The Music of Christmas, Day 7

 Duet

Read Luke 1:29-45
“And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment 

of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” – Elizabeth 

After Mary’s encounter with Gabriel, she left Bethlehem to visit her cousin, Elizabeth. While we do not know how Mary’s parents took the news of her “condition,” we know Joseph struggled to believe her. Who can blame him? Eventually Joseph became convinced by an angel of the Lord to believe Mary and go ahead with the betrothal. (Matthew 1:20) However, we do not know when this happened or how long Mary endured the fear of public exposure and humiliation. Her trip to visit Elizabeth may have been timed to spare her the disgrace of open ridicule by the community.

 
Have you ever experienced the complete isolation of disbelief? Imagine you are accused of something you didn’t do and suddenly found yourself the victim of a terrible rumor. No matter what was said and regardless of any proof offered, no one believed you. Not a single person, including those closest to you. That stings. It is devastating and lonely. That must have been how Mary felt. Who would believe such an outrageous story? Even those who knew her well — who knew her as a good and godly girl — would have a tough time believing.

Now, imagine one person saying, “I believe you.” Like a spring in the desert. You are not alone. When Mary arrived in the hill country of Judea, she had no way of knowing how her cousin, Elizabeth, and her husband, Zechariah, would receive her. It was a risky move. Zechariah was a priest. Religious people can sometimes be the worst when it comes to guilt and shame. Can you visualize Mary holding her breath as she approached the house? Then imagine the total relief and joy that came over her when Elizabeth greeted her with these words: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” (Luke 1:42-43) “Elizabeth believes me!” she must have thought. “Without explanation or argument, she believes me.” 

 

The reaction of her parents is not recorded, and the timing of Joseph’s angelic visit is not specified. And though we don’t know if Elizabeth was the first person to believe Mary, it is plausible. If so, it is interesting that two women were the first to accept the news of the Incarnation. The same is true of the Resurrection. Women were the first to believe.

The song of hope often begins as a solo, but it always ends in a chorus. Hope only requires one voice to start singing, but as that voice penetrates the silence of fear and hopelessness, another voice will join the song. The confidence of both singers increases as they harmonize the lyrics of hope, and before you know it, other voices are joining in until there is a mighty chorus.

Perhaps you're singing the song of hope as a solo right now. Maybe, like Mary, you are surrounded by people who doubt, maybe even despise, you and your song of hope. Perhaps you’ve been tempted to stop singing. Maybe you’ve thought of retreating into the silence of disbelief and despair. Do not give up! Keep singing! If you are singing God’s song of hope, it’s only a matter of time until your Elizabeth will hear you and turn the solo into a duet. 

 

Or perhaps you’ve been standing quietly by listening to someone else singing a solo of hope. Pray for God to reveal His truth and hope to you and be prepared to join that soloist to magnify God’s song of hope. You may be that person’s Elizabeth. The power of hope is multiplied by the addition of each voice who joins the chorus.

 

 

Holy Spirit,

Tune my heart to Your song of hope that it may resonate with all those who have already joined the chorus of the faithful. I pray for the strength and determination to keep singing, even when I am tempted to believe that I am singing alone. Give me the faith to sing Your song of hope until all the world resounds with the sound of Your praise.
Amen.

The Music of Christmas is available in print or digital formats.

The Music of Christmas, Day 8

 Magnificat

Read Luke 1:46-56
“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 

for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.” – Mary

Our family loves musicals. From Broadway to community theatre, and from Hollywood to our local high school, we relish the opportunity to step into a world where people erupt into song. Where life has a perpetual underscore and every problem is resolved before the final curtain. Of course, musicals aren’t real life. That’s part of their allure. Yet they seem to express emotion and feelings in ways that words alone can’t. Corporate singing pulls perfect strangers together and for that brief time before the double bar line, everyone is breathing in time, uttering the same words, and listening carefully to the other singers. This is why we sing in church and why the Bible contains one of the world’s oldest songbooks (Psalms). God exceeds human vocabulary, so His people resort to lyrics and notes to better describe Him, worship Him, and express their collective love.

