The Water Is Life.

This year, I’ve started looking at Christmas carols as worship songs, partially due to all of the times they were played in chapel.

I don’t know why I never realized it before.

It gives a whole new depth to the season for me, especially in light of two semesters chock-full of theology.  How do you sum up the musings of Paul, Athanasias, and Amselm on the Incarnation?  Leave it to Charles Wesley’s pen:

“Peace on earth, and mercy mild–God and sinners reconciled.”

“Pleased as man with men to dwell, Jesus, our Emmanuel.”

“Born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth.”

There’s enough food for thought in that one song to overwhelm any philosopher.

I’ve also been discovering just how beautiful many of the arrangements for these songs can be.  O Come, O Come, Emmanuel is haunting, and even more recent songs like Babe in the Straw and Breath of Heaven take my breath away (no pun intended).

And if we lose sight of Your sweet face, at the birth of grace
Light of Truth, shine like Bethlehem’s star
Lead us to where You are, show us who You are
Save us tonight.

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