I’m listening now to the perfect Christmas CD - Behold the Lamb of God by Andrew Peterson. It tells in 45 minutes a story that spans thousands of years, from Moses to Jesus. And many of the full song clips from the concert DVD are now available on YouTube (songs linked below).  The opening song is called “Gather ‘Round, Ye Children, Come”:

Gather round ye children come,
Listen to the old old story
Of the power of death undone
By an infant born of glory
Son of God, Son of Man

Next is “Passover Us” about the Israelite captivity in Egypt, the plagues, and Passover:

And we all remember Pharaoh, he just wouldn’t do it
So the plagues they came upon Egypt one by one
His heart was hard and the other nine just couldn’t move it
So the last was the worst: the death of the firstborn son
But the Lord, he gave to Moses a word for the people
He said their firstborn sons could live to see another day
“Put the blood of a lamb on the doorway and death will pass right over”
That night all of the children of Israel prayed,
“Lord, let your judgment Passover us
Lord, let your love hover near
Don’t let your sweet mercy Passover us
Let this blood cover over us here”

Then my favorite song on the project, “So Long Moses” about Joshua, the kings (highlighting Saul & David), and the prophets (highlighting Isaiah). First, the voice of the Israelites:

We want a king on a throne
Full of power, with a sword in his fist
Will there ever be, ever be a king like this?

Then, the description of King David:

You were a king on a throne
Full of power, with a sword in his fist
Has there ever been, ever been a king like this?
Full of wisdom, full of strength, the hearts of the people are his
Hear, O Israel, was ever there a king like this?

And again the people crying out for a king:

Will he be a king on a throne
Full of power with a sword in his fist?
Prophet, tell us will there be another king like this?
Full of wisdom, full of strength,
The hearts of the people are his
Prophet, tell us will there be
another king like this?

And Isaiah answering:

He’ll bear no beauty or glory
Rejected, despised
A man of such sorrow
We’ll cover our eyes
He’ll take up our sickness
Carry our tears
For his people
He will be pierced
He’ll be crushed for our evils
Our punishment feel
By his wounds
We will be healed.
From you, O Bethlehem
Small among Judah
A ruler will come
Ancient and strong.

Then “Deliver Us” about the 400 years of silence before Jesus, an instrumental version of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel”, and “Matthew’s Begats” chronicling the genealogy of Jesus in the gospel of Matthew. Next is “It Came to Pass” about Joseph & Mary’s journey to Bethlehem, then “Labor of Love” about Mary giving birth:

It was a labor of pain
It was a cold sky above
But for the girl on the ground in the dark
With every beat of her beautiful heart
It was a labor of love
For little Mary full of grace
With the tears upon her face
It was a labor of love

Then another instrumental, this time “The Holly and the Ivy”, followed by “While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks”. Then the end of the journey, “Behold the Lamb of God”:

Behold, the Lamb of God
Who takes away our sin
Behold the Lamb of God
The life and light of men
Behold the Lamb of God
Who died and rose again
Behold the Lamb of God who comes
To take away our sin

The whole album wraps context around the Christmas story, which too often gets lost in Christmas scenes of cuddly animals in the soft light of a spotless manger. This takes us back through thousands of years of Israel’s longing for Messiah and does so with lyrical beauty, musical richness, and phenomenal vocal and instrumental performances (by a ton of great artists).