Thanksgiving is still more than a week out, but Christmas music is already playing in some local stores. It’s too early, some say, but I love it. For me, the music of Christmas conveys the message of Christmas.
Christmas is about hope – something we’re all searching for.
C.S. Lewis turned Christmas into a powerful metaphor in his classic novel, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. A little girl named Lucy stumbles into the wintry land of Narnia through a magic wardrobe. The first character she meets is Mr. Tumnus, part faun and part human, who tells Lucy that Narnia is cursed by the White Witch. It’s always winter and never Christmas.
Without Christmas to inspire joy, happiness, and laughter, Narnia becomes a cold, forbidding place. So does our world. The struggle of daily life reminds us that we live outside of Eden. Christmas reminds us of how things are supposed to be. We were created to love one another and fill the world with God’s peace and joy.
Even though it’s still November, enjoy Christmas music when you hear it. Let it fill you with hope. After all, Christmas is about gifts, and no greater gift has ever been given than the baby Jesus in a manger who offers grace and forgiveness to a lost and hurting world. That’s a great message to hear any time of year.
If you love Christmas like I do, you’ll want to hear my conversation with Tony Wood, an award winning songwriter and author. He’s my guest on Focus on the Family with Jim Daly. We’re reflecting on God’s amazing gift to us – His Son – and discussing how we can listen for God’s voice this Christmas season, specifically through song.
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