Songs of Joy

1 Chronicles 16:9 "Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts."

Our church has a most amazing music team.  Fellowship of the Woodlands is blessed to have Greg and Janna Long  from Avalon www.avalonlive.com  and Sarah Kelly www.sarahkelly.com  and her wonderful husband Jonas Ekman along with Andrea Webber and her husband Kevin.  Going to church on Sunday morning and singing along with these most talented people and the rest of the music team sets a mood that opens my heart and mind to the words of the Lord.  You can't help but feel the power of the Holy Spirit and the intense power of the words of the songs that are lifted up to Him.

During the Christmas Eve services, we sang the usual Christmas carols and some new versions of old ones.  We had loud,new, and beautiful and we had soft, touching, and quietly uplifting.  In between Pastor Kerry and his wife Chris talked about the hymn Silent Night, Holy Night.  From start to finish, we were taught and led and moved to tears.  There is no better time than Christmas for giving your heart to Christ after learning about His birth and His amazing gift to us. 

Sometimes words can't do enough to convey God's love to some people. I think that He created the gift of song to reach into the hearts of all mankind, especially at this time of year. The songs and the music tell of God's great love for us.  Even without words, the music touches your soul in a way that words just can't. In truth I can't even remember many of the words that Pastor Kerry or Chris spoke.  But I can remember each and every word of the songs and the feeling that the music gave me each time I attended a service.  Standing in the chapel, holding a candle, lifting it to the Lord and singing O Come All Ye Faithful makes my Christmas complete.  I see God in the faces of all the people around me.  I hear Him in their voices and I feel Him inside my heart.

You don't have to be a musician to sing praises to the Lord.  You don't have to know all the words.  You merely have to look up to the heavens, lift your hands, and let your life do the singing for you.  Let your life be a melody that you have written, a song of praise that those around you can hear.  Let us all live our lives in harmony with God's teachings and create a chorus of praise that all the world can sing with us.