Behold the Lamb

Two weeks ago I was invited by the in-laws to come to their church in north Austin to see a christmas concert. Of course I headed to this thing with must skepticism expecting a rousing chorus of O little Town of Bethlehem and Silent Night. What I was treated to was an evening of some of the best Christian music I have heard in a long time. It was a concert called "Behold the Lamb of God" and it was Andrew Peterson along with Jill Philips, Sara Groves and Bebo Norman (Bebo being the only one I had ever heard of). The second half of their show was the Behold the Lamb portion and it was moving (I recommend Andrew Peterson's website and you can hear all of these song in their entirety for free http://www.andrew-peterson.com/music.php). Its a story of Jesus, but not just the navitity, its a story of how the entire Bible points both toward and back to Jesus.

One song moved me in particular and it was sung by Jill Phillips called "Labor of Love". The lyrics such:

It was not a silent nightThere was blood on the groundYou could hear a woman cryIn the alleyways that nightOn the streets of David's town

And the stable was not cleanAnd the cobblestones were coldAnd little Mary full of graceWith the tears upon her faceHad no mother's hand to hold
It was a labor of painIt was a cold sky aboveBut for the girl on the ground in the darkWith every beat of her beautiful heartIt was a labor of love

Noble Joseph at her sideCallused hands and weary eyesThere were no midwives to be foundIn the streets of David's townIn the middle of the night

So he held her and he prayedShafts of moonlight on his faceBut the baby in her wombHe was the maker of the moonHe was the Author of the faithThat could make the mountains move
It was a labor of painIt was a cold sky aboveBut for the girl on the ground in the darkWith every beat of her beautiful heartIt was a labor of loveFor little Mary full of graceWith the tears upon her faceIt was a labor of love.

Now you have to go to either the website or iTunes to hear the emotion she puts into this song, but it is great.