24/12/2018 by sevennotesofgrace

Day 12/12: Amazing Grace (Christmas Songs countdown)

As we celebrate Christmas Eve today, I thought it appropriate that the final Christmas song be an expression of the grace that comes wrapped up in the gift of Christ. This is “Amazing Grace” performed by Human Nature. Merry Christmas to you all!!

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
T’was Grace that taught my heart to fear.
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear

The hour I first believed.

Amazing grace, amazing grace…
Amazing grace
My chains are gone
I’ve been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy reigns
Unending love, amazing grace
Amazing grace… amazing grace…
Amazing grace…
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
Amazing Grace… amazing grace…
Amazing grace… amazing grace…
Was blind, but now I see

23/12/2018 by sevennotesofgrace

Day 11/12: Mary did you know?

This song seems to divide people (into those who dislike it and those who love it). I’m somewhere in the middle regarding the lyrics. But this arrangement by the Pentatonix has such drama and beautiful harmony, it is definitely worth a listen.

And in answer to the question, did Mary know? The short answer is yes, in some small measure, she did know who Christ would be and what he would do (see Luke 1:46-55 for details). No doubt the reality was both much worse and much better!

Mary, Did you know?

Pentatonix

Mary did you know that your baby boy would one day walk on water?
Mary did you know that your baby boy would save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you’ve delivered, will soon deliver you

Mary did you know that your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will calm a storm with his hand?
Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod?
When you kiss your little baby, you kiss the face of God

Mary did you know? Mary did you know? Mary did you know?

The blind will see, the deaf will hear, the dead will live again
The lame will leap, the dumb will speak, the praises of the lamb

Mary did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation?
Mary did you know that your baby boy would one day rule the nations?
Did you know that your baby boy is heaven’s perfect lamb?
That sleeping child you’re holding is the great I am

Mary did you know? Mary did you know? Mary did you know?

Mary did you know? Mary did you know? Mary did you know? Oh

Mary did you know?

Songwriters: Buddy Greene / Mark Lowry
Mary, Did You Know? lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc, Capitol Christian Music Group

22/12/2018 by sevennotesofgrace

Day 10/12: Christmas changes everything (Josh Wilson)

O Holy night, starry sky
We were dead until tonight
Christmas changes everything
Long lay the world inside our sin
He has come here to forgive
Christmas changes everything
[Chorus]
Hallelujah, love has found us
Hope in a manger our Saviour is setting us free
This is rescue, Christ has come to make us new
Oh Christmas changes everything
Now God has met us where we are
A thrill of hope for hopeless hearts
His perfect love will shatter every fear
We’re coming back to life again
And it’s all because of Bethlehem
Rejoice, oh rejoice!
[Chorus]
Hallelujah, love has found us
Hope in a manger our Saviour is setting us free
This is rescue, Christ has come to make us new
Oh Christmas changes everything
We will fall on our knees
We will fall on our knees
We will fall on our knees
O Holy night, holy child
We were dead till you came to life
[Chorus]
Hallelujah, you have found us
Hope in a manger, oh Saviour we fall on our knees
You are rescue, you are making all things new
Oh Christmas changes everything
Yeah Christmas changes everything
Christmas changes everything.

21/12/2018 by sevennotesofgrace

Day 9/12: The bells of Christmas

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

Casting Crowns

I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play
And mild and sweet their songs repeat
Of peace on earth good will to men

And the bells are ringing (peace on earth)
Like a choir they’re singing (peace on earth)
In my heart I hear them (peace on earth)
Peace on earth, good will to men

And in despair I bowed my head
There is no peace on earth I said
For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men

But the bells are ringing (peace on earth)
Like a choir singing (peace on earth)
Does anybody hear them? (peace on earth)
Peace on earth, good will to men

Then rang the bells more loud and deep
God is not dead, nor does he sleep (peace on earth, peace on earth)
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men

Then ringing singing on its way

The world revolved from night to day
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good will to men

And the bells they’re ringing (peace on earth)
Like a choir they’re singing (peace on earth)
And with our hearts we’ll hear them (peace on earth)
Peace on earth, good will to men

Do you hear the bells they’re ringing? (peace on earth)
The life the angels singing (peace on earth)
Open up your heart and hear them (peace on earth)
Peace on earth, good will to men

Peace on earth, peace on earth
Peace on earth, Good will to men

Songwriters: John Mark Hall / Dale Oliver / Bernie Herms

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc, Capitol Christian Music Group

Songwriters: John Mark Hall / Dale Oliver / Bernie Herms

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc, Capitol Christian Music Group

Songwriters: John Mark Hall / Dale Oliver / Bernie Herms

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc, Capitol Christian Music Group

20/12/2018 by sevennotesofgrace

Day 8/12: This is Love/Come Thou Long expected Jesus

Here is another great new song/arrangement by Paul Baloche on his album ‘Christmas Worship’ (performed with Kathryn Scott).

