Go Deeper
I’m not musical and I struggle with carrying a tune, but I love good music. Especially during the Christmas season. Many of the old Christmas carols bring back a surge of cozy childhood memories.
One of my favorite memories is not what I’d call cozy. More like reckless, hilarious and downright dangerous. Danger was not on our minds as a small group of teenagers decided to do an impromptu caroling trek through our tiny Vermont village. It was dark and the snowbanks were high on both sides of a narrow dirt road carved into the side of a hill.
The five or six of us were in the jolliest of Christmas moods as we made our way to the houses at the end. Our loud joking and laughter drowned out the sound of a snowplow barreling its way down the skinny road, snow flying in every direction, obscuring his view of the astonished carolers. We had no choice. The road was too narrow for the plow and us. The hill up to our left was too steep and slippery to climb. So, we threw ourselves over the snowbank to our right and down into a ravine carved by the Waits River. “Laughing all the way”!
We laughed our way through the air and laughed our way as we struggled back up the hill through thick, deep snow. I don’t remember what we did after that, but knowing how we operated I can guess that we walked the two miles back to my parents’ cozy farm house and had hot chocolate by the fire. No chestnuts roasting. Just hot chocolate, a fire and good friends.
Isn’t that what we often think of at Christmas? The richness of family, friends, caroling, good food, delightful smells, lights twinkling on our trees. All so rich and so good.
Yet…there’s more. So much more.
The old carols point us to a deeper, richer truth.
Following is a medley of phrases from old, familiar carols that all point to the reason Jesus was born. Read them. Drink them in. Reflect on the deep truths.
Son of God love’s pure light.
Radiant beams from Thy Holy face
With the dawn of redeeming Grace,
Yet in thy dark streets shineth,
The everlasting light
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in Thee tonight.
Ye who sang creation’s story,
Now proclaim Messiah’s birth.
Come to Bethlehem and see
Him whose birth the angels sing;
Come adore on bended knee
Christ the Lord, the newborn King
See within a manger laid,
Jesus, Lord of Heaven and Earth!
Remember Christ our Savior
Was born on Christmas Day,
To save us all from Satan’s power
When we were gone astray;
He hath opened the Heavenly door,
And man is blessed ever more;
Christ was born for this!
Now you need not fear the grave;
Peace! Peace!
Jesus Christ was born to save!
Calls you one and calls you all,
To gain His everlasting hall;
Christ was born to save!
Christ was born to save!
God and sinners reconciled!
Born that man no more may die;
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.
Go deeper this Christmas. This same Jesus that we celebrate at Christmas is still alive today and very present. He knows you. He sees you. He loves you. Unconditionally.
The Bible calls Him Emmanuel, which means God with us. He was born so He could die…for us. His offer to us goes beyond being with us. He gives us the invitation to receive Him as our Savior, to accept what He’s done for us and allow Him to actually live in us.
“So that Christ may dwell in your hearts…” (Ephesians 3:17)
If you’ve never accepted His amazing, free gift; now is the time. Simply ask Him. He’s listening.
If you have accepted this gift, you and I both, can still make the choice to go deeper. There’s no end to the riches found in Christ!
Christ was born for this!
“He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the Kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:13,14)
