WEBVTT - Hosannah in Excelsis | David & Barbara Leeman 0:00:00.110 --> 0:00:04.460 Rich theological truths set to unforgettable music. That's what you're 0:00:04.460 --> 0:00:08.209 in store for today on building relationships with Doctor Gary Chapman. 0:00:08.480 --> 0:00:12.080 Christmas songs and Christmas carols are all around us, and 0:00:12.080 --> 0:00:14.150 I think it's a it's a wonderful way to introduce 0:00:14.150 --> 0:00:17.300 the gospel in a non-threatening way to the world. 0:00:17.300 --> 0:00:20.330 I think we need to help those growing up in 0:00:20.329 --> 0:00:24.110 this culture today to understand there's a whole different issue 0:00:24.140 --> 0:00:26.960 at Christmas and Santa is not God. 0:00:31.460 --> 0:00:35.059 Welcome to building relationships with Doctor Gary Chapman, author of 0:00:35.060 --> 0:00:38.510 the New York Times best seller The Five Love Languages. Today, 0:00:38.510 --> 0:00:41.180 a husband and wife musical team join us to lead 0:00:41.180 --> 0:00:43.790 us into the hymns and carols of Christmas. 0:00:43.820 --> 0:00:47.540 David and Barbara Lehman have put together a fantastic resource 0:00:47.540 --> 0:00:50.059 for this festive time of year. We're coming back to 0:00:50.090 --> 0:00:53.750 it here on the Saturday before Christmas. It's titled Hosanna 0:00:53.750 --> 0:00:58.190 in Excelsis Hymns and Devotions for the Christmas Season. Find 0:00:58.190 --> 0:01:02.220 out more at five Love languages.com. And when we aired 0:01:02.220 --> 0:01:05.520 this program, the first time, I asked Gary if his 0:01:05.520 --> 0:01:08.820 heart is for people to encounter the real meaning of 0:01:08.819 --> 0:01:11.039 what we celebrate at Christmas. 0:01:12.180 --> 0:01:15.420 Well, you're right, Chris. You know, I think sometimes the 0:01:15.420 --> 0:01:19.500 Jingle Bells and Santa Claus kind of takes over in 0:01:19.500 --> 0:01:24.780 people's minds. And I'm all for whatever, you know is joyful. 0:01:24.959 --> 0:01:29.010 But the most joyful thing about Christmas is the birth 0:01:29.010 --> 0:01:31.979 of Christ, you know? So the more we can do 0:01:31.980 --> 0:01:35.130 to focus people on that. Yeah, I think that's what 0:01:35.130 --> 0:01:37.920 every pastor, every Christian really desires. 0:01:37.950 --> 0:01:38.550 Yes. 0:01:38.580 --> 0:01:42.809 David and Barbara Lehman are both graduates of Biola University 0:01:42.840 --> 0:01:46.470 School of Music. David's a retired director of music and worship. 0:01:46.470 --> 0:01:52.230 Barbara has taught music at a private Christian school in Texas. Together, 0:01:52.230 --> 0:01:55.980 they wrote and published Hosanna Loud Hosanna, which is a 0:01:55.980 --> 0:02:00.340 student hymnal that's widely used in churches and Christian schools 0:02:00.340 --> 0:02:03.850 and homes are featured. Resource today, though, is their book 0:02:03.880 --> 0:02:08.380 Hosanna in Excelsis Hymns and Devotions for the Christmas Season. 0:02:08.380 --> 0:02:10.900 I'm holding it in my little hands right now and 0:02:10.900 --> 0:02:13.240 it's such a great resource. You can find out more 0:02:13.240 --> 0:02:16.720 about it at Five Love languages.com. 0:02:17.080 --> 0:02:20.350 Well, David and Barbara, welcome to Building Relationships. 0:02:20.380 --> 0:02:21.130 Thank you. 0:02:21.160 --> 0:02:23.620 Thank you so much. It's a great privilege. 0:02:23.889 --> 0:02:26.710 David, you and Barbara have created a company and a 0:02:26.710 --> 0:02:32.620 website called Hosanna. hymnals.com. Tell us why you started that endeavor. 0:02:33.310 --> 0:02:39.040 We have always believed that the greatest is what we 0:02:39.040 --> 0:02:43.269 offer to God. Uh, the finest, the best of anything. 0:02:43.270 --> 0:02:47.290 And we also believe that in regard to music. And so, 0:02:47.320 --> 0:02:51.070 as Chris mentioned a moment ago, some years ago, we 0:02:51.070 --> 0:02:54.639 put together a book that we say is for students 0:02:54.639 --> 0:02:59.000 of all ages, but it's a list of 115 hymns 0:02:59.000 --> 0:03:04.130 that include the biographies of the author and composer, and 0:03:04.130 --> 0:03:08.330 then a devotional about it. Schools have used them as 0:03:08.360 --> 0:03:13.070 their primary book for chapel. A lot of homeschoolers use it. 0:03:13.100 --> 0:03:16.100 About two years ago, we felt we needed to do 0:03:16.130 --> 0:03:20.450 one of just Christmas hymns, and so that, along with 0:03:20.450 --> 0:03:26.930 the Student Hymnal, has formed this. Hosanna! Hymnals company. And 0:03:27.050 --> 0:03:28.669 that's what we're doing. 0:03:29.090 --> 0:03:31.610 Well, I'm excited about this book. I think it's going 0:03:31.639 --> 0:03:33.830 to help a lot of us focus in on the 0:03:33.830 --> 0:03:38.000 heart of Christmas. Barbara, why is singing so important? What 0:03:38.000 --> 0:03:39.800 happens when we sing together? 0:03:40.730 --> 0:03:45.140 Two really good questions when I speak to young, young moms, 0:03:45.140 --> 0:03:48.740 first grade moms every year teaching them why singing is 0:03:48.740 --> 0:03:50.930 important or why music is important, I said, well, the 0:03:50.930 --> 0:03:53.540 first thing I think is because it's important to God. 0:03:53.570 --> 0:03:56.800 Take your take your Bible and open it to the 0:03:56.800 --> 0:03:59.500 middle and you will find the largest book of the Bible. 0:03:59.500 --> 0:04:02.890 They're called the Psalms. It's basically a hymn book right 0:04:02.890 --> 0:04:05.140 in the middle of the Bible. And these were written 0:04:05.140 --> 0:04:07.660 to be sung. They're not it's not just poetry. They're 0:04:07.660 --> 0:04:10.660 songs to be sung in praise to God. So God 0:04:10.660 --> 0:04:15.010 has given us this huge, um, amount of poetry and 0:04:15.010 --> 0:04:17.860 beauty to praise him with. So that's why it's important, 0:04:17.890 --> 0:04:22.570 number one. Number two, I tell them that it's important 0:04:22.570 --> 0:04:26.830 that we sing because we are redeemed people. We have 0:04:26.830 --> 0:04:30.250 a song to sing. The very first hymn recorded in 0:04:30.250 --> 0:04:32.020 the Bible is in the book of Exodus, after the 0:04:32.020 --> 0:04:34.480 crossing of the Red sea. And the people had left 0:04:34.480 --> 0:04:36.969 their enemies behind and they were rejoicing. And the first 0:04:36.970 --> 0:04:39.730 thing they did was saying, I will sing unto the Lord, 0:04:39.730 --> 0:04:43.210 for he has triumphed gloriously, the horse and rider thrown 0:04:43.210 --> 0:04:46.360 into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my song, 0:04:46.360 --> 0:04:49.990 and he has become my salvation. That is our song. 0:04:49.990 --> 0:04:52.810 We are redeemed people. So it's important that we sing, 0:04:52.810 --> 0:04:55.729 and it's important that we sing together because it creates 0:04:55.760 --> 0:05:01.370 a solidarity. The family becomes united, the generations become united. 0:05:01.400 --> 0:05:04.429 The hymns that we have chosen are cross-denominational. So the 0:05:04.430 --> 0:05:08.180 denominations become united in one voice of praising God for 0:05:08.180 --> 0:05:09.380 our redemption. 0:05:10.430 --> 0:05:14.930 David. Many churches have moved away from traditional hymns and 0:05:14.930 --> 0:05:19.220 they sing more contemporary songs. What are we missing by 0:05:19.220 --> 0:05:22.370 not singing the hymns that people have been singing for 0:05:22.370 --> 0:05:23.630 hundreds of years? 