Last year we released our first CD for Christmas, Savior: Celebrating the Mystery of God Become Man. It’s made up of twelve original songs that explore and respond to the miracle of the incarnation. When I say the songs are “original,” I mean that we didn’t include favorites like “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” Although, I don’t know if Christmas songs get much better than that.
The CD contains many songs that can be sung all year round, but the focus is the Son of God taking on human flesh and giving up his life to bear our sins and reconcile us to the Father. One of my favorites is “Emmanuel, Emmanuel,” by Mark Altrogge. It has a wonderfully infectious chorus that boldly proclaim our trust in Jesus, God with us. Verse 3 is particularly moving:
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
Copyright 2006 Sovereign Grace Praise
I contributed a song to the project adapted from a Charles Wesley hymn and called it “Glory Be to God.” Various lines try to capture the paradox of God becoming a baby. “God invisible appears…endless ages wrapped in years…being’s source begins to be.” Verse two:
Emptied of his majesty
He comes in human form
Being’s source begins to be
And God is born
All our griefs He’ll gladly share
All our sins He’ll fully bear
He will cover our disgrace
And suffer in our place
Copyright 2006 Sovereign Grace Praise
You can download it for free on the Download Page of Worship Matters, or by right-clicking here. You can download the lead sheet and guitar charts here. Enjoy.
Bob, we loved this cd last year when it came out. We used many of the songs on Sundays, and played it repeatedly in our household throughout the season. I especially loved that it gave us a whole new set of Christmas songs to incorporate in the years (decades) to come. I think it’s one of the strongest Sovereign Grace projects to date. Thanks for all the work and leadership!
–Daniel
Thank you for such a beautiful gift!