As much as I love a good orchestral arrangement of The Christmas Song, and as lovely as images of sleigh rides and mistletoe and being home for the holidays may be, today I’m glad that Christmas is about more than that. I’m glad to hear these words and marvel at them:

And the glory, the glory of the Lord
Shall be revealed
And all flesh shall see it together
For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

This morning, I’m sitting by stockings hung with care. A beautiful tree is glowing in the other room. Out my window, the most exquisite shades of blue and gray and luminescent white are slowly giving way to light. It’s perfect.

But is there a promise anywhere that this is how I’ll spend every December? That this “perfection” will be my children’s experience? No, no such promise.

Although stockings, cozy homes, peaceful landscapes, beautiful music streaming from Pandora are not guaranteed, there is a promise I can count on for myself and for my children:

The glory of the Lord shall be revealed. For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it…

For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people; but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing.

Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, and hath redeemed us to God by His blood, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. Blessing and honour, glory and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever. Amen.

(Read the entire libretto here. Is that good stuff or what?)