But blessed are your eyes because they see; and your ears, because they hear
Matthew 13:16
This month, I am pondering Christmas carols and songs for deeper and different meanings than the usual ones. As I’ve considered different ones, various concepts and words have unexpectedly jumped out at me. I felt like I was supposed to write about, and share, my thoughts on this one.
This beloved Christmas carol calls the listener to see and to hear of Jesus’ birth. I enjoy this song precisely because I can see it and hear it. I’m drawn to songs that I can “experience” as I listen. The power of story is vast, but that power is multiplied when combined with the power of music!
Several things strike me about this song and its implications. First, the voice or messenger gets louder in each verse. In the first verse, the wind is the messenger. This voice is soft, almost imperceptible at times. The lamb of the second verse would be a bit louder, as would the shepherd in the third, and the king in the fourth.
Additionally, the audience broadens with each verse. The first message was spoken to a single lamb in a field full of sheep. In turn, the lamb shared the message with the shepherd. The shepherd carried the message to the king who announced to the masses, the birth of the Messaish!
It also struck me that the questions deepen as the song progresses. The wind asks the lamb if he can see something. Seeing requires minimal effort. If something is right before you, you can look at it. However, the lamb asks the shepherd what he hears. Hearing requires a bit more intentionality. Then, the shepherd asks the king what he knows. Knowing requires perception and understanding.
Finally, in the fourth verse, we return to hearing. This time, the message is delivered boldly, loudly, with confidence, to all people. This message begins with the command to listen and ends with the proclamation that this Babe in the manger will bring goodness and light to all the world.
The questions in this song caused me to ponder what I see, hear, and know. To see, we must first look. To hear, we must listen. To know, we must pursue and accumulate knowledge.
These realities brought more questions to my mind: Where am I looking? What is my focus? To what am I listening? Am I hearing what God wants me to hear? Do I know God as He wants me to know Him? Am I spending time in His Word, learning His life-giving truths? Am I carrying those truths into all the world?
God has chosen an individual path for each of His children. There are messages and lessons He wants to share with each of us, every day. The messages for my journey are different from yours, so you won’t necessarily hear what I hear today, and that’s ok. It’s as it should be. The most important thing is that we are both looking, listening, learning, and proclaiming Jesus to the waiting world.