Savoring the Incarnation

At this time of year, we celebrate the beginning of Jesus’ life on earth. But in an effort to make sure we don’t forget the grander story behind the story of Bethlehem, many Christians write and speak about how the manger is only the beginning of Jesus’ entire redemption journey. They see the shadow of a cross over the manger, reminding us of how Jesus was born only to die.

This is true. And yet sometimes I wonder whether in our eagerness not to lose sight of the whole picture, we fail fully to appreciate the beauty of the Incarnation all by itself. True, it’s difficult to escape the shadow of the cross. But just for one moment, can we concentrate solely on the awesome miracle of God in fragile flesh? Can we look upon the face of the Christ child and love him as he is, even before we remember what he will do for us?

For one moment, let us defy the logic of our minds and try unsuccessfully to grasp the truth that this is the Son of Man—the same one who appeared to Daniel in terrifying glory, who wrestled with Jacob, who spoke the stars into being and counts the islands as a very little thing. Let us linger at the manger for a little space of time, straining to catch the silent pleading of the unspoken Word.

***

If the lost word is lost, if the spent word is spent

If the unheard, unspoken

Word is unspoken, unheard;

Still is the unspoken word, the Word unheard,

The Word without a word, the Word within

The world and for the world;

And the light shone in darkness and

Against the Word the unstilled world still whirled

About the centre of the silent Word.

T. S. ELIOT, Ash-Wednesday

Original Christmas Songs: Your Favorites?

We all know the old Christmas carols, but every now and then an original Christmas song comes along that’s so good we’re not embarrassed to listen to it right alongside those classics.

In Southern Gospel, we happen to have one of the most beloved of these modern classics: “Mary Did You Know?” Contemporary Christian boasts the standard “Breath of Heaven.”

What other original Christmas songs do you think have special merit? For purposes of this post, we’ll focus on the sacred versus the secular.

Songs of Advent

Too often it seems that the Advent season gets neglected in the rush towards Christmas. Here are a few of my favorite Advent hymns. Several may be new to you. A couple of them you may recognize as often being lumped together with other Christmas carols, but technically they are considered Advent carols. Could you add to the list?

All hymns performed by a chorale group unless otherwise indicated.

Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus  (performed by Twila Paris):

O Come, O Come Emmanuel (performed by Selah)

Wake, Awake, for Night is Flying

The King Shall Come When Morning Dawns (performed by a singer/organist named Dawn Slike)

The lyrical purist in me can’t resist pointing out that the original lyrics of the second verse actually say, “Not as of old a little child/To bear and fight and die.” I guess the revisionists didn’t want to leave the word “fight” in there.

Rejoice, Rejoice Believers (sadly, no good version available, lyrics linked)

Trailer for Collingsworth Family’s Feels Like Christmas

Go to their website to get it!

Matt Fouch Christmas EP Sampler

I’m relenting because it IS December now. Matt Fouch recently sent me a generous sampler of all three songs on his newly released Christmas EP. Listen here on my Godtube page and check out legacyfive.com to download the entire EP!

Christmas Favorites #5: The Star Still Shines–A Diamond Rio Christmas, by Diamond Rio

A few years ago, country super-group Diamond Rio released a greatest hits album. As a bonus track, they included the patriotic “In God We Still Trust.”  Naturally, it wasn’t a favorite with many critics, but it quickly became a fan favorite. It was my introduction to the group, not having heard of them before then (this was before I really knew much about specific musical artists at all, just what I happened to hear and like). Since then, I’ve discovered just how talented these guys are. They’re not only good guys, but they’re exceptionally good at what they do. I can’t help enjoying their music. I imagine many if not most of my readers are already familiar with them, but if for some reason you aren’t… I highly recommend them. And I think this Christmas album would be the perfect introduction, since it gives you an excellent sense of their style with songs that are already familiar to everyone.

The Star On Top: “Christmas is Coming [Instrumental]” — This is the only instrumental track on the album, yet so brilliant it stands head and shoulders above everything else. It takes the Vince Guaraldi classic and completely reworks it as a combined jazz/country jam session. Every instrument sparkles, but at the center of it, the piano holds the listener enraptured. A must-hear.

