Our Theme for this Week: Why we love Christmas Carols/Hymns.
Our days are filled with Christmas music this time of year, let us draw close and consider why we love these song/hymns.
Do They Know It’s Christmas?
In the mid 1980’s there was a horrible famine in Ethiopia and some musicians decided to raise money for Ethiopia by creating a song called “Do they Know It’s Christmas” and sending the proceeds to relief efforts there. If you are of a mature age, you probably remember that they brought together some of the most famous musicians of that era to record the song and it was a huge hit that raised millions. When I think of Christmas, this is one of the songs that comes to mind because of its message of gratitude for all that we have, reaching out to those who are much less fortunate than ourselves and how we can use our gifts in whatever form to change the world. The lyrics remind those of us who live in the developed world, “And in our world of plenty we can spread a smile of joy” that we are extraordinarily blessed and then reminds us that there are many much less fortunate who need our help “But say a prayer, a prayer for the other ones”. This charitable work was done by a group of people who don’t publicly say that they are Christian, yet they moved out in Christian action by using their gift of music to help those they had never met.
As we move through this Advent, let us reflect on ways that we could use our gifts to help our brothers and sisters in need locally and afar.