0:05:25.010 --> 0:05:30.320 If you think of our song canon in churches, what 0:05:30.320 --> 0:05:37.190 we generally sing as like a photograph book of history 0:05:37.190 --> 0:05:40.909 of your family. Uh, by not singing the hymns, it's 0:05:40.910 --> 0:05:44.210 as if we've pulled out all the pictures of Grandma 0:05:44.210 --> 0:05:47.210 and grandpa or great grandma and great grandpa, and said, 0:05:47.210 --> 0:05:49.940 we only want to see the people that are alive today. 0:05:50.390 --> 0:05:53.150 There's nothing wrong with seeing the people that are alive 0:05:53.180 --> 0:05:58.410 today or singing or singing contemporary songs. But shouldn't we 0:05:58.410 --> 0:06:02.070 look at what the legacy was left for us by 0:06:02.070 --> 0:06:06.660 people who wrote these hymns hundreds, even thousands of years 0:06:06.660 --> 0:06:11.760 ago that are so good. They're so such quality that 0:06:11.760 --> 0:06:15.780 we still sing them today. They've passed that test of time. 0:06:15.779 --> 0:06:19.950 So while we think that we can sing all kinds 0:06:19.950 --> 0:06:23.400 of hymns and psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, according 0:06:23.430 --> 0:06:27.570 to the Apostle Paul, we wonder if we've left off 0:06:27.600 --> 0:06:31.530 too many of the ones that really nurture us and 0:06:31.529 --> 0:06:36.210 feed us both on the Christian wisdom that people like 0:06:36.210 --> 0:06:40.919 Charles Wesley, Isaac Watts and others bring to us. But 0:06:40.950 --> 0:06:48.660 we really give only what's contemporary the priority. And there's again, 0:06:48.660 --> 0:06:52.050 nothing wrong with the contemporary. We're not against that. We're 0:06:52.050 --> 0:06:56.680 just saying don't throw out that which has stood and 0:06:56.680 --> 0:06:59.560 served us and still teaches us today. 0:07:00.220 --> 0:07:02.229 Yeah, I hear you saying we need the old and 0:07:02.230 --> 0:07:03.250 the new together. 0:07:03.279 --> 0:07:04.179 That's right. That's right. 0:07:04.210 --> 0:07:07.840 Yeah. Yeah. Well, I certainly agree with that. You know, Barbara, 0:07:07.870 --> 0:07:11.530 you and David created a unique devotional for the Christmas season. 0:07:11.830 --> 0:07:14.050 What did you want to show the reader about the 0:07:14.050 --> 0:07:15.670 songs that you chose? 0:07:16.660 --> 0:07:18.940 I think a lot of what Dave has just said, 0:07:18.940 --> 0:07:21.820 that we want to bring to them from the Christmas season, 0:07:21.820 --> 0:07:26.710 some of the greatest Christian spiritual poetry that's ever been written. 0:07:27.190 --> 0:07:29.470 We want them to to learn these songs and pass 0:07:29.470 --> 0:07:34.390 them down to future generations and preserve them. Secondly, it 0:07:34.390 --> 0:07:38.800 is so difficult sometimes at Christmas time to focus on 0:07:38.800 --> 0:07:41.980 what's true and real moms are caught up. I raised 0:07:41.980 --> 0:07:44.470 four children and I remember the days of I could 0:07:44.470 --> 0:07:47.260 hardly wait till Christmas was over just because it was 0:07:47.260 --> 0:07:50.260 so much work and so much stress. And I think 0:07:50.260 --> 0:07:54.260 that's that's more and more they're. So I think that 0:07:54.290 --> 0:07:56.989 getting into these hymns and these carols and singing them 0:07:56.990 --> 0:07:59.810 together brings us back to what is true and what 0:07:59.810 --> 0:08:04.070 is simple and what is good and what is beautiful. Yeah. 0:08:04.100 --> 0:08:07.670 And the third thing is that I think children first 0:08:07.670 --> 0:08:12.290 hear about Jesus and understand Jesus at the Nativity. They 0:08:12.290 --> 0:08:14.930 relate to the baby. And when we did our first hymnal, 0:08:14.930 --> 0:08:17.990 we started with the Christmas section because that this is 0:08:17.990 --> 0:08:21.770 where children start with Jesus as he's a child and 0:08:21.770 --> 0:08:25.970 in the manger growing up. And also Christmas songs and 0:08:25.970 --> 0:08:29.570 Christmas carols are all around us. And I think it's 0:08:29.600 --> 0:08:32.059 a it's a wonderful way to introduce the gospel in 0:08:32.059 --> 0:08:34.400 a non-threatening way to the world. 0:08:34.820 --> 0:08:37.400 David, can you give an example of a Christian Carol, 0:08:37.400 --> 0:08:39.140 and give us some of the background of it, so 0:08:39.140 --> 0:08:41.240 that our listeners get a feel for what you're doing 0:08:41.240 --> 0:08:42.140 in this book? 0:08:42.410 --> 0:08:46.069 Sure. But even before I do that, if I might, uh, 0:08:46.280 --> 0:08:49.880 Doctor Chapman, I'd like to add to what Barbara just said. 0:08:49.980 --> 0:08:55.590 The sad thing of our world today is that when 0:08:55.590 --> 0:09:00.150 you ask many people, what's your favorite Christmas song? At 0:09:00.179 --> 0:09:02.610 least young people and children are going to say Jingle 0:09:02.640 --> 0:09:06.270 Bells or Santa is coming to town. We really believe 0:09:06.270 --> 0:09:09.240 that this is needed to to bring back into the 0:09:09.240 --> 0:09:13.620 home some of the wonderful songs. I think as John MacArthur. 0:09:13.620 --> 0:09:18.930 That said, it's so ironic that Santa Claus has become 0:09:18.929 --> 0:09:23.280 a godlike character who visits every home, who knows whether 0:09:23.280 --> 0:09:25.980 you've been naughty or nice, and if you were nice, 0:09:25.980 --> 0:09:28.200 he gives you a good gift, and if you're naughty, 0:09:28.230 --> 0:09:30.960 he gives you a coal. I think we need to 0:09:30.990 --> 0:09:34.500 help those growing up in this culture today to understand 0:09:34.500 --> 0:09:38.190 there's a whole different issue at Christmas and Santa is 0:09:38.190 --> 0:09:44.130 not God. And so we we chose songs that not 0:09:44.130 --> 0:09:49.200 only talk about the birth, but that explain the incarnation, 0:09:49.210 --> 0:09:54.040 Because that's the doctrine that is so vital. I mean, 0:09:54.070 --> 0:09:58.420 we can't really believe in the resurrection unless we believe 0:09:58.420 --> 0:10:04.420 in the incarnation that God became man. And so there's 0:10:04.420 --> 0:10:08.140 so many carols I could give you example of, but 0:10:08.140 --> 0:10:12.189 perhaps the finest one and actually is very popular is 0:10:12.220 --> 0:10:15.819 Hark the Herald Angels Sing. Uh, and it was written 0:10:15.820 --> 0:10:20.230 by a pastor, Charles Wesley. Uh, the music by one 0:10:20.230 --> 0:10:24.760 of the finest composers in history, Felix Mendelssohn. And what's 0:10:24.760 --> 0:10:28.750 so remarkable about Hark the Herald Angels sing is that 0:10:28.750 --> 0:10:33.370 it's filled with the theology and scripture that tells us 0:10:33.400 --> 0:10:38.140 what the incarnation was, and that gives us the gospel 0:10:38.559 --> 0:10:44.890 veiled in flesh, the Godhead see. Hail the incarnate deity. 0:10:45.040 --> 0:10:48.340 You know, I sang for a number of years in 0:10:48.360 --> 0:10:54.300 a large symphony chorus in Dallas, and was around people 0:10:54.300 --> 0:10:59.400 of all stripes, denominations or are not. Probably the majority 0:10:59.429 --> 0:11:02.160 were not believers. And yet we would sing Hark the 0:11:02.160 --> 0:11:05.610 Herald Angels Sing in our Christmas concerts. And I always wondered, 0:11:05.610 --> 0:11:08.220 what in the world do they think this is about? 0:11:08.250 --> 0:11:13.110 Born to give them second birth. They have no idea 0:11:13.110 --> 0:11:15.900 what they're singing. They just happily sing it because it's 0:11:15.900 --> 0:11:20.340 a pretty tune. But if you look at it as 0:11:20.340 --> 0:11:25.740 a believer and you study that text, you'll see so 0:11:25.740 --> 0:11:31.500 many quotations from Scripture packed that really helps people to 0:11:31.530 --> 0:11:34.050 understand the incarnation. 