Golden Rings:

“The Star Still Shines” – This song is classic, and Diamond Rio’s warm, rich harmonies are the perfect match for it. It can be done slowly or quickly. This version is upbeat, showcasing some really nimble piano work. If you play, you’ll probably try to play this after hearing it. Superb mandolin backup too.

“Winter Wonderland” – Lead singer Marty Roe said they were aiming for a slight 60s/70s pop feel with this arrangement. The rhythm departs from the traditional for a fresh twist. It’s got a faint Beatles sound in the guitar and harmonies, but it winds up firmly in the realm of country. Good different.

“Sleigh Ride” — This album is full of bluegrass overtones, and they come through particularly well on this infectious cover. Get ready for some merry electric guitar, banjo and mandolin pickin’… if you can keep up.

“Hark the Herald Angels Sing” – You don’t hear much country acapella, but Diamond Rio does it with class and style. Their tenor singer has an uncannily pure sound, and all the voices blend in a way that would melt the coldest Scrooge. Never content to leave the familiar un-tweaked in a good way, they throw in some gorgeous surprise chords on this one.

“Have Yourself a Merry Christmas” – This chestnut is usually done slowly and jazzily. Once again, Diamond Rio surprises with something a bit different from the ordinary. Instead of lazily lounging back, their version of this carol grooves along at a nice mid-tempo pace. It made me enjoy the song in a whole new way, which is exactly what a good, creative cover of any song is supposed to do. There’s an unexpectedly lovely vocal breakdown toward the end.

Stocking Stuffer: “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” isn’t the first song I would think of when I think “country Christmas,” but Diamond Rio turns in a very interesting cover of it. It starts out completely acapella, with some faint, echoed “O come, O come” in the background. Then the instrumentation kicks in immediately with strings and guitar, coordinating in a way that feels oddly discordant for the first few bars before things settle into a strong country rock groove. Granted, Diamond Rio’s cheerful voices feel a bit strained as they attempt to imbue this song with solemnity and weight (the bass is greatly appreciated on this particular track), but this is worth a listen.

Stale Cookies: “The Christmas Song” and “Christmas Time is Here,” but only because neither of those songs has ever been a huge favorite. Diamond Rio performs both beautifully.

Coal in the Bottom: There’s no single track that merits this label.

In my opinion, it’s exceedingly difficult for anyone with a taste for Christmas music, country music, or music in general to dislike this album, because this album is good country music, Christmas music, and music in general. Even if you weren’t a fan of country voices, you’d still have to admit that there’s some amazing musicianship here.

And with that, I close out this year’s installment of my Christmas favorites. Come back next Christmas for more. Although I didn’t end up fitting in a lot this time, I did showcase some of the albums that are at the very top of my list, and this is one of them.

Christmas Favorites #4: The Season of Love, by 4Him

I know the twelve days of Christmas officially are about to end, but I’ll try to get up to five before the week is out so I can’t say this year’s installment of the series was a total flop.

We’re moving right along with the one and only Christmas album by one of my favorite groups: 4Him. I didn’t enjoy everything 4Him put out, and I only really enjoyed about half the group’s voices individually, but dang, they had a great sound all together, and they did have some terrific songs. I want to thank my friend Wes Burke for putting me on to this Christmas project. “I’m telling you, their Christmas album is pure gold,” he whispered in my ear. (Well, not exactly… it was in an e-mail, but you get the idea.)

The Star On Top: Without question, the star on top has to be “Strange Way to Save the World.” Yes, the lyrics are somewhat confused because they don’t convey Joseph’s Jewish perspective on the Nativity very accurately (see this post for further details), but the music is so beautifully written and the song so touchingly delivered that it’s rightfully considered a Christmas classic. It’s definitely my favorite Mark Harris feature. It has been covered by many artists, including several within southern gospel.

Golden Rings:

“Little Drummer Boy” — I’ve already put a rendition of this carol into the “golden rings” section for another album (Buddy Greene’s). I really think it’s hard to go wrong with it. Andy Chrisman takes the lead on a crisp, clean rendition. It starts off with percussion only but swiftly segues into some classic synthesized 80s grooviness, a sound that delightfully pervades the entire album (being that the 90s hadn’t had enough time to recover from the 80s when it was released). Signature 4Him.

