It’s lovely to have one voice singing with such sincerity and commitment accompanied by a single instrument. This is an Explore favourite, You Say from singer songwriter Lauren Daigle.
You say I am loved when I can’t feel a thing You say I am strong when I think I am weak And you say I am held when I am falling short And when I don’t belong, oh You say I am Yours And I believe Oh, I believe What You say of me I believe.
You Say Songwriters: Jason Ingram, Paul Mabury and Lauren Daigle
This is a song we enjoy singing at Explore, Living Hope.
Hallelujah, praise the One who set me free
Hallelujah, death has lost its grip on me
You have broken every chain
There’s salvation in Your name
Jesus Christ, my living hope
Jesus Christ, my living hope
This was how the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place. His mother, Mary, was engaged to Joseph; but before they came together she turned out to be pregnant – by the holy spirit. Joseph, her husband-to-be, was an upright man. He didn’t want to make a public example of her. So he decided to set the marriage aside privately. But, while he was considering this, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to him in a dream.
‘Joseph, son of David,’ the angel said, ‘Don’t be afraid to get married to Mary. The child she is carrying is from the holy spirit. She is going to have a son. You are to give him the name Jesus; he is the one who will save his people from their sins.’
All this happened so that what the Lord said through the prophet might be fulfilled: ‘Look: the virgin is pregnant, and will have a son, and they shall give him the name Emmanuel,’ – which means, in translation, ‘God with us.’
When Joseph woke up from his sleep he did what the Lord’s angel had told him to. He married his wife, but he didn’t have sexual relations with her until after the birth of her son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
I like the message behind this new Christmas song: O Come, All You Unfaithful.
O come all you unfaithful Come weak and unstable Come know you are not alone O come barren and waiting ones Weary of praying, come See what your God has done
Christ is born, Christ is born Christ is born for you
This video contains people who are getting their heads around the message ‘O Come, All You Unfaithful’, most of them for the first time, in light of their own experiences. A stillborn child. A strained marriage. Feelings of shame. Legalism. Loss. Loneliness. Or simply having a heart that weeps with those who weep.
We think seeing their responses as Lisa Clow sings communicates even more clearly that Jesus wasn’t born for people who have it all together. He was born for those who have nothing.
“Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”” (Matthew 11.28–30, ESV)
“She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1.21, ESV)
Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders Let me walk upon the waters Wherever You would call me Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander And my faith will be made stronger In the presence of my Savior