God Speaks in Wal*Mart

Every year it seems that stores and radio stations begin the full court press on Christmas a bit earlier.

Our local “Lite” Radio station MIX 96.7 has been playing Christmas music almost exclusively for the past 2 weeks.

I love it.

I was in Wal*Mart the other day and found myself humming “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” only to realize that it was playing on the overhead speaker system.

I love it.

Because I’m mushy and sentimental? No.

Because I’m just mental? No.

I love it because of the Gospel.

Because in amongst all the reindeer and “Frosty the Snowman” songs, amongst “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” and “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”… amongst all these is God continuing to offer reconciliation through the Christmas Gospel songs.

I am a firm believer that God uses all kinds of things – even very unexpected things – to get people’s attention. He used a burning bush that was not consumed. He had a donkey speak to a man. He had a huge fish swallow a man whole.

So we shouldn’t be surprised that he’d use ‘early’ Christmas music to extend the invitation of the timeless Gospel.

See it’s not just Santa and Frosty and Rudolph and “scary ghost stories” that float through the air in these songs. It’s the “tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago.”

Because in among the ‘secular’ Christmas song playlists are songs like “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” and “Joy to the World” and even “Silent Night” and “O Holy Night”.

Maybe for some they are just simple nostalgic reminders. But I believe God uses even simple nostalgia to draw hearts and minds back to faith.

I will never forget standing in line to check out at Wal*Mart and hearing “What Child Is This” played and sung overheard. Not just the “standard” version where every chorus is “This, this is Christ the King…” which is powerful in and of itself. It was the version with all of the choruses including…

"Good Christian, fear, for sinners here
The silent Word is pleading.

Nails, spear shall pierce Him through,

The cross be borne for me, for you.

Hail, hail the Word made flesh,

The Babe, the Son of Mary"

(blog continues after video)


Here it was: God reaching out once again, offering salvation, pardon to whoever had ears to hear.

The cross… on display… in mid November… in Wal*Mart. What does a speaking donkey have on that?

I stood there praying, "God, let them hear You. Let them hear your love song to them."

I love that the God of the Bible is just and holy AND a compassionate God who relentlessly pursues a rebellious people with arms of love and forgiveness; a God who welcomes back us prodigals and us spiritual prostitutes. (read in Hosea and especially the link)

Though He doesn’t “need” us, the Scripture says, "He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us"? (James 4:5)

I love how the Amplified Bible says this: “The Spirit Whom He has caused to dwell in us yearns over us and He yearns for the Spirit [to be welcome] with a jealous love”

He loves us not only unconditionally – but with the burning heart of a passionate lover.

A lover who will pursue his hard-hearted love even in Wal*Mart check-out lines.

A lover who will break in over the airwaves of a “secular” radio station to sing of His love and woo us back.

This year, my wife, my son and I will see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra in Green Bay.

My wife and I saw them 2 years ago and though I’m sure the band did not intend it to be a time of worship, God declared His love again through them. I nearly wept as in a sold-out Resch Center, nearly every voice – sinner and saint, the sold-out and the nominal believer - sang at the top of their lungs: “O come let us adore Him – Christ the King!”

And then there's this song (video is a bit quiet) - but check the lyrics.

Even in the lasers and columns of fire and strobes and drums and screaming electric guitars… the love of God.

I have no idea what faith if any the TSO songwriters (mainly Paul O'Neill) have. But I wonder how God is using this song to woo His wayward children back…

Got to get back to a reason
Got to get back to a reason I once knew
And this late in the season
One by one distractions fade from view
The only reason I have left is
You

~Back to a Reason II