Peeve of the Season

 

My pet peeve for the Christmas season:

people who change the words of the Christmas carols!

Case in point: Jewel.

(And before you think to question me about my music preferences, I do not listen to Jewel and I do not own any of her cds. I heard this song on the AOL free radio Christmas station.)

She can sing…

"Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings
Ris'n with healing in His wings
Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth"

…without any hesitation;

BUT she changes "Offspring of a virgin's womb" to "Offspring of the favored one" in the previous verse??? 

Why?

Because without the virgin birth, Jesus is just another man.

A really great man, apparently, according to what Jewel believes. He wants to give man a "second birth" and He is "ris'n with healing in His wings".  Considering what folks believe with today's New Age mysticism, they could sing those words about any good man.

 

If, however, you sing that a Man was born of a virgin – that, of necessity, makes Him Diety – God Almighty! And the world just can't admit or acknowledge that about Jesus Christ.

I know…why should I even be surprised that the world doesn't believe that the baby Jesus was truly the Son of God? I guess, in all actuality, I'm not surprised or even offended.

What I do object to, though, is this: 

when they take the songs of authors who did believe this truth with their whole heart, and twist and distort the author's message to be something that it isn't:  a pretty song about a winter holiday.

As a musician, as a singer and soloist, I can with a clear conscience, admonish you,

• If you cannot sing every word of a song with sincerity and honesty… 
• If you don't believe every word of the song you are performing…
• If you can't be true to the message of the author… 

Don't sing the song!

We musicians should take our role very seriously, as we use music to proclaim our Christ and the message of His Word. While we don't expect the world to honor or understand His message, we should do our utmost to proclaim it clearly.

May we honor Christ this season – with our lives and our music.

Christ by highest heav'n adored
Christ the everlasting Lord!
Late in time behold Him come
Offspring of a Virgin's womb
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see
Hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with man to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"