 

So it’s no surprise that Mary, a young Jewish girl overwhelmed by God, burst into song, the first of the New Testament. After being welcomed by Elizabeth, Mary paraphrased the familiar words of Hannah’s Prayer from 1 Samuel 2:1-10. Take time to read Hannah’s story (1 Samuel 1-2). You will quickly see why she was on Mary’s mind at that moment of revelation. Both women faced public embarrassment … Mary because she was unmarried and with child, and Hannah because she was married but barren. Both had been humbled by circumstances. Both experienced a miraculous conception. Both brought sons into the world who would later be surrendered to God. While their songs were unique, Hannah and Mary shared the melody of desperation.

 

Mary’s song is known as the Magnificat. The title comes from the first line: “My soul magnifies the Lord.” To magnify something is to make it larger, but God is already infinitely larger than we can imagine. How can a young girl possibly magnify God? In Mary’s case, the infinite God had taken up residence inside her womb. The God of the universe didn’t just humble Himself by taking on flesh (see Philippians 2:5), He humbled Himself to the point of placing Himself in utero … God as an embryo, too small to be seen, vulnerable, hidden, and protected by the flesh of a scared teenage girl. 

 

Any person with self-assumed importance could not have responded as Mary did. A heart occupied with pride has no room for the majesty of Christ. Jesus comes to the poor in spirit, the mourning, the meek and hungry. God comes to people like Hannah and Mary … people desperate for Him. Mary’s willingness to magnify her Lord is a testimony to the power of a life fully surrendered. She is a remarkable example of humility. The one who would deliver the Son of God wasn’t a woman of high status or wide renown. She was simply willing to surrender —everything — to live in obedience to God. 

 

Mary is evidence that “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things …” (1 Corinthians 1:27-28) God’s choice and Mary’s surrender. Mary was willing to be used by God to accomplish His work. She surrendered and literally became the first person to welcome Jesus into her life and her very body. She was “blessed” because her humility made room for God to take up residence within her. Though poor, she carried the Kingdom of God inside. Though mourning her predicament, the God of all Comfort was hers. Though lowly and possibly hungry at times, through her came the Bread of Life. Though meek, her name became known throughout the earth.  

 

The first song of Christmas declared God’s commitment to the oppressed and rejected. And still today He comes to the lonely and neglected. Jesus still seeks humble hearts. He is still willing to inhabit the weak, despised, rejected, mocked, or scorned. Are you willing to humble yourself to make room for Jesus? For as we decrease, He increases and is magnified through our lives. 

 

 

God,

My soul magnifies You, Lord, my spirit rejoices in You, my Savior.

You have looked on my humble state, and I am blessed by Your presence.

You, who are mighty, have done great things for me, and not only me, but Your mercy resounds from generation to generation. Your strong arm saves the weak and scatters the proud. You have humbled kings and exalted the humble. May I become less so that You are magnified in me.

Amen.

The Music of Christmas is available in print or digital formats.

The Music of Christmas, Day 9

 Benedictus

Read Luke 1:57-80
“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel...” – Zechariah 

 

Remember the story of Zechariah and his involuntary song of silence? What would you say after nine months of silence? In Zechariah’s case, he didn’t speak but instead broke into song … a spontaneous song of praise in response to an angelic encounter and the miraculous birth of his son. Zechariah’s voice rang out weeks before Mary gave birth to Jesus yet the lyrics he sang were, curiously, in the past tense. “He has visited and redeemed his people” (Luke 1:68) and “He has raised up a horn of salvation for us,” he sang (v.69).

 

Zechariah, like the rest of his Jewish brothers and sisters, knew of the promises made to God’s chosen people, going back to Abraham. Promises of deliverance and redemption. Zechariah also knew those promises had not been fulfilled when he went into the temple a few months earlier. After four hundred years of silence, many Hebrews had given up on God’s deliverance. Even Zechariah expressed doubt when confronted with the news that God would use him and his wife in His plan to fulfill those promises. It was this doubt that sealed Zechariah’s lips. With the silence broken, he not only declared belief that God’s word would be fulfilled, he declared it had been. Jesus, the promised Savior of the world had not yet been born and Zechariah already counted God’s promises fulfilled. It was accomplished. Finished.

