In Defense of Christmas Music

Music is controversial. Partially because it is a question of taste. What you love, what speaks to your soul and makes you want to dance, can mean nothing to me. Or worse, some music we actively dislike. The best way to annoy a roommate is to play their least favorite but all too catchy song and see what happens. All of this applies to Christmas music, as well. 

Some people can't stand it, even after the acceptable "post Thanksgiving" start to the Christmas season. They feel like the songs are just ear worms that stick with us. Or they are old and tired and they struggle to see the value in them. I will say this: many of the modern "Christmas-lite" or "Christmas-ish" songs can be difficult to hear over and over. Songs that ask obvious questions (yes, Mary did know, she knew, she totally knew because an angel came and told her) or don't even really have anything to say can be annoying. But amidst all of the songs talking about lights and good feelings stands a core of Christmas songs that have stood the test of time. They proclaim the core of Christian faith and remind us what we believe.

They Put Truth Center Stage

So many artists do Christmas songs, albums or videos. It seems to be the thing to do. Make a few good records and then do a "holiday" album. It is fun to see the different styles that a traditional Christmas song can take on. But something I've noticed recently is that secular artists often cover Christian Christmas songs. It is great to see solid biblical truth in the greater culture. We see popular musicians singing "Oh Come Oh Come, Emanuel!" or proclaiming "Joy to the world! The Lord is come!" It is easy to forget how little these truths are proclaimed in popular culture, and I find it exciting to see them spoken, even by those that don't believe them to be true. This is a chance for us to think deeply and praise the Lord in unexpected places.

They Connect Us to Historic Christianity

Many of the songs we sing in American churches today are not that old, relatively speaking. I know some bemoan the 80's and 90's praise choruses sung in their church, but many of our Christmas songs are from the 18th and 19th centuries. They were written by some truly great hymn writers, men and women whose songs we should sing a lot more in our congregations. "Joy to the World" was written by Isaac Watts and "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" (though it misses the fact the angels didn't sing) was written by Charles Wesley. One of my favorite Christmas songs "Of the Father's Love Begotten" was written in the 300s. For those that struggle to find a place in many modern church music settings, the depth and beauty of these old Christmas songs can be a breath of fresh, gospel-infused air. 

They Connect Deeply to the Gospel

Often we think of the gospel as something someone needs at the beginning of their journey with Christ. It is the thing we deeply understand and accept which brings us into a relationship with Him. This is true, but the Christian that has been following Christ for 30 years needs the gospel no less than the man or woman that is just beginning. We need that reminder and the songs of Christmas are that reminder. I love to sing "O Come, All Ye Faithful" - especially the third verse. "Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, born this happy morning; / Jesus, to Thee be all glory giv'n! / Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing!" or these words "A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices, for yonder breaks a new and glorious morning. / Fall on your knees, oh hear the angel voices"

If we take a moment to listen to all of our most well-known Christmas songs, we will hear deep truths about Christ waiting for us to reconnect with them. And that is the challenge of Christmas. We must walk down a well-worn path. One that some have been on since they were children. A path that ultimately leads to a manger and the most unique thing about Christianity. The arrival of God himself, in fulfillment of prophecy in the meekest and humblest way possible. A baby like no other who became a king like no other.

Our First Outreach

This Friday night was our first formal attempt to reach out to our neighbors. A musician who is friends with a few of my family members, Jason Harrod, reached out a few months ago because he was attempting to plan a small European tour. I helped him organize a concert at a bilingual church in Vienna, and then we decided also to host a small living room concert as a chance to invite our neighbors over. (House concerts is a common way that Jason performs and that was his suggestion.)

We decided a bit last minute to host this performance, because we wanted to see how we were coping with a newborn at home. Since things were going smoothly, we decided to go for it...but that meant we only had about a week and a half to invite people. Once we printed invitations and started going door-to-door, that meant just a week for people to decide to come and RSVP. We think this was a bit of a hindrance to people coming. 

Austrians also tend to be very private people, so our expectations of attendance were low because of this. It's rare someone will come to an event not knowing anyone else personally. However, despite these obstacles, inviting people to the event became a wonderful opportunity to introduce ourselves to our new neighbors and to "break the ice". Even for those who didn't come, we at least can put names with some faces and start to greet people we see in the neighborhood!

