Offering -- Paul Baloche

 

He told them to stop singing. What a thing to say, especially if you’re a minister in charge of the music! Paul Baloche felt like worship should be about an “Offering” in 1997, as he told a group that was gathered in a Tyler, Texas area church (in Lindale; in Smith County – see the map of Texas with Smith County in red, here). Is there something that makes God feel like worship must be suspended, like an emptiness or apathy among the worshippers? Paul just looked out over the assembled crowd, and in that moment felt as if something was missing. Most people when they think of ‘offering’ probably think in $$ signs, especially if the setting is a church where the word is often used when a collection tray is passed. But, that kind of offering can also be offensive to God, if you read very far in your bible, like the following: In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord (Genesis 4:3). What happened in the next several verses is clear – murder. But, what was at the root of Cain’s offering that was not accepted? Only he and God could know that. The Lord will know if something is not ‘right’ (Gen. 4:7) with your offering…or with the heart of the giver.

 

Paul Baloche remembered that as he opened his eyes, he didn’t like what he saw, for the people assembled in the church were sitting and seemingly liking the music that he and the band were making. But he stopped the music and said something that sprung from his spirit. He didn’t want to sound critical or judgmental (as the prophets Amos [5:23] and Ezekiel [26:13] did when they said God was disgusted with the people’s ‘noisy’ music), but he reminded the onlookers that he and the band were not there for a concert, but rather to enable worship. Paul admonished them to come with an ‘offering’ of worship, to be ‘proactive, not passive’ in worship. And as he mentioned this ‘offering’, he began to think that there should be a song that actually says that. Consequently, Paul mulled over that idea for a couple of weeks to write the song, and with another piece of the puzzle that had actually already been present, in the form of a song remnant he’d crafted earlier, he soon completed his own ‘Offering’. The chorus he’d actually conceived on the church’s stage – ‘I bring an offering…’ -- was combined with the other fragment (the first verse of ‘Offering’) to complete the song. And then Paul added still more, in the form of another verse, when Christmas came closer. The three wise men once made their own gift offerings, and Paul evidently wanted to remind believers that Christmas-time should always be a reminder that God’s appearance in the world spawned great wonder, hope, and praise from a people looking for Him, and that offering Him worship today, two millennia later, should be with the same attitude as that of the shepherds and wise men.   

 

‘What’s in a worshipper’s heart is between him and God’. You’ve probably heard that one before. Maybe it’s a way to fend off someone who’s unimpressed with your stoic expression while singing. ‘Focus on your own attitude’, someone says, and correctly so. But, in a family where people can have the power to edify one another, as well as discourage one another, we do take notice of worship that seems lackluster. It’s part of the reasoning capacity that He gave us. He said to love Him completely, with  ‘…heart…soul…strength…and mind’. None of us are immune from boredom at times, but if that affects how I’m addressing the One who made me, I need someone with sharp elbows to nudge me in the side, like what Paul did to a group in 1997. Reconnect with what He’s done, who He is, and how that relates to yourself, and what you and I cannot do for ourselves. Try reading Paul’s lyrics first, and think about whether they’re true for you (they are, unless you aren’t human). Then try singing them.    

 

See/hear the song’s story here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNHdsArUO8I

 

Read about the songwriter here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Baloche

 

This query suggests the song was written in 1997, though song released in 2003: https://www.google.com/search?q=baloche+Offering+song+lyrics+year+written&client=firefox-b-1-d&sca_esv=17464399d8dea453&ei=8pxhaN3mKYKg5NoP3NztmQw&ved=0ahUKEwjdp9iot5eOAxUCEFkFHVxuO8MQ4dUDCBA&uact=5&oq=baloche+Offering+song+lyrics+year+written&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiKWJhbG9jaGUgT2ZmZXJpbmcgc29uZyBseXJpY3MgeWVhciB3cml0dGVuMgUQIRigATIFECEYoAEyBRAhGKABSMU8UNcLWN41cAF4AZABAJgBlwGgAeIMqgEEMjAuMbgBA8gBAPgBAZgCFqACkQ3CAgoQABiwAxjWBBhHwgIFECEYqwLCAgYQABgWGB7CAgsQABiABBiGAxiKBcICBRAAGO8FwgIIEAAYogQYiQWYAwCIBgGQBgiSBwQyMC4yoAelWLIHBDE5LjK4B4wNwgcGMS4yMC4xyAcc&sclient=gws-wiz-serp

