the wrestling with our imperfection and the realising that we've made mistakes which is important. Romans 6:23 says all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, not some or the elite haven't, all. Sure we may not have repaid our ally with evil or robbed our enemy, but we have certainly done people wrong, had poor attitudes toward another and any number of other vices. Throughout the Bible we say characters who are less than perfect in many ways, no matter who they are, they are still loved, cherished and can used by God.  'If', we are all 'if', and we are all loved, cherished and can used by God. to do amazing things, who knows maybe one of you will write a modern-day shaggaion soon.

Let's listen to our Psalm, number 7 being sung. This recording has just been done during this latest lockdown and came out earlier this week. It's Psalm 7 by Will Gray and Ruth Mukonoweshuro.

Arise and Awake, we see these terms in verse 6. These are commands you give to someone who is sleeping or dozing off. Maybe we need to have their attention or something has happened where it's time to get up. Now and then if I'm not already up I'm awoken in the morning to Rebecca's voice calling me downstairs to help with the girls or even worse to the sound of yelling between the girls. It's not fun to wake up like that from sound sleep, but as you do I quickly jump into action. I've been asleep and not able to respond. Sometimes I need to be awoken and arise.  Is David confused? Surely he musn't expect that the Lord is asleep and not responding to his request for help? Does God sleep, does He turn off his response to our voice? I can see where David is coming from. It does feel as though at times God doesn't hear our prayer and cry. It can seem as though we are praying into an ether or our words are hollow and not heard. It could be at that time or period of time we feel a lack of connection with the Lord. Maybe He is silent, or maybe it feels like he doesn't hear or is silent. It's interesting to note that David himself refutes his own statement here in chapter 7 later in the Psalms. In chapter 121 of Psalms he says that God neither slumbers or sleeps. I think here in this verse it's more of a desperate cry for response. Not that He thinks God has shut down for a period of time but rather that He is looking for response. We have to remember that sometimes God's response though is silence, it is to wait, maybe to ask again and wait for the next response.

The next set of verses speaks of God as the judge, actually a righteous judge. That's what a judge needs to be, righteous. If a judge doesn't see the situation wholly and bring perspective from a right perspective are they really judging or giving their opinion based on what they think is best. We see here that David is imploring God to be the judge to the evildoers and the wicked. Once again though David doesn't let himself off the hook as he asked to be judged or vindicated too. He realises that he is likely part of the problem and that God is the solution. Ultimately he wants and end to the violence and wickedness surrounding him. I think that we can find solidarity in David's words. Don't you want an end to the violence around, to the wickedness that pervades seemingly each nook and cranny of our society. Thankfully we aren't the judges, that God is all righteous and the one who probes minds and hearts.  It's interesting to note that David isn't praying here for special favourtism as we mentioned he asked the Lord to judge him too. He is looking for the righteous one to make everything right again.

Our guest speaker today, Paul Meathrel brings to us his thoughts on our chapter.

I want to take us to verse 12, it's probably not one that you've dwelled on at great length before but there is something important about it. It's talking about how God will sharpen his sword, bend the bow, prepare the weapon and make a flaming arrow. What it doesn't say is that he is using them, rather preparing them. Could that be because the evildoer, the one who is being judged is given more time, by God's mercy and only by God's mercy is where repentance is offered. Yes the sword is sharpened and the bow's ready but it's not in use, yet. God leaves space to relent and for the sinner to repent.  What we see in these images is a God who is ready to judge. This is one of the main take-aways from our chapter that God hates sin, he deals with sin and gives space to the sinner to repent. What a righteous judge He is!

We'll step off the path today by reflecting on of the big ideas from today, that God is our protector. His protection comes out in this Psalm and in so many others. Here is the classic hymn 'A Mighty Fortress if our God' done accapella by Veritas.

This Psalm is another one that is perfect to take, pray and make your own. Especially the verses 7-12 which talk about the judgment of God upon the wickedness around us. There is much that we can make personal throughout this Psalm, why not take some time to pray it as your own song.

Notes of Noel - Breath of Heaven

 