Four neighbors and one American friend attended. We had a great time laughing and talking before the concert and because it was a small group, there was much more time to get to know each other. We were able to tell everyone why we moved to Gerasdorf, why we are in Austria, etc. and also explain some of the tenants of the evangelical faith that make it unique from Catholicism (the branch of Christianity Austrians are typically familiar with).

Overall, it was a huge success. For us, it was about relationships and not about numbers. God truly answered our prayers, and we are hopeful this will give us the momentum to be able to continue inviting neighbors over for fellowship and deepening relationships. We want our neighbors to know us as welcoming, inviting, hospitable, and most importantly of all, loving in a way that points directly to Christ.

Advent Celebration

Thank you so much to those of you who prayed for our recent church event! The advent event was a wonderful celebration of "hidden treasures", our gifts and talents, and the giver of those talents. The evening included an arts and crafts exhibit, plus a stage performance that included music, theatrical performances, hand puppets, a film, poetry and more! There were many many guests in attendance and our sanctuary was packed to the brim. The guests enjoyed the performances, heard the messages from our pastor, and then stayed for Punsch, treats and the exhibit.

Please continue to pray for those in attendance, especially guests who do not know Christ and who are in relationship with people from our church. Pray for conversations to go further and deeper.

Here are some photos highlights from the evening!

Member of the string quartet

Hand puppets, who told the sweet story of a shepherd

The packed room

A skit

8-person acapella performance (Bethany is second from the left)

Rachel planned the event (with our assistance) and directed the orchestra

The art exhibition that Nate built!

I See the Lord

These past two weekends, I had the privilege of singing in two gospel choir concerts, planned through a partnership between Christian musicians in Vienna, Christian organizations and the Music University of Vienna. The music was beautiful, the spirit of the Lord was clearly moving and the gospel message was clear through the words sung and the messages spoken.

Click the video above to watch a full recording of the second concert performance

Something like this could not have happened in years past - namely, a partnership between the secular music university and Christian musicians in the city. God is clearly opening new doors in our city, and I was really excited to be a part of what He was doing. The concerts were planned in conjunction with a "spiritual emphasis week" at the Vienna University, organized by the on-campus student ministry. The last week of this sort happened 30 years ago! Clearly, God is working here and breaking down barriers.

In Vienna, quality music is highly valued and celebrated. Music can be a valuable gospel-communicating tool here, because many Viennese are open to attending a music concert but will not step foot in a church. Having this experience these past weekends has led me to think differently about music as such a tool, and I look forward to more opportunities to use music to share my faith.

Here are a few photos from the first concert at the University:

A view of the crowd as they entered

The choir and orchester

Our conductor

The group of soloists that provided lead vocals. They were all so talented!

Proof that I sang! I was tucked in the back row (typical fate for us tall folks).

Faith To Be Strong

Today is one of those days. One of those days when getting to Austria and raising support feeling long, difficult and discouraging. I know God is faithful and I know He has carried us this far. But sometimes I feel tired and emotionally drained and getting the last 27% of our support feels overwhelming.

Today I was sitting at a coffee shop and I happened to be listening to an album by Andrew Peterson, just as background music. But suddenly, his lyrics broke through my train of thought and really spoke to me. Today, his prayer is my prayer. And I hope you are encouraged by his words, as well.


GIVE US FAITH TO BE STRONG
By: Andrew Peterson
 
Give us faith to be strong
Father, we are so weak
Our bodies are fragile and weary
As we stagger and stumble to walk where you lead
Give us faith to be strong

Give us faith to be strong
Give us strength to be faithful
This life is not long, but it's hard
Give us grace to go on
Make us willing and able
Lord, give us faith to be strong
Give us peace when we're torn
Mend us up when we break
This flesh can be wounded and shaking
When there's much too much trouble for one heart to take
Give us peace when we're torn

