Christmas is MUSIC
"Oh
come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our
salvation!" (Psalm 95:1)
Who
can hope to describe Christmas. Language
can be uplifting, words can be wonderful, too.
But Christmas transcends language and accents and dialects. Only through music can the beauty and marvel
of Christmas find suitable expression. In dank prison cells, on lonely treks to
promised lands and new possibilities, in slave ships and on picket lines,
people have been sustained by the power of song. In moments of greatest joy or most painful
sorrow, it is music which provides inspiration and solace. Long, long ago men and women heard angels
singing within their hearts and life can never, ever be the same again. For, folk with ears attuned to intimations of
glory continue to hear, beneath the babble and the raucous strains of modern
life, the symphony of the soul.
-- Don G. Smith, Lorne Park
Baptist Church, Mississauga, Ontario, December 7, 1985
#4003
Tuesday, December 20, 2016
Monday, December 19, 2016
MUSINGS ON A MIRACLE – Part 5:
Christmas is GIFTS
“For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
Christmas is not for sale -- it can’t be bought! You won’t find it in the catalogue or on a shelf or even under the counter. It might be found beneath a tree. But it will most surely be found in the attitude of the human heart. This is no ploy serving enlightened self-interest. This is no trick hidden up the sleeve of God. It’s an outright gift, and Christmas calls us to give, with no ulterior motives, to give with an interior motive -- that of a thankful, caring heart. God made Christmas by giving Himself. Those wise guys may have brought expensive offerings, but first of all and above all they gave themselves, just as lowly shepherds did. Give yourself to Christmas! Give yourself for Christmas! Share it!
-- Don G. Smith, Lorne Park Baptist Church, Mississauga, Ontario, December 7, 1985
#4002
“For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
Christmas is not for sale -- it can’t be bought! You won’t find it in the catalogue or on a shelf or even under the counter. It might be found beneath a tree. But it will most surely be found in the attitude of the human heart. This is no ploy serving enlightened self-interest. This is no trick hidden up the sleeve of God. It’s an outright gift, and Christmas calls us to give, with no ulterior motives, to give with an interior motive -- that of a thankful, caring heart. God made Christmas by giving Himself. Those wise guys may have brought expensive offerings, but first of all and above all they gave themselves, just as lowly shepherds did. Give yourself to Christmas! Give yourself for Christmas! Share it!
-- Don G. Smith, Lorne Park Baptist Church, Mississauga, Ontario, December 7, 1985
#4002
Friday, December 16, 2016
MUSINGS ON A MIRACLE – Part 4:
Christmas is A CHILD
“The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.” (Isaiah 11:6)
No king upon a majestic throne! No supernatural phenomenon! No mighty fanfare piercing the airwaves! The gurgling and quiet cooing of an innocent baby! What a peculiar way for God to meet us at the intersection of the human and the divine. How unsophisticated of God! Christmas is a child and a time for children and a time for the child-like qualities which lie there deep beneath the surface of our adult competence and coolness. Today we continue the sad saga of the slaughter of innocents by our deliberate intent or willful neglect. Unless we become as little children, even as this one unique child, can we really hope to inherit the Kingdom of God? Of such is this Kingdom, so we are told. How childish can we be to not see the love of God and the sweet mysteries of life in the face and form, the beautiful trust, of a baby? “And a little child…..the Prince of Peace….shall lead them.”
-- Don G. Smith, Lorne Park Baptist Church, Mississauga, Ontario, December 7, 1985
“The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.” (Isaiah 11:6)
No king upon a majestic throne! No supernatural phenomenon! No mighty fanfare piercing the airwaves! The gurgling and quiet cooing of an innocent baby! What a peculiar way for God to meet us at the intersection of the human and the divine. How unsophisticated of God! Christmas is a child and a time for children and a time for the child-like qualities which lie there deep beneath the surface of our adult competence and coolness. Today we continue the sad saga of the slaughter of innocents by our deliberate intent or willful neglect. Unless we become as little children, even as this one unique child, can we really hope to inherit the Kingdom of God? Of such is this Kingdom, so we are told. How childish can we be to not see the love of God and the sweet mysteries of life in the face and form, the beautiful trust, of a baby? “And a little child…..the Prince of Peace….shall lead them.”
-- Don G. Smith, Lorne Park Baptist Church, Mississauga, Ontario, December 7, 1985
#4001
Monday, December 12, 2016
MUSINGS ON A MIRACLE – Part 3:
Christmas is NATURE
“Mary gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped Him snugly in strips of cloth and laid Him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.” (Luke 2:7)
Christmas does not come marching in like a triumphant army, nor does it arrive as a cosmic spectacular. It doesn’t descend like some celestial spaceship. It’s glory at the grass roots of life. It comes amid sheep and oxen and donkeys. It comes in the strong scent of straw and a stable. The only incense swinging in the air is the strong breath of animals munching and pawing the earth. This most blessed event occurs in a surprisingly natural way. Can we truly capture the essence of Christmas in our concrete jungles; can we wend our way to Bethlehem on an asphalt trail? Stand on a quiet hillside, observe the natural mystery of creation all around us and prepare to be surprised by a God who chooses to meet and save us on own turf and in our own shape as human beings.
-- Don G. Smith, Lorne Park Baptist Church, Mississauga, Ontario, December 7, 1985
#4000
“Mary gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped Him snugly in strips of cloth and laid Him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.” (Luke 2:7)
Christmas does not come marching in like a triumphant army, nor does it arrive as a cosmic spectacular. It doesn’t descend like some celestial spaceship. It’s glory at the grass roots of life. It comes amid sheep and oxen and donkeys. It comes in the strong scent of straw and a stable. The only incense swinging in the air is the strong breath of animals munching and pawing the earth. This most blessed event occurs in a surprisingly natural way. Can we truly capture the essence of Christmas in our concrete jungles; can we wend our way to Bethlehem on an asphalt trail? Stand on a quiet hillside, observe the natural mystery of creation all around us and prepare to be surprised by a God who chooses to meet and save us on own turf and in our own shape as human beings.
-- Don G. Smith, Lorne Park Baptist Church, Mississauga, Ontario, December 7, 1985
#4000
Friday, December 9, 2016
MUSINGS ON A MIRACLE – Part 2:
Christmas is LIGHT
“Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” (John 8:12)
It may come from a star. But somehow Christmas means seeing all of life in a new light. We live so much of our lives engulfed by the darkness or stumbling among the shadows of our selfishness. We live in a world beclouded by evil and hostility, by greed and hatred. Light means liberation! Light means freedom! Light means a new, better and brighter day! As people who walk so often in darkness may we see a great light -- the light and splendor of Christmas.
-- Don G. Smith, Lorne Park Baptist Church, Mississauga, Ontario, December 7, 1985
#3999
“Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” (John 8:12)
It may come from a star. But somehow Christmas means seeing all of life in a new light. We live so much of our lives engulfed by the darkness or stumbling among the shadows of our selfishness. We live in a world beclouded by evil and hostility, by greed and hatred. Light means liberation! Light means freedom! Light means a new, better and brighter day! As people who walk so often in darkness may we see a great light -- the light and splendor of Christmas.
-- Don G. Smith, Lorne Park Baptist Church, Mississauga, Ontario, December 7, 1985
#3999
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