 

Zechariah’s song is called Benedictus or "blessed," a Latin word translated "good speaking." A song of encouragement to a discouraged world. A song of light piercing the darkness of doubt and fear. A good word silencing a chorus of despair. Zechariah wasn’t practicing blind optimism. He understood the work still ahead. He knew his son John would have a critical purpose in the coming years. Zechariah’s confidence in God was firm to the point of speaking in past tense. 

 

Our present day is still flooded by the noise of doubt. Like Zechariah, many are silenced by an avalanche of “bad speaking,” words of despair and disbelief. The “good” words Zechariah lifted in song was the “good news” of the Gospel. God had come to save His people. God cut through the clamor of sin and death with His “good” Word. The Word that become flesh -- Jesus. 

 

When the day we call “Good Friday” arrived, Jesus called out, “It is finished.” Salvation was “finished” well before Christ uttered those words from the cross. Zechariah understood that even before that day arrived. How? Confidence and trust in a God who delivers on every promise. 

 

 

Good Father,

 

Your promises are always true. You will do what You have said You will do.

Forgive my doubt and fear. Give me faith to believe what I cannot see,

and trust enough to say, “It is finished,” even before it has begun.

Amen.

The Music of Christmas is available in print or digital formats.

The Music of Christmas, Day 10

 Imperial Dissonance

Read Luke 2:1-7

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given;

and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” 

– the prophet Isaiah

 

Every four years people living in the U.S. go through the pains of a presidential election. I don’t use the word "pains" to suggest that democracy and the right to vote isn't worth it, but to instead draw a comparison to childbirth. The process of delivering a democratically elected leader is preceded by a long and difficult labor filled with debates, campaigning, touring, speeches, interviews, and more. And after the clamor and noise of a presidential election, many in our nation turn attention to a very different labor and delivery. Not a figurative one, either. The birth of this child took place in a stable tucked inside a tiny town rather than in the hallowed halls of democracy.

 

Augustus Caesar issued a proclamation about taxes shortly before the child’s birth, exerting his control over the conquered people of Israel. Joseph and Mary, obligated to travel from Galilee to Bethlehem, surely felt the political oppression many Jews had come to accept. Revolutionaries attempted to overthrow the Roman government, but most people simply tried to live life, provide for families, survive, and go unnoticed by the Romans. And so, Joseph obeyed the Roman decree, taking his pregnant wife on the fateful trip to Bethlehem. With a journey so often rehearsed and romanticized, it’s easy to overlook one key fact: Jesus’ birth came, and the Christian faith with Him, at the height of a political oppression.

 

Joseph’s willing obedience to abide by Caesar’s decree does not seem like a great beginning for a Messiah expected to deliver people from bondage. Joseph submitted, and that response foreshadowed an exchange between Jesus and the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, thirty-three years later. “You would have no power over me at all unless it were given to you from above.” (John 19:11) The oppressive climate surrounding Jesus’ birth and death were the work of a godless empire. Yet, according to Jesus, a much higher power was at work.

 

Jesus did not model a weak pacifism, but rather a deep and abiding faith in God. For His Father not only held the world in His hands, but also worked His will despite, and sometimes through, the evil deeds of pagan kings. To clarify, the Messiah’s birth in Bethlehem was not the result of Caesar Augustus’ decree. It was not a cause-and-effect relationship. It was, instead, the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy: “But you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.” (Matthew 2:6 quoting Micah 5:2) And neither was Jesus’ crucifixion evidence of Pilate’s authority, but rather, God’s sovereignty.  

 

That’s why, just a few decades after the Resurrection, the Apostle Paul encouraged Christians still living under the oppressive hand of the Roman empire to be subject to the governing authorities. “For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed.” (Romans 13:1-2) Seem like good advice? Maybe, if those in authority are just. But what about rulers bent on evil? Paul’s words still stand, whether our leaders are just and good or evil and unmerciful. 