“White Christmas” – This is a fresh twist on the familiar carol. Mark Harris starts off crooning at a jazzy pace, but after the first verse, Andy takes over and the harmonies just explode in a doo-wop kind of style that takes things to a whole new level. Watch a live performance here (filmed some years later when they had better haircuts).

“A Night to Remember” — Just a great 80s sound on this one, saxophone and all. Mark Harris takes the lead on it. Like all the 4Him guys, he was really in his vocal prime right around this time period. There’s just a little extra tone in his voice that he doesn’t quite have anymore. This original tune is a blast to listen to, and it moves surprisingly into a little “O Holy Night” part-way through (the lead shifting momentarily to Chrisman). I never thought “O Holy Night” could sound good with a jazzy saxophone, but the little snippet of it that they worked in amazingly does here.

“Do You Hear What I Hear?” – I’ve always thought this carol was a little boring. Plus, it doesn’t really make sense. But the 4Him guys absolutely light it up. Seriously, this arrangement takes off like Marty McFly on his skateboard and doesn’t let up. It builds up to an almost black gospel breakdown. The backup harmonies are fantastic, and Marty Magehee really does a great job taking the lead. Even though he’s the member whose voice fits least comfortably in my ear, he always had a lot of natural talent, and he was surprisingly able with this sort of number.

“God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” — Much like “White Christmas,” this is a doo-wop twist on an old favorite. It starts out with traditional acapella, but the melody is quickly syncopated, to pretty funky but cool effect. It may not be my favorite version of this carol, but it’s different and, like most of the album, fun to listen to.

Stocking Stuffer:

“In Your Care” — Andy Chrisman could sometimes be a little rough on his voice, but on this album he showed how good he was at singing ultra-sweet and ultra-clear. This song is a prime example of that. It’s sort of been lost in the shadow of “Strange Way to Save the World,” but I would argue it’s very nearly just as good. It’s beautifully written from the perspective of Jesus:

Sleep, Mary, sleep. I will be there soon
Entering earth through your precious womb
My child, oh my mother of earth
Give me the gift of birth…

The second verse is spoken to Israel, praying they will know He is their King (of course they wouldn’t). The recurring theme is that Jesus was entrusted to ordinary, earthly people who made the choice to either embrace him or crucify him. The idea comes full circle at the end when Jesus turns it around and tells Mary “You’ll be in my care.” She was both child and mother, both protector and protected. I think the one misstep in this song is the repeated use of the phrase “Please be aware.” Awkward. But other than that, very nice.

Stale cookies: A jazzy carol mash-up including “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear,” “Away in the Manger” and “Silent Night” simply fails to inspire in any way. And the opening title track would be virtually intolerable were it not for the smart harmonies which kick in around the bridge to rescue it from being…

The Coal in the Bottom: “Hold On to Christmas.” Think “The Christmas Song,” except even sappier.

This project was released right around the same time as albums like Face the Nation and The Basics of Life. If you’re like me and that’s your favorite era of 4Him, you will greatly enjoy the sound of this CD. It embodies everything awesome and cheesy about that barely-out-of-the-80s-90s-sound that we all love, even if we don’t always want to admit it.

Christmas Favorites #3: Christmas… Not Just Any Night, by Buddy Greene

I sort of have this thing for bald, bearded, bespectacled folk musicians. Seriously, when you really think about it and start naming names… Michael Card, Jeff Taylor, Ron Block, Buddy Greene… you start to wonder if it’s the lack of hair, the beard, the glasses, or perhaps all of the above. (Of course there’s just an outside chance that it’s a coincidence.)

Anyway, it was a great thrill to me that I got to meet three of said musicians all in the space of a year. First it was Michael Card, at a dinner concert. Then Jeff Taylor, unexpectedly at a Keith and Kristyn Getty concert. Finally, Buddy Greene at a Gaither Homecoming. Seriously, I feel as though I’ve attained the height of cool having met all three of those guys. And I have glasses, just like they do. Now I’ve just got to start working on the beard and the hair loss. That part might take a little while, but it’ll all be worth it when I emerge as a superior folk musician.

Oh yes, this was supposed to be an album review. Well, it’s like this: You might recall that Buddy Greene offered me his latest album for free, but it was already on the way for Christmas, so he let me have my pick of the others. My eyes lit upon his 1998  Christmas project Not Just Any Night. After salivating a little, I snapped it up and promised Buddy I would enjoy it.

