Why would he go and say something like that? Chances are good that over the holidays, as you got together with family, someone may have said something awkward. You know the kind – the crazy uncle who would said something like, “Cute kid you have there! Too bad he’s got his mom’s big ears." So, on this happy occasion at the temple, why would Simeon tell Mary that "a sword will pierce your own soul too"?

Travel with me for a moment, back in time to the year 2021, when the world was still in the thick of the global pandemic. At that time the Pew Research Center asked leaders from a variety of backgrounds, from business to research, to consider what they felt life would be like in 2025. They described what they though would be the "new normal" for this new year that begins today. It sounded bleak. However, it may surprise you to know that in Scripture, God also describes events that have brought about a "new normal." And for you and me and all who trust in our Savior this year ahead, and our entire future, couldn't be any brighter.

The shepherds in Luke’s account of our Savior's nativity were real people, people just like you and me. They play a small part in the events of our Savior’s nativity, but not an insignificant one. Luke goes to tell us, “The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.” And the wonderful things is that, since we’re hearing it again this Christmas, that grateful praise must have also included telling others what it was that what they saw and heard. Like the shepherds, here's a wonderful and ongoing part of our praise as well.

A few years ago, a musicologist and a couple of songwriters set out to determine what elements go in to making the ultimate Christmas song. Did they come up with a new song? They sure did. Is it the ultimate Christmas song? Probably not. Is it what the psalmist had in mind when he said, “Sing to the Lord a new song?” Ha, not exactly. It may surprise you to know that it's the joyful song of faith that God's people have been singing for quite some time.