We were on a DIY mission in Home Depot, moving up and down the cavernous corridors in search of that one particular part, when in the distance I began to hear someone singing… not what one expects when desperately hunting for a piece of plumbing. The singing grew louder—and increasingly recognizable—as I turned the corner into yet another aisle. And there, further down, I spotted the melody-making fella belting out, “Joy to the world, the Lord has come…”
At first it struck me as odd, but his unabashed, jovial singing was far too powerful for any hint of judginess. Soon enough, I found myself humming along as I passed by him. Ah, the power of music—especially Christmas music.
Music has a remarkable capacity to stir emotions. One verse in, and we are often lifted into an entirely different emotional space. As theologian N. T. Wright suggests, “Music is what happens when the joy of the future bursts into the present.”
Music evokes memory. Hearing that gentleman belting out “Joy to the world” immediately transported me in my mind to a packed church at the beginning of the Christmas Eve service.
Music is also a great connector. I had no idea who this jolly gentleman was—singing with such abandon one of my favorite Christmas carols—but I immediately felt a sense of connection to him. As one of my favorite choir directors used to say, “When we sing in harmony, we learn to breathe as one.”
Music can take us to a thin place—where the space between the earthly and the heavenly seems nonexistent… “with Angels and Archangels, and with all the company of heaven.”
After spending my high school and college years working long hours in retail during the Christmas season, I can understand the annoyances some feel about the endless blast of Christmas music. And yet, my chance encounter with the fella making a joyful noise reminded me once again to lean into the transforming power of music.
“Sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs… with gratitude in your hearts” — Colossians 3:16
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