If you are new to this blog....

Welcome! The primary purpose of this blog is to explore and encourage around what it means to be winsome and sent into the world for God's glory. If you are new here, the definition of "lighthouse-searchlight" or our missional journey is a good place to start. Come peruse the blog and add me to your RSS feed!

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

A Christmas Gift

Why does it matter that God has given you the gift of His Son?

It matters in the dark when the world is closing in. It matters at the graveside when death seems to have won the day. It matters when a guilty conscience has us bound up tighter than chains. It matters because even in those dark places, God has come all the way down to where we are to shine His face on us and gift us with the one True gift – the one gift that really matters – Jesus, His Son.

I'm including (below) a song I wrote a long time ago. The track is instrumental, but there is a sung version (just don't have it to upload now). I was 24 and struggling with a two year period of darkness and longing for God’s face to once again break upon my life like the sun rising after a long night. The song tells the simple story of God’s true gift, and I hope it reminds you that God loves you and has given you the one gift that really matters.

Whether you feel like you are struggling in the night or walking in the brightness of day, I pray that God will continue to remind you of who Jesus is – God’s “Sunrise” from on high (Luke 1:78).

“Sunrise” - Instrumental Version
(You may have to click twice for it to play)

"Sunrise"
Robert Austell, 1992

Sunrise, the precious light of life
God’s love shines in the giving of the light
Day finds darkness giving in to the sunrise again

Darkness claims the human soul; none escape its night
Without the Son of God no light would ever touch a life

Sunrise, the precious light of life
God’s love shines in the giving of the light
Day finds darkness giving in to the sunrise again

Christ is the Life; the Life is the Light of Men
The Light shines in the darkness - a victory night cannot win

Sunrise, the precious light of life
God’s love shines in the giving of the light
Day finds darkness giving in to the sunrise again

Tag Cloud

2014 2015 accountability acts advent archive art arts ash wednesday aslan assurance audio auditions authenticity bands belief bigotry blessing blob bloggers blooper reel bluegrass body of christ book book reviews boomer boundaries breadth of worship builder bus calling Calvin Symposium cd ceilidh change character of god chart christmas church church partnerships civility commandments commentary communication community con ed confession confirmation contemporized hymns crisis CS Lewis culture D.Min. dance darkness death definitions denomination depth of worship discernment discipleship discourse dismissal dissertation drama early church easter ecclesiology ecpc emergent church error evangelism excellence exile exodus experience experimentation facebook failure faith family of God father fear fellowship fellowshippres following forgiveness friendship frost fruit frustration funerals GA ga219 ga220 GAhelp generations genX gift gifts girl scouts good news Google gospel grace gracious witness gspc youth hands health highlights holy spirit holy week hope hospitality humility humor hymn image of God imago dei improvisation incarnation inclusion index information insider language institutions interns invitation iTunes james jazz Jeremy Begbie john piper jonah joy judgment Keith and Kristyn Getty kids kindness language law lay renewal leadership legalism lent license life light lighthouse linked articles links listening liturgy loneliness love lyrics maddie shuler meme mentoring mercy metanarrative mgb commission millenials ministry networks miscellaneous mission missional missional identity missions moderator montreat mumford music narnia neighborhood neighbors new wineskins new year news newsletter NEXT NEXTchurch nicaragua noticing obedience obstacles organizations outreach palm sunday parenting participation pastor pastoral ministry pcaus pcusa peace performance peter pgf pictures plagues planning podcasting poetry politics ponderings pornography post-modernism prayer preaching presbymergent presbyterian global fellowship presbytery publishing questions racism reader reconciliation recordings recycled goodness redemption reflection refugees relationship relationships repentance retreat righteousness risk roadblocks rss rules sabbatical safety salt samaritan satan satire scotland searchlight searchlight 2.0 sectarianism self-righteousness seminaries sermon snippets sermon-song sermons shalom sheep shepherding sin small church social media song songwriters songwriting spheres of influence spirit spiritual lessons spiritual power stewardship stories story sub-culture summary sunrise talent challenge tears technology teenagers Ten Commandments terrorism testimony theater theft theological education top posts tragedy transformation translation travel trees trinitarian worship trinity trust truth twitter union with christ valentines VBS video virtual reality vision waiting website wednesdays out wee kirk welcome witness word cloud wordle words workshop worship writing year-end YL you tube youth