Soon after the angel Gabriel had visited Mary and shared the news that she had been chosen to give birth to The Savior, Mary went to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who was also expecting a child. When Mary shared the news with Elizabeth, the babe in her womb leaped for joy. You see, Elizabeth was going to give birth to the child who would become known as John the Baptist. Thirty years later, John declared the beginning of Christ’s ministry by baptizing Jesus. Mary became the first person to share the good news of the gospel.
The account of the birth of Christ is found in the second Chapter of Luke, but some of the details surrounding His entry into this world are found in chapter one. The coming of Christ was revealed seven hundred years before His birth, when the prophet Isaiah spoke these words, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel (God with us). In the first chapter of Luke this prophesy is fulfilled as the angel Gabriel visits Mary and declares, “Do not be afraid Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you shall conceive in you womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be, great, and will be called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.
That is a lot of information to drop on a teen-aged girl who is engaged to be married. In fact Mary asked how it was possible for her to have a child when she had never been with a man. God reveals His truth to us when we are able to understand it. Looking back on this encounter, we are inclined to ask, “Mary, did you know?”
“Mary Did You Know” has become a Christmas classic and has been recorded by dozens of artists. The first time I heard this song, it was by Kathy Mattea. I still think it is the best arrangement I have ever heard.
Welcome, welcome, welcome to Driller’s 12th annual Christmas Music Marathon. Every day, between now and Christmas you can stop by this site and listen to music of the season. The focus of this marathon is to shine a light on the true reason for the celebration of Christmas. On Christmas night the greatest gift ever given was bestowed upon mankind in the birth of Jesus Christ. We will celebrate the birth of our Savior through the gift of music. There will be old favorites and new songs of the season, so plan on spending a few moments each day here with some of your favorite artists and songs that celebrate the promise of God brought to the hearts of men.
I do have a couple of traditions. The first tradition I have is that I begin this marathon with the same song each year. Spend a few minutes thinking about what it must have been like living in Bethlehem. It was a small no name town that no one thought would ever amount to anything. It was cold, dark, and with the exception of this occasion of census for the purpose of taxation, Bethlehem was forgettable. Yet God chose to change the world through this small town. Let’s take a walk through Bethlehem.
Lucy is looking forward to Friday because that will be the start of my 12th annual Christmas Music Marathon. Every year, beginning the Friday after Thanksgiving, I will post at least one song per day that will focus on the celebration of Christmas and the birth of our Savior. Stop by and hear some of your favorite songs of the season and I can guarantee there will be several new-to-you tunes in the mix. Lucy and I will share a playlist that is sure to put you in the Christmas mood.
Monday’s Music Moves Me.
This week at 4M the theme is things we are thankful for. Like most people, I am thankful for my family, my friends, my health. Despite all of her bumps, bruises, warts, scars, and discord, I am thankful that I live in the greatest and most blessed nation on the planet. We are far from the perfect union that Abraham Lincoln dreamed of in the Gettysburg address. Still, we enjoy the opportunity to live a life not found anywhere else in the world. I am thankful for the God of all creation and His gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. I am thankful that He has given us the gift of music to express our feelings and deliver a message to our world. Yes, I am Thankful. Have a blessed Thanksgiving.
Recently my wife hosted a breakfast for her Bible study group, so Lucy and I headed out for an excellent adventure. I decided to go to a couple of local trail locations and see if I could get Lucy to sit still long enough to get a few good photographs of her. Here are the results.
Monday’s Music Moves Me
This week is a free choice week and I want to take the opportunity to feature a group from gospel music. The Collingsworth family has a forties big band sound with a little jazz thrown in. They have excellent harmony, but the superstar of the group is the mother, Kim, on piano. She is world class on the grand piano. Here we go.
Friday night was the last regular season game for the two local high schools. It is a rivalry game and this year they were playing for the number two seed in the play-offs, which means that the winner will get a week off before playing again and the loser will probably have to play a road game. The team in white is the older high school while the team in blue is now about seven years old. The Wolverines have never beaten the Tigers and this year was no different. The old guard put the youngsters in their place by a score of 56-21.
Monday’s Music Moves Me
Welcome, welcome, welcome to 4M. I am your guest conductor this month, which means I get to pick the themes for the music. Later this month I will have roamed this earth for three quarters of a century. I know, it’s hard to believe that a fossil still likes music and wanders the sidelines photographing football. In honor of my upcoming birthday I would like to feature artists born in November. Let’s see who we can find. As it turns out, some of my favorite artists were born in November. In fact Duane Allman and I share the same day and year, while Joe Walsh, Dierks Bentley, and Miranda Lambert share the month of November with me. Let’s get this party started.
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