0:11:34.080 --> 0:11:37.560 Yeah. And I think in families, as we sing songs 0:11:37.559 --> 0:11:40.560 like that and discuss them with our children at whatever 0:11:40.559 --> 0:11:45.480 age they may be, we're helping them understand the concept 0:11:45.480 --> 0:11:47.460 of God becoming man. 0:11:48.790 --> 0:12:00.670 Hides the Herald Angels sing glory to the newborn King. 0:12:00.700 --> 0:12:04.300 This is building relationships with Doctor Gary Chapman. Our guests 0:12:04.300 --> 0:12:08.530 are David and Barbara Lehman, authors of Hosanna in Excelsis 0:12:08.530 --> 0:12:11.830 Hymns and Devotions for the Christmas Season. You can find 0:12:11.830 --> 0:12:15.699 out more at Five Love languages.com. Well, coming up, the 0:12:15.700 --> 0:12:18.939 oldest Christmas hymn, Straight Ahead on Moody Radio. 0:12:19.420 --> 0:12:30.670 Brings praise with healing in his wings. Smiley faces, glory 0:12:30.670 --> 0:12:40.420 by honor. Prayer. No more may die. Born to raise us. 0:12:40.420 --> 0:12:50.300 Sons of earth. Born to give him Them. Second birth. Hark! 0:12:50.300 --> 0:13:08.210 The herald angels sing. Glory to the newborn King. Of 0:13:08.210 --> 0:13:16.700 the father's love begotten. Ere the worlds began to be. 0:13:17.000 --> 0:13:25.460 He is orphaned. Omega. He the source, the ending. 0:13:25.460 --> 0:13:26.690 He. 0:13:26.690 --> 0:13:30.079 This is building relationships with Doctor Gary Chapman, author of 0:13:30.080 --> 0:13:33.500 the New York Times bestseller The Five Love Languages. If 0:13:33.500 --> 0:13:35.780 you want to hear a passed program, take an assessment 0:13:35.780 --> 0:13:38.960 of your love language or see our featured resource today, 0:13:38.990 --> 0:13:42.830 go to five Love languages.com. It's written by David and 0:13:42.830 --> 0:13:46.920 Barbara Lehman and it's titled Hosanna in excelsis. Hymns and 0:13:46.920 --> 0:13:49.800 devotions for the Christmas Season. You can find out more 0:13:49.800 --> 0:13:52.079 at Five Love languages.com. 0:13:53.429 --> 0:13:56.280 Barbara. Before the break, David gave us one of the 0:13:56.280 --> 0:13:59.250 great hymns at Christmas time. How about one of the 0:13:59.250 --> 0:14:01.410 carols that has meant a lot to you and speaks 0:14:01.410 --> 0:14:02.460 deeply to you? 0:14:02.610 --> 0:14:05.160 One of my favorite carols in the book is probably 0:14:05.160 --> 0:14:07.980 the oldest text that we have in the book. It 0:14:07.980 --> 0:14:11.729 comes from the fifth century, and it's a carol, number 0:14:11.760 --> 0:14:15.690 eight of the Father's Love begotten. The two name is 0:14:15.720 --> 0:14:21.360 Divinum Mysterium, divine mystery, and it makes the incarnation and 0:14:21.360 --> 0:14:25.050 the birth of Christ so mystical and so beautiful. And 0:14:25.050 --> 0:14:29.700 I love it because it basically originates in John one. 0:14:29.850 --> 0:14:32.670 In the beginning was the word, and the word was 0:14:32.670 --> 0:14:35.640 with God, and the word was God. He was in 0:14:35.640 --> 0:14:38.340 the beginning with God. All things were made through him, 0:14:38.340 --> 0:14:41.220 and without him was not anything made that was made. 0:14:41.220 --> 0:14:43.620 In him was life, and the life was the light 0:14:43.650 --> 0:14:47.110 of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the 0:14:47.110 --> 0:14:50.770 darkness is not overcome it. And then verse 14, and 0:14:50.770 --> 0:14:54.460 the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we 0:14:54.460 --> 0:14:57.910 have seen his glory, glory as of the only son 0:14:57.910 --> 0:15:02.680 from the father, full of grace and truth. Those words 0:15:02.680 --> 0:15:05.200 are are mysterious when you read them in a way. 0:15:05.200 --> 0:15:08.440 And the carol, I think, underscores that of the father's 0:15:08.440 --> 0:15:12.070 love begotten ere the worlds began to be. He is 0:15:12.070 --> 0:15:16.810 Alpha and Omega, he the source, the ending, he of 0:15:16.810 --> 0:15:20.290 the things that are and have been. And that future 0:15:20.290 --> 0:15:25.600 years shall see evermore and evermore. It's put out plainsong 0:15:25.600 --> 0:15:27.910 chant from the 12th century that is so well paired 0:15:27.910 --> 0:15:30.700 with the words. And then the second verse has a 0:15:30.700 --> 0:15:34.330 phrase in it. It's talking about that Mary has, by 0:15:34.330 --> 0:15:37.480 the Holy Ghost, conceived and bore the Savior of our race. 0:15:37.720 --> 0:15:43.250 And the babe, the world's Redeemer first revealed his sacred face. 0:15:43.460 --> 0:15:45.530 When I first thought that to the children that I 0:15:45.530 --> 0:15:48.350 was teaching, it just grabbed me in a way that 0:15:48.530 --> 0:15:52.520 suddenly in the manger, we had all of human history. 0:15:52.550 --> 0:15:54.620 We had, from the promises and the prophets and the 0:15:54.620 --> 0:15:58.130 history of Israel. Suddenly the promise was here, and there 0:15:58.130 --> 0:16:02.330 was his face right before them. And that just explodes 0:16:02.330 --> 0:16:06.710 my imagination. I think of Simeon in the temple, 400 0:16:06.710 --> 0:16:09.290 years of silence. He was aware of that since they 0:16:09.290 --> 0:16:11.690 had heard from the prophets. And yet he held in 0:16:11.690 --> 0:16:14.780 his arms and wanted to behold that sacred face. And 0:16:14.780 --> 0:16:18.140 what a blessed story that is in our Christmas chapel 0:16:18.140 --> 0:16:21.830 that we did every year at my school. This was 0:16:21.830 --> 0:16:24.890 held a very special place. This particular song and the 0:16:24.890 --> 0:16:30.140 children that read that scripture before it from John one, 0:16:30.170 --> 0:16:33.920 were usually a first grader and a second grader, and 0:16:33.920 --> 0:16:36.080 these children would read that it was a service of 0:16:36.080 --> 0:16:40.010 lessons of carols that we put together for our Christmas program. 0:16:41.270 --> 0:16:42.870 And after they would read that and we would sing 0:16:42.870 --> 0:16:45.720 that carol. It was just a very moving and stunning 0:16:45.720 --> 0:16:47.550 moment in our in our chapel. 0:16:47.580 --> 0:16:50.430 Yeah. So you're looking back with a lot of memories 0:16:50.430 --> 0:16:53.430 of that particular. A lot of memories. Yeah. With with 0:16:53.460 --> 0:16:57.060 young children. That's wonderful. Uh, David, what do you hope 0:16:57.060 --> 0:17:01.979 happens as individuals or families go through this devotional together? 0:17:02.940 --> 0:17:08.369 Well, obviously, we're hoping that they begin to love these 0:17:08.369 --> 0:17:13.109 hymns that can feed their souls, feed their families souls. 0:17:13.140 --> 0:17:16.560 We hope that it draws them together. There's something about 0:17:16.560 --> 0:17:23.190 singing together that's unique. I never saw it, uh, exemplified 0:17:23.190 --> 0:17:27.000 more than years ago, after nine over 11, when all 0:17:27.030 --> 0:17:29.280 of the Congress stood on the steps of the Capitol 0:17:29.280 --> 0:17:33.720 and sang together God Bless America. Why did they do that? 0:17:33.750 --> 0:17:37.050 What caused them to think that singing was so important 0:17:37.050 --> 0:17:41.520 at this point? Well, it's almost indefinable, but it obviously 0:17:41.520 --> 0:17:45.330 drew them together and allowed them to say as one. 0:17:45.359 --> 0:17:49.290 This is how we feel right now. Yeah, and that's 0:17:49.290 --> 0:17:52.500 what we do with Christmas. If we sing together as 0:17:52.530 --> 0:17:55.109 a as a church, as a small group, as a 0:17:55.109 --> 0:17:58.950 Sunday school class or as a family, it draws us together. 0:17:58.980 --> 0:18:01.980 It unites us in what we believe and what we 0:18:01.980 --> 0:18:05.430 think we should be doing about this time of the year. 0:18:05.910 --> 0:18:07.560 A lot of us are wishing they could still get 0:18:07.590 --> 0:18:09.720 on the steps and sing together. David. 