It's rising, it's rsising, the song of hope from us set free
Our chord chart at church for this song has a typo. It's not an egregious mistake or anything. You probably didn't even notice it above. I don't know how many times I led the song before I noticed it. But one morning, years ago now, during sound check someone actually pronounced it the way it's spelled as "it's rising, resizing, the song of hope from us set free"... And we all laughed, and we went on with rehearsal.
Every time since then, though, I see the line and laugh.
But this morning... as I was listening to the song to prepare to lead it again this weekend, I got thinking... What God has done for us does resize our praise. Our praise is both rising and resizing. We belong to the father. We are orphans no longer.
How that resizes my praise!
We belong to You Father
Love has come, we're orphans no longer
Brought into Your light and freedom
By the blood and the mercy of Jesus
It's rising, it's rising, the song of hope
From us set free
It's rising, it's rising, it's rising up
Hallelujah to You God of the redeemed
Hallelujah, You've opened blinded eyes to see
We will praise You
You are the everlasting light
Hallelujah to You God of the redeemed
We belong to You Father
Living for Your glory and honor
Here on earth, just as in heaven
We usher in the reign of Your Kingdom
Christmas songs sometimes have a way of "idealizing" what the first Christmas must have been like, either removing the very real pain that Mary and Joseph would have been feeling, or removing the messiness that is real life. While Jesus's birth is absolutely a reason to celebrate and rejoice and sing Joy to the World with the angels, it is also a time to recognize a beautiful young woman who brought that savior into the world.
I love that this song talks about both - it was a labor of pain, it was a labor of love. It was messy (there was blood on the ground) and full of fear (there were no midwives to be found) - but they did what they needed to do to bring into the world this precious baby. We think of that baby as our Savior (because that's who He was) but to them he was their child. Their baby - to love and care for and raise up. To kiss his boo boos, to bandage his finger, to hold, to feed, to care for. A very real human experience, bringing a baby into the world, accompanied by the knowledge that this was the son of God.
It was not a silent night... it was a labor of love.
It was not a silent night
There was blood on the ground
You could hear a woman cry
In the alleyways that night
On the streets of David's town
And the stable was not clean
And the cobblestones were cold
And little Mary full of grace
With the tears upon her face
Had no mother's hand to hold
It was a labor of pain
It was a cold sky above
But for the girl on the ground in the dark
With every beat of her beautiful heart
It was a labor of love
Noble Joseph at her side
Callused hands and weary eyes
There were no midwives to be found
On the streets of David's town
In the middle of the night
So he held her and he prayed
Shafts of moonlight on his face
For the baby in her womb
He was the maker of the moon
He was the author of the faith
That could make the mountains move
It was a labor of pain
It was a cold sky above
But for the girl on the ground in the dark
With every beat of her beautiful heart
It was a labor of love
For little Mary full of grace
With the tears upon her face
It was a labor of love
It was not a silent night
On the streets of David's town
In despair I bowed my head, there is no peace on earth I said, for hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth good will to men.
It's so easy to get lost in the daily "things" and the stuff of the season to lose sight of the goal of Christmas: peace on earth and good will to men. Jesus was sent to bring peace on earth and good will to men. Biblically, that is the point of Christmas. A savior is born, it is good news to all the earth because He brings peace on earth. But the deal is that His peace is so very different from our definition of peace that I think it gets lost.
God's peace isn't about an earthly kingdom, or a lack of warring countries - it's about a lack of war between God and us. Our sinful nature is put to death, it is ended and finished. We have peace on earth - that couldn't be found here before. Because the war between our sinful nature and God's perfection has been won by God's grace on the cross.
Oh Jesus, Oh Jesus, shine your light on us, shine your light on us.
Yes, Lord Jesus, shine your light into our tired land. May your light prevail.
I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of Peace on Earth good will to men
I thought how as the day had come
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth good will to men
Oh Jesus, Oh Jesus
Shine Your light on us
Shine Your light on us
And in despair I bowed my head
There is no peace on earth I said
For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth good will to men
Oh Jesus, Oh Jesus
Shine Your light on us
Shine Your light on us
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep
God is not dead, nor does he sleep
The dark shall fail, God's light prevail
With peace on earth good will to men
Oh Jesus, Oh Jesus
Shine Your light on us
Shine Your light on us
This song is on the radio some, but not in the acoustic mix. I stumbled across this version in Spotify a few weeks ago, and can't get enough of it. I'm discovering more and more how much I really like simple... solo voice, maybe two, guitar... not much else.
The other day I was thinking to myself made a list of all my mistakes...
How well I identify with this line. The ability to rattle off a list a mile long of all the mistakes I've made (today). And the choice daily of what to do with those mistakes. Do you decide it's the end and that you can't get to the "right" finish because you took the "wrong" path? Where do you go with your list of mistakes?
Sometimes I take my mistakes to people who I know are like salt in an open wound. You know the ones, the people who will make you feel even worse. Who will "rub your nose in it". Sometimes I take my mistakes to my Father - who knows me, who loves me, and who will help to clear the infection made by those mistakes. (Which, I should add, might still be painful... but that's a topic for a different post) My Father who says "you gotta get back up again... you CAN get up again."
Do you get stuck in the place of "I can't"? The "I've screwed it all up so royally there's no recovery for me" spot? Just remember: And I guess not every little thing Works out just the way you dreamed You can take a couple wrong turns Still end up where you're supposed to be
Our God is the maker of the paths. There is no path so far gone that He can't get you back where you're supposed to be.
The other day, I was thinking to myself
Made a list of all my mistakes
Oh, I wish I could've run to you
And tell you all about my heartbreak
And I wondered to myself "Wait a minute
Am I even on the right path now?"
Had a couple wins, but I got knocked down
But I know if you were still around, you would say
Sometimes you lose, sometimes you win
You gotta get up, up again
Keep holding on, it's not the end
You gotta get up, up again
You can get up, up again
You can get up, up again
And I guess not every little thing
Works out just the way you dreamed
You can take a couple wrong turns
Still end up where you're supposed to be
And even though in a moment
I know anything can change
You're perfect plans might fall apart
But the simple truth remains
Sometimes you lose, sometimes you win
You gotta get up, up again
Keep holding on, it's not the end
You gotta get up, up again
You, you can get up, up again
You can get up, up again
You, you can get up, up again
You can get up, up again
'Cause you've only got one life
And you don't know when it ends
You've only got one heart
So get out there and live
Yeah, you've only got one life
Don't let it get away
Everyone falls down
But you can get up, up again
You, you can get up, up again
You can get up, up again
And I guess not every little thing
Works out just the way you dreamed
You can take a couple wrong turns
Still end up where you're supposed to be
