I have been struck, as a bell, to Christmas music again this year. It is potent and it is everywhere. Playing the soundtrack to my shopping, carrying me to and from work, reverberating off our living room walls. I cannot offer much in the wake of the past week, but I can offer songs that tell a story of hope.
rejoice, rejoice
disperse the gloomy clouds of night– and death’s dark shadows put to flight
rejoice, rejoice
make safe the way that leads on high– and close the path to misery
rejoice. emmanuel shall come to thee, o israel.
And this version of ‘Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel‘– it gives me chills. Both dark and bright, it tows the line of sanctity coming to our reality. I want to talk to chris thile. I want to know why he arranged the song thus, and I want to know if the conviction I hear is real.
But for now, I’ll let it be, and let this song speak a story that we need to hear.