Friday, December 23, 2011

Christmas in song

One of the things I love best about the Christmas season is the music. Maybe it's because they are songs saved for this particular month or maybe it's all tied up with my memories and experiences of the other parts of Christmas.

And while I love many of the Christmas/seasonal songs I hear on the radio, I wanted a mix which reflects the changes within me - knowing we celebrate the God-birth, made all the more poignant by His death and resurrection we remember and celebrate a few short months from now.

I created the following play list this week and am sharing it with you in case, like me, you're always on the hunt for a good song to capture a moment.

The progression of this mix reflects the days we expect the advent of Jesus' birth through the telling to the shepherds of the miracle, contemplating that holy night, then rejoicing and telling the whole world what God has done for us. And I threw "The Holly and the Ivy" in there because I love this arrangement by George Winston.

Before I share the list, here's a youtube video of "Come Thou Long Expected Jesus." If you have a moment, press the play button, close your eyes and let your heart soar with the song to God's throne. I love the clear enunciation of each word, the way Christ Nockels takes the time with each note, not rushing, but praising.




1. Gabriel's Message - Jars of Clay
2. On Jordan's Banks the Baptist Cry - Choir of St. Edmundsbury Cathedral
3. Come Thou Long Expected Jesus - Chris Tomlin with Christy Nockels
4. Hark! A Thrilling Voice is Sounding - John Fenstermaker and Grace Cathedral Choir
5. Angels from the Realms of Glory - Massed Choir
6. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing - Amy Grant
7. This Must be the Place - The Marshalls
8. The Shepard's Gift - Mychael Danna
9. What Child is This? - Faith Hill
10. O Come Let Us Adore Him - Matt Redman
11. O Holy Night! Faith Hill
12. Song for the King - Michael W. Smith
13. All Through the Night - Lifescapes
14. Silent Night - Martina McBride
15. All is Well - Michael W. Smith
16. Messiah, Part the First For Unto Us a Child is Born - Robert Shaw Orchestra
17. Joy to the World - Casting Crowns
18. Do You Hear What I Hear? - Andy Williams
19. It's True - Sara Groves
20. Go Tell it on the Mountain - David Crowder Band
21. The Holly and the Ivy - George Winston

1 comment:

timandlauren said...

So funny you posted the video for "Come Thou Long..." I'd never heard the song before, but Donny said Dwight wanted it sung on Christmas Eve (I'll be leading it) and this was the exact video Dwight wanted me to pull from. What a coincidence.