We Will Find Him, by Michael Card

Ponder these words! The Chaldeans "turned so many musty pages in (their) hope to find a clue. Then the words leapt from the parchment from Jacob shines a star." Even the eastern astronomers were drawn to the Truth and searched it out on the prompting on the Holy Spirit!

"When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come." John 16:13

I won't speculate over the number of wise men. However, they were mathematicians - very fine ones - and had calculations to determine where the star would be (is that a plumb line in the video below?) And the 'V' shaped device..? There are more scenes of the 'wise men' studying the stars in The Nativity Story (a lot of dramatic liberty used in the astronomer scene) and in the O Come, O Come Immanuel post (2 posts back) at 1:45 min into video.



Lyrics:
On a day like any other
In our search to find the truth
We turned so many musty pages
In our hope to find some clue
Then the words leapt from the parchment
From Jacob shines a star
That a wordless one who is the word
Will be worth a journey far

CHORUS:
We will find Him
We will find Him
We will follow His star
We will search and we will follow
No matter how far
In castles, through kingdoms
To find the king whose kingdom is the heart

It was a night like any other
So cold and black and dark
And it told us all too clearly
Of the night inside our hearts
Then the star tore through the darkness
And like an angel shone
To guide us to that one true Light
Who became flesh and bone

CHORUS: above

He stilled our secret syllables
And hushed our wisest words
In the silence of the stable there
Was wisdom finally heard

We have found Him
We have found Him
We have seen the true Light
What was darkness
What was shadow
In His presence is delight
This One born so lowly the heavens declare
Will someday reign without a rival there

Supporting Scriptures:
"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times." Micah 5:2 (Old Testament prophesy) ----------------------------

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

“‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler

who will shepherd my people Israel.’” Matthew 2:1-6 (N.T. fulfillment of Micah 5:2)

"Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6

"And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." 1 Peter 1:19-21

"Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." 1 Corinthians 13:12

Joseph's Song, by Michael Card

Used by permission. Artwork by Jason Jenicke.
http://jasonjenicke.com/default.html

Hugo McCord writes: "An extraordinary person, a vessel of honor, one whom we expect to meet in heaven, is Joseph, the stepfather of Jesus. He was “the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, the one called Christ,” with Jesus “being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph” (Matthew 1:16; Luke 3:23).

"When Mary’s fiance Joseph learned that Mary was pregnant, he was shocked. He, being honorable, and not wanting to disgrace her, decided to break the engagement quietly. However, while he was thinking about the problem, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to marry Mary, your fiance, because her conception is by the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you will call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:19-21).

Joseph was a righteous man of strong conviction who lived out his beliefs in his actions. Even when personally wronged, he had the quality of being self-controlled and sensitive to someone else's shame. He responded to God's directions in obedience. It is not easy to entrust your children to someone else. Imagine God looking down to choose a man to raise his own son? Joseph had God's trust.


Lyrics:

Chorus 1
How could it be this baby in my arms
Sleeping now, so peacefully
The Son of God, the angel said
How could it be
Lord I know He's not my own
Not of my flesh, not of my bone
Still Father let this baby be
The son of my love

Chorus 2
Father show me where I fit into this plan of yours
How can a man be father to the Son of God
Lord for all my life I've been a simple carpenter
How can I raise a king, How can I raise a king
He looks so small, His face and hands so fair
And when He cries the sun just seems to disappear
But when He laughs it shines again
How could it be
Chorus 2

Chorus 1

The Basin and the Towel, Michael Card

There are so many times I don't want to be a servant; I just want to crawl into bed, read a good book on the couch, or go into the garden to do something for me. As a wife and mother, it is a frequent feeling, but giving in to that would mean chaos in the home and setting an example of selfishness. Life can be confusing and when overwhelmed we can easily give in to running away rather than serving.

When I was a little girl of six, I did just that! The neighbors owned a huge (what seemed to me then) swing set with a metal swinging contraption about 5 feet off the ground. We called it "the trapeze" and felt powerful and big when allowed to play on it. Seldom was I a willing child when I was called home. Other (older) children could stay, so why not I? It was getting late in the day, but I didn't think about that--I had a plan! I asked my mother to pack me a bag because I was leaving home. She obliged, handing me a big brown bag with my bear, Roy Rogers,

a jacket, my blanket, and some nuts for dinner. I ran back to the swing set, but I was all alone. Actually, my Dad had trailed me, but I was too little to notice. Once the excitement had fled, I wandered home, rang the doorbell, and waited. My mother (slowly) came to the door, opened it, and seemed not to recognize me. I told her I was ready to come home now. I was totally amazed when she told me they had had a little girl, but she ran away! She quietly closed the door leaving me to stand there in the darkening yard. Wow! What a wake up call! I ran around to
the other doors. They were having dinner without me! There were others (my younger brothers and sister) who had to be cared for as well. They soon welcomed me back home and teaching was administered, but I had learned that life did not revolve around me and that there were the responsibilities of life and other's needs. My parents had sacrificed a quiet evening at home to train up a wayward, willful daughter with wisdom and patience. I grew up a lot that day! I witnessed their service to our family and in time called to Jesus asking for power to be a servant like Him. I haven't arrived, but am so thankful for the exhortation in this song.

