sing

in His Presence

Karla LeesLeave a comment

Your God is present among you, a strong Warrior there to save you.
Happy to have you back, He’ll calm you with His love and delight you with His songs. Zephaniah 3:17 MSG

I have a confession to make.

This verse is one of my favorite verses in the Old Testament.  In the passage of Zephaniah 3, God is reminding His people that He is with them, and restoration is coming.

Because of who He is.

Present with us.
Mighty to save us.
Ready for battle.

But He doesn’t just remind us of His physical presence in this verse, for He is not a two dimensional God.  He is whole, and how He describes Himself is alive and ever for His Beloved.

God reassures us of His devotion for us, His people, through Zephaniah’s writings.

●Thrilled we have returned to Him
●Calming our worries and anxieties with His love
●Delighting us with His songs

God not only protects those who come under the shadow of His wing, He loves up on us!  He keeps us calm! And to top it off, God HIMSELF sings to us for OUR delight!

If you have forgotten how wonderful our God is, in all the many ways He chooses to be there for us, invite Him to remind you as you return to the safety of His embrace.  Let Him love up on you when you are with Him, in His Presence.

image

Sonday Psalm: worship

Karla LeesLeave a comment

Today is a double celebration day.
I am celebrating my eldest child’s birthday, and singing as a part of two worship teams today.

But every day is meant to be a celebration for those who discover  who they are in Christ.

I want to encourage you too today to celebrate. 

Bake a cake.

Walk in the wonder of nature near by.

Read the Word.

Sing with abandon.

Shout for joy.

Craft a new song, poem or picture.

It’s Sunday.

The day Christians usually set aside to worship the Son.

I like to think of it as Sonday.

It’s time for a new psalm to arise from His Beloved.

It’s time for us to let Him know how thankful we are to be His.

Celebrate the blessings you have been gifted with today, whatever they are!

#Sondaypsalm

image

Sunday Psalm: in the depths

Karla LeesLeave a comment

In the depths
where we hide our hearts
the deep cries are made

In the heights
of Heaven
Your tears at our plight
were great

For You so loved us all
You decided to send
part of Yourself
to meet our need
with the gift of Your son
merged with our DNA

Such depth to Your love

That very same babe
free to be a Rabbi of renown
who spread Your Words of love
as He walked through our towns
speaking peace to our hearts
and life into our hidden places

No matter to You
was too large or too small
You touched each of us
with the greatest Love of all

Such depth to Your Love

Never ending
Your love will go on and on
Forever
Your heart will beat for me
Drawing me out
from where I’ve hidden away
into Your embrace
which restores each day

Such depth to Your Love!

#SundayPsalm

image

Angels from the Realms of Glory

Karla LeesLeave a comment

One of my all time favorite carols, this classic proclamation of the Good News beautifully covers the main players in the Christmas story.

Angels from the realms of glory,
Wing your flight o’er all the earth;
Ye who sang creation’s story,
Now proclaim Messiah’s birth:
Come and worship, come and worship, Worship Christ, the newborn King!

God knew that the world might miss out on His timing, so He sent the angels to proclaim the Good News. The Creator came to His creation!!

Shepherds, in the fields abiding,
Watching o’er your flocks by night,
God with man is now residing,
Yonder shines the infant Light;
Come and worship, come and worship, Worship Christ, the newborn King!

The first people the angels spoke to were those who were the loneliest and who needed to know they weren’t forgotten: the shepherds, living on the outskirts with their flocks.  The Good News had arrived!

Sages, leave your contemplations,
Brighter visions beam afar;
Seek the great desire of nations,
Ye have seen His natal star;
Come and worship, come and worship, Worship Christ, the newborn King!

Not only did the angels proclaim the Good News to the shepherds, but the star over Bethlehem attracted the attention of several wise men in a far off land, who had studied the prophecies and understood the King was being born.

His timing is such that He not only sent an angel to Mary to let her know she would bear the Messiah, but set a star alignment in the sky which would draw seekers outside of the Jewish faith to come to Him.

God was already letting us know He was coming for all:

Those who were in the family, those who were on the outskirts, and those seeking from afar.

Saints before the altar bending,
Watching long in hope and fear,
Suddenly the Lord, descending,
In His temple shall appear:
Come and worship, come and worship, Worship Christ, the newborn King!

I love this Carol in part because of the fourth verse. We are part of the Christmas story, saints. 

All of Christmas was done with us in mind.

To draw attention to the reality that God had always had us on His mind, and was always willing to pour out His heart of love for His Beloved.

What a carol to proclaim to the world, indeed!

All of us have one song to sing, this Christmas and every day: Come and worship Him!

May His song arise within you, and pour out in His praise again today!

image
He is the Song we are to sing, always!

Historical Background:
Irishman James Montgomery penned the words, and Henry Smart composed the music for “Angels from the Realms of Glory” in 1816.

Fun Fact: In the UK, “Angels we have Heard on High” is also sung to this tune!