0:18:10.200 --> 0:18:12.360 Yeah, that's for sure. 0:18:12.570 --> 0:18:15.959 Yeah. Well, you know, Covid might be the thing that 0:18:15.960 --> 0:18:18.119 brings us together eventually. I don't know. 0:18:18.119 --> 0:18:19.650 But it might be. 0:18:19.680 --> 0:18:24.570 Yeah. You know, Barbara, you divided this collection into three sections. 0:18:24.750 --> 0:18:26.670 Tell us what they are and why you divided them 0:18:26.670 --> 0:18:27.389 this way. 0:18:28.020 --> 0:18:31.470 Well, the Christmas season has three portions to it. And 0:18:31.470 --> 0:18:33.810 I think in America today we think about Christmas Day. 0:18:33.810 --> 0:18:36.540 And that's Christmas is one day of the year. But 0:18:36.540 --> 0:18:39.900 in the Christian year, it begins four Sundays before Christmas 0:18:39.900 --> 0:18:44.010 with advent. Advent is a word that means waiting or coming. 0:18:44.010 --> 0:18:47.040 And we're celebrating the waiting or the coming not only 0:18:47.040 --> 0:18:50.610 of Christmas that year, but we're remembering the long wait 0:18:50.609 --> 0:18:53.400 that Israel had waiting for their Redeemer. And I think 0:18:53.400 --> 0:18:55.679 it's important that we remember that, and we teach our 0:18:55.680 --> 0:18:59.669 children that and that. I have a little poem again, 0:18:59.670 --> 0:19:04.800 back to my teaching days advent, Christmas, epiphany, Lent and Easter. Alleluia. 0:19:04.800 --> 0:19:09.780 And a Pentecost event. Christian year. Christian year. Celebrate the 0:19:09.780 --> 0:19:13.590 seasons of the Christian year as our children learn that 0:19:13.590 --> 0:19:15.840 every year it helped them. I felt like it helped 0:19:15.990 --> 0:19:19.830 introduce the gospel story through the life of Christ to children. 0:19:19.830 --> 0:19:21.990 I did not grow up in a liturgical church that 0:19:21.990 --> 0:19:25.350 celebrated the different seasons of the Christian year, but I 0:19:25.350 --> 0:19:27.270 found that I grew to love them as an adult 0:19:27.270 --> 0:19:30.810 when I understood them better. When I understand the coming 0:19:30.810 --> 0:19:33.929 of Christ and waiting and lighting the advent calendars, that 0:19:33.930 --> 0:19:38.280 brings great meaning and anticipation to something besides opening up 0:19:38.290 --> 0:19:42.790 presents on Christmas morning. And then of course, Christmas is 0:19:42.790 --> 0:19:44.859 our second section and we call it in our book. 0:19:44.859 --> 0:19:47.949 We call it the Nativity. This all the songs in 0:19:47.980 --> 0:19:52.149 that section starts before Christmas, but they're all songs of 0:19:52.150 --> 0:19:55.119 the angels and the Nativity, the story of the birth. 0:19:55.119 --> 0:19:59.859 And then after Christmas Day begins the season of epiphany. 0:19:59.890 --> 0:20:02.500 I think this one is probably the least known of 0:20:02.500 --> 0:20:06.220 the three, the three sections, or the three seasons of 0:20:06.220 --> 0:20:09.820 the Christmas year to us. And yet, to me, it's 0:20:09.850 --> 0:20:12.879 wonderful because epiphany is about the story of the three 0:20:12.880 --> 0:20:16.179 wise men coming. They follow the light. Light is a 0:20:16.180 --> 0:20:20.140 sign of epiphany. Epiphany is a word that means I 0:20:20.140 --> 0:20:23.050 get it. I finally understand it's an epiphany to me. 0:20:23.050 --> 0:20:26.709 The light bulb goes on and the light bulb that 0:20:26.710 --> 0:20:30.580 goes on that is so amazing is that Jesus did 0:20:30.580 --> 0:20:33.250 not just come to the Jewish people, the Israelites. He 0:20:33.250 --> 0:20:36.010 came for all of us. We are the ones who 0:20:36.040 --> 0:20:39.110 we Gentiles are the ones who were afar off and 0:20:39.109 --> 0:20:44.210 brought near. So I think epiphany is totally appropriate for 0:20:44.210 --> 0:20:47.000 us to celebrate after Christmas, because it's the part of 0:20:47.000 --> 0:20:50.630 the Christmas story where we come in that includes us. 0:20:50.630 --> 0:20:53.359 And I love teaching that to the children every year 0:20:53.869 --> 0:20:57.740 as we go through those, the various carols. I wanted 0:20:57.740 --> 0:20:59.750 to make note to it that we have a section 0:20:59.750 --> 0:21:03.020 that describes each of those in our book, advent, The Nativity, 0:21:03.020 --> 0:21:08.119 and epiphany. But we also placed poetry, Old English poetry 0:21:08.119 --> 0:21:12.740 that we found by Robert Herrick, uh, before the advent. 0:21:12.770 --> 0:21:15.620 What sweeter music can we bring than a carol for 0:21:15.619 --> 0:21:19.340 to sing the next two sections of John Milton's poem 0:21:19.340 --> 0:21:23.300 on Christmas morning? We took selections from that to help 0:21:23.300 --> 0:21:27.230 just add beauty to the book, describing a more beautiful 0:21:27.230 --> 0:21:30.110 way those three seasons of Christmas. 0:21:30.170 --> 0:21:33.290 Yeah. You know, I'm guessing, Barbara, that a lot of 0:21:33.290 --> 0:21:37.169 us who did not grow up in liturgical Surgical churches 0:21:37.170 --> 0:21:40.650 really have never really sensed the depth of what you 0:21:40.650 --> 0:21:44.939 just walked us through. You know, advent, Nativity, epiphany. And 0:21:44.940 --> 0:21:46.950 that's why I think this book is going to be 0:21:46.980 --> 0:21:51.690 kind of a fresh light on the whole Christmas season 0:21:51.690 --> 0:21:55.950 for for many Christians who did not grow up in liturgical, 0:21:55.980 --> 0:21:59.070 you know, services. So, you know, to me, I think 0:21:59.100 --> 0:22:01.949 you're giving a great service just in those three things, 0:22:01.980 --> 0:22:04.830 you know, and focusing on those three things. So thank. 0:22:04.830 --> 0:22:05.340 You. 0:22:05.820 --> 0:22:09.660 David. We usually use the term Christmas carols, but you're 0:22:09.660 --> 0:22:13.710 calling them Christian hymns. What's the difference? 0:22:14.910 --> 0:22:20.040 Well they're really synonymous, but with a distinction. A carol 0:22:20.040 --> 0:22:24.120 is not necessarily a sacred song. The people that call 0:22:24.119 --> 0:22:28.410 Jingle Bells A Christmas Carol. Uh, maybe as Christians we 0:22:28.440 --> 0:22:32.730 we wouldn't. But to the world, that's what's seen. And 0:22:32.730 --> 0:22:36.160 generally the word carol To find something that's a little 0:22:36.190 --> 0:22:41.020 bit light hearted and you can dance to. It has 0:22:41.020 --> 0:22:47.170 that sense, but these songs in the book could be 0:22:47.170 --> 0:22:52.030 called carols, but we called them hymns because hymns are 0:22:52.030 --> 0:22:56.800 always a sacred text, a text about a deity. And 0:22:56.800 --> 0:23:01.000 so that's what they are to us. But again, they're both. 0:23:01.900 --> 0:23:04.960 Yeah. Okay. So we have a choice. We can sing 0:23:04.960 --> 0:23:08.230 Christmas hymns or Christmas carols. I like that distinction because 0:23:08.230 --> 0:23:11.560 I think you're exactly right. Barbara, give us another Carol 0:23:11.560 --> 0:23:13.840 and give us the story again. 0:23:13.869 --> 0:23:17.050 This is a carol by association. I love by association. 