Xmas countdown: Day 5

I keep expecting for the ache to fade...but it doesn't.

A few days ago, a senseless act of violence took away the lives many, most of whom were young children. I haven't been watching the news. I haven't even tried to read up on the details of the story. I don't know how reading up on it and crying over it would do anything at this point. I'm already crying over it. What can I do? I can only hug my children and pray that I raise them right.

Which brings me to the 5th song of the countdown:

Little Drummer Boy by Jars of Clay

This was one of my favorite Christmas songs growing up in Vietnam. When I was little, Christmas songs meant that they are songs about the birth of Christ. No exception. Even Jingle Bells was translated into Vietnamese with Christian lyrics. It wasn't until I came to the States that I learned about the bastardized, faux Christmas songs. Kind of like Last Christmas or Christmas in the Northwest where there is no mention of the Christ Child at all. (Just to be clear, though, I still like the aforementioned songs because they are likable in their own rights.)

Even though all Christmas songs were about Jesus's birth, I didn't necessarily sing them with the reverence that they deserved. They were just fun songs that we memorized and sang. Just like at Christmas time in Vietnam (and in Vietnamese churches around the world still today), we would have Bible memorization contests where we would memorize passages of scripture and recite them back to see who could do it more flawlessly (and it should be no surprise that I won first place every year). You think that's perverse? Don't judge. It's no more perverse than the tradition of the Christmas tree. 

We bring the sacred into the profane. We worship with what we have.

I love this song for many reasons:

• there is a drum
• there are implications that animals are being musical
• it's from the perspective of a young child
• it's about knowing that you cannot do much; and
• it's about just doing what you can and doing the best to honor God.

You can analyze it up and down and in and out to arrive at the conclusion that there was in fact no drummer boy in the Bible. No sh!t, Sherlock. Do you think the freakin' ox and lamb kept time? GTFOutta here. It's a song. Move on.

In the madness of our world today, it is okay to put aside ceremony and perfection...and just to worship exactly where we are with exactly what we have. 

It's not just okay, it's imperative. 

It's worth it. 

Play your best for Him.