And so I did. Let me just get this out of the way right now: You need this Christmas album. I know, you don’t know you need it, but take my word for it that you do. Don’t even pause to find samples. Buy it sound unheard.

But if you really need convincing, I’ll do my best to give you a few reasons in this review.

The Star On Top: In an album with about as many stars as the night sky, it was painful to pick just one. But upon contemplation, there was one track that did stand out: Buddy’s cover of his and Mark Lowry’s classic “Mary, Did You Know?” While the Gaither Vocal Band’s version takes a long time to build to a triumphant climax, Buddy’s version flows at a medium tempo and rises until it peaks at a whisper, with his gorgeous falsetto lingering on the line, “the praises of the Lamb…” It is the best version of the song I’ve ever heard.

Golden Rings: I am going to use up all five slots. This album is that good.

“Hark the Herald Angels Sing/Joy to the World” — This purely instrumental harmonica and piano duet is a joy to listen to. David Huntsinger, whose golden touch on the keys pervades the entire album, joins with the inimitable Buddy for a simple, yet infectious medley of the two classic carols.

“Glory to God in the Highest”: Don’t confuse this song with the quartet classic popularized by Signature Sound. This is a different, Buddy-penned song. As with much of this album, I’m going to say think Michael Card. This song is memorably crafted in every way. Lyrics and melody mesh perfectly. It’s sweet.

“Little Drummer Boy”: I first heard this arrangement when Buddy forgot the lyrics at that Homecoming concert. Unlike most arrangements of this carol, the drums really don’t take center stage. It is simply and sweetly carried by guitar, with some very light percussion providing the needed rhythmic under-current. An unexpected key change leads into a section where the lyrics are replaced with “la-la-las,” before going back to the original key and continuing with the song. The drums become just a little more prominent as the guitar, mandolin and accordion gently bring this low-key arrangement to a close. The final touch is a single, golden bell which rings out over the instruments several times as they fade out.

“Christmas Time’s A’Comin”: Buddy took this country romp and slowed it down a good deal at the Homecoming concert. It works very well both ways. On the album, it breezes along at a fast clip, almost over before it’s started, delightfully carried by Buddy’s self-conscious country squeak.

“Go Tell It On the Mountain”: Every now and then, Buddy indulges his inner black gospel singer. You wouldn’t know it to look at him, but bespectacled folksy white brotha got a little soul in him! This take on “Go Tell It On the Mountain” really rocks, in the best possible way. All the classic instruments are there—the gospel piano, the B-3 Hammond, the smoky, bluesy guitar, and, of course, the harmonica. Buddy is backed up by Ashley Cleveland, who layered together several tracks of her rich, throaty voice to provide the essential backup singers (no black gospel tune is complete without backup singers).

Stocking  Stuffer: The most Michael Card-ish track on the album is the quiet, contemplative “The Servant’s Way.” The lyrics, written by Dan Fox, are exceptionally beautiful, as is the melody (a traditional Irish tune). I could easily see Keith and Kristyn Getty doing this.

We owed a debt only He could pay.
He died to show the servant’s way.
And we must die a little every day
As we live the servant way of Jesus.

Stale Cookies: NONE

Coal in the Bottom: NONE

This is the sort of album that won’t force itself intrusively into your Christmas celebration if you put it on in the background. But if you should have a moment to lend an ear, it will quietly and simply bless you. It is one of the best Christmas albums I have ever heard.

Buy it.

You Gotta Get Up

Did my sister get a baby doll?

Did my brother get his bike?

Did I get that red wagon

The kind that makes you fly?

Oh I hope there’ll be peace on earth

I know there’s good will toward men

On account of that baby born in Bethlehem…

Merry Christmas yous guys!

I’m Dreamin’ Of A…

Well, it’s looking like there will be no snow for me this Christmas. There’s been a little snow this season, but it melted away and we’ve had weeks of cold, rainy weather without another flake.

You see, I live in the Midwest, and in this part of the country, a green Christmas and a white Easter is no joke. It’s actually happened. Spring and fall are practically non-existent. The cold season lasts forever, then pretty much melts into summer, which lasts forever until it turns into winter. But “winter” could mean just weeks of really cold weather with no snow, until it really gets rolling around January and doesn’t stop until May or so.

So dream with me…