Years ago, I went Christmas caroling with a group from my church. We focused on singing for our shut-in members, and so our journey ended at an assisted-living center in our town where several such members lived. While there, we walked up and down the halls, singing as we went, pausing in the threshold of open doorways and occasionally chatting with the residents between carols.

We concluded our visit by singing our "best" few carols in the large activity room where the residents tended to congregate. As we entered the room, I noticed a man in a wheelchair who seemed pretty out of it. We had passed him in the hallways earlier, and I had tried to talk with him, but he seemed incapable of engaging with people. As we set up and prepared to sing, he did not even acknowledge that we were there or that anything unusual was about happening.

But, something unusual did happen.

First song. No response from the man. Second song. Again, no response. After about 15 minutes of singing, we finished with Silent Night. As soon as the first "silent night" carried into the air, the man looked up. He knew this song, and it stirred him out of his waking slumber. He started to mouth the words and "sing" along. He smiled. He remembered.

Music leaves a lasting mark on our soul. It's no wonder that the radio stations have been playing Christmas tunes round the clock for over a week already. They reconnect us to past Christmases and the hope, joy and love of the season in a deep, soulful way like few things can. And, as evidenced by the man in the story above, the beautiful and powerful music of the season that grows specifically out of our faith tradition leaves its mark on our souls as well.

We are blessed to have a Music Ministry at Holy Covenant that shares that music with us in so many, varied ways: the Children's Musical on Sunday evening, December 4th; Handel's Messiah in our Sunday morning worship services on December 11th; beloved hymns and carols from week-to-week in worship; contemporary arrangements of classic hymns in the Contemporary Christmas Eve service at 5 p.m. on the 24th; and, our youth singing Christmas carols to Holy Covenant's shut-in members on Sunday evening, December 11th.

I am looking forward to journeying through the Advent season with you, rekindling old memories and making new ones, all to the sound track of the glorious music here at Holy Covenant.

Blessings, Pastor Andy Lewis