0:23:17.050 --> 0:23:20.859 It's called Once in Royal David's City. It was written 0:23:20.859 --> 0:23:25.690 by an Irish woman, Cecil Alexander, who started writing poetry 0:23:25.720 --> 0:23:29.619 very young and continued to write. And she decided to 0:23:29.650 --> 0:23:33.310 do a set of poems to teach children the meaning 0:23:33.340 --> 0:23:36.290 of each of the phrases of the Apostles Creed. And 0:23:36.290 --> 0:23:40.070 she wrote once in Royal David's City for the for 0:23:40.070 --> 0:23:42.709 the part of the creed that says, born of a virgin, 0:23:43.040 --> 0:23:45.470 and laid in a manger, born of the Virgin Mary. 0:23:45.710 --> 0:23:49.699 And so it begins with telling that that sweet, simple story, 0:23:50.359 --> 0:23:52.940 another word about her that I just wanted to say 0:23:52.940 --> 0:23:55.820 is that I want us to remember that these people 0:23:55.820 --> 0:23:59.030 who wrote these were they were they were poets. They 0:23:59.030 --> 0:24:03.139 were learned people. And of this particular author, one time 0:24:03.140 --> 0:24:05.930 she wrote a poem called The Burial of Moses, and 0:24:05.930 --> 0:24:08.270 it caused Alfred, Lord Tennyson, to say that it was 0:24:08.270 --> 0:24:10.370 one of the few poems by another author that he 0:24:10.369 --> 0:24:13.250 wished he himself had written. And I tell that story 0:24:13.250 --> 0:24:15.800 just to say it elevates who we're reading, and the 0:24:15.830 --> 0:24:18.860 worth of why it is important for us to pay 0:24:18.859 --> 0:24:22.100 attention to these kind of old, dusty poems, maybe that 0:24:22.100 --> 0:24:24.800 we haven't thought about in a long time. Again, this 0:24:24.800 --> 0:24:28.190 song is used in the lessons in carol service that 0:24:28.190 --> 0:24:33.640 King's College does, and each year it begins the service. 0:24:33.640 --> 0:24:37.750 And several years ago, at the um, encouragement of one 0:24:37.750 --> 0:24:40.720 of our parents, school parents and board members. His name 0:24:40.720 --> 0:24:42.369 is Stephen Neilson. I don't know if any of you 0:24:42.400 --> 0:24:45.429 are familiar with Stephen, but he's a concert pianist who 0:24:45.460 --> 0:24:48.460 used to be part of the duo Neilson and Young. 0:24:48.460 --> 0:24:51.010 And he suggested to me, why don't we do a 0:24:51.010 --> 0:24:53.260 service of lessons and carols? And then he proceeded to 0:24:53.290 --> 0:24:57.609 help us each year, put this together. And also he 0:24:57.640 --> 0:25:00.369 I just want you to know that the piano recording 0:25:00.369 --> 0:25:02.920 we have of all these carols is Stephen Neilson playing. 0:25:02.920 --> 0:25:06.220 So you can sing as a family, being accompanied by 0:25:06.220 --> 0:25:10.180 a concert pianist, if you care to, to do that. Anyway, 0:25:10.210 --> 0:25:13.300 at the beginning of the service we have the service 0:25:13.300 --> 0:25:16.780 starts with my great privilege. Every year was to choose 0:25:16.780 --> 0:25:20.320 the child that would learn the first verse and would 0:25:20.350 --> 0:25:25.389 sing it acapella unaccompanied to begin the service. And the 0:25:25.390 --> 0:25:28.149 most poignant point of that service to me was after 0:25:28.180 --> 0:25:33.740 a beautiful prelude, the church is quiet, probably 1000 1200 0:25:33.740 --> 0:25:36.560 people sitting in silence, and they're all waiting for one thing. 0:25:36.560 --> 0:25:39.470 They're waiting to hear that small voice from the back 0:25:39.470 --> 0:25:42.859 of the room, begin acapella and walk down the aisle 0:25:42.859 --> 0:25:47.750 singing this one simple, beautiful verse together and alone. And 0:25:47.750 --> 0:25:50.450 then we join on the second verse, a whole congregation. 0:25:50.780 --> 0:25:53.420 To me, that was a more moving than any Christmas 0:25:53.420 --> 0:25:56.479 pageant that you could ever, you could ever put on, 0:25:56.480 --> 0:26:00.110 because it was a group of people and parents and 0:26:00.109 --> 0:26:05.150 students and children joining together and singing that wonderful story 0:26:05.150 --> 0:26:07.970 and waiting for that moment when the when the story 0:26:07.970 --> 0:26:11.030 was told. Once in Royal David's city stood a lowly 0:26:11.030 --> 0:26:14.119 manger shed. And then it goes on to talk about 0:26:14.119 --> 0:26:17.210 Jesus as our childhood pattern. And our eyes at last 0:26:17.210 --> 0:26:19.670 shall see him. It takes us on to heaven, all 0:26:19.670 --> 0:26:21.050 of the stories there. 0:26:21.920 --> 0:26:30.780 And our eyes at last shall see him through his John. 0:26:30.780 --> 0:26:41.730 Redeeming love for the child. So dear and gentle is 0:26:41.730 --> 0:26:52.800 our Lord in heaven above. And he leads his children 0:26:52.800 --> 0:27:03.480 on to the place where he is gone. 0:27:05.220 --> 0:27:08.280 Well, this is building relationships with Doctor Gary Chapman. Our 0:27:08.280 --> 0:27:12.629 featured resource today is Hosanna in Excelsis Hymns and Devotions 0:27:12.630 --> 0:27:15.300 for the Christmas Season. You can find out more at 0:27:15.300 --> 0:27:19.590 Five Love languages.com. You can also hear podcast of today's program, 0:27:19.590 --> 0:27:22.740 or see when Gary's coming to your area for a seminar, 0:27:22.740 --> 0:27:25.080 and you can find out more about our guests, David 0:27:25.080 --> 0:27:28.680 and Barbara Lehman. Just go to five Love languages.com. 0:27:29.410 --> 0:27:32.440 Barbara, in this past segment, you gave us a visual 0:27:32.440 --> 0:27:37.120 picture of a student, a young student, maybe a first grader, 0:27:37.119 --> 0:27:41.080 singing a cappella, the first stanza of this song. So 0:27:41.080 --> 0:27:43.780 we got this picture in our minds. Now we're seated 0:27:43.810 --> 0:27:48.580 there with these 1200 people. Read that stanza again, and 0:27:48.580 --> 0:27:52.419 let us all experience the truth about which this child 0:27:52.420 --> 0:27:54.730 is singing happily. 0:27:55.480 --> 0:27:59.859 Once in Royal David's city stood a lowly cattle shed, 0:28:00.310 --> 0:28:03.850 where a mother laid her baby in a manger for 0:28:03.850 --> 0:28:09.040 his bed. Mary was that mother mild. Jesus Christ, her 0:28:09.040 --> 0:28:10.090 little child. 0:28:11.470 --> 0:28:14.830 Wow. I think all of us can feel that. You know, 0:28:14.859 --> 0:28:17.379 we could, we can. We can see that child singing 0:28:17.380 --> 0:28:20.560 it and we can see what the child is singing about. 0:28:20.590 --> 0:28:24.250 So I did that because I want our listeners to 0:28:24.280 --> 0:28:27.609 get a feel for what this devotional book can really 0:28:27.650 --> 0:28:33.650 do for them individually as well as for for the family. So, David, 0:28:33.859 --> 0:28:36.500 give us another Carol and the story. 0:28:36.920 --> 0:28:38.990 Well, let me talk about one that when it was 0:28:38.990 --> 0:28:42.770 written in the 1800s, would never have been sung in church. 0:28:43.670 --> 0:28:46.820 And the reason is it would have been considered much, 0:28:46.850 --> 0:28:53.000 much too frivolous, too happy. And they were somber and 0:28:53.120 --> 0:28:58.850 severe in their celebration of worship. And yet it was, uh, 0:28:58.850 --> 0:29:03.170 probably used because the people loved it so much. But 0:29:03.170 --> 0:29:08.390 no one claimed the authorship. It's totally, uh, anonymous because 0:29:08.390 --> 0:29:11.000 they didn't want to be censored by the church. Do 0:29:11.000 --> 0:29:14.180 you have any guess as to what that Carol is? 0:29:14.540 --> 0:29:17.180 It's God rest you merry, gentlemen. 0:29:17.210 --> 0:29:20.030 Oh, really? Yes. 0:29:20.150 --> 0:29:23.540 So we don't know exactly when it was written. Uh, 0:29:23.540 --> 0:29:27.110 the precise date, uh, and obviously who wrote it, but 0:29:27.120 --> 0:29:32.190 somewhere in the 1800s, and it brought joy to people. 0:29:32.580 --> 0:29:36.510 Charles Dickens employed the song in A Christmas Carol, but 0:29:36.510 --> 0:29:39.240 it was way too much joy for Scrooge. He rejected 0:29:39.240 --> 0:29:43.230 it and all it could proclaimed. But we think it's 0:29:43.230 --> 0:29:47.220 a wonderful song. It's a little bit more horizontal in 0:29:47.220 --> 0:29:53.070 direction than vertical toward God. It's really to encourage one another. 