I really like this song.

It’s almost midnight, and I should be sleeping. I have a big weekend coming up and rest would help me do better. But somehow I find the composition of these late night posts somewhat therapeutic.

Of course, as blessed as I am, I shouldn’t need any therapy. But I’m also a member of the human race, which should just about clear up any questions about my mental health. We’re all crazy, you know.

Band practice was rough tonight. I think I need a miracle to play well tomorrow night. I’m not even sure I care if anyone else thinks I’m playing well. God hears me. And I’d like to play well for him. I believe God likes it when we do our best for him.

And our best can be very, very humble sometimes. Like the manger. The Lord of all the Universe visited us, and we stuck him out back with the cattle. But, as the song says, we didn’t really know. I wonder what it would be like to have been there! The shepherds were, indeed, granted a great honor. In all the re-enactments we see and songs we sing regarding the birth of Christ, I think sometimes we overlook the fact that God specifically and purposefully sent his heavenly host to herald the birth of his son . . . to shepherds. It would be like God coming to earth today and the first people that get the news are all the guys sacking the groceries. Wouldn’t we think that was strange?

Strange to us, because we’re bent and don’t understand what true greatness really is.

“Bring your peace into our violence, bid our hungry souls be filled”

Christmas is . . . enormous! Not because of the spectacle and the stuff. It’s enormous because God brought the Prince of Peace into this violent world, knowing that the brunt of our violence and hatred would fall on him. He brought the Bread of Life to the whole world, to feed our hunger. We have only to accept his peace and his filling.

Something started that dark night, in a stable in a crowded city, while shepherds passed what they thought would be another boring night watching their flocks. It was something enormous, something wonderful! The Word of God was spoken in flesh and blood. And Heaven’s silence was broken by the beautiful and – think of it – frightening sound of angels singing of God’s glory and his promise of peace on earth.

May this be an enormous Christmas for you. Merry Christmas!