MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Sunday, December 21 2008

If God is with us…

I just got in from watching Andrew Peterson’s “Behold the Lamb of God” Christmas concert held at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, This is our second year going along to enjoy great music, and to be amazed again by the Christmas story. 

My friend Michael Card played tonight as well. He sang his  song “Immanuel”, and before he began he spoke of how God’s desire has always been presence with his people. From the very beginning, when He wandered in the afternoon with Adam in the Garden; as He promises His presence among His people if they keep his commands (Lev 26:12); as He travels with them in the tabernacle, and dwells among them in the temple… But all of this presence and all of  these promises were to find their fulfillment in the birth of Jesus. He is Immanuel, God with us.

For this is what we celebrate at Christmas – God is truly with us, and for us. And if God is for us, who can be against us?! Jesus, the God man, shows us that we are not alone, and we are not forgotten. Every promise God has made, He has kept in Jesus.
Will we ever grasp the beauty and the mystery of the incarnation? That God would leave the throne of Glory to be a baby in a feeding trough; that He would go from hearing the praises of Angels to the noise of a barn. Or more profoundly, that He would take on flesh forever! When we stand before Jesus in Glory we will see the flesh of the incarnation and the scars of the cross and know beyond a shadow of a doubt, God is truly for us. And forever with us…

"Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.” Revelation 21:3

Merry Christmas!

SDG,
Nt.

Lets Make Sand Angels!
Monday, December 15 2008

This year we are celebrating Christmas in Nashville and this has caused me to pause and think about some of the Christmas traditions that Americans and Australians share… and a few that we don’t! So, here is my 2008 list of:

Christmas differences…

*Seriously, I have a friend who grew up with this as a tradition…
SDG, Nt.

“Christmas” LP of the month
Wednesday, December 03 2008

OK, my local record store has an entire section labeled “Christmas Albums”. Scary but true! So I flipped through and couldn’t resist purchasing this gem…

Disco Noel. And it lives up to it’s name (and sounds as budget as it’s cover looks!).

I listened through this entire album, wishing that I knew some cool disco moves to accompany the ear candy I was experiencing. Then I found this inside the LP cover…

Dance lesson included! No Christmas celebration is complete without the Basic Latin Hustle! Imagine how thrilled my family is going to be when I bring this out on Christmas morning…

I can’t leave you with this as the only Christmas record worth listening to… I mean, there is only so much fake 1970’s keyboard-created-sounds one can stand! So here is the best Christmas album I have ever bought (please note, this is not an LP record, so don’t go trying to play this on your turntable at home…).

Andrew Peterson performs this entire album live every Christmas in Nashville at the historic Ryman auditorium. The event is always packed with people ready to hear the Christmas story in song. The songs themselves run through the narrative of Jesus’ birth; from the prophets forth telling the birth of a Savior, to our need for deliverance from sin, to the birth of Jesus and the promise fulfilled. It is without question the most soul-stirring event I have ever attended.

After the first time I saw it I downloaded the album from iTunes. It was just as powerful, and I strongly encourage you to do the same. If you get a chance to listen to it from beginning to end, I guarantee it will help your heart and mind to focus on the beauty of the first Christmas, and the miracle that is the birth of the Christ child.

SDG,
Nt.

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Here’s the iTunes link for my US friends: Behold The Lamb of God, iTunes

And for my UK buddies: Behold The Lamb of God, iTunes

Now for my Aussie mates. Unfortunately this record is not available at the Australian iTunes store, so you’ll have to get down to your local Koorong store and order a copy (or two!).