0:29:54.000 --> 0:29:59.550 God rest you, you see, and don't let anything dismay you. Remember, Christ, 0:29:59.550 --> 0:30:02.820 our Savior was born on Christmas Day to save us 0:30:02.820 --> 0:30:06.330 from Satan's power when we had gone, gone astray. And 0:30:06.330 --> 0:30:09.720 then it always ends with this short refrain O tidings 0:30:09.720 --> 0:30:16.500 of comfort and joy. Two pillars that the songwriter said 0:30:16.500 --> 0:30:18.450 we need in our lives. And oh boy, is it 0:30:18.450 --> 0:30:23.250 not true today. Comfort and joy. Wow. And so it's 0:30:23.250 --> 0:30:27.190 a great song to take. uh, we always try to 0:30:27.190 --> 0:30:30.670 do some caroling in our neighborhood. I played the accordion, 0:30:30.670 --> 0:30:34.240 and I strap it on and grab another few Christian 0:30:34.240 --> 0:30:38.050 families and walk up and down our street singing songs 0:30:38.050 --> 0:30:41.710 like God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen and others that are 0:30:41.710 --> 0:30:45.520 familiar because we think it's a wonderful way to share 0:30:45.520 --> 0:30:47.830 Christ at Christmas with our neighbors. 0:30:47.860 --> 0:30:50.530 Yeah. Well, I hope Covid will not keep you from 0:30:50.530 --> 0:30:53.380 doing that this year. You know, maybe they can stand 0:30:53.380 --> 0:30:55.600 six feet apart while they sing. Okay. 0:30:55.630 --> 0:30:58.570 Of course. Of course. And at least we're outside. 0:30:59.020 --> 0:31:02.860 Absolutely. You know, Barbara, I know that you have a 0:31:02.860 --> 0:31:06.820 heart for those who feel intimidated about singing with others, 0:31:06.850 --> 0:31:09.430 you know, in a public gathering or maybe sometimes even 0:31:09.430 --> 0:31:12.580 in the family. And they feel like they can't sing well, 0:31:12.640 --> 0:31:15.460 you know, and so they're reticent. What would you say 0:31:15.460 --> 0:31:16.510 to those people? 0:31:16.660 --> 0:31:19.390 Well, the first thing I would say to them is sing. 0:31:20.590 --> 0:31:21.040 Uh. 0:31:21.490 --> 0:31:24.040 God has given us the gift of song to all 0:31:24.040 --> 0:31:28.170 people and every person that can speak can sing. And 0:31:28.170 --> 0:31:30.090 I think that the culture has given us a different 0:31:30.090 --> 0:31:32.880 message telling us, well, there are singers and there are listeners, 0:31:32.880 --> 0:31:34.830 and I often have people say to me, oh, you 0:31:34.830 --> 0:31:36.960 don't want to hear me sing? And I would like 0:31:36.960 --> 0:31:39.060 to say to them, oh, yes, I would love to 0:31:39.060 --> 0:31:42.150 hear you sing. And I think that the fact is 0:31:42.150 --> 0:31:46.650 that people feel because of this performance mentality that we 0:31:46.680 --> 0:31:48.660 have had, which was really only been around the last 0:31:48.660 --> 0:31:53.220 couple of hundred years, I think before that everyone sang more. 0:31:53.250 --> 0:31:55.110 That was the only music. If you wanted music, you 0:31:55.110 --> 0:31:59.130 provided it for yourself. But that performance mentality has given 0:31:59.130 --> 0:32:02.040 us a sense that we're being judged by our singing, 0:32:02.040 --> 0:32:04.740 and no one should ever feel judged by their singing. 0:32:04.740 --> 0:32:07.740 And so I would simply encourage people, even if you 0:32:07.740 --> 0:32:10.350 haven't grown up singing or you're not used to it, 0:32:10.350 --> 0:32:13.320 just just try, you know, just get it out there. 0:32:13.320 --> 0:32:16.710 I think parents of young children know that your young 0:32:16.710 --> 0:32:20.490 child can learn to sing. It's much harder as an adult, 0:32:20.490 --> 0:32:23.100 but little children can all learn to sing. And so 0:32:23.490 --> 0:32:26.920 that guess that's one of my, um, vocations in life, 0:32:26.950 --> 0:32:29.230 is to encourage people to sing. 0:32:29.320 --> 0:32:31.810 You know, I'm thinking also, if you're standing in a 0:32:31.810 --> 0:32:36.310 congregation singing and you happen to be a musician, I mean, 0:32:36.310 --> 0:32:39.190 you know, a trained musician, I hope in hearing the 0:32:39.190 --> 0:32:43.090 person next to you maybe missing a note here or there, 0:32:43.120 --> 0:32:46.390 you would just say, God bless them. I'm glad they're singing. 0:32:46.900 --> 0:32:47.650 Amen. 0:32:48.310 --> 0:32:52.690 Amen. Absolutely. Well, David, there's a song you included that 0:32:52.690 --> 0:32:56.650 I don't think I've ever heard. Why did you include. 0:32:56.740 --> 0:32:59.440 Here's the name of the song on Jordan's bank, The 0:32:59.440 --> 0:33:01.120 Baptist's Cry. 0:33:01.900 --> 0:33:08.260 Well, it's not talking about Baptists by denomination, but it's 0:33:08.260 --> 0:33:12.460 talking about John the Baptist, who obviously had a very 0:33:12.460 --> 0:33:16.120 important part in the Christmas story because he was a 0:33:16.120 --> 0:33:20.440 foreteller of Jesus. And I think he needs to have 0:33:20.440 --> 0:33:25.190 some recognition for that. And so this, this great hymn, uh, 0:33:25.190 --> 0:33:28.550 it is true. I'm not surprised you don't know it. Uh, 0:33:28.790 --> 0:33:31.490 not very many people sing it. Although would you believe 0:33:31.490 --> 0:33:37.250 it's found in 145 modern hymnals? But it was written 0:33:37.250 --> 0:33:44.120 in the late 1600s and, uh, by a person who 0:33:44.120 --> 0:33:49.130 was trying to teach people against some of the doctrines 0:33:49.130 --> 0:33:53.630 of the Catholic Church. And, uh, he it's only the 0:33:53.630 --> 0:33:57.470 first verse that really refers to John the Baptist. From 0:33:57.470 --> 0:34:01.910 there on, it goes on to exclaim the Christmas story, 0:34:01.910 --> 0:34:05.780 the mystery of the incarnation, and it guides us through 0:34:05.780 --> 0:34:11.359 our repentance. That is part of the advent expression. So 0:34:11.360 --> 0:34:15.710 it is in our advent part of the book, and 0:34:16.010 --> 0:34:20.030 it encourages us and the gift of grace by which 0:34:20.060 --> 0:34:24.570 without we're doomed as flowers. Bright for a season, then gone. 0:34:24.840 --> 0:34:28.410 We know that the only way that our current political 0:34:28.410 --> 0:34:34.140 issues and social problems will be solved is by the 0:34:34.140 --> 0:34:39.060 power of Christ and the grace of forgiveness. And so 0:34:39.060 --> 0:34:41.910 it has that all in this book, in this song. 0:34:41.910 --> 0:34:45.450 And we just felt we have 43 hymns. And it 0:34:45.450 --> 0:34:48.810 was not easy choosing which ones should go in this. 0:34:48.840 --> 0:34:53.160 We stopped at 43 because we wanted one for every 0:34:53.190 --> 0:34:56.279 day at the beginning of advent, which is four weeks, 0:34:56.310 --> 0:35:01.020 the the Sunday, four weeks before Christmas Day, and then 0:35:01.020 --> 0:35:05.970 through January 6th, which is the epiphany. And so that's 0:35:05.969 --> 0:35:08.640 how we came up with 43, and we tried to 0:35:08.670 --> 0:35:13.020 use all the most familiar carols, the first Noels and 0:35:13.020 --> 0:35:15.750 Silent Night and so forth. But then we were able 0:35:15.750 --> 0:35:18.570 to include a few of these, like on Jordan's bank, 0:35:18.600 --> 0:35:20.040 that are not as familiar. 0:35:21.370 --> 0:35:30.250 To you, O Christ, our praises me who died and 0:35:30.250 --> 0:35:41.170 set your people free, who with the father we adore 0:35:41.200 --> 0:36:04.420 and Holy Spirit evermore. It came upon the midnight clear. 0:36:04.450 --> 0:36:14.290 That glorious song, O Lord, the angels bending near the 0:36:14.290 --> 0:36:23.299 earth to touch their harps of Hold peace on earth. 