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.
Any Christmas play or pageant that I have ever seen includes shepherds, and rightly so. The first message to people after the birth of Jesus Christ was to these ovine caretakers outside David’s small city of Bethlehem. Luke 2:8 unexpectedly transitions from the manger to the hills surrounding the city: “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.” Certainly they did not anticipate that they would have an angelic visitation, an invitation to see the Savior, and an opportunity to tell others “good tidings of great joy” (verse 10). The hymn “Come, All Ye Shepherds” well captures the spirit of this Biblical account. It is a Bohemian folk Gospel song, reminding us that God has His people throughout the nations. We will listen to a rendition of this Christmas song by Benedictines of Mary.