Last night a group of us went to McDonough Road Baptist Church to see Travis Cottrell perform with Cindy Morgan and Shawn Groves. It was absolutely emotionally reviting. Every year, it gets harder and harder for me to get into the Christmas spirit. Christmas songs have come to a point to where they are what they are: songs. The funness and excitement about Christmas within itself has been hard for me to grasp in the last few years. The main reason for this is all the rushing around to get it accomplished. To get everything ready for the BIG DAY! I realized last night why that is.

Every year....I see Christmas as a holiday. A holiday of gifts, family, food, and songs. Don't get me wrong I love the songs! I love the traditional Christmas songs like Silent Night, Jingle Bells, etc. etc. I do. I really do. However, they haven't been a source of joy over the last few years. Like other things in life, things have just become repeative. Same ol thing every year. We sing songs at church, we put decorations up, we give and receive presents, we eat and enjoy family. All funness. I assure you. The excitement of Christmas has just been missing for me the last couple of years. However, last night changed that for me this year.

The first part of the concert was all about typical Christmas songs. Rudolph, Jingle Bells, Silent Night, etc. etc. And it was great. It was Travis for Pete's sake! But then it all changed. The typical Christmas feeling.....the played out Christmas version in my head all fell away. Travis sang a song called In the First Light. Below are a the lyrics:

In the first light of a new day no one knew he had arrived
Things continued as they had been while a newborn softly cried
But the heavens wrapped in wonder knew the meaning of his birth
In the weakness of a baby they knew God had come to earth

As his mother held him closely it was hard to understand
That her baby, not yet speaking, was the word of God to man
He would tell them of his kingdom but their hearts would not believe
They would hate him and in anger they would nail him to a tree

But the sadness would be broken as the song of life arose
And the firstborn of creation would ascend and take his throne
He had left it to redeem us but before his life began
He knew he'd come back, not as a baby, but as the Lord of every man

Hear the angels as they're singing on the morning of his birth
But how much greater will our song be when he comes again to earth
Hear the angels as they're singing on the morning of his birth
But how much greater will our song be when he comes to rule the earth!


Great song! Travis and his crew made it even better by placing video within the song and it started out with clips from Mary giving birth and ended with the Passion of the Christ. Needless to say it was a refreshing moment. It helped to remind me that....yea we're celebrating HIS birth. But ultimately, we're celebrating HIS life, HIS will, HIS plan, HIS works, HIS EVERYTHING! It hit me like a tidal wave. Get over all the Christmas fun and festivities. It was like HE was saying....this is about ME!

Then Travis finished with Jesus Saves and In Christ Alone. Needless to say, I couldn't stay seated any longer. It was the refresher that I needed and I think the whole congregation needed. Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas for all the typical reasons! I love getting together with all the family and giving gifts and just enjoying being together. But like I said, it was all kind of repeative. I needed that refresher!


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