“Tidings of Comfort and Joy”
Wahoo! Finally, I can listen to Christmas music with wild abandon (well, “wild” is relative)! Y’all know that I don’t “Christmas” until after I “Thanksgiving,” and that includes listening to Christmas music. So when I roll out of bed on Black Friday, I pull out our collection of CD’s, switch up my Pandora selections, and get the holiday party started! ’Tis the season for all kinds of carols, traditional hymns, and even some new one-day-soon Christmas classics!
I’m not a great singer, but I am loud. 😊 Singing about God’s love displayed by coming to earth as a helpless infant, living a perfect life that we could never live, willingly sacrificing Himself for our sins, and conquering death so that we could enjoy Him forever – it’s the gospel in every song, every minute of every day! And, baby, I can make a joyful noise with the best of them!
Let’s just say I love Christmas music.
So much so that when my sister-in-law Staci texted me in the middle of summer 2023 about going to a Phil Wickham concert on December 3, 2023, I instantly said “Yes!” without even checking my calendar. We bought three tickets – one for her, one for me, and one for my husband.
Phil Wickham puts on a pretty energetic concert, and to imagine the fun of a Christmas concert plus Phil’s energy was really something we were all looking forward to.
December 3 arrived, and as it happened, those three tickets were indeed used to gain entrance to the concert. But in place of Staci, our oldest granddaughter accompanied Scott and me. Staci lay in an ICU hospital bed, battling pneumonia. On December 6, the angels carried her to heaven. She may have missed the Phil Wickham Christmas concert, but on that day, she witnessed the most glorious of choirs singing the most glorious of songs.
As the apostle John wrote the book of Revelation, he recorded a majestic scene unfolding around the throne of God. As the Lamb of God took the sacred scroll from the Father’s hand, the encircling 24 elders and the four living creatures sang:
“You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because You were slain, and with Your blood You purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”
(Revelation 5:9-10)
Before John could even process this song and its source, he immediately heard the voice of thousands and thousands of angels who also encircled the throne, the elders, and the living creatures. They, too, burst into song:
“Worthy is the Lamb, Who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”
(Revelation 5:12)
Finally, all of creation – “every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them” – raised their voices in praise to the Lord. Their song was:
“To Him Who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”
(Revelation 5:13)
It can be tough to enjoy the festivities and joy of the Christmas season when all you want to do is curl up by yourself and mourn the loss of a loved one with all your heart. Believe me, I understand. And guess what. The Lord understands, too. The God of all comfort sits with you in the sadness and holds you close.
But He wants to remind you that your loved one who placed their faith in Jesus somewhere along their earthly journey is now resting in heavenly peace. The sounds of the season – while beautiful and winsome and joyful – pale in comparison to the celestial songs of the choirs above.
Still, our songs here serve to equip us for an eternity of praise. Your loved one is now a part of the praising throngs of heaven and would want you to let the “tidings of comfort and joy” free your soul to celebrate the birth of the Savior Who carried them Home. It’s okay to grieve. It’s also okay to sing.
(You can read all about this heavenly choir concert in Revelation 5.)