Give us faith to be strong
Give us strength to be faithful
This life is not long, but it's hard
Give us grace to go on
Make us willing and able
Lord, give us faith to be strong
Give us hearts to find hope
Father, we cannot see
How the sorrow we feel can bring freedom
And as hard as we try, Lord, it's hard to believe
So, give us hearts to find hope

Give us faith to be strong
Give us strength to be faithful
This life is not long, but it's hard
Give us grace to go on
Make us willing and able
Lord, give us faith to be strong

Give us peace when we're torn
Give us faith, faith to be strong

Christ is Risen

I am usually pretty skeptical of "christian"* music. I am either a product of my generation, or just not a very sentimental person. Also, there is a lot of cheesy "christian" music out there.  But I love music that is about God.  Songs that teach and declare who He is and what He has done.


We have spent the last week and a half here in Denver and a song has been resonating in my soul.  Here is the chorus:

Christ is risen from the dead
trampling over death by death
come awake, come awake
come and rise up from the grave

Christ is risen from the dead
we are one with Him again
come awake, come awake
come and rise up from the grave

Click the read more link to see a video of the song.

Mentors are Golden

For as long as we had cable in our apartments, I have been a fan of Mike Rowe.  His show Dirty Jobs has highlighted jobs all over the country  and the silent heroes that make our life possible. I have found him thoughtful, as he testified to congress on the lack of skilled labor in America today and the systemic issues that underlay that problem.

This morning I stumbled upon a story Mike wrote and recorded remembering his mentor Fred King. I encourage you to grab the audio file and sit with a nice beverage or in the car on your next 30 min. car ride and listen to they story.  You will be glad you did.

Photo credit: mconnors from morguefile.com

Beginning to Mourn

There is something very powerful for me about worshiping and singing in a large crowd of believers. Hearing a cacophony of loud voices all praising God together transports me to imagining what heaven will someday be like, when we are all be praising God together, thousands upon thousands!

This past Sunday, I began to mourn the loss of these experiences. Evangelical churches in Austria are small, typically 25 - 50 people. When we live there, it will be rare that we will have the opportunity to worship in a large crowd in our "heart language" of English like we get to do every week now at Parkview. As we were singing a song this Sunday that was especially powerful for me, I was moved to tears thinking about how much I will miss that worship experience.

There are many exciting things about moving to Austria and the work we will be doing. But there will also be many sacrifices. This is one that I will miss very deeply.


'Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they were saying:
   “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:
   “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”'

- Revelation 5:11 - 13

Glimpses of God's Big Picture

Right now, Nate and I are in Grundlsee, Austria on a retreat with the WorldVenture teams from Germany, Austria and Slovenia. It has been a blessing to get to know our fellow missionaries. Through talking with them, we have been absorbing knowledge about living cross-culturally and what it is like to doing ministry in Western Europe.

We are meeting many missionaries for the first time. However, I met one of these missionary couples here back in 2003! The summer after my sophomore year at Wheaton, I had the privilege of touring Europe with the college's Women's Chorale and Glee Club and we visited Prague, Moscow, Vienna and Slovenia. It was my first time in Europe and the only other time I have been to Vienna. In Slovenia, we partnered with Mel and Patty Davis and put on some concerts that served as outreach opportunities for them in the community. It turns out that Mel and Patty Davis are WorldVenture missionaries and are now on retreat with us! 8 years later, it has been fun to reconnect with them and think back to my trip to Slovenia back in 2003.

When I went to Slovenia, I acted like a lemming... I did as I was told, sang many concerts in a variety of venues, and participated in all aspects of the 3-week trip, but I did not really know the impact we were making or the "big picture" reasons we were there. Talking to Mel and Patty this week, I now have a different perspective.

Our choir trip in 2003 opened many doors for the missionaries in Slovenia, allowing them to make new connections in the community and get a foot in the door in the local public school system. They were able to use our concerts as an important outreach and to follow up those connections and share the gospel with many new people. Now, the Wheaton choirs have been back to Slovenia 3 times and those connections have expanded.

It is neat to come full circle and see how God used our time there not just to praise His name through music, but also to strengthen the ministry there. I think the lesson I am learning is when we are faithful to serve and do what we believe God calls us to, He is faithful to use our efforts for his Kingdom (even when we don't know it)!