Heaven’s splendour left behind
The King of glory born to die
God and man to reconcile
You came to offer up Your life

This is love this is love
Incarnate King begotten Son
This is love this is love
You choose to make Your home in us

Worship fell that holy night
Angel voices filled the sky
Lowly shepherds raised their eyes
Following the star so bright

Come Thou long expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free
From our fears and sins release us
Let us find our rest in Thee

Writers: Paul Baloche, Rowland Hugh Prichard, Kathryn Scott, Charles Wesley

19/12/2018 by sevennotesofgrace

Day 7/12: Joy to the World/Shout for Joy (Christmas Songs Countdown)

‘Joy to the World’ was not intended to be a Christmas carol. In its original form, it had nothing to do with Christmas and wasn’t even written to be a song. Rather, hymn-writer Isaac Watts published a book of poems (1719) in which each poem was based on a psalm. Instead of simply translating the original texts, he adjusted them to refer more explicitly to the work of Jesus as revealed in the New Testament.

One of those poems was an adaptation of Psalm 98. He saw this psalm as a celebration of Jesus’ role as King of both his church and the whole world. More than a century later, the second half of this poem was slightly adapted and set to music to give us what has become one of the most famous of all Christmas carols. (More info? https://www.crossway.org/articles/a-brief-history-of-joy-to-the-world/)

The song I’m sharing today is a great medley which combines ‘Joy to the World’ with ‘Shout for Joy’ by Paul Baloche. A winning combo!! Take a moment to consider how these lyrics can bring great joy at any time of the year.

Joy to the world the Lord is come
Let earth receive her King
Let every heart prepare Him room
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven and heaven and nature sing

Shout for joy
For the son of God is the saving one
He’s the Saving one
Shout for joy
See what love has done
He has come for us
He’s the saving one

Joy to the World, the Saviour reigns
Let men their songs employ
While fields and floodsRocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy

Jesus, Emmanuel
O come let us adore Him
Jesus, Emmanuel
O come let us adore Him
Jesus, Emmanuel
O come let us adore Him

Writers: Paul Baloche, Lincoln Brewster, Jason Ingram, Isaac Watts, GF Handel

18/12/2018 by sevennotesofgrace

Day 6/12: Heaven Everywhere (Christmas songs Countdown)

Here is a cheery song which reminds us that Christmas brings a sense of hope: we truly can be the selfless people we were designed to be, as we turn our eyes from ourselves and become just a little kinder and more generous towards our fellow humans. There is a little bit of ‘Heaven Everywhere’ at Christmas. The song is from Francesca Batistelli’s 2012 ‘Christmas‘ album.

Heaven Everywhere

Francesca Battistelli

I hear the bells, they’re ringing loud and clear
You can’t help but love this time of year
It’s Christmastime, there’s something in the air
There’s a little bit of heaven everywhere

Somehow there’s a little more of love
And maybe there’s a little less of us
Or maybe we’re just slightly more aware
There’s a little bit of heaven everywhere

It’s the smile on a man who has finally found hope
It’s the tears of a mother whose child has come home
It’s the joy that we feel and the love that we share
There’s a little bit of heaven everywhere
There’s a little bit of heaven everywhere

It’s funny how it takes a holiday
To show us how the world could truly change
If we all took the time to really care
There’d be a little more of heaven everywhere

It’s the grace that we show to a world that needs hope
It’s giving our lives knowing they’re not our own
It’s the joy that we feel and the love that we share
There’s a little bit of heaven everywhere
There’s a little bit of heaven everywhere

Angels we have heard on high
Sweetly singing o’er the plain
And the mountains in reply
Echoing their joyous strains
Hallelujah, halleljuah

It’s the joy that we feel and the love that we share
There’s a little bit of heaven everywhere
There’s a little bit of heaven everywhere
There’s a little bit of heaven everywhere

Angels we have heard on high
Sweetly singing o’er the plain

Songwriters: Ben Glover / Francesca Battistelli

17/12/2018 by sevennotesofgrace

Day 5/12 – Salvation is Born (Christmas Songs Countdown)

This has to be one of the most beautiful (and unfortunately less well known) Christmas songs I know, which was published in 2005 by Sovereign Grace Music. I arranged it for a three or four part choir with soloist at some point during the Noughties, and we performed it at our Christmas services. (If you are interested, I could probably find the score.) Enjoy this message!