 

Caesar and Pilate are not remembered as good and just. In fact, the Roman emperor ruling when Paul wrote those words was very likely the same man who ordered Paul beheaded and oversaw the execution of hundreds of Christ followers. Yet the blood of martyrs has watered the seeds of the Church. Augustus is dead. Pilate is a footnote in history. The once mighty Roman Empire is no more. But the Church of Jesus prevails.

 

Born into hostility and political upheaval, Jesus stands at the center of a world in relentless pursuit of peace. Kings and rulers of this world have long sought to establish more perfect forms of government. Their promises, even those well-intentioned, fall short. Every four years, Americans go to the polls hoping to elect someone who might bring true and lasting peace and prosperity. And four year later, we try again. What if, this Christmas, we finally recognize that peace is unelectable at the ballot box? What if we truly accept the peace delivered to us in a manger and wrapped, not in any nation’s flag, but in swaddling clothes?

 

 

Sovereign God, 

Nations rage and kingdoms fall, but Your Word is forever. Grant me the faith to believe that You work all things – even the evil intentions of others – for the good of those who love You and are called according to Your purposes. Give me the faith of Joseph to trust that You are working through the difficult circumstances of my life. Help me to remember that there is no king or ruler who can destroy Your plan or remove me from Your hand. 
Amen.

The Music of Christmas is available in print or digital formats.

The Music of Christmas, Day 11

 Mary’s Lullaby

Read Luke 2:1-7

And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths 

and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

 

It was after two o’clock in the morning. The street was deserted, and I was driving well above the posted speed limit. My heart was already racing when I saw the very thing I hoped to avoid -- police lights in the rearview mirror. Briefly, I considered ignoring the glare and driving faster, but good reason finally won out. I pulled over to the side of the road.

 

Rolling down my window, the light from a flashlight blinded me. I was fully prepared to plead my case. If I’d been given the opportunity, that is. “License and registration, please,” he said. I had it ready and handed it over. Before I could utter a full word, he was walking back to the patrol car. When he returned, he asked in a firm and impatient voice, “Sir, do you know how fast you were driving?” 

 

“Probably around ninety?” 

 

“And can I ask why you were driving so fast?” 

 

At last, a chance to defend myself. “Um, my wife is about to have a baby and we’re trying to get to the hospital.” For the first time, the officer moved his light from me to the passenger seat where my lovely but very angry wife sat glaring back at him. Clearly pregnant and uncomfortable, who could blame her? This was our fourth child and the sweet little girl had been anxiously trying to join her siblings for the past two months. Because of her rush to enter this world, Sheri had been on bedrest. “Don’t waste any time getting to the hospital or you deliver on the side of the road,” her doctor had warned. Now it looked as if that scenario might happen.

 

Life seldom works out the way we plan it. It was true that night and still is today. Babies come early, or late, and sometimes not at all. Spouses die or leave, the company fails, and that job you loved or needed is suddenly eliminated. We are constantly confronted with unmet expectations and mid-course corrections. Mary and Joseph had already adjusted their hopes and dreams several times. After Gabriel’s first appearance their worlds were turned upside down. The news of a baby prior to the wedding, the timing of the unexpected trip to Bethlehem so close to the baby’s anticipated arrival, and now, as if this couple had not endured enough, there was no room in the inn. The best the innkeeper could offer was a stall in a barn. It would suffice until something more suitable could be found. In the meantime, Joseph and Mary must have prayed that the baby would wait.

 

He did not. 

 

Jesus came right when He was supposed to come (Galatians 4:4), but not at all when Mary and Joseph would have liked. So far from home and the comforting help of her mother or her cousin Elizabeth, Mary was left to deliver the Son of God with no one other than Joseph to help. This young couple, who had no experience delivering a baby, in a place not fit for such activities, delivered the Son of God. And, according to Dr. Luke, Mary wrapped her baby in swaddling clothes and made sure He had a place to rest. And although Luke doesn’t say this, we can be assured that she also did what any new mother would have done -- she nestled her baby to her breast and nursed Him, gently singing a mother’s lullaby into the tiny ear of God. Because that’s what mothers do, even when circumstances do not turn out the way they’d hoped or expected. 

