A Song About Kittens
When she was five years old, our granddaughter told us, “I made up a song about kittens.”
“Let’s hear it,” we said, and off she went, singing this song she made up on the fly.
God hardwired us to sing. There’s probably not a day in your life where you haven’t sung or haven’t heard a song.
We sing spiritual songs, political songs, love songs, protest songs, happy songs, funeral songs, painful songs, and joyful songs.
Little children sing nursery rhymes and the elderly hum age-old tunes. People from every period of history sang. People from every place, of every race, and of every ethnicity sing. Composing and singing songs are quintessentially human.
If you listen carefully, we tend to sing about what has captured our hearts. Our songs are expressions of the emotions and values of our hearts. They reveal more about us than we might think.
So, when we read and study Scripture, we should slow down and pay attention to the songs along the way.
The Creator who designed us to sing is also the Author of the Bible, and he recorded and preserved songs for us. These songs are meant to focus our hearts, instruct us in the ways of the Lord, motivate our joy, and put words to our worship.
One of Scripture’s most wonderful songs was composed by Mary. An angel had visited her and announced that she would give birth to the promised Messiah. Mary’s gospel song has been preserved for us so that this joyful and godward expression of her heart would be the song of our hearts as well.
When Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth, she sang this song:
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”
(Luke 1:46-55, ESV)
Notice Mary’s humility. She knows she didn’t earn the blessing of giving birth to the Messiah. She is but a humble servant, blessed with the favor of the Lord.
Then notice how she speaks of her Lord. He is mighty in authority and strength, and at the same time, tender-hearted in mercy. He deals with sin, while meeting the needs of his people. He remembers and has been faithful in keeping his covenant promises.
Those promises will find their final fulfilment in the life, death, and resurrection of the little one in Mary’s womb. Holy is his name.
What better reason to sing in December than this: the Savior is born to live, die, and rise again to fix what sin had broken.
May the hymns of Christmas capture your heart in a new way today. And may they help your heart to find rest and satisfaction in the person, work, and presence of Jesus!
A Prayer for Today: Almighty God, thank you for the gift of song. May my life be a living chorus that praises you and honors your name. In this season, help me not to miss the songs around me that honor and praise you for coming into this world and rescuing me from my sin. May the hymns around me capture my heart in fresh ways and help me to focus on the person, work, and presence of Jesus my Savior. In his name I pray, amen.
God bless,
Paul Tripp
Discussion Prompt for Children:
• What are your favorite songs about Jesus during this Christmas season? How have those songs helped you to understand the Christmas story better?
• Why do you think songs and singing are such an important part of our lives? Why are they such an important part of Christmastime?
Reflection Questions
1. How have the songs and hymns of Christmas helped you to reflect on your Savior more deeply? How have they helped you to appreciate what God came to do when he arrived on earth as a human being in the person of Jesus?
2. How has familiarity with the songs of Christmas perhaps dulled your appreciation and joy when it comes to the person and work of Jesus Christ? How might your soul be rekindled for appreciation and affection for the incarnate God?
3. In what ways does your heart need rest and satisfaction that you aren’t currently experiencing? How has the presence of Jesus felt distant or even absent during this Christmas season? What do you think the Lord wants you to know and believe about himself right now?
4. How might the Christmas story foster a fresh sense of wonder and humility in you that has been absent in the past?