There's no movie review here, just a Christmas message:
“Lord, with the angels we too would rejoice.” So begins the third verse of John Menzies Macfarlane’s Christmas hymn “Far, Far Away on Judea’s Plains.” Have you ever wondered why he chose “would rejoice”? He could have penned “can rejoice” or “shall rejoice” or even “will rejoice.” Instead he chose “would.” Could it be because even in 1869, Macfarlane recognized that it isn’t always easy to rejoice?
Christmas is a busy time of year. We would rejoice, but first we need to finish trimming the tree and hanging the lights. We’ll rejoice once the shopping is done and the presents are wrapped. Or maybe once the driveway is shoveled and the cookies are baked and the cards are sent and the parties are planned and the dinner is cooked and the chestnuts are roasted and the stockings are hung and the fruitcake’s re-gifted and Tiny Tim is all better and there’s Christmas in Whoville and the partridge is in the pear tree ... and ... and ... [insert a much needed cup of hot cocoa].
Or maybe we are hindered by a different kind of “would.” We would rejoice, but we can’t sing like Celine Dion or Michael Bublé. We can’t perform music like The Piano Guys or compose like Handel. We can’t write stories like Dickens or Dr. Seuss. We can’t decorate like Martha Stewart. And all our best efforts look nothing like the perfect crafts and goodies on Pinterest.
As Christmas nears, do we find ourselves lost in the “woulds” of busyness or inadequacy? It is easy to do. Perhaps that is why the very next line in the hymn is the plea, “Help us to sing with the heart and voice.” Christ, Who gave us the reason for the season, also stands waiting to empower us with the hope and joy of the season. Then, with rejoicing in our hearts, the To Do list becomes a Get To Do list and none of our best efforts—however feeble—will ever fall flat.
May we all rejoice with the angels in the “message of mercy,” even “Glory to God in the highest!”
ISFS
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