"He got up from the supper and took off His outer garment and wrapped it around himself." John 13:4

"John records none of Jesus' parables because for him Jesus' life was a parable. The foot-washing was just such a moment of meaning."- M. Card

Lyrics:

In an upstairs room, a parable
is just about to come alive.
And while they bicker about who's best,
with a painful glance, He'll silently rise.
Their Savior Servant must show them how
through the will of the water
and the tenderness of the towel.

Chorus:
And the call is to community,
The impoverished power that sets the soul free.
In humility, to take the vow,
that day after day we must take up the basin and the towel.
In any ordinary place,
on any ordinary day,
the parable can live again
when one will kneel and one will yield.
Our Saviour Servant must show us how
through the will of the water
and the tenderness of the towel.

Bridge:
And the space between ourselves sometimes
is more than the distance between the stars.
By the fragile bridge of the Servant's bow
we take up the basin and the towel.
(chorus)

Supporting Scriptures:
"And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, [the same] shall be last of all, and servant of all." Mark 9:35

"The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me." John 12: 25-26

"Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God." 1 Peter 2:16 (NIV)

“God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6

Job Suite, Michael Card

When I first heard this work of Michael Card's on the Book of Job, I had to stop and digest the words; they made me weep. So many times I have tried to talk God into my way of thinking. How utterly foolish that is since He is the Creator, and we just the creature, He the Potter and we the clay!

"This song is almost an operetta. It is in four parts: 1. Job's story. 2. Job's lament. 3. God's response. 4. Job's response. It has been said that the book of Job is about the problem of innocent suffering. I found that not to be true. Job is about the awesomeness of God. The problem of suffering is never dealt with in the book. In Job we enter into another man's sufferings and discover with him that God is not only all we could ever want. He is also all we could ever need." Michael Card

This video portrays Satan as a woman (that's not biblical!), however, it will serve to capture the essence of Satan in the Book of Job. My goal is not to use the you tubes I present just for entertainment value, but to give depth and context for those not familiar with the Bible. I then urge you to study the Word for yourself!

Lyrics:

Blameless and upright, a fearer of God
A man truly righteous, no pious facade
One about whom God was accustomed to boast
and so one whom Satan desired the most
One day the accuser came breathing out lies
"It's Your Holy handouts, his faithfulness buys!"
In one desperate day his possessions were lost
His children all killed in one raw holocaust
His children all killed in one raw holocaust

and yet through it all
Through the tears and pain
He worshiped his God
Found no reason to blame

Once more the Deceiver denounced and decried
"It's skin for skin, & hide for hide
Strike down his flesh & he'll surely deny
and confess that his praying has all been a lie!"
"Very well, take him," the Holy One said
“But you must spare his life for my son shall not die.”
So Job was afflicted with terrible sores
Sat down in the ashes to wait for the Lord
Sat down in the ashes to wait for the Lord

and yet through it all
Through the tears & pain
He worshiped his God
Found no reason to blame

HIS LAMENT INTERLUDE:
A throne of ashes
A crown of pain
A sovereign of sorrow
A mournful reign

May the day of my birth be remembered no more
May darkness and shadow come and claim it once more
Why did I not perish on that dreadful day
and sleep now where kings and counselors lay

What I dreaded most has now come upon me
Why is light given those in misery
I loathe my own life, so my tears fall like rain
As I find that there is no peace in my pain

Lord, send a Comforter now to my door
So that this terror will frighten no more
A Counselor between us, to come hear my oath
Someone who could lay a hand on us both

These friends of mine are no comfort to me
So deafly they listen, so blindly they see
Their words and their doctrine, they all sound so true
The problem is Lord, they're all wrong about You!

I know my Advocate waits upon high
My Witness in Heaven sees the tears that I cry
A true intercessor who will condescend
To plead with God as a man pleads for his friend

If I've been untrue, if I've robbed the poor
If I'm without guilt, what am I suffering for
God would not crush me for some secret sin
and though He slay me still I'll trust in Him

I know now that my Redeemer's alive
He'll stand on this earth on the day He arrives
and though my own body by then is no more
Yet in my flesh I know, I'll see the Lord
I'll see the Lord, I'll see the Lord

HIS GOD:
Who is it that darkens my counsel?
Who speaks empty words without knowledge?
Brace yourself up like a man
and answer me now, if you can!

Can you put on glory and splendor?
What's the way to the home of the light?
Does your voice sound like the thunder?
Are you afraid?
Where were you when earth's foundations were laid?

Who gave the heart its wisdom?
The mind its desire to know?
Can you bind the stars?
Raise your voice to the clouds?
Did you make the eagle proud?

