As we end Christmas week, I begin sadly thinking of how I will need to soon take down the lights, the ornaments, candy canes along the walkway and put away the wreath. But just before putting the Advent season to bed for the year, I wanted to share an original Christmas carol which I wrote for a church program in 2017. This all started when I began searching for a carol about the angel Gabriel telling Mary the news of how she would have a miracle child. After looking through all my books, I realized there weren’t any, and so I prayed, and the Lord gave me this song called, “Mary I Have News.” You are welcome to freely use this in your own future pageants, just be sure to let me know. I do hope you like it!
music
Unless the Strings are Tightly Stretched
Unless the strings are tightly stretched
They cannot start to sing
Until each one is fit in place
No harmonies will ring
But when the Master turn the pegs
Bringing each one up to key
He commands them each to hold their note
Whether G, one A, one B
And the song of Christ is known the best
By those He’s tuned His way
And who by grace will sing those notes
He has written for today!
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,
for those who are called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28 ESV
Unless the Strings are Tightly Stretched
By Peter Caligiuri
Copyright © 2024
All rights reserved
Broken Strings
The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. Psalm 23:1-3a ESV
Considering the chorus of the hymn, “He Keeps Me Singing”, it is amazing to realize the story behind those happy words. In 1911, Luther Bridgers was preaching at a revival at a Methodist church in Middleboro, Kentucky, while his wife and children stayed nearby in Harrodsburg, with his parents. In the night the house where they were staying caught fire and Luther’s entire family died in the flames. The following year he wrote these words:
All my life was wrecked by sin and strife
Discord filled my heart with pain
Jesus swept across those broken strings
Stirred the slumbering chords again.
Oh! Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!
Sweetest name I know
Fills my every long
He Keeps me singing as I go
As a guitar player, that line, “Jesus swept across those broken strings,” holds special meaning for me. It reminds me of those times when a string has snapped right in the middle of a hymn. In those moments, there is nothing I can do, except to keep on playing. But with that one string gone, the whole instrument goes out of tune, not to mention, it is difficult to play with a loose string hanging down. So as quickly as I can after fumbling my way through the song, I slip out and replace that worn-out string and retune my instrument. Now, whether you are a guitar player or not, I am sure that you have had a string or two break in your life. Relationships snap, our boss tells us we are being let go, and tragedies such as Luther’s loss of those most precious to him, happen in the night. But even in the middle of the worst, our Lord Jesus is still our Good Shepherd. He has not fallen asleep on the job, nor has He been taken off guard. God is closest to us in our hour of pain. It is in those times that “He makes us lie down in green pastures. He leads us beside the still waters. He restores our souls.” God knows about and shares both in our happy times as well in our deepest griefs. In those moments, His skillful hands go quickly to work, repairing, restoring and replacing our broken strings. If we don’t allow sorrow, loss or bitterness to turn us away from our Good Shepherd, He will restore our souls, stir the slumbering chords again and will truly keep us singing as we go!
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