If you’ve never heard of the Piano Guys, then I am THRILLED to be the one to introduce you to them. Their newest video release is GLORIOUS! Watch and you’ll see what I mean. It’s their take on “Angels We Have Heard on High.” I will forever remember this carol as “the EGGSHELL song” because the way we learned to sing it in children’s choir at St. Paul United Methodist Church. Reading the lyrics “in excelsis Deo” was a foreign language, so the translation we were taught was “in EGGSHELL sees Day-O.” To this day, it brings a smile to my face when I sing this one!
So, today is the third Sunday of Advent. Christmas is a mere 9 days away. The question of the moment I keep getting asked is “Are you ready for Christmas?” As in, have you finished shopping, wrapping, baking, decorating? Of course, my answer to those things is “No.” The to-do list can be endless in the run up to Christmas. But am I READY for Christmas and Jesus’s birth and celebrating that and worshipping Him and being less consumed by the all-consuming world?” THAT answer is a resounding “YES.” Bring it on. I want to proclaim it: “Gloria, in excelsis Deo!” Glory to God in the highest. I want to come adore Him on bended knee. But to do that, I need to slow down. Toss aside that to-do list and spend time with Him.
Stuart Briscoe phrased it this way: “The spirit of Christmas needs to be superseded by the Spirit of Christ. The spirit of Christmas is annual; the Spirit of Christ is eternal. The spirit of Christmas is sentimental; the Spirit of Christ is supernatural. The spirit of Christmas is a human product; the Spirit of Christ is a divine person. That makes all the difference in the world.”
So, is your heart ready for Christmas? Maybe the better question is: “are you ready for the Spirit of Christ?”