For a Song (#60 of 365+)

“O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.” (Psalm 51:15)

Thanksgiving Day is tomorrow and I’m so excited that Christmas
season 2009 is about to officially begin! I can’t believe how the stores advertise for the “holiday season” earlier and earlier every year. And I was amazed that the new movie A Christmas Carol (based on Charles Dickens’ story about an old miser who discovers the joy of Christmas) was released as early as the week after Halloween. When my son asked if we could watch it, I thought it was like asking to open Christmas presents before Thanksgiving had even arrived. So I told him that we would wait until the Christmas season had officially begun.

I love everything about the traditional Christmas season. One thing that I enjoyed as a teenager was singing carols door-to-door with my church youth group. We spread the good news of Christ’s birth and—best of all—not once did anyone turn us away. I read somewhere that the tradition of wassailing started as a way for the poor to pay for a meal they couldn’t afford. All they were required to do was to simply sing a song. What a small price to pay!

In 1719 composer Isaac Watts wrote Joy to the World, a hymn based on a New Testament understanding of the last half of Psalm 98. The second verse is: "Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!/let men their songs employ;/While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains/Repeat the sounding joy,/Repeat the sounding joy, Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy!"

This morning I see those lyrics “let men their songs employ” in a whole new light because of something Joni said. She has the privilege of traveling the world and has seen some wondrous works of architecture that must have been inspired by God. She shared some details of her fun tradition of singing the hymn Now Thank We All Our God whenever she’s alone “in a great, cavernous hall or cathedral”. As Joni said, “Everywhere you and I go, everywhere we visit, every place, every square foot of ground, is territory we can claim for a song for the God of all nations."

"Let men their songs employ"...

“Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music” (Psalm 98:4)

Lord, I thank you and praise you with song and with my life. May I make music from my heart that is beautiful to you both today and during this entire season. Amen.