time to carol

How often do we listen to the Christmas songs mindlessly? I know I do it all the time. A couple weeks ago I was putting up our tree after the boys had gone to bed and was listening to a Christmas CD, because there were no distractions I could listen to the lyrics.

The series that our pastor is doing is called, "Carols of Winter". He defined carol for us as involving song and dance. And illustrated through Mary's Magnificat that God beckons us to sing and dance in the midst of times in our lives that are as dry and cold as winter.

Here are the lyrics to the first verse of a carol which since that night putting up the tree has left me in awe:

Oh come, Desire of Nations, bind

In one the hearts of all mankind

Oh, bid our sad divisions cease

and be Yourself our King of Peace

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emannuel

shall come to thee, O Israel.

Jesus, Emmanuel, did come to Israel!! I forget, despite what I teach our son, that the Bible is more than a story! It is reality. Therefore, any time is a time worthy of rejoicing!