Born is the King

Karla LeesLeave a comment

Born unto us this day a Saviour
Gifted from heaven to a manger
The hope of the world
A light for all mankind
All of the earth rejoice
It’s Christmas time

So lift up your voice and sing out His praise, it’s Christmas!
Born is the King, rejoice in the day! It’s Christmas!
Make a joyful sound, it’s Christmas!
Let His praise resound – it’s Christmas!

image

There are many newer Christmas songs which have hit the market over the years…and this is a newer one by Hillsong which appeals to all ages.

For young and old are all bound to share the best news at the tops of their lungs, aren’t they?

Of all the kings ever of earth, only one was a King before He was born on earth.

Jesus stepped out of His Kingship to sleep in a Manger.

God with us, now one of us.

I can only imagine the stunned silence in heaven when Jesus disappeared in one second then reappeared in Mary’s womb.

No wonder the angels decided to give a heavenly show that night of Wonder!

And if Jesus had come today, I believe their song might have sounded a little like this new Carol from Hillsong.

Upbeat, with reverence yet joy filled wonder at what was unveiling before their, and our, eyes!

It is only four days from when we traditionally celebrate His arrival, this King being born to Mary & Joseph, a humble couple who served God with everything they had, despite their own misgivings at being chosen.

The Hope for the world born at Christmas time.

That, my friends, is a song worth singing over, and over, and over!

#praiseHymn

See Amid the Winter’s Snow

Karla LeesLeave a comment
image
this carol in the hymnal I sang it from this past Sunday night!

See amid the winter’s snow
Born for us on earth below
See the tender Lamb appears
Promised from eternal years

Hail, thou ever-blessed morn
Hail, redemption’s happy dawn
Sing through all Jerusalem
Christ is born in Bethlehem

I have two favorite ways I love to experience this carol.

The first is to sing it live. The hair raising wonder I get from the chorus stirs me each and every time I proclaim Him born.

But the second? Hearing Annie Lennox sing it in the way I only dreamed it could be sung.

A slice of heaven here on earth.

There are moments when we are struck dumb with wonder, and hearing this song on her latest Christmas album was one of them.

Because I know (last time I heard) that she is not a believer.

And she, along with many hundreds of other artists, record these carols on their Christmas albums, proclaiming the newborn King to be born.  Even though they don’t personally believe it.

Somehow, the wonder of who He is has leaked into the songs He has gifted to His people, and the world continues to proclaim Him despite not intimately knowing Him.

This only serves to reflect our humanity, doesn’t it?  How many times has someone spoken the expected response, when you know they don’t believe it for themselves?

We can be the same when it comes to our worship.

These words contain the Word Himself, and with His birth, we too are born anew, remade as His Beloved.

We are to enter the Christmas story, not as observers, but as part of the heavenly chorus proclaiming His arrival and kingship!

Today, if you hear one of the familiar carols, tune your mind to sing or hum along as your act of worship.  Savor the moment, even if you are standing in line for a gift or in the coffee shop taking a sip of sanity.

image

Historical Background:
“See Amid the Winter’s Snow” was first published in England in 1871 under its alternate name “Hymn for Christmas Morn.” Words by Edward Caswell, music by Sir John Goss.

Rejoice & be merry

Karla LeesLeave a comment

Rejoice and be merry
in songs and in mirth!
O praise our Redeemer;
all mortals on earth!
For this is the birthday
of Jesus our King,
Who brought us salvation,
His praises we’ll sing!

With the announcement of the season of Christmas, many of us first think of all the extra tasks or jobs we have associated with what is to be one of the most joyous occasions of the year.

Instead of focusing on the wonder wrapped about the miracle Christmas is.

It took a death, then a birth to restore my vision.

My sister in law passed away suddenly at the beginning of winter a few years ago, and the weight of grief hung heavy over my heart.  I knew we were to be celebrating Jesus has come, but all I could feel was the loss.

I allowed it to overshadow the gain.

For Jesus isn’t just a gift doll we pull off of the shelf each Christmas, playing with him for a bit then putting him away with the other ornaments until the next.

He is the gift itself.

He is Present.
He is Love.
God with us, through it all.

One of my coworkers had a baby the next Christmas, and the excitement His arrival brought into my heart made me realize the miracle of God coming to us as one of us.

But the story doesn’t just stop with His birth.

It begins.

This Christmas, choose to rejoice.

Not because you have to, but because you choose to.

You may be under the weight of loss, pain, weariness.

He knows, and He came to join you right where you are at.

Not in the castle of the rich and famous, but in the humble shed of a working man, surrounded by the works of his hands.

To a woman who’s priority was serving God before all else. Her reputation, her engagement, her family ties.

To a man who although he started off shaking with doubt, came through when she needed him most.

Love was the undercurrent of the Christmas story, and the story He is continuing to write in our lives.

For the sky may be dark and the fog blocking our sight, but He is there to lovingly guide us as He Himself is our Light.

Because He never lets us go, we can rejoice.

Because He is always with us, we can be merry.

