Calling All Angels
in Giggles,Thoughtful Thursdays on November 29, 2021
Good Afternoon!
I heard a Christmas song yesterday that I had never heard before…Joy To The World…by Train.
Obviously, I’m familiar with the classic carol! It is an absolute staple during this time of year; however the version I’m most familiar with comes to me from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, as Clark Griswold tries (unsuccessfully) to plug in his Christmas lights. How many of y’all reading this, can see that iconic scene in your mind’s eye right now? Random tidbits of this 80’s treasure will live rent-free in your head for the next several hours…you are most welcome!
Before I discuss my epiphany from Train, I want to make sure all of us are on the same page. Indulge me with a little holiday housekeeping.
This past Sunday marked the first Sunday in the season of Advent. For those who may be unfamiliar with this term, let me explain… Advent means coming in Latin. On the fourth Sunday before Christmas, Christians all over the world are preparing to welcome the infant Christ into our hearts and homes. The celebration of this pre-Christmas season allows us to make ready a place for Christ, and to remember the true meaning behind this festive time of year. We light candles on our Advent wreaths, and open little doors on the calendar boxes in living rooms...all with the anticipation of entertaining the Christ Child.
Advent also points us to another coming…the Second Coming off Christ. While we go about our daily lives, enjoying the comfort and security of the mundane, we wait. We wait for a Day that has not yet been revealed, when Christ as King, returns.
But, for today I want to talk about Train. Now, many of you on my site know that I am a DIE HARD country music fan, so my knowledge of bands or groups not affiliated with the Nashville sections of our musical country, are more than a little foreign to me. So, how did I stumble upon Train’s version of Joy to the World? Simple: I was in my car driving down highway 105 in East Texas totally rocking out to the Holly station on Sirius XM! Duh!
For those of you who have not had the pleasure of this song, I’ll do my best to insert a link at the conclusion of this post, so you too, can hear what I heard. Several years ago, Train released another song called Calling All Angels. It, by itself, is a great song. The gist of the tune is that we, as a people, need some help. And that help often comes in the form of angels.
Well, here we are years later…and we still need help. BUT, during this magical time of year, we seem to be more perceptive about availability of that help…enter Joy to the World.
The world and her inhabitants have needed help for many, many millennia. Around two thousand years ago, the most significant source of help came to us wrapped in swaddling clothes and laying in a manger. God, the actual God Almighty, creator of heaven, earth, and the universe…sent His Son to save us from ourselves (among other things).
Have you ever received a birth announcement? Through the years, I have both received and sent my fair share. Well, when Jesus was born, God sent out His own birth announcement. He set a star bright as the sun over the manger that held His Son, and just to make sure nobody missed the news, He also sent the heavenly hosts, aka ANGELS, to announce to the world that the Savior had be born.
Calling all angels…
Can you even imagine? The very first people (outside of Mary and Joseph) to hear of this news, were shepherds. Lowly, dirty, humble shepherds. All of creation was waiting for this event. Rocks, hills, floods, including Heaven and nature, sang in unison that night. Part of me wishes I could’ve seen that, and the other part of me is glad I missed it. I’m not completely sure I would’ve been able to handle it.
Calling all angels…
So now, we wait, once again for the arrival of the Christ Child. We wait with hope. We wait with expectancy. We wait with joy. I encourage you this holiday season to embark on the ADVENTure of Christmas. If you do not have a church home, please find one. Advent services are slightly different than Sunday services, and are usually on Wednesdays. In about four weeks’ time, we will all sing together JOY TO THE WORLD!
Merry Christmas!