Thoughts During Advent: Labor of Love

Several years ago, my husband and I were invited to perform a song as part of a church’s Christmas worship service. As we were waiting our turn, we sang along with the congregation in various Christmas anthems. The last one before it was our turn to take the stage happened to be “Silent Night.”

The first line of the song we chose to perform for them? … “It was not a silent night.”

I couldn’t help but laugh to myself at the irony of the situation. I’m sure no one felt offended or conflicted or anything. Both songs are beautiful and meaningful. It’s just that the song we sang, “Labor of Love,” written by Andrew Peterson, probably gives a more accurate picture of the events that Mary and Joseph experienced that miraculous night. There was blood, and there was pain; there were cries; there were strange smells and dirt. I doubt there was anything soft or comfortable or sanitary about their environment.

So many times, I think that we followers-of-Christ try to clean up, polish, edit, or repaint the stories of God. But our doing so can completely ruin or falsify them.

The night can still be holy without having to be silent and calm.

My family and I had the joy of attending a concert on this year’s “Behold the Lamb of God” tour – an experience I highly recommend! My family has attended it several times during the 20+ years of annual performances, and each time is such a beautiful blessing to our souls. My favorite song in the collection is, of course, “Labor of Love,” and it is always performed by Jill Phillips, who brings the perfect heart and soul and feeling to accompany the lyrics.

During this year’s performance of the song, there was a screen in the background displaying a drawing of Mary holding Baby Jesus. During the second verse, I was particularly zoned in on the picture and was deep in thought. Then the words “So he held her and he prayed” brought me back into the song, but as I looked at the picture, I was thinking, “No, she’s holding Him!” And then I quickly remembered that the lyrics are referring to Joseph holding Mary.

But isn’t it true? At the same time Mary is holding Jesus, Jesus is holding her. And I feel certain that they were both interceding for each other to their Father.

Such an indescribable miracle is the coming of our God in the form of a baby, born of a virgin! I know how I felt when I first held each of the babies I have born, but I truly cannot fathom how Mary must have felt when she held her Son – her Savior – in her arms for the very first time. It was, without a doubt, a labor of love.

If you have not heard this song before, please take a few minutes to listen to it and read the lyrics. You will be blessed by it.

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