VERSE 1
Come let us worship, come let us adore
Jesus, Messiah, our Savior is born
Carol His glory and sing His sweet Name
Offer a life of thanksgiving and praise
VERSE 2
Join with the angels proclaiming to earth
Join with the shepherds in awe of His birth
Join all creation rejoicing this morn
The glory of God-become-man has been born

CHORUS
Come, let us adore Him
Jesus, the hope of the world
Come, worship before Him
Christ, the Messiah has come
Salvation is born

VERSE 3
Prophets foretold Him, the Promise of God
The hope of Salvation and light of the world
Born in a stable and born as a man
Born to fulfill God’s redeeming plan

Salvation is Born by Greg Tulenko, sung by Shannon Harris from the album
“Savior: Celebrating the Mystery of God Become Man”
© 2006 Sovereign Grace Praise (BMI).

16/12/2018 by sevennotesofgrace

Day 4/12 – Somewhere in Your Silent Night (Christmas Songs countdown)

“Somewhere In Your Silent Night” (by Casting Crowns, 2017)

All is calm and all is bright
Everywhere but in your heart tonight
They’re singing carols of joy and peace
But you feel too far gone and too far out of reach

Somewhere in your silent night
Heaven hears the song your broken heart has cried
Hope is here, just lift your head
For love has come to find you
Somewhere in your silent night

From heaven’s height to manger low
There is no distance the Prince of Peace won’t go
From manger low to Calvary’s hill
When your pain runs deep
His love runs deeper still
He has always loved you, child
And He always will

Somewhere in your silent night
Heaven hears the song your broken heart has cried
Hope is here, just lift your head
For love has come to find you
Somewhere in your silent night

Lift your head
Lift your heart
Emmanuel will meet you where you are
He knows your hurt
He knows your name
And you’re the very reason that He came

Somewhere in your silent night
Heaven hears the song your broken heart has cried
Hope is here, just lift your head
For love has come to find you
Somewhere in your silent night

Love will find you
Love will find you
Love will find you

Writer(s): MATTHEW WEST, JOHN HALL, BERNIE HERMS

15/12/2018 by sevennotesofgrace

Day 3/12 – Noel! (Christmas Songs Countdown)

Continuing the countdown of 12 great songs for the twelve days before Christmas, here is Chris Tomlin’s ‘Noel‘ sung by Lauren Daigle.

Before you listen, you may like to consider the origins of the word, NOËL. This word, signifying the holiday season, comes to us from the Latin verb nasci, meaning “to be born.” The noun use (from natalis dies, day of birth) denoted a birthday, an anniversary, a commemorative festival, hence in ecclesiastical Latin the festival of the nativity of Christ, Christmas. In English, Noël has not been in standard use in the sense of Christmas, but it has been attested as a surname and male first name in England since the 12^th century; it was probably originally used for children born or baptised on Christmas day. In the early 14^th century, from its use as a word shouted or sung to commemorate the birth of Christ, French Noël became an interjection expressing joy.

Let’s give thanks today and hold on to the wonder of the Word who became flesh, and came to save us!

Love incarnate, love divine
Star and angels gave the sign
Bow to babe on bended knee
The Saviour of humanity
Unto us a Child is born
He shall reign forevermore

Noel, Noel
Come and see what God has done
Noel, Noel
The story of amazing love!
The light of the world, given for us
Noel

Son of God and Son of man
There before the world began
Born to suffer, born to save
Born to raise us from the grave
Christ the everlasting Lord
He shall reign forevermore

Noel, Noel
Come and see what God has done
Noel, Noel
The story of amazing love!
The light of the world, given for us
Noel

Songwriters: Edmond Martin Cash / Matthew James Redman / Chrisopher D Tomlin