 

We spend much of our lives under the illusion that we can control our circumstances. We have been told that we are the masters of our fate and the captains of our destinies, but that is simply not the case. While we cannot control our circumstances, we can choose to respond to them with the faith and confidence of people who serve the One who is the Master of all destinies. Mary and Joseph modeled this throughout the Christmas story. When others doubted God’s involvement, Mary and Joseph believed and simply did the next right thing. Even when that meant singing lullabies in a barn.

 

Oh, and for the record, our youngest daughter wasn’t born on the side of the road. That young officer gave us a police escort to the hospital, and I got out of an awfully expensive speeding ticket.

 

 

God of the Unexpected, 

Nothing surprises You. You who hung the stars in place and orchestrate the rotation of the planets are firmly in control of the details of Your creation. And even when the schemes of man seem to conspire against Your plans, You are working all things together for our good. Give me the faith to believe that Your plans for me are for my good and not for evil. And to trust You by faithfully obeying Your Word, 

even when things aren’t working the way I expect.
Amen.

The Music of Christmas is available in print or digital formats.

The Music of Christmas, Day 12

 Heavenly Chorus

Read Luke 2:8-14

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God ...

 

Angels have come in and out of popular fashion over the years. Within my lifetime, they have been a decorating fad, the subject of books, the basis for several prime-time television dramas, and a constant source of fascination for pseudo-spiritual of all stripes. The Bible describes many occasions involving angels, but none more famous than those associated with the nativity. Matthew and Luke dedicate a combined four chapters to the story of Jesus’ birth, mentioning angels six times. These heavenly beings feature prominently at almost every turning point in the Christmas story. (See Matthew 1:20-25; Matthew 2:13-14; Matthew 2:19-21; Luke 1:11-20; Luke 1:26-37; Luke 2:8-15)

 

While earthbound humans may find angels fascinating, and though they are mentioned frequently in both the Old and New Testaments, the Bible gives us little information about them. The Hebrew and Greek words we translate as “angel” literally mean “messenger” and that’s the most common role they play throughout the scriptures. However, it’s not the only role. In fact, the first angel mentioned in the Bible was given a flaming sword and charged with guarding the entrance to the Garden of Eden after its inhabitants had been evicted. On occasion, angels are the executioners of God’s justice. During the Exodus, for example, God sent the “death angel” to Egypt to deliver the final plague. These fierce and even violent portraits of angels don’t seem to fit on Christmas cards or throw pillows, but they’re more biblically accurate. Why would the shepherds have been so frightened if fat-winged babies playing harps swooped over the fields that night?

 

Angels are utilitarian in the Bible. They serve as guards, soldiers, messengers, and envoys. They carry out the will of God as His representatives. They were never intended to be the main attraction. Rather, think of them as ushers in a theatre. Their presence in the Christmas story should not distract from what, or who, is truly important: Christ. The presence and involvement of angels only serves to highlight the significance of this event and should draw our attention forward to the message they came to proclaim. That message is consistent and clear in each appearance: God is sending His salvation in the form of a baby born in Bethlehem.

 

As they arrived on the outskirts of Bethlehem, all of heaven waited in eager expectation. Notice Luke’s description, “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God.” (Luke 2:13, emphasis mine) I had always pictured an angel chorus appearing to the shepherds. But that’s not what Luke describes. He used the word “host” which implies more than angels appearing that night. So, who made up that heavenly host? In the book of Revelation, we read about magnificent creatures, elders, and saints who have gone before. The writer of Hebrews describes a similar scene when he says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses …” (Hebrews 12:1) I envision a mob of people waiting on a rope line for the possibility of glimpsing a famous person or powerful world leader. Heaven came to a complete standstill and every creature stopped in awe and wonder as God Himself took on flesh, stepped out of heaven and onto earth.  

 

It is ironic that the events that drew the attention of all of heaven went almost entirely unnoticed on earth. The innkeeper and most of Bethlehem’s inhabitants missed the very thing that brought heaven to a standstill. I think that is often still the case. Heaven notices what earth ignores. Maybe that is encouraging to you as you sense that the world is passing you by, but still have faith to believe that heaven sees you where you are. Perhaps it is convicting as you consider the pace of your life and how much you fail to see. Whatever your situation, be assured of this …  heaven is watching, Jesus has come, and hope is alive for those who have the eyes to see.