 

See information on the map-graphic here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Map_of_Texas_highlighting_Smith_County.svg …Public domain…I, the copyright holder (David Benbennick) of this work, release this work into the public domain. This applies worldwide. In some countries this may not be legally possible; if so: I grant anyone the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law.

Joy Has Dawned -- Stuart Townend and Keith Getty

 

Tell the complete story. That, in a very brief summary, is what Stuart Townend said that Keith Getty and he were trying to accomplish in 2004 when they wrote “Joy Has Dawned”. Although one might think there are plenty of Christmas carols, Stuart and Keith thought there were far too few that really speak of Jesus becoming human. And so, the Christmas nativity (see masterpiece artwork The Adoration of the Shepherds here by 17^th Century artist Matthias Stomer) was what they envisioned musically, but not just the scene. There’s so much depth in what God-With-Us meant for people as the 1^st Century dawned, that the import of His entry, life, sacrifice, and resurrection cannot be exaggerated 20 centuries later. It’s a story that’s too important to be limited to just one time of the year, and it begins with how He chose to come.

 

Stuart and Keith set out to add one song to the world’s Christmas music repertoire, and what they discovered was that a whole album about this subject would emerge (see its contents at the end of this blog post with the link provided).  These two British songwriters’ passion is to share the whole story about Jesus, and to spur the church to sing songs that have scriptural truths embedded within them. And so, they thought about ‘Joy…’ as part of a collection that would focus on musically accomplishing what the Apostles’ Creed has done for centuries. Telling the fundamentals of the Christian faith is therefore underscored with each one of the four verses they penned. Jesus was the ‘humble gift of love’ (v.1), a rather amazing present to mankind from the one who actually created all we can see (see Colossians 1:16 and John 1:3). Think of that: the One who is the Creator chose to be a new creature in the arms of a young woman named Mary whom He created. Incomprehensible and physically impossible, you say? Not for this God. He even ‘set the stars in place’ and ‘shaped the earth’, and now He’s a baby in a ‘stable’, ‘vulnerable and helpless’ (v.2). How could the Father entrust His Only Begotten to fallible humans?! Despite His lowly arrival, this baby was recognized as special, with appropriate gifts that could be seen as especially indicative of Jesus’ identity as a king and eventual Divine Sacrifice – ‘gold’ for his role as king of the Jews; ‘incense’ like that used by priests as an offering in the presence of God Himself; and ‘myrrh’ that was commonly used to embalm a dead body (v.3). Stuart and Keith round out their description of Jesus with several synonyms for Him: ‘Son of Adam, Son of heaven’, ‘ransom’, ‘reconcil(er)’, ‘Christ’, ‘Savior’, ‘Friend’, ‘glorious mystery’, ‘babe’, and finally ‘Lord of history’(v.4). Others are sprinkled through the other verses, like ‘Prince of life’ (v.2), and ‘the lamb’ (v.3). Are there really enough names for Him?

 

What Stuart and Keith might have concluded is that Jesus is a mouthful, and so much more. That is what spurred these two to write a new Christmas hymn -- that there was really too little that had been said musically about Him to properly express what He means to humanity. Maybe we all ought to be singing Christmas songs year-round, although doing so might make them rote performances. God needs to be special in the lives of people, and the Christmas season does that in some measure. But what Stuart and Keith have said in their title of the song – that this ‘Joy Has Dawned’ – in fact persists throughout the year and all of life. And, this characteristic will be true of the Afterlife and Heaven where we will be. His light will always be there (Revelation 21:23-24; 22:5). This joy that has already dawned has no sunset.     

