A Christmas Lament

A Christmas Lament (Tune: CAROL)

We are entering the yearly crazy time for church staff and leaders -- you know, that time that comes around every year right after Thanksgiving and lasts through Christmas Eve. For musicians, it’s the time to: ...

  • select the music, order it, count, stamp, number, and file it
  • recruit soloists and instrumentalists
  • turn in all your information for bulletins weeks ahead
  • make arrangements with parents for costumes, chaperones, props, and snacks
  • have the choir robes cleaned
  • buy gifts and cards for all your choir members
  • pack up, cart, set up, and transport all those handbells to the nursing homes
  • plan the routes for your Christmas carolers to visit the homes of your church shut-ins
  • see to all the arrangements for your big Christmas choir spectacular
  • attend all the parties of church and choir members to which you are invited
  • provide music for all the community groups who ask this year
  • rehearse all the music for all the choirs, soloists, and instrumentalists
  • find and unpack the Christmas decorations and candles for the sanctuary
  • take care of publicity and press releases
  • do your own Christmas shopping, home decorating, tree buying, and family stuff
  • plus a host of other things

Somewhere in the midst of all of that, I pray that you have found a way to prepare YOURSELF for Jesus' coming again, to celebrate in your own way this magnificent season, to wonder anew at the Incarnation. We musicians all too often make it through to December 26, only to discover that once again we've missed it for ourselves. We were so busy, so committed to our task of making Christmas a reality for everyone else, that we failed to experience it ourselves.

And so I offer a prayer for you — a prayer of thanksgiving for all that you have done for others — a prayer of petition that God will honor your efforts — a prayer of supplication that God will "visit you with salvation and enter every trembling heart." Most especially, I pray that you will find rest, satisfaction, and joy.

I also offer a Christmas Lament I wrote for myself a number of years ago following a particularly stressful and difficult Christmas season.

Giving thanks for church musicians, pastors, teachers, and parents ...
... and praying they don't miss Jesus' coming this year.

A Christmas Lament
by Dean McIntyre

May be sung to the tune of "It Came upon a Midnight Clear" or "O Little Town of Bethlehem."

I cannot welcome Jesus now, there isn't time enough;
With greens to hang and lights to string, and other Christmas stuff.
There's gifts to buy and food to fix, and silverware to buff.
I cannot welcome Jesus now, there isn't time enough.

I have to take the children to see Santa at the mall.
There's Christmas cards to write and mail, and guest lists I must call.
The garland isn't long enough — the Christmas tree's too tall!
I cannot welcome Jesus now, I just can't do it all.

The children's Christmas pageant at the church this Sunday night;
Five dozen cookies to be baked and costumes sewn just right;
The office party gift exchange, expenses out of sight;
I cannot welcome Jesus now, with time and budget tight.

The sermon says that Advent is the time I should prepare.
My date book says it's Christmas Day, and I don't even care.
I kept so busy doing things, I never was aware
That Jesus came unnoticed, for I had no time to spare.

— "A Christmas Lament" by Dean McIntyre.
Copyright © 1998, 2013 by Dean McIntyre.

Contact Us for Help

View staff by program area to ask for additional assistance.

Related


Subscribe

* indicates required

Please confirm that you want to receive email from us.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. For information about our privacy practices, please read our Privacy Policy page.

We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By clicking below to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Mailchimp's privacy practices here.