a sweet statement

I participate in this community choir ...

... and it’s one of my most favorite things about living in Birmingham.

A group of Christians come together, and despite our varying denominations and traditions, together we sing praise to the one true God.  Glory! 

We sing “sacred chorale music.”  (Read, “way-over-my- head music.”)  I have a decent musical background, but seriously, I have to work really hard to keep up.  I’m far from multilingual, so in particular, the selections in Latin, Italian, French, etc. are simply out of my league.

(Don’t feel sorry for me.  It’s just my reality.  But it’s good.  Humility is healthy.)

We start rehearsals the week after Labor Day in preparation for the Christmas concert.  I admit that in September, it’s hard for me to embrace the Christmas spirit when it’s 90 degrees outside – it really takes the anticipation of Christ’s birth to a whole new level.

But then comes the concert, and all is right with the world!

Music is powerful to a lot of people, for a lot of reasons, but isn’t it remarkable to think how the church has preserved and recorded the story of Christ’s birth in song, for hundreds of years?  I love that about music.

Tonight was our concert ...

... and I’m officially pumped about Christmas.

We sang the sweet story about the birth of an innocent baby with such little fanfare, in a simple stable, because there was no room at the inn.  Jesus – the King of Kings and Lord of Lords – was born to fulfill a promise of salvation for generations to come.  That’s heavy stuff!

And yet.

How ironic and beautiful, that God the Father, the maker of heavens and earth, chose to speak to His people, after 400 years of silence, in such an understated way.

That’s my kind of statement.