Welcome to Freely Speaking, an OHSOFREE devotional ministry where we share our hearts and trust God for transformation.
Today’s devotion is written by Marge Web.
“...My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior… For the Mighty One has done great things for me and holy is His name.” (Luke 1:46-47, 49 NRSV)
I love Christmas music. My former employees will tell you when they rode to a lunch event in my van; they expected two things: I would drive fast and undoubtedly listen to Christmas music.
Did you know singing worship songs at Christmas is evident in the Bible? Of course, the era wasn’t called Christmas, but the angels were bringing the good news of the Savior, and Mary and Zachariah responded with singing.
Mary’s beautiful song says in part, Sing out my soul the greatness of the Lord. My spirit rejoices in God my Savior. This song is often called the Magnificat and has been used as the basis for choral music and hymns for centuries. What beautiful praise as Mary reacted to all the events happening in her young life sharing the news of the promised Messiah with her aunt Elizabeth.
This Christmas let’s not just sing Christmas carols for fun but also worship the newborn Savior through these beautiful hymns. From the daunting melody of O Come, O Come, Emmanuel to the more familiar Silent Night, focus on the lyrics of each song.
Maybe we can start with this one. It’s not worshipping a town, but a Savior born there as prophesied in Micah 5:2, “But thou Bethlehem, out of thee shall a ruler of Israel come forth.” (KJV)
“Oh, Little Town of Bethlehem, how still we see Thee lie!
Above Thy deep and dreamless Sleep
The silent stars go by.
Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting light:
The hopes and dreams of all the years,
Are met in Thee tonight.”
Let Jesus meet your hopes and dreams this Christmas.
Thank you for joining us today. If you would like to learn more about OhSoFree Ministries, please visit us at www.ohsofreeministries.com/