 

Read the song story here: Joy Has Dawned (December's Hymn of the Month)

 

See the entire album’s contents here: Joy Has Dawned - Downloadable Listening Tracks (FULL ALBUM) | Lifeway

 

Read about the two composers here: Stuart Townend (musician) - Wikipedia  and Keith Getty - Wikipedia

 

See information on the picture here: File:Adoration of the sheperds - Matthias Stomer.jpg - Wikimedia Commons…The author died in 1660, so this work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 100 years or fewer. This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1930.

Here With Us -- Ben Glover, Jason Ingram, Joy Williams

 

They said it was still a mystery, but that doesn’t mean they shrugged their shoulders and dismissed the seasonal celebration, nor did they diminish the miracle of His being “Here With Us”. It was Christmastime for three composers in 2005, and Ben Glover, Jason Ingram, and Joy Williams were undoubtedly thinking about the Christ child (see here the nativity picture, Adoration of the Shepherds, by 17^th Century Italian artist Matthias Stom [Stomer in English]), apparently in a way that was similar to the emotions we can imagine were expressed on the faces of the people at that time. Wonder and probably bewilderment at the same time, and yet great joy inhabited these witnesses, as God still invites us to do today. Will you and I ever figure out everything about this, or is that really what He wants from us during the annual Christmas celebration? Or, how about everyday life? Perhaps the mystery part is something He intends to leave alone, as part of the lure, the fascination that keeps drawing us toward Him, to a time and place and attachment. Just draw nearer.

 

From the lyrics these three wrote, one might ask if Ben, Jason, or Joy had recently welcomed a newborn into their midst. Or, maybe they had visited a hospital’s neonatal unit and beheld some new arrivals of one or more friends or acquaintances. We could expect that these three might also have been reading from biblical accounts of the Christ-child’s birth or expected arrival, perhaps in Isaiah 9:6, or in Matthew 2 or Luke 1-2. And yet, none of these biblical stories contain details about the child’s physical appearance, so we cannot say for certain what Ben, Jason, and Joy used for inspiration for their own words about Him as a baby. Videos for the song strongly imply the songwriters were thinking of the Christmas story, so that much we could say, although no more specifics are known. The lyrics that Ben, Jason, and Joy wrote are pretty clear about what mystified them – and should, likewise, stun us – about this baby, however. They marveled at the ‘tiny fingers’ of hands ‘so small’, that these same flesh-and-blood human appendages had also ‘measured the sky’ as the universe’s Creator. Or, how about His ‘infant eyes’ and ‘ears’ that made the ‘dawn’ and heard ‘an angel’s symphony’, demonstrating that His human form and divine nature had been amazingly accomplished in the same small body. Someone once said ‘great things come in small packages’, and this was never more true than with Jesus in Bethlehem on a night over two millennia past. No one ever arrived as a baby carrying such significance, a divine ‘love reaching down to save the world’, in the form of a baby. Incredible. And yet, we know that Jesus Himself would say that saving people wasn’t impossible (Matthew 19:26; Mark 10:27). A baby who is God…nonetheless, that still staggers the imagination, until you realize that the Creator-God in involved.   

 

The words Ben, Jason, and Joy wrote tell us something more on top of the incredible but true God-baby story that we should remember. Don’t let it become routine. Something quite predictable happens when people live through several Christmases: they begin to say, ‘Oh yeh, we’ve heard this one before, and it’s no different than what we heard last year’. But, could that be why these three composers have us remember that this human form that occupied a manger also made everything we can see above us in the heavens? The next time Christmas seems hum drum, take a close look at a newborn baby, and then look up and observe the stars, the moon, some of the larger planets, and even the sun. His handiwork is there, in that small child’s diminutive hands and goo-goo eyes looking back at you, and in those heavenly bodies that look down on us too. Who else but Him could have fingerprints in both?

 

Read here some thoughts about the song’s meaning: Here With Us | Joy Williams Lyrics, Meaning & Videos

 

Watch a video of the song here: Bing Videos

 

See information on the image here: File:Adoration of the sheperds - Matthias Stomer.jpg - Wikimedia Commons…The author died in 1660, so this work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 100 years or fewer. This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1930.