Wednesday, November 26, 2003

I love Christmas music of all kinds, from the classical Messiah by Handel to Santa Got Run Over By a Reindeer. But my most favorite is the music done by contemporary Christian artists - because this season is the commemoration of the beginning of our faith - the birth of Jesus Christ. So every once in a while in the next month, I plan to feature a song that is primarily a CCM Christmas tune and may not be known to those who don’t listen to that kind of music.

Today’s song is Bethlehem Town performed by Jars of Clay on City on a Hill - It’s Christmas Time. Really read the words, it’s an amazing song and the jazzy-bluesy music is fantastic.

BETHLEHEM TOWN

oh, mary, joseph, rest your eyes
try not to think of the ending
world full of empty, He will die
but tonight He is still just a child

the silent night drifts all away
and the angels are dancing around you
there’s the joy of knowing He’ll save the world
overshadowing the pain that He’ll go through

CHORUS:
have you cursed at the wind
have you cried to the heavens
have you fought with this mercy you don’t understand
when the wise men kneel down
to kiss the hand of this king they found
in bethlehem town

will you hold back the years a while
will you dream that this man could always be a child
and never carry all the weight
of the dirt and the distance and the company we keep

[CHORUS]

and did the stars shine much brighter that night
you gave birth to the death that would bring us to life
and did the mystery keep you awake
was the sound of His little heart too much to take

oh, i don’t understand
when the wise men kneel down
to kiss the hand of this king they found

[CHORUS]

in bethlehem town
in bethlehem town

by Dan Haseltine, Charlie Lowell, Steve Mason and Matt Odmark

© 2002 Bridge Building Music, Inc. / Pogostick Music / BMI / All rights adm. by Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, Inc / All rights reserved.