0:36:23.300 --> 0:36:32.000 Good will to men from hands. All gracious King, the 0:36:32.000 --> 0:36:33.319 world in. 0:36:33.950 --> 0:36:36.920 Thanks for joining us today for building relationships with Doctor 0:36:36.920 --> 0:36:39.020 Gary Chapman. And thanks for telling a friend about the 0:36:39.020 --> 0:36:41.990 program to maybe you know, someone who would benefit from 0:36:41.989 --> 0:36:45.050 our conversation. You'll find a link to the podcast or 0:36:45.050 --> 0:36:48.800 stream at five Love languages.com. Plus, you'll see the resource 0:36:48.800 --> 0:36:53.210 Hosanna in Excelsis Hymns and Devotions for the Christmas Season. 0:36:53.210 --> 0:36:56.839 It's written by our guests, David and Barbara Lehman. Also, 0:36:56.870 --> 0:36:59.480 the music you're hearing throughout the program is from a recording. 0:36:59.480 --> 0:37:03.590 David and Barbara produced both instrumental music as well as vocals, 0:37:03.590 --> 0:37:06.140 and you can find out more about that recording by 0:37:06.170 --> 0:37:11.299 going to Hosanna hymnals.com. That's Hosanna hymnals. Com. 0:37:11.719 --> 0:37:16.430 Barbara. This year, 2020 has been an unusual year and 0:37:16.430 --> 0:37:21.600 a difficult year for many, many, many people. Why should 0:37:21.600 --> 0:37:26.069 these Christmas hymns offer unique encouragement and guidance as we 0:37:26.100 --> 0:37:27.690 near the end of this year? 0:37:28.380 --> 0:37:32.459 Well, the message of Christmas is basically a message of hope. 0:37:32.969 --> 0:37:35.969 Christmas isn't the end of the story. It's the beginning 0:37:36.570 --> 0:37:40.080 and the end of the story we haven't experienced yet. 0:37:40.080 --> 0:37:42.390 We're still looking forward to it, and I think it's 0:37:42.390 --> 0:37:46.530 important that we remember that. Uh, first of all, that 0:37:46.530 --> 0:37:49.560 that that Jesus Christ is coming. We're still waiting for 0:37:49.560 --> 0:37:54.089 the Second Advent. And when he comes, he will, he will, 0:37:54.120 --> 0:37:56.700 he will rule the world. And that gives me a 0:37:56.700 --> 0:38:00.660 lot of hope. Also, just I was thinking that during 0:38:00.660 --> 0:38:04.020 this time, so many churches are not meeting and not singing. 0:38:04.170 --> 0:38:06.719 Of all the times that we're in our homes, we 0:38:06.719 --> 0:38:08.640 want to be singing and we want to be singing 0:38:08.640 --> 0:38:11.250 this story, and we want to be singing the songs 0:38:11.250 --> 0:38:13.259 of hope. What else is going to take our eyes 0:38:13.260 --> 0:38:16.319 off of what we've been just saturated with for this 0:38:16.320 --> 0:38:19.040 whole entire year of all the bad news. And so 0:38:19.040 --> 0:38:21.260 I think that that's it. I think just that because 0:38:21.290 --> 0:38:25.430 that it's, it's a a resource that families can use 0:38:25.730 --> 0:38:28.970 to fill our homes with, with the singing and the 0:38:29.000 --> 0:38:31.160 and the story of the gospel and the truth of 0:38:31.160 --> 0:38:34.250 God and the story of Christmas, when many of us, 0:38:34.280 --> 0:38:35.960 or many of my friends that I know around the 0:38:35.960 --> 0:38:39.020 country haven't been going to church, that would be my 0:38:39.020 --> 0:38:40.190 simple answer. 0:38:40.460 --> 0:38:43.160 David, give us an example from the book of of 0:38:43.160 --> 0:38:44.360 how this might be. 0:38:44.390 --> 0:38:48.200 Well, another hymn that may not be familiar to a 0:38:48.230 --> 0:38:51.440 lot of people. It's a Lutheran hymn, but it was 0:38:51.440 --> 0:38:55.939 written in the city of Zittau, Germany, which is near 0:38:55.940 --> 0:39:01.850 the Czech and Polish borders, probably in around 1638, by 0:39:01.880 --> 0:39:06.170 a German pastor who was living. And all of the 0:39:06.170 --> 0:39:09.500 people that he wrote this for were living during what 0:39:09.500 --> 0:39:13.190 is considered one of the longest and most destructive wars 0:39:13.190 --> 0:39:17.220 in European religious history. It's known as the 30 Years War, 0:39:17.250 --> 0:39:23.370 in which whole regions died of famine and disease, as 0:39:23.370 --> 0:39:28.710 well as the the armies killing. And so there was 0:39:28.860 --> 0:39:32.670 we think we have it pretty bad today. I'm sorry. 0:39:32.670 --> 0:39:36.810 It's nothing like during the 30 Years War in Germany. 0:39:36.930 --> 0:39:41.640 But this man was able to encourage them to rejoice. 0:39:41.640 --> 0:39:47.040 Listen to this text. O rejoice, ye Christians, loudly, for 0:39:47.040 --> 0:39:51.510 our joy has now begun. Wondrous things our God has done. 0:39:51.540 --> 0:39:55.440 Tell abroad his goodness proudly, who our race has honored, 0:39:55.440 --> 0:40:00.120 thus that he deigns to dwell with us. Joy, oh joy, 0:40:00.120 --> 0:40:05.730 beyond all gladness Christ has done away with sadness, hence 0:40:05.760 --> 0:40:10.680 all sorrow and repining for the son of grace is shining. 0:40:11.640 --> 0:40:13.470 That's just the first verse. 0:40:13.500 --> 0:40:15.399 Oh it's powerful. 0:40:15.730 --> 0:40:18.940 It is so powerful. And the music that was written 0:40:18.940 --> 0:40:25.270 to it, uh, helps it to be defined like few hymns. 0:40:25.270 --> 0:40:29.260 It just rises with the encouragement of a melody. You 0:40:29.260 --> 0:40:31.900 can't hardly get out of your head. Yeah. And, uh. 0:40:31.900 --> 0:40:34.959 And then it's the prayer. The last stanza is Jesus, 0:40:34.960 --> 0:40:38.950 guard and guide thy members. Fill them with thy boundless grace. 0:40:38.950 --> 0:40:43.180 Hear their prayers in every place. Fan the flame. Faiths 0:40:43.180 --> 0:40:48.340 growing embers. Grant all Christians far and near. Holy peace 0:40:48.370 --> 0:40:53.200 a glad new year. Mm. I just love that. 0:40:53.230 --> 0:40:55.900 That's a great prayer for us right now. It is. 0:40:56.020 --> 0:40:59.110 It really is. And one of the reasons we chose 0:40:59.110 --> 0:41:04.089 it was that 50 years ago yesterday, Barbara and I 0:41:04.120 --> 0:41:08.290 were married, and we had this sung at our wedding 0:41:08.290 --> 0:41:11.560 because we we loved it so much. And I happen 0:41:11.560 --> 0:41:16.670 to know that it's also Chris's anniversary yesterday. And so 0:41:16.910 --> 0:41:21.440 the fabrics and the lemons celebrate together that God has 0:41:21.440 --> 0:41:25.219 given us great joy in our marriages. 0:41:25.250 --> 0:41:28.040 Well, maybe we should all just sing that right now. 0:41:30.050 --> 0:41:31.250 Or maybe not. 0:41:32.270 --> 0:41:35.420 Maybe number 38 in your book. 0:41:37.430 --> 0:41:40.460 Barbara, give us another. These are exciting. Give us another 0:41:40.460 --> 0:41:41.930 example from the book. 0:41:42.410 --> 0:41:44.510 Well, one that is familiar to all of us and 0:41:44.510 --> 0:41:47.870 stays on the same theme that I love. Joy to 0:41:47.900 --> 0:41:51.200 the world. The Lord is come. First, I love it 0:41:51.200 --> 0:41:53.569 because it says the Lord is come. Not that he 0:41:53.570 --> 0:41:56.719 has come, but he has come. But it's sort of 0:41:56.750 --> 0:42:00.320 that eternal present. He is come. And this is a 0:42:00.320 --> 0:42:04.939 Christmas Carol that we actually begin this season of epiphany with, 0:42:05.330 --> 0:42:08.360 because there's really no mention of Christmas, per se, in 0:42:08.360 --> 0:42:11.120 this Carol. It's talking about the Lord coming, but it's 0:42:11.120 --> 0:42:15.040 not talking about a manger or angels. I'm sure it 0:42:15.040 --> 0:42:18.100 is referring to the first coming as well as the second, 0:42:18.250 --> 0:42:22.540 but it's taken from Psalm 98 where I sing to 0:42:22.570 --> 0:42:25.360 the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things. 