 

God of the Angel Armies,

All heaven is declaring Your glory 

and I want to be among that great throng of worshippers. 

Open my eyes to see what heaven sees.  Forgive me for failing to recognize You in the ordinary and marginalized. Keep me from being distracted by the very things You are sending to point me to You. I want to see Jesus and be filled with the same wonder and awe that brings heaven to its knees.

Amen.

The Music of Christmas is available in print or digital formats.

The Music of Christmas, Day 13

 Sounding Joy

Read Luke 2:8-21

When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

It may seem a ridiculous question, but ask yourself: if God had chosen the year 2020 to send His One and Only Son, who might be selected to receive an angelic announcement? Who are the shepherds of today and what can we learn by comparison?

As of the writing of this book, the lowest-wage earners in America work in the fast-food industry. Like the shepherds of Jesus' day, these folks barely scrape out a living and suffer the negative stigma attached to their places of employment. Currently, the average age of a fast-food employee is 29 years. More than half of these workers, though they earn a paycheck, also depend on government assistance programs to stay afloat. More than 80 percent lack benefits and health insurance, and 80 percent of these workers suffer injuries while on the job.

 
Now, before you dismiss the comparison between shepherds and, let's say, a McDonald's drive-thru cashier, understand that America has grown dependent on the 3.7 million people who work in fast-food kitchens. In much the same way, communities throughout the Middle East relied on shepherds to tend, raise, and herd livestock. Without the work of shepherds, people could go hungry and possibly naked. Though these men, and boys, subsisted in the lowest working class of society, the work of their hands helped provide, meat, milk, and wool.

Theirs was an essential yet thankless job. It could be a dangerous one, too. We talk often about the fear these shepherds experienced when angels appeared out of nowhere, but these workers were already well acquainted with fear — of hunger and destitution, danger from bandits or wild animals, falling asleep on the job, or losing the master's sheep on dark and rocky hillsides. Fear of rejection, too. They knew very little peace.

 

No wonder the angels began by saying, "Don't be afraid." It was to people in these circumstances that God’s message of peace was most welcomed. Kings in palaces and priests in temples have little to fear. Often, they are lulled into complacency, a cheap substitute for God’s peace. So, God directed the first public declaration of Jesus’ birth to shepherds spending yet another night in the cold and dark after a hard day of work to provide for their families.

 

Between the angelic chorus and their desperation for good news, the shepherds lost little time traveling to Bethlehem to see the baby Jesus for themselves. Unlike the magi who would come two years later, they had no expensive gifts to offer. They avoided the notice of King Herod. They came directly, sheep in tow, and worshipped Christ. And when they left, repeating the sounding joy, they declared to all who would listen, how peace had finally arrived. Just a few travel-weary shepherds were the world’s first evangelists. 

 

Our world has always had shepherds keeping watch overnight. Those essential yet often overlooked members of society. People who work hard so that others might enjoy some benefit, comfort, or security. Jesus came for fast-food employees and shepherds, kings and cashiers — for all. 

 

Do you find yourself on the edges of society? Has fear kept you in the dark, worrying how you’ll make it to see the dawn? If so, pay special attention to the angels’ words to the shepherds: do not be afraid. God has a message of peace and great joy for you and anyone who will hear it. 

 

Maybe you can’t relate. Perhaps you’re experiencing the dual blessing of comfort and security. My guess is, you still understand fear. You know how fragile and temporary your situation is. Longing for a peace that isn’t dependent on the stock market or next election? Jesus came for you, too. Don’t be fooled by His humble estate and the wide variety of people standing around the manger or the cross. Kings and shepherds are on level ground as they kneel before the Savior.

 

Prince of Peace,

 

Speak into the darkness of my fear. 

Give me faith to believe You interrupt the routines of this world to bring Your peace.

Open my eyes to see You in the humility of a manger or in a crowd of lowly shepherds and lonely hearts.

Amen.

The Music of Christmas is available in print or digital formats.