Season of Advent - Love  Each week of the season of Advent which leads up to Christmas carries a deep meaning, the second one is love. Love is mentioned over and over throughout the Bible, from the first page to the last, and every page in between. That's because the Bible is one, long love letter from God to us, with Jesus, his birth and coming again the chief way of showing God's love. We all need love, desire it from those around us, and want to show it to those around us. What's interesting about our song choice is that it's not a love song or one that even has the word love within the lyrics, yet we'll find love as the theme of the song. The second song in the Notes of Noel is probably considered a Christmas classic by now. Our song is Breath of Heaven written by Chris Eaton who played in Amy Grant's backing band and when she heard it she felt it was right as a Christmas song. Amy made the lyrics more personal and coming from the virgin Mary's perspective of how what she might have felt carrying the Son of God in her womb. It was released on the Home for Christmas album from 1992. Before we listen and watch the song,  let's read the lyrics.  I have traveled many moonless nights Cold and weary with a babe inside And I wonder what I've done Holy father you have come And chosen me now to carry your son I am waiting in a silent prayer I am frightened by the load I bear In a world as cold as stone Must I walk this path alone? Be with me now, be with me now Breath of heaven hold me together Be forever near me Breath of heaven Breath of heaven lighten my darkness Pour over me your holiness For you are holy Breath of heaven Do you wonder as you watch my face If a wiser one should have had my place But I offer all I am For the mercy of your plan Help me be strong Help me be, help me Breath of heaven hold me together Be forever near me Breath of heaven Breath of heaven lighten my darkness Pour over me your holiness For you are holy   Have a listen and watch Breath of Heaven. Let's look at the lyrics:

So why choose 'Breath of Heaven' as a song of love? Think about the decision that Mary made to carry the Son of God, to go against all social norms of the day, to then give birth and love her son, God's only begotten until watching him suffer upon a cross. It would be hard to find a more well-rounded expression of love than the love of the mother Mary. This song while called 'Breath of Heaven' is also called (Mary's Song) because it's her words and thoughts as the birth of Jesus is about to happen. It's not the original song of Mary, as her song called the Magnificat (Latin for My soul magnifies)  is recorded in the gospel of Luke 1:46-55.  I have travelled many moonless nights  Cold and weary with a babe inside And I wonder what I've done Holy father you have come And chosen me now to carry your son You can feel the raw emotion of Mary in these words. She's cold, tired, has been travelling dangerous roads while pregnant and uncomfortable likely upon a donkey. It's not a short journey from the region of Galilee to Jerusalem and they'd have to be taking it slow with a lady ready to give birth at any moment. She had the time to think, she had the previous 9 months to think about the gravity of the decision to carry the Son of God.  It's not so much what she'd done though. It was the fact she was chosen, hand-picked from the numerous young women who could have been 'Mom' to Jesus; I'll bet that some of her thoughts were about the day-to-day reality of being mom, caring for her new-born son in what was a cruel and difficult world to raise a son. Probably the same kind of thoughts that soon to be parents have these days too, if you're a parent, you've almost sure had them too!    I am waiting in a silent prayer I am frightened by the load I bear In a world as cold as stone Must I walk this path alone? Once again we feel the emotion this young girl, maybe 14, 15 years old had while traversing to Bethlehem. Waiting, praying, riding, wondering and rightly frightened by carrying the Son of God. Not frightened in a sense of scared of this soon to be born child, but by the reality of who he was, and who he'd become. Frightened for what he'd face in a cold world, especially one that may not accept him, could she have imagined the scorn and shame her son would go through? No wonder she felt like she was walking this alone, thankfully Joseph was there by her side.  Breath of heaven hold me together Be forever near me Breath of heaven Breath of heaven lighten my darkness Pour over me your holiness For you are holy Breath of heaven She's asking that the powerful breath of God be over her and guiding her every step of the way. Where it's dark may the Lord lighten the path, and fill her with the holiness of God. Her love for God is seen so clearly here, just like in the Magnificat where she magnifies the Lord and worships her Lord. It's in this personal whispering and wondering that she meets close with God, same with us. While it's wonderful to meet with the Lord in a huge gathering or concert, it's often in the silent, personal solitude that we feel the breath of heaven upon us. What can better than to hear the voice of God in our lives, to experience his breath into our lives? Do you wonder as you watch my face If a wiser one should have had my place But I offer all I am For the mercy of your plan Help me be strong I think we see the love of Mary expressed best in these beautiful words. She's questioning if she was the right choice, had the angel spoken with the best person to live out the incarnation. She offers all she has, she gives her love as much as she can, and as we saw throughout the gospels Mary never stopped loving Jesus. She recognised that she needed the mercy and strength of God to fulfill the plan of incarnation.  You and I need the mercy and strength of the Lord to fulfill the plan in our lives. You've not been selected like Mary to carry Jesus in your womb, but you can carry Him in your heart. This week advent is all about love, what love the Father has shown us by offering his Son to take our place upon a cruel cross. We are called to share this same love to those around us, you may not feel like the right choice to raise your child, to be grandma or grandpa, to be the best choice of a friend for someone in need, but that's the place you find yourself. You have opportunities to show love to those around you, may you this Christmas see that like Mary, you too have been chosen to carry the King.  To enjoy the whole album, simply click on this link and you'll find each song from her Home for Christmas album, it's an iconic album in Contemporary Christian and Christmas music. Amy Grant Christmas