I hope this season isn’t leaving you frazzled. I love Christmastime, and I also love relaxing—so I try to maximize my relaxing time around the holidays. Unfortunately, I also love to celebrate the season with other people, so I’m planning and attending as many Christmas parties and activities as possible in these first few weeks of December in an effort to take it easy once Christmas actually gets here. (And that’s on top of crazy deadlines and busyness at work.) Which means I’m running around like a chicken with my head cut off during my waking hours (I’m sure you feel the same way), and I’m getting 5 hours, tops, of sleep a night. For some of you, that may seem like more than enough. Not for this girl. I operate optimally on 8 hours a night. So forgive me if this post seems weird. I feel weird—and I’m fully blaming it on the lack of sleep and the 90 directions my brain is running at once.
However, in a moment of rare mental clarity this week, I happened to catch Carrie Underwood’s rendition of “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” on the radio during my drive home. Now, I grew up singing that song. I know most of the words, but hearing it on Tuesday, it was as if the words were making sense for the first time ever. I started crying in my car at how well the songwriter put it. Just read it for yourself:
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the new born King,
peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!"
Joyful, all ye nations rise,
join the triumph of the skies;
with th' angelic host proclaim,
"Christ is born in Bethlehem!"
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the new born King!"
Christ, by highest heaven adored;
Christ, the everlasting Lord;
late in time behold him come,
offspring of a virgin's womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
hail th' incarnate Deity,
pleased with us in flesh to dwell,
Jesus, our Emmanuel.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the new born King!"
Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings,
risen with healing in his wings.
Mild he lays his glory by,
born that we no more may die,
born to raise us from the earth,
born to give us second birth.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the new born King!"
I especially love these lines: Veiled in flesh the Godhead see / hail the incarnate Deity, / pleased with us in flesh to dwell, / Jesus, our Emmanuel.
God came down and was PLEASED to dwell with us in the flesh. It was such a thoughtful plan He put in motion. I love Him for it.
The words that brought tears to my eyes (not a good thing when driving on the Interstate!) were: Light and life to all he brings, / risen with healing in his wings. / Mild he lays his glory by, / born that we no more may die, / born to raise us from the earth, / born to give us second birth.
AMEN!
Maybe these words don’t move you to tears like they did me. But I’d encourage you this Christmas season, instead of just letting the Christmas music be background music, pay attention to the words of the Christmas hymns. Let them sink in. Cry if you feel so inclined. Take pleasure in this season and all it means!
And while I’m on the subject of music, here’s what’s happening in pop culture’s music these days:
Top 10 on the Billboard Charts:
1. “Firework” Katy Perry (Wow—a KP song with which I don’t completely disagree!)
2. “Raise your Glass” by P!nk
3. “What’s My Name?” by Rihanna & Drake
4. “The Time (Dirty Bit) by The Black Eyed Peas
5. “Grenade” by Bruno Mars
6. “Only Girl in the World” by Rihanna
7. “Just the Way You Are” by Bruno Mars
8. “We R Who We R” by Ke$ha
9. “Just a Dream” by Nelly
10. “Bottoms Up” by Trey Songz
Top 10 on iTunes:
1. “Firework” Katy Perry
2. “Grenade” by Bruno Mars
3. “The Time (Dirty Bit) by The Black Eyed Peas
4. “That’s All She Wrote” by T.I.
5. “What’s My Name?” by Rihanna & Drake
6. “We R Who We R” by Ke$ha
7. “Raise your Glass” by P!nk
8. “Black and Yellow” by Wiz Khalifa
9. “Bottoms Up” by Trey Songz
10. “Welcome Christmas” by Glee Cast
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