Because of who He is, we can always have a song to sing in praise!

image

Historical Background:
This carol is also referred to as the Gallery Carol, one of the traditional pieces sung by many choirs in their church galleries before the invention of the organ, in the early 19th century. It is believed to have been written in the 18th century, and is considered to be a Dorset Carol.

Sunday Psalm: HalleYOUjah

Karla LeesLeave a comment

As I’m reminded of all the wonders
made by Your command,
I arise from my seat
to quickly take a stand
I close my eyes
and raise my open hands
then Your praise shot forth
as I began to understand,

It’s all about You
it always has
and it always will
be all about You
Father, Son & Spirit
we shout HalleYOUjah
for all the world
to hear the truth
It’s all about You!

When I saw the words
as Your love shone forth
when You opened my eyes,
I dropped to my knees
with a grateful heart
from the surprise
I lift my hands
asking You to shine through me
so all world can see

It’s all about You
it always has
and it always will
be all about You
Father, Son & Spirit
we shout HalleYOUjah
for all the world
to know the truth
It’s all about You!

image

#singanewpsalm

Deck the Halls

Karla LeesLeave a comment

Deck the halls with boughs of holly, 
Fa la la la la, la la la la. 
Tis the season to be jolly, 
Fa la la la la, la la la la. 

Don we now our gay apparel, 
Fa la la, la la la, la la la. 
Troll the ancient Yule tide carol, 
Fa la la la la, la la la la. 

This is one of my favorite traditional carols to listen to when sung acappella by a quartet…but I have never previously taken a closer look at its words.

Until now.

It really doesn’t have much to say about the reason for Christmas, apart from using the words Yule or Yuletide. The history of which refers to Winter Festival and celebrating the season.

But what do you do when there is no snow to make snowmen with, nor fancy new apparel due to a lean budget? Would this be a song we could sing when things didn’t look so good up ahead?

It struck me that the words to this song are as outdated in one sense as its language.

You can’t properly celebrate the season without celebrating the Season Giver, can’t you?

So singing songs about good cheer without the Good News become just words to choose depending on your circumstances, instead of celebration.

We are meant to celebrate and be sharing the Good News this and every Christmas.

The Good News of God with us.

Knowing God came to earth to live among us is only the first part of the Good News, and leads us to want to know why.

We are meant to celebrate and be of good cheer because God is here, always with us.

So decorate with holly, and party jolly, Molly, but don’t forget the real reason behind Christmas as you do.

The love that brought Jesus to live beside us is still here for you in the ups and downs of life.

I come from a Scandinavian background on one side, and have been curious about some of its traditions over the years.

Kris Kringle (aka what became known as Santa Claus here in North America) was a man who decided to share the birth of Christ in the form of small gifts for the neighboring children.

And look what business has done with gift giving and the season since.

May God help us to let go of what need to go, and refocus our time, energy and gaze on the reason for this season.

Jesus.

Not the glow of the lights.
Not the glimmer of gifts.
Not the chill of the snow.
Not the yummies to enjoy.
Not buying for show.
Not the bustle of on the go.

Jesus.
image

Historical Background:
Deck the Halls is a Welsh carol originally meant to be sung for New Year’s Eve, dating back to the 16th century. It was originally published in English in
1862.

O Come O Come Emmanuel

Karla LeesLeave a comment

image

O Come O Come Emmanuel and ransom captive Israel…

This hymn may seem like it doesn’t fit in the category of praise, until we remember how its sometimes in our darkest days that we are able to experience God the most.

When we encounter Him at our lowest, we cannot help but change our song of lament into a new song of praise.

Isaiah 64:1-2 reminds us how God’s people had been crying out for a Deliverer, beyond the kings, prophets and judges they had asked for.

Humanity came to realize it could not save itself. It needed a Deliverer to set it free from its captivity to sin.

Only God could fix what humanity had broken in the Garden, but continued to dig deeper and deeper over time.

This hymn reminds me of the cry for freedom we all have deep within us, if we are all honest with the state of our hearts when we choose to be left to our own devices.

Those who have tasted the freedom God offers desire to become freer, as we learn to place more of ourselves into His loving hands.

The Deliverer Israel was wanting was the same one that miraculously freed them from Egypt, parted water before them, fed and clothed them in the desert.

The same one who gave them a new home, a new hope and a fresh start as He guides them into the Promised Land.

The same one they turned away from as they looked more at the gift instead of the Giver.

They allowed their eyes to wander from His wonder and gaze upon the wonderlands of earth.

What they came to realize as foreign nations subjugated them over and over?

The God they had turned away from had never turned away from them.

And the lament which that realization stirs within each of us who have wandered is echoed in the haunting strains of O Come O Come Emmanuel.

But the author(s) of this song doesn’t leave us only with the lament of those who know they are the chosen people, and long for restoration.

He trusted in the Promises, and because of his hope, could pen the chorus of this hymn which has rung out over the ages:

Rejoice, rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to us,
O Israel.

Historical Background:
The author was likely one or more monks over 1200 years ago. An Anglican minister John Mason Neale first translated it from the Latin, and the melody has been attributed to Henry Sloane Coffin and Thomas Helmore to reach the version we sing to Him today!