0:42:25.360 --> 0:42:29.140 His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation 0:42:29.140 --> 0:42:33.520 for him. The Lord has made known his salvation. He 0:42:33.520 --> 0:42:36.459 has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations. 0:42:36.489 --> 0:42:38.620 Then it goes on to talk about the mountains and 0:42:38.620 --> 0:42:42.009 the hills and heaven and nature, saying that, that, that, uh, 0:42:42.969 --> 0:42:46.719 that Isaac Watts so wonderfully put into the hymn, uh, 0:42:46.719 --> 0:42:49.480 and then it but it ends with I love it 0:42:49.480 --> 0:42:55.000 ends with ends with Psalm 98. Uh, nine for he 0:42:55.000 --> 0:42:57.370 comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world 0:42:57.370 --> 0:43:01.540 with righteousness and the peoples with equity. And I think 0:43:01.540 --> 0:43:04.270 all of us just long for that day. We look 0:43:04.270 --> 0:43:06.880 around us and we we see who is ruling us 0:43:06.880 --> 0:43:09.430 and who is in charge. And we long for the 0:43:09.430 --> 0:43:12.520 day that King Jesus comes back and judges the world 0:43:12.520 --> 0:43:15.850 and righteousness and equity. He rules the world with truth 0:43:15.850 --> 0:43:19.180 and grace, and makes the nations prove the glories of 0:43:19.180 --> 0:43:23.439 his righteousness and wonders of his love. And I think 0:43:23.440 --> 0:43:25.660 that's again, there's our hope that we look for at 0:43:25.660 --> 0:43:28.000 the end of this year, at the beginning of next year. 0:43:28.000 --> 0:43:30.100 So that's that's always a favorite hymn for me to 0:43:30.130 --> 0:43:32.170 sing any time of the year. 0:43:32.380 --> 0:43:36.069 Oh, yeah. Every Christian longs for the coming of Christ again. 0:43:36.070 --> 0:43:40.180 And David, in the 43 hymns that are in this book, 0:43:40.210 --> 0:43:42.430 we mentioned earlier that there are some of them that 0:43:42.430 --> 0:43:45.010 people probably will not know. What can they do to 0:43:45.040 --> 0:43:48.310 learn these hymns and to sing them? 0:43:49.090 --> 0:43:52.330 Well, I think the easiest way is to get a 0:43:52.330 --> 0:43:57.940 copy of our recording. We put all 43 hymns and 0:43:57.969 --> 0:44:03.069 we recorded them each twice, one with voices of mother 0:44:03.070 --> 0:44:06.670 and a father and three children that so it kind 0:44:06.700 --> 0:44:11.450 of patterns what the family could sound like, but it 0:44:11.450 --> 0:44:15.560 also obviously teaches the song. And then right after that 0:44:15.560 --> 0:44:19.850 is that same song with just a piano for you 0:44:19.850 --> 0:44:23.630 to sing along. These aren't highly produced with orchestra or anything. 0:44:23.630 --> 0:44:27.440 They're simple and so you can both learn them and 0:44:27.440 --> 0:44:30.620 sing with them. If you get a copy of this recording, 0:44:30.620 --> 0:44:33.770 which is on, by the way, on a USB card. 0:44:33.770 --> 0:44:37.460 So because it would take way too many CDs, you 0:44:37.460 --> 0:44:40.850 can download it or stream it, I should say like 0:44:40.850 --> 0:44:44.600 from Spotify, but it's limited. They they wouldn't give us 0:44:44.600 --> 0:44:50.840 that many 8086 spaces to put our songs on. So 0:44:50.840 --> 0:44:53.120 the best way is to get the USB, plug it 0:44:53.120 --> 0:44:56.750 into your computer or your whatever you use for listening 0:44:56.780 --> 0:44:57.589 to music. 0:44:58.010 --> 0:45:01.130 Barbara, you all do include a few of the newer 0:45:01.160 --> 0:45:04.430 carols in the book. Just tell us about one of those. 0:45:05.150 --> 0:45:07.520 Well, let's see, we have two of the Getty songs 0:45:07.520 --> 0:45:10.660 in there that I think we've talked about before. Joy 0:45:10.660 --> 0:45:13.720 has dawned, but there's one that I really love that 0:45:13.719 --> 0:45:17.049 is written by a Lutheran pastor whose name is Jaroslav Vajda, 0:45:17.050 --> 0:45:21.069 and it's called Where Shepherds Lightly Knelt, number 13. And 0:45:21.070 --> 0:45:23.050 I think what I love about it is, as Dave 0:45:23.080 --> 0:45:26.469 puts it, it sort of puts the the poet into 0:45:26.469 --> 0:45:29.200 the sandals of the shepherds. Being at the nativity scene 0:45:29.200 --> 0:45:32.710 where shepherds lightly knelt and kept the angel's word, I 0:45:32.739 --> 0:45:36.790 come in half belief. A pilgrim strangely stirred. But there 0:45:36.790 --> 0:45:40.360 is room and welcome there for me there is room 0:45:40.360 --> 0:45:43.210 in welcome there for me. It's the third stanza that 0:45:43.210 --> 0:45:46.959 I love. How should I not have known Isaiah would 0:45:46.960 --> 0:45:52.240 be there? His prophecies fulfilled with pounding heart I stare 0:45:52.270 --> 0:45:55.420 a child, a son, the Prince of peace for me, 0:45:55.450 --> 0:45:58.720 a child, a son, the Prince of Peace for me. 0:45:59.350 --> 0:46:02.530 To me that just says everything. There he is in 0:46:02.560 --> 0:46:05.890 that moment again. Isaiah, all the prophecies that I've read 0:46:05.890 --> 0:46:08.450 about the Messiah. There they are in that stable in 0:46:08.480 --> 0:46:09.230 that manger. 0:46:09.260 --> 0:46:12.650 Yeah. Yeah. And it's good to know that there are 0:46:12.650 --> 0:46:19.130 some folks in our generation who are writing hymns. So that's. Yeah. 0:46:19.160 --> 0:46:22.250 That's powerful. Well, David and Barbara, it's been great to 0:46:22.280 --> 0:46:25.580 have you with us today on building relationships. Thank you 0:46:25.580 --> 0:46:27.980 for putting this together. I know it grows out of 0:46:27.980 --> 0:46:31.400 your whole life ministry, and it's very, very rich. It's 0:46:31.400 --> 0:46:33.110 going to help a lot of people, I think, and 0:46:33.110 --> 0:46:35.690 I'm encouraging our listeners to take advantage of this. 0:46:35.719 --> 0:46:38.600 Well thank you. It's been our privilege to be able 0:46:38.600 --> 0:46:42.770 to share it with your listeners. And, uh, and in 0:46:42.770 --> 0:46:46.850 real essence, there were 43 other authors to this book 0:46:46.880 --> 0:46:47.900 besides us. 0:46:48.530 --> 0:46:49.100 Yes. 0:46:49.940 --> 0:46:55.100 And they they bring the value that's, uh, timeless to 0:46:55.130 --> 0:46:55.790 this book. 0:46:55.820 --> 0:46:57.800 Thank you so much for inviting us. 0:46:57.830 --> 0:47:00.680 What a great resource for the whole family. David and 0:47:00.680 --> 0:47:03.110 Barbara Lehman have been with us today, and they've put 0:47:03.110 --> 0:47:08.070 together Hosanna in excelsis. Hymns and devotions for the Christmas Season. 0:47:08.070 --> 0:47:12.989 You can find out more at our website. Five Love languages.com. Again, 0:47:12.989 --> 0:47:17.250 go to five Love languages.com. Now the music you've heard 0:47:17.250 --> 0:47:21.720 throughout the program today is available both instrumental and vocals. 0:47:21.750 --> 0:47:31.110 Find out more about those recordings go to Hosanna! hymnals.com. Hosanna. hymnals.com. 0:47:31.140 --> 0:47:34.650 Thanks for joining us for this Best of Christmas broadcast. 0:47:34.680 --> 0:47:38.070 Now don't miss next week. It's our final conversation of 0:47:38.070 --> 0:47:43.680 2024 as Doctor Chapman takes your questions from our listener line. 0:47:43.710 --> 0:47:46.320 Let me thank our production team, Steve Wick and Janice. 0:47:46.320 --> 0:47:50.009 Backing building relationships with Doctor Gary Chapman is a production 0:47:50.010 --> 0:47:53.640 of Moody Radio in Chicago in association with Moody Publishers, 0:47:53.670 --> 0:47:57.420 a ministry of Moody Bible Institute. Merry Christmas.