Christmas Musicals for Church
Issue link: http://read.jwpepper.com/i/1432364
There is a massive tulip poplar tree that sits adjacent to my house. It produces beautiful blooming flowers in early spring and provides phenomenal shade to over half of my home. Due to the positioning of the house, shadows from the branches and leaves are imprinted through a few windows and onto the walls throughout most of the day. The tree also is home to a number of songbirds and their nesting families. The trunk is nearly three feet in circumference, and the highest peak branches tower over our rooftop at about forty-five feet. Despite the significance of the structure and the inherent beauty therein, most days, I walk by the tree dozens of times and hardly acknowledge its statuesque presence. There is a tree that spreads its covering over my life. It sits upon a rugged hill and was once occupied by the most brutal death in all of history. The groans and cries of the King who was crucified upon it reverberate across the annals of time and are imprinted upon the walls of my heart. The blood stains that permeate the timber grain contain life, forgiveness, mercy, and grace that cannot be described adequately by any language. And yet, all too often, I find that I do not pause often enough to behold its glory or consider its life-changing implication in my life. It is a deeper sense of awestruck consideration for the cross of Jesus Christ, King of all kings, that is the central thread for this musical and is so eloquently expressed in the lyric you will sing on page 23: "Two wonders here that I confess: my worth and my unworthiness. My value fixed, my ransom paid, at the cross." 1 The beautiful, majestic covering of God's grace is found in the shadow of the cross. Oh, that we would find ourselves hiding there, captured by its holiness, penitent beneath the weight of its mercy, and empowered to spend every breath we breathe giving glory and honor to Jesus alone! May the Lord keep you beneath the shadow of the cross of Christ as you sing these songs and share them with your community of faith. May you be so moved by the truth you sing that you never spend another moment walking outside of wonder and worship. Because of what Christ has done, may your only song ever be Jesus! In Christ, Craig Adams 1 Words from "My Worth Is Not in What I Own," by Keith Getty, Kristyn Getty, and Graham Kendrick. © Copyright 2014 Getty Music Publishing (BMI)/Make Way Music (PRS) (admin. by Music Services, www.musicservices.org). All rights reserved. Used by permission. CCLI #7024758 FOREWORD