I know it’s a little early to be thinking about Christmas, but this afternoon I spent some time in Matt Wahl’s office. He’s heads up graphic design for Sovereign Grace Ministries. We were looking at some of his ideas for the cover of our next music project, called “Savior: Celebrating the Mystery of God Become Man.” It’s intended to be a kind of all-year-round Christmas CD, filled with primarily congregational songs that focus on the miracle of the incarnation.
If you’re like me, at the end of every year I look forward to pulling out the songs I’ve known since childhood that reflect on the glories of Savior’s birth and all it means. Last December I wrote a post on it. But each year I also hope to discover songs that not only communicate the glories of the incarnation, but tie that event into the reason God became man – to reconcile us to the Father. I’m also looking for songs that are fresh, both lyrically and musically. This year, we attempted to write some.
The project will contain twelve songs and will be released in early November, Lord willing. Sal Oliveri, who produced Valley of Vision for us, is heading up this project as well. We’ve gone in a more acoustic/percussion direction, with traces of Christmas elements throughout (sleigh bells and that kind of stuff). Here are words to one of the songs, "Emmanuel, Emmanuel," written by my good friend Mark Altrogge (pronounced with a long “o” and a hard “g”).
Verse 1
We have come today to worship
We have come to praise the One
Who came down into our darkness
Born a lowly virgin’s son
You who did not come with splendor
Pomp and strength and majesty
You who came to us in weakness
Born to us in poverty
Chorus
Emmanuel, Emmanuel, Emmanuel
In You alone we hope and trust
Jesus, Savior, God with us
Emmanuel
Verse 2
We were blind and lost and godless
Wandering a trackless waste
Then hope arose, a glorious beacon
Like the star the wise men chased
Down from heaven came a Savior
Born a child, so small and frail
Taking up our pain and troubles
Conquering where we had failed
Verse 3
You who with a word created
Sun and moon and seas and sand
Lay there sleeping in a manger
Cradled by Your mother’s hand
You who made the mighty forests
Would lie down upon a tree
Fastened there with nails for sinners
Would bleed and die to set us free
© Sovereign Grace Praise (BMI). Sovereign Grace Music, a division of Sovereign Grace Ministries.
I’ll keep you posted on our progress. In the mean time, I’d appreciate your prayers that God would use this CD to help more people celebrate and exalt Jesus, the God-Man sent to save us from our sins.