Will the ox spend the night by your manger?
Did you let the wild donkey go free?
Can you take leviathan home as a pet?
If you merely touched him, you'd never forget

So who is it that darkens my counsel?
Who speaks empty words without knowledge?
Brace yourself up like a man
and answer me now, if you can

HIS RESPONSE:
I am unworthy, how can I reply?
There's nothing that You cannot do
You are the storm that calmed my soul
I place my hand over my mouth
I place my hand over my mouth

Supporting Scriptures:
"There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil." Job 1:1

"Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. And the LORD said to Satan, “From where do you come?”
So Satan answered the LORD and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.” Job 1: 6-7

"Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him." Job 13:15

"For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, " Job 19:25

Then Job answered the Lord:

“I am unworthy—how can I reply to you?

I put my hand over my mouth.

I spoke once, but I have no answer—

twice, but I will say no more.”

Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm:

“Brace yourself like a man;

I will question you,

and you shall answer me.

“Would you discredit my justice?

Would you condemn me to justify yourself?

Do you have an arm like God’s,

and can your voice thunder like his?" Job 40:33-9

Immanuel, Michael Card

We started listening to Michael Card right after our children were born; we've loved his work ever since. The first CDs we heard were his lullabys, Sleep Sound in Jesus and Come to the Cradle. His two lullaby albums got us started off right in parenting and opened us to using the Word of God. We are very indebted to him. The Lord has used his music mightily in our family!

His music on the life of Jesus Christ has enriched and strengthened our Christian walk. It makes us think about the greatness and mercy of God as He works in the lives of mankind.
There is great depth to the words. I wish I could share all of his music here, but the problems of good audio (you really need a decent sound system to appreciate the richness and texture)and the unavailability of a large part of his works via youtube makes that problematic.

"We have 'sentimentalized' the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. When we think of the birth we see wise men and shepherds and a star. The birth of the Christ is so much more than a 'birthday' to be observed once a year. Our focus must become the Incarnation, which we celebrate every minute of our lives. We must realize that the cry we hear drifting from the stable is the voice of the One who spoke the universe into being." -Michael Card


Lyrics:
A sign shall be given
A virgin will conceive
A human baby bearing
Undiminished deity
The glory of the nations
A light for all to see
That hope for all who will embrace
His warm reality

Immanuel
Our God is with us
And if God is with us
Who could stand against us
Our God is with us
Immanuel

For all those who live in the shadow of death
A glorious light has dawned
For all those who stumble in the darkness
Behold your light has come

Immanuel
Our God is with us
And if God is with us
Who could stand against us
Our God is with us
Immanuel

So what will be your answer?
Will you hear the call?
Of Him who did not spare His son
But gave him for us all
On earth there is no power
There is no depth or height
That could ever separate us
From the love of God in Christ

Immanuel
Our God is with us
And if God is with us
Who could stand against us
Our God is with us
Immanuel

Immanuel
Our God is with us
And if God is with us
Who could stand against us
Our God is with us
Immanuel

Supporting Scripture:
"All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made."
John 1:3

"Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,
which is translated, "God with us." Matthew 1:23

"If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?"
Romans 8:31-35

"Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." Isaiah 7:14

The New Jerusalem, Michael Card

Through works such as The New Jerusalem and the others to follow, we hope to present some God-focused, theologically-sound works of praise. My desire is to cause us to look away from self and to our Creator. The songs coming in weeks ahead are the favorites of our family, and I will try to post one every 2-4 days.This music helps, along with a submissive and earnest heart, to bring us into the throne room of the Almighty as we praise Him. He bids us "Come"!

"If Babylon is the wicked (harlot) of a city, Jerusalem is the spotless bride. If Babylon is heading toward sudden, eternal destruction, Jerusalem is proceeding to the final everlasting wedding. The place called the "City of Peace", which has for the last several thousand years been anything but peaceful, will at last live up to her name."-Michael Card

The New Jerusalem - Music and words by Michael Card

Lyrics:
I saw the Holy City
Descending from the sky
So brilliant with the light of God
The city is His bride

There is no temple in this town
No sun, no moon, no lamp
For God's own glory is it's light
Illuminated by the Lamb

And God Himself will wipe the tears
From every weeping eye
No death, no pain, no mourning cry
And every tear made dry

CHORUS:
And now our God will dwell with them
The new Jerusalem
And He Himself will walk with them
The new Jerusalem

And so let all of those who thirst
Come now and drink for free
And to the one who overcomes
Come now and you will see

Behold the old has passed away
Now everything is new
The Alpha and Omega's words
Are trustworthy and so true

And God Himself will wipe the tears
From every weeping eye
No death, no pain, no mourning cry
And every tear made dry

Supporting Scriptures:
"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last." Revelations 22:13

"And I John saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." Revelations 21:2

"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." Revelations 21:4

Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” Revelations 21:5

"He will swallow up death forever,
And the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces;
The rebuke of His people
He will take away from all the earth;
For the LORD has spoken." Isaiah 25:8