living for eternity today

Tag: Advent2020

Breath of Heaven

Amy Grant - Breath of Heaven: The Christmas Collection - Amazon.com Music

There are some songs that just push you over the edge. Songs without which you would have a hard time seeing the season of Christmas in its fullest. This song is probably one of my favorite songs for Christmas. But not just any version of this song. Every year on Christmas Eve at the church I serve we are gifted with this song by one of our members.

Now, you have to understand most churches can’t get Amy Grant to sing for them every Christmas. And we are one of those churches that can’t have this pop Christian singer songwriter with us in person. But what we do have is far better in my book. Susan has been with Living Word for longer than I have been here. She’s been gifted with the ability to sing like no one I’ve met. She’s one of those talented people that drive you nuts because she doesn’t need to practice and still sounds better than most people who practice all the time! I only wish I had her recorded singing this so you could enjoy it as much as I do! But if you join us for our Christmas Eve services, you will get to hear her sing. And if you’re lucky she’ll sing this song.

The song Breath of Heaven is sung from the perspective of Mary as she travels to give birth to the baby Jesus. She is in awe of her chosen status. She’s terrified to be a mom. She’s fearful of being the earthly mother to the Son of God. She needs the breath of God to breathe into and for her so that she can have peace on the very first Christmas.

I pray this very Breath of Heaven falls upon you and fills you as you prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus. May you offer to God all that you are as He fills you with all that He is.

Let It Be Christmas

Alan Jackson - Let It Be Christmas - Amazon.com Music

Every day this week I’m going to highlight a Christmas song that is either a favorite of mine or one that’s been suggested. Today’s song is really outside of my genre of choice, but it was suggested so here you go. Let it be Christmas! Who wouldn’t want the magic of Christmas to last all year!

I mean really if you think about it something happens in most people at Christmas time. They get happier. People are more kind. We show our love more intentionally. We’re generous. We’re more together. Who wouldn’t want that?

Now before some of my Jesus following friends go too far with the whole magic of Christmas idea. No I’m not saying the magic of reindeer and jolly old Saint Nick. I’m not talking about some weird form of sacrilegious magical incantations. I’m talking about the magical way that Christmas makes us feel! So let it be Christmas!

Let is be Christmas in your home and all around the world. Let the magic of Christmas transform your sadness to joy, loneliness to the company of all the family and friends. Let it be Christmas wherever you are!

What Are You Thinking About?

Can you believe that it’s almost Christmas? There’s something about this time of year that kind of lifts the spirits a little. I don’t really know exactly what it is. Maybe it’s the lights or the cool decorations? Maybe the tree with all the ornaments perfectly placed around? Whatever the reason, Christmas has a way of filling our minds with unique thoughts.

The famous holiday favorite, Twas The Night Before Christmas includes a line that talks about the things we let rattle around in our minds. The phrase goes while visions of sugar plums danced in their heads. The idea is that when we get ready for Christmas many of us have a tendency to let the spirit of the season take over. Dancing sugar plums? I don’t even really know what a sugar plum is! But the idea of sugar and dancing during the Christmas season brings a little joy to many young faces that’s for sure!

As we near Christmas morning, our minds race to things like getting the perfect gift for that special someone, decorating the house with the lights and pretty colors, and having all of our favorite people over to our homes for those wonderful holiday parties.

What fills your mind this time of year? Not everyone is filled with smiles and happiness as we approach the end of December. Some are missing that loved one for the first time this Christmas. Others are wondering how they’re going to provide for their family since they were let go this year. Still others this year will be either apprehensive, cautious, or even a bit afraid of getting sick with that nasty virus plaguing the world.

But where do you go to find the joy this season? That first Christmas wasn’t really all that joyful, well at least in the preparation stages! Mary was a virgin and she was pregnant. That was a massive NO NO! She wasn’t even married and Joseph was a tad beside himself with the news. The whole situation was just filled with anxiety inducing conditions.

Yet somehow Mary was able to see something pretty spectacular as she prepared for that day. She took all that was promised and she pondered those words. She let the promises of the angel fill her mind. It wasn’t sugar plums dancing but salvation coming to the world that drove her to find joy that first Christmas.

What do you fill your mind with this time of year? I pray this season of preparing for Christmas is full of hope and peace and love and joy.

© 2024 derrickhurst.org

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