What do we do when we are bursting with happiness, overwhelmed by something wonderful that has happened to us? At first we might jump up and down, or shout, or even burst into tears, but as what has happened begins to sink in, many of us feel like singing or find ourselves expressing our joy with words that hardly seem our own. The songs of Mary, Zechariah, the angels and Simeon (recorded in the first chapters of Luke) as they express their joy at the coming of Jesus are not an early form of ‘Yippee’, they are songs from the heart.
Songs surround our Christmases – the old familiar Christmas hits, the traditional carols and new additions, all reflecting the sentiments felt at this time of year. Even though we may be struggling, songs can lift our spirits and take us to another place. Cliff Richard echoes those words of long ago in his latest song ‘Holy, holy, holy night, hear the angels singing our, unto us a child is born, Jesus the heart of Christmas. Holy, holy, holy night, heaven’s bells are ringing out. Christ has come to save the world, Jesus, the heart of Christmas’. I hope we find ourselves singing over the next few days and can sense in our hearts new joy, hope and peace as we do so.