Well ladies and gents, we had our first, (no doubt of many), interruptions in the flow of this list yesterday. Think of it as a commercial or intermission of sorts, so now - back to our countdown
My pick for #9 is one of the two "youngest" songs on this list. Written by Chris Rice and released in 1997, Welcome To Our World has attracted the attention of Christian recording artists Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant and has become a Christmas staple even on secular radio.
The words behind this song speaks so eloquently of man's brokenness and our need for a Messiah. It brings forth our sorry state and how God offered the perfect gift in His Son. Two verses strike me everytime I hear this song:
Fragile finger sent to heal us
Tender brow prepared for thorn
Tiny heart whose blood will save us
Unto us is born
Unto us is born
So wrap our injured flesh around you
Breathe our air and walk our sod
Rob our sin and make us holy
Perfect son of god
Perfect son of god
Welcome to our world
I look at these verses and I reflect on God's power and might all wrapped in the helplessness and innate trust of a newborn child, His ultimate destiny and a wicked world who is more in need of Him even as we stand proudly and walk with our airs and misconceptions of independence. This song speaks for our need to be humble in God's presence and it beseeches us to open our hearts to Him - The Perfect Son of God.
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Song #8 dates back to an anonymous text written in Latin in the 12th Century. Tranlated by John Mason Neale in 1851 O Come, O Come Emmanuel is one of the favored Advent hymns of the season. The hymn is peppered with Messiahnic references from the Old Testament including:
Emmanuel (God with us) (Isa. 7:14), Lord of Might (Ex. 19:16), Rod (Branch) of Jesse (Isa. 11:1, Isa. 11:10), Dayspring (Morning Star) (Num. 24:17), Key of David (Isa. 22:22) and the chorus portrays the longing for a bridge to gap the spiritual chasm between God and His people in the person that is our Lord Jesus Christ.
The hymn illustrates our great debt to our spiritual ancestors and just like "Welcome To Our World" this ancient hymn is also vital for today’s Christian, who with the seeming obsession for this present world, must be reminded to prepare for the world that is to come.
These two songs about our Lord, though seperated by centuries and written as proclamations of our Saviour's birth, points to the cornerstone of our faith: For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2: 8-9)
2 comments:
Thanks for posting. I've learned something new. Especially when it comes to where these special songs come from. I'm with you on the Messiah though...I'd love to sing, "And the Glory of the Lord" in church.
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#8 is one of my favorites and it still makes my throat tighten so that i will not cry.
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