Christmas Songs
This advent season we have been talking about Christmas songs. Confession time. I love unconventional Christmas music. As a kid I loved the music of The Royal Guardsmen. Now that I am older, some of my favorite albums are done by bands that you might think have no business doing Christmas music. Like 80’s glam band Twisted Sister or Stryper’s version of Winter Wonderland. Or you could smooth it out a bit with BNL and Sarah Mclachlan. What can I say, I’m a kid at heart. Anyway, when the Tran Siberian Orchestra hit it big in 1996 it was love at first listen. An amazing mix of traditional hymn and driving guitar, it quickly became some of my favorite music (and the best concerts I have ever attended). The first experience most people have with them is the song Christmas Eve/Sarajevo. This haunting mix of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen and the classical Carol of the Bells is moving. But why does it bear the name Christmas Eve/Sarajevo? That seems out of place doesn’t it? Why not Christmas Mix or God rest Ye Carols or Carol of the Merry Gentlemen or any other more seemingly appropriate title? The bands leader, Paul O’Neill says the music harkens back to a lesser known Christmas story that he wished to pay tribute to. In his interview in Christianity Today he explains the story that created the song.
… We heard about this cello player born in Sarajevo many years ago who left when he was fairly young to go on to become a well-respected musician, playing with various symphonies throughout Europe. Many decades later, he returned to Sarajevo as an elderly man—at the height of the Bosnian War, only to find his city in complete ruins.
I think what most broke this man’s heart was that the destruction was not done by some outside invader or natural disaster—it was done by his own people. At that time, Serbs were shelling Sarajevo every night. Rather than head for the bomb shelters like his family and neighbors, this man went to the town square, climbed onto a pile of rubble that had once been the fountain, took out his cello, and played Mozart and Beethoven as the city was bombed.
He came every night and began playing Christmas Carols from that same spot. It was just such a powerful image—a white-haired man silhouetted against the cannon fire, playing timeless melodies to both sides of the conflict amid the rubble and devastation of the city he loves. Sometime later, a reporter tracked him down to ask why he did this insanely stupid thing. The old man said that it was his way of proving that despite all evidence to the contrary, the spirit of humanity was still alive in that place.
The song basically wrapped itself around him. We used some of the oldest Christmas melodies we could find, like “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” and “Carol of the Bells” part of the medley (which is from Ukraine, near that region). The orchestra represents one side, the rock band the other, and single cello represents that single individual, that spark of hope.
That got me thinking. The idea of standing between two sides has deep roots in Christianity. In fact, our hope is based upon this idea that there is an intervening force.
Look at 2nd Corinthians 5 (ESV)
All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
At Christmas, Christ came into the world for the purpose of reconciliation. He came to bring peace. He hung between the corruption of sin and God’s divine justice that must punish that sin. In doing so He took the punishment that we deserved. More than playing a cello to call out to the spirit of humanity, He called out from the cross “It is finished”. The war is over. The conflict between God and man has ended. The sacrifice of Christ purchased my freedom from sin, death and the devil. That is the Good News that is the Gospel. And that Gospel is meant to be played in the midst of the wasteland. It’s to echo through the warzone. As it says in the 46th Psalm (ESV):
8 Come, behold the works of the Lord,
how he has brought desolations on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the chariots with fire.
10 “Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
He brings peace, and now we carry that message of peace into the sin torn landscape of this world.
We proclaim the message of Christmas to all that will hear it:
Peace on Earth, and Goodwill to all mankind.
-Pastor Dan