Melodic Mondays
Those of you who know me know that I love music even though I am not musical myself. I listen to good music as often as I can. It is beneficial to the brain, valuable to the vocabulary, and strengthening to the soul. Isaiah 12:2-3 is a lovely passage that includes this soaring statement of surety: “The Lord JEHOVAH [YAHWEH] is my strength and my song.” This could be translated, “God is my mountaintop and my music.” Yes, He is! Each Monday, I want to study this subject and suggest a song to listen to. Anyone reading this devotional has easy access to any song. (I am an exception because I do not go on a computer or other information device.) If you do not like my suggestion (and we all have different tastes), you can think of or search for one that speaks to you. Then, it can become a source of encouragement throughout the week.
Christmas is often associated with peace. In order to keep the peace in our household, I have selected a piece that my wife likes. She enjoys the music of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. One of their better-known Christmas songs is “Christmas Canon,” which uses the tune of Pachelbel’s “Canon in D Major” and simple lyrics. This song has a place in the story told in the Orchestra’s “The Lost Christmas Eve,” but it also stands alone as an evocation of the Messianic longing of many people at the time of Jesus’ birth. “We are waiting, we have not forgotten” echoes the expectation of people like Simeon and Anna (Luke 2:25-38).